I am a woman, a musician and artist, living on this earth for almost half a century. Is the story of my life interesting? We will see but that concern is secondary to me in my motivation to write and publish. I feel a need to address the first line of my cv, my main professional accomplishment, trombonist in the United States Army Band, "Pershing's Own," and not only "a trombonist" but in fact the first woman trombonist in the history of that organization, because it needs a huge asterisk. I cannot claim credit for something that was a huge failure and so I will use this space to explain and give context.
melathon, thank you for reading and yes, you may share.
This is some tough as hell shit, Kirsten. I applaud your bravery in sharing it and your steadfastness in not compromising your ethics to make your own work life easier. I’m so sorry you had to endure this, and I’m sorry I went all these years assuming that being The First Woman Trombonist In Pershing’s Own must be So Fantastic and Badass, The End. I thank you for sharing this. May I also share it? So many people have no idea how widespread experiences like this are, and yes, they still go on in 2019.