Free Under the Knife: A Beautiful Woman, a Phony Doctor, and a Shocking Homicide by Diane Fanning

real, even if not universal. However, every instance of discrimination felt all-encompassing to the victim, and Dani was keenly aware of each slight.
    From her viewpoint, gay men keep transsexuals at arm’s length because of their fear of negative repercussions in public perception. They believe gays worry that inclusion of trannies at their social events would make them appear more effeminate and therefore, less acceptable to straight society.
    Dani felt that a more central issue of public perception for gay men resulted from the behavior of the few. Gay Pride parades that feature mock or actual displays of sexual acts are offensive to Middle America—just as the same overt acting out by heterosexuals offends sensibilities. If the straight population could simply associate the sexual excess seen in gay pride parades with that of similar exhibitions by male–female couples in New York’s Puerto Rican parade, or the breast-flashing of women for beads in New Orleans during Mardi Gras, rather than regarding them as a hallmark of homosexuality, it would go far in minimizing strife between the two groups. That time, however, had not yet arrived for Dani and other transsexuals, who’d come to expect ostracism from straights and gays alike. When a man like Dean demonstrated no bias, it naturally came as a surprise.
    Lesbian society was no bastion of enlightenment, either. Dani rarely found acceptance there. The women who came out in the sixties and seventies, in particular, had astrong belief in their credentials as lesbian women. They saw trannies as faux-women—men in disguise. They felt these people had grown up with the advantages of male privilege and were now co-opting everything women worked so hard to achieve, an assessment that denied the reality of life for Dani.
    Complicating the issue was the fact that many transsexuals did not have the money or the medical prerequisites to complete the gender reassignment through surgery. Although living like women, they still were physically equipped as men.
    The drama of this conflict hit a high point at the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival. The three-decades-old annual event covers 650 acres in rural Michigan each August. Thousands of lesbians gather for music, workshops, film and more in an all-woman venue. In 1991, the festival organizers expelled Nancy Burkholder, a transwoman, from the festivities. After two years of trying to get the policies of the event changed, trannies formed Camp Trans a half-mile down the road. It evolved into an event in its own right. Nonetheless, for Dani, the exclusion by mainstream America remained painful.
    A new attitude among younger lesbians may one day bring the policy to an end. Women in their twenties and thirties have embraced a concept of sexual fluidity and possess a greater willingness to allow individuals an open expression of identity. Dani dreamed of that day, but was pessimistic about its arrival in her lifetime.

CHAPTER ELEVEN
     
    DANI SAMUELSON INTRODUCED HER FRIEND MURIEL FARINA to Dean Faiello. Muriel, a Cuban-American trained and certified in electrolysis, wanted to expand her knowledge about hair removal by learning laser techniques. The two struck a deal: Muriel would bring Dean clients who could benefit from laser hair removal, and Dean would treat them while teaching Muriel. The two of them would split the fees fifty–fifty. They started out practicing at the 23 rd Street location.
    Dean stayed at that office for a short time before moving his operations to the Lexington Professional Center, an Upper East Side medical complex at 133 East 73 rd Street—less than a block from Park Avenue. His offices adjoined those of Dr. William Keavy.
    Keavy, a highly regarded specialist in plastic and reconstructive surgery, wrote the necessary prescriptions for Dean’s clients and provided the lidocaine for injections. It was puzzling that a professional of Keavy’s stature would be taken in by Dean’s façade and not question