France's Transgender Pictures from the 1960's

From ABC News comes a story called: 
 
Les Amies de Place Blanche: Transvestites of 1960′s Paris Christer Strömholm (1918-2002) is considered one of the great photographers of the 20th century, though he is little known outside of his native Sweden.
Arriving in Paris in the late 1950′s, Strömholm settled in the Place Blanche, home to the Moulin Rouge, in the heart of the city’s red-light district.  There he befriended the “ladies of the night,” transgendered males who were struggling to live as women and raising money for sex-change operations.

"Gina"

At the time in President Charles de Gaulle’s ultra-conservative France, transvestites were outlawed and regularly harassed and arrested by the gendarmes for being “men dressed as women outside the period of carnival.”
Strömholm photographed his subjects, whom he called his “les amies de Place Blanche (girlfriends of Place Blanche) in their hotel rooms, in bars and on the streets of Paris.
There are several photos. I will post one here now and then later move a couple to "The Gallery" here and "Trannsnation.Com".

Kind of Says It All?

Thanks Bobbie!!!

What Do You Think?

Should taxpayers foot the bill for transsexual prisoners?
This story concerning transgender inmates in New York is the latest from Auburn.Pub.com.
"There are about 1,700 inmates at Auburn Correctional Facility, of whom 1,698 or so are indisputably men.
Then there are Jessica Marie Brooks and Leslieann Marie Manning.
They are part of the small population of transgender inmates in New York prisons. Both say they're receiving hormone therapy, and the physical changes are subtle but apparent.
Their hair is fine, their skin is soft and their walk and talk are plainly feminine.
Brooks, Manning and others like them occupy an intersection of intense social stigma - convicted felons receiving taxpayer-funded health care for a scorned condition."
The bottom line seems to be the growing belief that the transgendered or transsexual condition is a medical condition not unlike the others that convicts are being treated for.

Personally, I can connect the treatment dots with the care I get from the Veterans Administration. Taxpayers are paying for it too-even if for radically different reasons.
I can argue convicts are coddled too much already but I can also argue if one prisoner is treated for a medical condition, another should be also.
Follow the link above for more discussion and here is one of the prisoners in question:

Leslieann Manning was born Ronald Manning.

Yet Another Transsexual Girl Update

Perhaps you remember the story of Jack/Jackie not so long ago.

"Ohio parents Lynn and Michael pose with their children Jackie, left, and Samantha. Jackie began life 11 years ago as Jack — a boy. After trying for years to modify their son’s effeminate manner, the couple decided to let Jackie live as a girl."

It's fortunately becoming more of a increasingly common story in the media. A family accepting a transgender child in their family. Please note I'm not saying this is an everyday occurrence but it is good our culture is portrayed in a positive nature. Maybe more will react in the same way.
This story hits closer to home for me in a couple ways. First, the family lives within a hundred miles of me in Ohio and Meral Crane, clinical director of the Gender Program of Central Ohio counseled my wife and I years and years ago is quoted as saying:
"No one’s sure how many children wrestle with gender dysphoria, a condition in which people feel uncomfortable because their bodies don’t match their perceived gender. Some studies suggest that 1 in 1,000 individuals has gender dysphoria; others put the rate at closer to 1 in 30,000.
Regardless of the statistics, it’s clear that awareness is growing and attitudes are changing."

You can read the story from the "Columbus Dispatch" here.

TS Words to Live By.

Actually I should have used "Tina Phillips" initials in the title instead of the well known transsexual abbreviation.
More importantly, her Facebook post I'm featuring here I believe applies to the great majority of the people stopping by Cyrsti's Condo. If you identify as a crossdresser (transvestite), transsexual, transgender or gender queer female, read the 12 steps to womanhood.

Step 01. NEVER, EVER LET ANYONE TELL YOU WHO YOU ARE.

Step 02. NEVER, EVER let anyone tell you, you will not make a decent woman.

Step 03. NEVER, EVER be someone you're not.

Step 04. NEVER, EVER let others judge you, cause you can't be judged unless you let them.

Step 05. NEVER, EVER let words make you. Instead you make the words.

Step 06. NEVER, EVER be ashamed of who you are.

Step 07. NEVER, EVER let public opinion sway you into thinking what you are doing is wrong.

Step 08. NEVER, EVER think you have failed. You can only fail if you stop trying.

Step 09. NEVER, EVER give into your fears. They will kill your dreams and keep you from your happiness.

Step 10. NEVER, EVER rush into a life changing situation, unless you are sure that is what you want to do.

Step 11. NEVER, EVER be a man because people expect that of you. Always be the woman you are and always have been.

Step 12. NEVER, EVER be embarrassed by emotions - They are a woman's soul and a woman's strength.

Quote of the Day

"Sometimes you have to lose yourself to find everything."
Spoken by Burt Reynolds in "Deliverance" the movie. 1972

Transgender Twin at 14

"Nicole at Glad dinner in Boston 2011"

Do you remember the remarkable story of Wyatt Maines? At four years old, Wyatt Maines asked his mother when he would get to be a girl. Born into a pair of male twins, Maines knew he was living in the wrong body. By the time the twins reached elementary school, Maines told people he was a “girl-boy.” As years progressed, Maines began going by the name Nicole, and living life as a girl. At age 11, Nicole underwent puberty suppression (which blocks male hormones and puberty changes from occurring).
She now is 14 and Nicole family are activists for transgender rights. After a student complained about Nicole using the women’s bathroom, the family took a stand by filing a Maine Human Rights Commission complaint. They also successfully lobbied to defeat a bill introduced in Maine legislature that would have repealed protections for transgender people in public restrooms.
You can read more of the story here. Another wonderful point to make is I found this article in "TeenVoices *Changing the World for Girls through Media". Exactly the exposure our culture needs!!!

Alex's Story-Clair's Journey and More

By "Alison Walsh" of National Geographic Channels.
Male or female? Boy or girl? Most of us can answer that question without a second thought, but for some people, the answer isn’t so simple. American Transgender takes us firsthand into the daily lives of three individuals—Clair, Jim, and Eli—who each identify with a different gender from the one in which they were born and raised. We witness their struggles and triumphs, and experience their hopes and fears. How do they manage at work, build careers, maintain friendships, and nurture lasting, intimate partnerships? Each of the characters in the film tells their story in their own words as we follow them through life’s daily battles and victories, both large and small.


Go here for more!

Let's Be Careful Out There!

No matter how some of the public news is becoming a little more positive about the transgendered community, hate crime is still a HUGE problem for us as evidenced in this video from San Francisco:
Maybe that little container of pepper spray I've been thinking of adding to my purse isn't such a bad idea!

Transgender Life in My Little World

As I approach 4 full months on hormones, the major changes I seem to be feeling now are internal with moods and hot flashes.
As I have passed along before, I have cried more in the past month than in my last 50 some years of life.Now, I don't want to portray these tears as a major sign of depression. They were more of a reflection of life and memories I was having.
I suppose you could call this a "liberation" of sorts or ideally I should have been this way my entire life and not let "male conditioning" get in my way.
It doesn't matter. I just know it is happening. Very simply, a couple genetic women I talk to have said "welcome to their world".
So, as I sit here file my nails and think about this post - I guess I am getting what I asked for and yes it does feel natural and good. I was seeking a slow and steady feminization of my body without any major surgery and it's happening.  A whole summer of new fun is almost upon me with more hair on my head and less on my body.
The only frustration I have are those who want to take me to task for how I got here, where I am going and what label I attach to the process.
For the rest of you on (and off) this blog-thanks sooooo much for being along!

Oh No They Didn't!

Not long ago Mia Macy, an Army veteran and former police detective, initially applied for the position as a man and was told that she was qualified for the job as a ballistics technician. Then she informed the contractor that she was changing her gender. After that, she was told funding for the job was cut. She later learned someone else was hired for the position.
Macy filed a complaint with the ATF, which told her that federal job discrimination laws did not apply to transgender people. The Transgender Law Center, a legal rights advocacy group in San Francisco, took up her case.

Mia Macy (left) with her wife Trish

As you have been possibly reading, her case was brought up to the EEOC and resulted in a landmark ruling that in part said:  the unanimous ruling from the five-member agency does not create a new cause of action. It clarifies that charges of gender stereotyping are considered claims of sex discrimination under existing law.
Until now, Pizer said, it was common for transgender workers to have their complaints rejected by EEOC regional offices and state civil rights agencies due to confusion about the state of the law.
“This is a confirmation that the courts are correct, so public and private employers coast to coast now have the benefit of the EEOC making this clear,”according to EEOC spokeswoman Justine Lisser.
In case you haven't seen her, I'm putting a brave face to the story!

Branching Out!

Well, it's Spring around here (more or less) and as the plants and trees start to grow I am growing just a bit too! (Not the hormones this time!)
I'm starting a column on"Brianna Austin's  TG Life.com."
I will have more for you later!

What Will They Think of Next???

It's heresy! The next thing you know people will be thinking of letting transgendered people vote!
Read this from Singapore (More reaction to Jennifer Talackova's acceptance in Miss Universe)

Engineer Leslie Wong, 29, said the rule change was unlikely to alienate fans of the competition. “If you're in a beauty pageant, you probably look like a beautiful woman,” he said. “I'm not sure I would even be able to tell who is transgendered.”
That's all good but here is the radical part:
Trans student Marla Bendini, 26, said transgender contestants could lead to a more positive representation of the community in society. Bendini said society should also make room for pre-operative transsexuals, but the rule change was a good first step. “It's a beauty pageant, not a glorification of genitals,” she said.

For just a second the floor under my feet was getting colder and I thought hell was freezing over!

Video Choice-Name Choice

I came across this article in the "New York Times" Opinion Page. It's a touching and sensitive look at our culture and the many variations. The same variations which on occasion lead us down such an destructive internal path.
 Here's the intro by Sharon Shattuck published: April 18, 2012:
"  I’ve heard much debate in the past year about what constitutes a “healthy family.” Some politicians argue that the best environment for a child is one with a mother and a father — and the underlying context here is that a “normal” family should be helped by a “normal” heterosexual couple.

For me, “normal” is something entirely different.  Yes, I grew up with a happily married mother and father in a small, conservative Midwestern town. But my father is transgender, and he’s a cross-dresser. He has never tried to hide these facts from anyone.

As you can imagine, my family stuck out like a sore thumb in our small town, though I didn’t quite realize to what extent until my dad legally changed his name from Michael to Trisha. And yes, I sometimes still get tripped up about whether to refer to my dad as “he” or “she.” Growing up with Trisha caused me some grief, mostly because I worried about what other people thought of my family and me.  But Trisha just went about her business, painting prolifically in oil on canvas, playing the banjo — and winning people over by simply being a good friend, neighbor and parent.  You can’t choose your parents. Now I know that I wouldn’t want my dad any other way.

What I’m trying to do now, with this short piece and with a feature-length documentary I’m working on, is to put myself in Dad’s shoes, and in the shoes of other LGBT families across the country.  There are a lot of us out there, and I hope that one day we will see “healthy family” redefined to include us, too.

Sharon Shattuck is an animator and filmmaker who lives in Brooklyn.  Her award-winning animation “Whale Fall” had its premiere on Radiolab."

And here is the video:

Asian Transgender News

From "AsiaOne News": 
A beautiful transgender has caused a stir by registering as an election candidate for the Nan Provincial Administration Organisation.
"I'm confident that my experience and ability will be useful in the development of Nan," Yonlada "Kirkkong" Suanyos, 30, said yesterday.

This is the first time a transgender has run for a political post at the provincial level.
Although she is a new face in politics, she is famous as president of the Trans Female Association of Thailand.
For many years, she has campaigned for the rights of trans-females.
The PhD candidate owns a jewellery business and runs a satellite television station.
Last year, she was named by a media organisation as one of the most influential women in Thai society.

Down Under Comment

"Jamiegottagun" commented on the casting of the Austrailian transgender icon "Carlotta" by a genetic female actress:
"Particularly small-thinking when they could have had Shane Jarek (Courtney Act) instead.
How much you want to be they never even considered casting anyone besides a female actress?"

I don't think they probably ever considered  casting a transgendered actress or even a male playing the role.
For those of you who haven't heard or seen "Courtney Act" - here she is!

A Plethora of Classic Videos!

I posted a couple of interesting classic videos over on "Trannsnation"
Also I just put a classic "Christopher Morley" doing Marilyn Monroe here in the Condo's Entertainment Center.
Enjoy!

You Can't Always Get What You Want

Australia's transgender icon performer "Carlotta" will reportedly be played by a very genetic woman- (pregnant) Jessica Marais in an upcoming telemovie.

"Carlotta"

"Jessica Marais"

Carlotta, who was born Richard Byron rose to fame as a cabaret performer in the Kings Cross stage show "Les Girls" and was rumored to be the the inspiration for Terrance Stamp's character in "Priscilla Queen of the Dessert."





Obviously a real live transgendered actress would most of our preferences to play the role but certainly "Carlotta" must be flattered by the choice!

New "Horrorscope"

I love this!
Libra (September 23- October 22)
Your strength will be throbbing at maximum levels, making you one hot toddy filled with passion and perfumes that can lure in even the most reluctant and odd lovers. Yes, new experiences are on the sexual horizon, giving you a lot to think about, as you’ll discover something new and naughty about yourself now. YUM!
As always from "theFrisky".

Taking a Look Back at Transvestite Newsletters

"Back in the day" as the internet was just coming into our lives there were "transvestite" newsletters which were the beginnings of the huge amount of information we see today.
Amazingly, the entire genre' is available to interested viewers. One was called "Life's a Dragg" which you can link to here
I picked up the link from the "TG Forum" which in itself has been established quite a while!.

Are Transgender Times Better?

I heard a line "That depends on where you sit and what cards you hold".
Over the past week or so we have witnessed several positive influences on the transgender community.
Three I can think of are the Ontario Canadian ruling, the Melissa Harris- interview and the Glee program.
I am going to refer to "Janie's Blog" a Canadian herself about the decision to allowing a gender change on documentation with out SRS.
She recently wrote: "
A court decision in Canada has struck down a law requiring SRS as a precondition to having one’s gender changed on their documentation.
There are undoubtedly people on both sides of this issue who will be unhappy about it – post-op transsexuals who may feel that anyone who can tolerate the “bits” of the opposite gender is not truly transsexual, and others who may feel that this just makes it too easy to play games with one’s gender and official documentation.
But, remember that most people who eventually undergo gender reassignment surgery spend years living as the gender opposite to what their identification indicates. They do this for financial reasons, or even for reasons of uncertainty and fear of going through with the surgery. They are not fooling around; this is serious business in their lives, and having a passport or ID that matches the gender they are living is important.
(Read the whole post here.)
A show two Sunday's ago saw MSNBC's Melissa Harris-Perry featuring being Transgendered in America.
(It's  posted  here in the condo in our "Home Entertainment Center" .)
Guest "Mara Keisling" pointed out
"For one of the first times that I can remember, trans people got to outline to the public at least part of the trans political agenda for ourselves. From health care access, to barriers to updating identity documents, to talking about jail and detention reform and raising awareness of CeCe McDonald's story, we finally had a chance to bring trans issues to a national audience as trans people."
Then, lets not forget the "Glee" episode which featured a real live transgendered character in a very mainstream television program.
So, where I sit, have sat and looking at the cards I hold, my hand definitely is improving as a transgender person in this country.
I'm going to quote an old song "You got to know when to hold them, know when to fold them and know when to run".
Well, I'm not going to run (tried that), not going to fold them (**purged a couple times like the rest of you) and I certainly will want to hold them.
As with any good player, I know the game is far from over but I like the progress so far!

**Purged is totally throwing away all your items you were using to present as your chosen gender.

Womanless Beauty Pageants

I would like to thank Alice for passing this along to me!
Over the years, "Womanless Beauty Pageants" have been the source of entertainment and fund raising efforts around the country.  Seemingly a boy or man in a dress has provided innocent fun provided of course it wasn't a serious or full time gig for the male involved.
I for one have always thought that some of the participants have taken the effort way to seriously. In addition, some of the participants look way to good and seem to be having way to much fun! (Who wouldn't?)
As I have mentioned a couple of times here Stana at "Femulate" really covers the Womanless Beauty scene wonderfully. Alice in turn passed along a Femulate reader's "Flickr" womanless pageant picture compilations.
Thank you Alice and I would like to direct all of you to another of Stana's posts on womanless yearbook pictures here.
After viewing all of these pictures, I sometimes wonder if I was one of the only guys around who never had the opportunity to compete in a womanless pageant.
Truthfully, there weren't any in my part of the country until very recently with the "Relay for Life" cancer fundraisers.
I do think I would have been too scared to take part in fear the whole thing would blow my cover. It's obviously too late now to do anything about it now, so I will just have to be a very interested observer!
Thanks again Alice, Stana and all you "civilians" who look so good in your first and only time in a prom dress!

Quote of the Day

Once you figure out there is nothing else you can do-then you need to find what it is you need to do.
Cyrsti

Another Myth Destroyed?

In transgendered history the legendary "Chevalier D'Eon" was a French spy, diplomat, international traveler and transvestite.
He was rumored to have spied on a Russian Czar dressed as a maid and London Stock Exchange members even ran a pool about his true sex.
All wonderful fireside stories to tell the young cross dresser in your family- BUT!
This portrait was just found and sold which ruined all of my preconceived notions about the "Chevalier".
Either this is not really him, was not a good day for him or was painted on a "male" day. Whatever the cause he is probably turning over in his grave knowing this portrait came to light!
This has to be the "before"!

Quote of the Day

"No matter where you go-there you are!!!"
Unknown

Being Transgender in America

If you haven't seen or heard this yet, MSNBC's Melissa Harris-Perry featured a show last Sunday on being Transgendered in America.
I'm going to post this video here in the condo in our "Home Entertainment Center" .
Here's a quick look from guest "Mara Keisling" who is the Founding Executive Director, National Center for Transgender Equality who said:
"For one of the first times that I can remember, trans people got to outline to the public at least part of the trans political agenda for ourselves. From health care access, to barriers to updating identity documents, to talking about jail and detention reform and raising awareness of CeCe McDonald's story, we finally had a chance to bring trans issues to a national audience as trans people. 
From the first appearance at a trans event by a sitting Cabinet Secretary to the incredible list of policy victories we’ve achieved in the past year, trans policy is now firmly part of the political debate.  Of equal importance is that now, the conversation around the country is moving in our favor, symbolic of  important cultural progress in our movement."

She will join the Melissa-Harris Perry Show on a nationally televised panel discussing the movement for transgender equality. Mara will join other trans advocates Kate Bornstein and N.Y.C Council Candidate Council Candidate Mel Wymore to examine recent trans policy victories and current challenges.
The whole video to me took on a surreal feel to me.  All these years of watching all the other groups explaining their feelings, lifestyles and rights-now I'm watching my group.
It's about time!

Transgender Comics?

On the heels of the huge "Glee" episode we featured when they added a real live transgendered character. Not a gay or a lesbian character-a transgender character. For once we get separation from the other two.
Now Archie Comics has announced that Issue #636, which is scheduled for release on August 22, will focus on issues related to gender and perceived gender roles by featuring gender-swapped versions of the three main characters.
In "The Great Switcheroo," Archie, Betty and Veronica will become Archina, Billy and Ronnie thanks to a magical spell cast by two special visitors to Riverdale -- Sabrina the Teenage Witch and her cat Salem.

I picked up this story from the "Huffington Post"
Check the story for a couple more very interesting links plus I'm going to post a couple other illustrations here (in the "Gallery") and on "Trannsnation"!

Fluid Transsexuals?

As we continue to beat one another up internally and as a community for what we are,  yet another fascinating study is coming to light which proves once again much of our anguish is something we had no control over.
This look at being a man in the morning and a woman at night comes from the "Scientific American" site:

"A graduate student of famed neuroscientist Vilayanur S. Ramachandran has found a group of men and women who report that their sexual identity can switch involuntarily to that of the opposite sex and back again. The transgender metamorphosis, these people assert, can occur several times a day and at inopportune moments. It is also accompanied by the sensation of phantom breasts or genitalia of the non-biological sex.
The research grows out of Ramachandran’s long-standing fascination with the study of body image and how it contributes to a basic sense of the self, work that has included investigations into the phantom limbs of amputees.
The preliminary study by Laura Case, Ramachandran’s student, raises the prospect of a new category of transgenderism. “Alternating gender incongruity (AGI),” the neuropsychiatric term the researchers have tentatively proposed, describes the involuntary change of gender identity, along with perceived phantom sex characteristics, a tendency toward ambidexterity and bipolar disorder, all signs that suggest a biological basis for AGI. (A related term, bigender, defined as blending or alternating gender states, precedes AGI.)"

Of course there is much more to this study. Just go to the "Scientific American" link above to read more. 

Another Look at Our Transgendered Image

Every once in awhile, I read a post which really describes a huge portion of my life as I know it and
this post certainly jumped out at me.
It's called "De Facto, Defect or Defector" from "Andie's Place" and this is part of the post:

"Defector

And then there are the gender politics. Am I an intruder, as far as women are concerned? To some I certainly am. Why are you in the ladies’ loo?! Well, it’s because I am not a man, and I am not disabled. And I am not a spy either. I am who I am, and I know where I fit easily and best. I do not think about you like a man does.
More to the point, for some men I am a threat. I am a defector from a place of privilege and power, who is undermining the solidarity of the male realm. Goodness! What would happen to male authority if too many people like me started to climb down and join the other side? If that is you, and you need reassurance, I was never on your side, never a part of your tribe, even though I made a decent presentation of it most of the time. I don’t hate men, I just never did man stuff very well and I never liked the idea of male privilege. Some people were most persuaded by my ‘male skills’ – that I was taught in school just because it was a boys’ school.
I am not defecting; I was just never legitimately in the right team. And I’m not taking sides now either. I am just being myself.

Summary for the newly puzzled

I understand that I have changed you without your permission. You are now the person who knows a transsexual, or a transgender person (please just don’t say tranny), and the closer you are the more difficult that may feel. I got over it, so can you.
De facto: this is how I am, so get used to it. "

Read the entire post here.

Shopping Part Deux!

Since I wrote the "Fun, Thrifty Shopping" post a couple days ago, I have heard from several of you about new and fun things to do on the shopping trail.
For you "high tech" girls I understand some chains now have "apps" you can install on your phone promoting bargains.
For others of you who think all of us this is too good to be true, let me tell why it just may not be.
First of all, you beginners just might find shopping is one of the easiest ways you can be accepted in your feminine role.
Here are a couple reasons:
Merchants want our money. Many now even have training for their staffs in dealing with people like us.
Other shoppers are on a mission-most could care less about anyone but themselves as they look for their own "finds".
So if you don't do something crazy like dressing totally outrageously, you can go about your business with very few problems.
Normally, most of our problems deal with the confidence to do all of this and that is very understandable.
Here are a couple more tips to consider:
Most sales people are open to helping you. Many are on some sort of commission and at the least that factor alone makes you more reachable.
Many store associates want to help you and they do have a lot of expertise to offer. You do have to be careful of becoming more of a dollar draw than a fashion challenge to some clerks.
If you are relatively presentable as a woman of course, all of this will be easier but don't get too sly. You may be hurting yourself.
I have two examples from within my immediate family alone.
My daughter and my brothers daughter in law both worked for a certain leading woman's lingerie retailer with the word "Secret" in it's title. They both have unsolicited stories about men shopping for themselves in and out of dress. In fact my daughter made major commissions waiting on one of us when no one else would. (Way before she knew about me).
The moral to the story is that both said if the shoppers had reached out for and accepted more help, it would have been a better experience for all involved.
Well, we can go on and on about this subject. 
Be on the outlook for Part Three!

"Glee" Introduces It's First Transgendered Character

Glee raised the bar for diversity on network television again last night, when it introduced a new character named Unique, a transgender African American student and performer in rival glee club Vocal Adrenaline. The character is played by Alex Newell, who finished as a runner up on The Glee Project; the Oxygen reality show in which a group of hopefuls competed for a spot on Fox’s hit show. Audiences first saw Unique as Wade, a shy student from a different high school who gushed with fandom for Kurt and Mercedes and asked for their advice on coping as outsiders. Wade recalled being tormented by other kids at school and even family members, and revealed that “Ever since I was a kid, I would play this game. Where I would pretend I was a different person. The person I dreamed of being. The real me. I even have a different name. Unique.” Kurt offers words of support, saying “I hope one day you have enough courage to be him.” To which Wade responds “Actually, Unique’s a her.” The education of Kurt came later in the episode when, with help from Mercedes, he attempted to deter Unique from performing as a girl. “I’ve worn some flamboyant outfits, but I’ve never dressed up as a woman," he tells Unique. "That’s because you identify yourself as a man," she replies. "I thought you of all people would understand.”

 With shows such as this maybe more people will understand! We need separation from the gay and lesbian cultures to be accepted and understood!!!!

Civilian Gender Crafts

I operate a shop at "Etsy". If you have never heard of it, it is a arts,crafts and vintage collectible sales site.
As I searched it the other night, I came across an interesting post about "gender specific" crafts:

"Gender crafts still exist partly because of past generations taking their sons to the 'shop' and their daughters to the 'sewing room.' Without any conscious effort my grown sons have sat at my sewing machine more than my daughter, who has learned the skill of tile setting. If we allow the next generation to be drawn to their own interests and not steer them to gender appropriate work it may well come back full circle as gendered."
Here is a portion:
“Women’s work.” It’s a phrase that’s often applied to tasks viewed as simple, routine, and “soft.” It’s a point of view made plain, surprisingly, at an avant gárde training ground for architects, artists, and designers: the Bauhaus.
From 1919 to 1933, this influential school in Germany combined fine arts and design with a craft-based curriculum that included metalworking, cabinetmaking, pottery, and typography. The result was a kind of utopian guild where artists and craftspeople together created functional and beautiful objects. Well-known architects and painters including Mies van der Rohe, Paul Klee, and Wassily Kandinsky were among the faculty."
"Those who led workshops at Bauhaus were called masters, and part of Bauhaus philosophy was an easy-going relationship between masters and students. But for all its modernist thinking and many female students, there was only one female master: Gunta Stölzel. In 1927, after significant complaints about the male weaving master, Stölzel was given the title of young master and entrusted with the leadership of the weaving workshop precisely because it was considered “women’s work.” She had been a Bauhaus student for six years"

Check the entire link for the whole story but the end of the article says it all:

In the year before taking over workshop leadership, Stölzel herself wrote: “Weaving is primarily a woman’s field of work. The play with form and colour, an enhanced sensitivity to material, the capacity of adaptation, rhythmical rather than logical thinking — are frequent female traits of character stimulating women to creative activity in the field of textiles.”
What do you think? Have attitudes have changed significantly since the days of the Bauhaus? Do gendered crafts still exist?

What a surprise!

Quote of the Day!

If you shoot for the stars and miss, you may just hit the moon which is way above most people!
Unknown!

Worse Than Tranny?

I so agree the use of the "T" word for a person such as me is the same as the "N" word for an African American or any other of the racial slurs.
There are other words however I see as worse. When someone calls me a  "Gurl" or "Grrl" it just drives me crazy. 
To start with both words just sound so gross.  I call them "grinder" words which roll off your tongue like a piece of gravel.
On a much deeper level the words question my true gender identification. Label me anyway you must Gender Queer, Transgendered or whatever but not Gurl, Grrl or Tranny.
I equate it to a person I ran into not so long ago that I told about the hormones I'm on and they said "Oh, you are taking this seriously!" Really? I wasn't serious before?
Thanks for reading my rant! It's nice to get it off my chest which is finally starting to mean something!

Transgendered Taxation Without Representation

Over the years as an American I have taken my right to vote very seriously.
I have continually told friends who didn't vote, they didn't have a say-even when they said it didn't matter.
As an educated citizen, I have tried to cut through all the smoke screens and BS to vote the best I can.
Now, I have seen my future and have read this article which I'm about to pass along and realize my history of voting could be in jeopardy.. Check it out here.
How sad is it when my civil rights and other transgendered brothers and sisters can't even vote?  It's especially wrong that many such as I have served in the military to supposedly  protect the rights that are being denied?
Just an aside. It is tax time and I'm sure if I didn't pay my taxes because of my transgendered status I would be penalized.
I would like to thank one of my Canadian friends for passing this along!

Fun Thrifty Shopping!

What is more feminine than a girls day out shopping? Surely very few other expereinces scream "GIRLY GIRL".
Unfortunately, most of us don't have the freedom or the finances to really enjoy a shopping day out!
Fortunately though, there are many ways to start down the road to "shopping till you drop".
I'm going to try to cover a lot of ground here, so stick with me!
First of all, I'm going to rule out Internet shopping in this post. Absolutely no problem with it if you have a fairly decent idea of your size and what you look good in.
If you don't, and are just beginning your quest to build a wardrobe lets start with a very inexpensive way to begin.
In my part of the world, spring produces a profusion of yard and garage sales as plentiful as spring flowers. These sales are wonderful spots to find different sizes and styles of women's fashion for as little as 25 cents per item. These sales are where I learned what size I really wore and was even able to buy more than a few items that I found I should never wear. (I recycled those to a thrift store.)
Now, speaking of thrift stores-that's where the fun begins!
Thrift shopping really began to take hold around my area when the economy went down the tubes.
If you are lucky, you can go with friends and make a fun day of shopping and lunch in several stores. Then judge who found the best bargains. OR, you go can alone and take advantages of benefits such as very unsupervised **dressing rooms to discretely try on your potential purchases and no prying clerks.
(**Dressing rooms are like restrooms. Nothing is ever the same from store to store. It is wise to observe before moving forward.")
Bottom line is you can find classic additions to your wardrobe at a fraction of the price from thrift stores. They are becoming so popular that (of course) a reality show is coming called "Thrift Wars" on the Oxygen Network.
Whatever stage you are transitioning from you can feed your inner girl and have some fun doing it at garage sales or thrift stores!
All the nuances of places you can go would make a small book alone and we will look at more idea's later!

When Fetish Became Style

All the years of looking at women and knowing my reactions were different were obviously very confusing to me.
Most certainly my interest sexually was more fetish than anything else. In my teen years I dated a tall girl who always entranced me with how she slowly crossed her legs in my car. I wondered at the time why I wasn't more into her from a male sexual view point. I wanted those long hose covered legs teasing someone like she teased me.
I know now she had a couple other factors in play other than just "teasing" me.  Fashion in those days was the mini skirt so she was trying to sit in the car as modestly as the skirt would allow.  Add in those long legs and the problem of snagging her hose on something and the process was not so easy for a person who was essentially a farm girl.
As the years progressed panty hose became just an accessory and I'm still working on the smooth all in one motion a woman uses when she slides into a seat and crosses her legs in one motion.
In essence I've really have used hose as one example of a larger process.
Fetish became style for me years ago and  now the first thing I may notice about a woman is the bag she is carrying.
The process carried an understanding of why both genders look at women. Men for obvious reasons and women too.
As with most things in life though,  a woman's view of others is much more complex. Just one is style and many factors go into a woman's sense of style or lack of one. Going through that style process myself has finally led me to a greater understanding of my feelings so many years ago.
I simply was in a struggle to discover my own style in a feminine sense.  In a much deeper sense the whole process could be one of the demarcation points between a cross dresser and a transgender person.
It all boils down to if I only knew then what I know now then life would have been so much simpler.
Then again, I'm sure I would have found something else to stress about!

"Horror Scope"!

Somehow I feel this new "horror scope" from theFrisky is the most fun, entertaining and uniquely feminine one I have seen for a while.
Check it out:
"There’s nothing wrong with telling a few little lies that make you out to be greater than you are right now, as long as you are consistent. After all, no one is the wiser by knowing the truth; why not just put that aphrodisiac out there for that other to sense? Besides, if they want you, they will want you regardless and this little deception will only make them hop to it faster."

A Transgendered "Forward Pass".

I've talked and written often here in the Condo of the benefits of "paying forward" experiences to others in the transgendered culture.
A trans woman who has taken it to a whole different level is Chicago's "Gloria Allen". The Chicago Tribune  has the story of 66 year old Gloria:

"About a year ago, a retired Gloria Allen thought having lunch at the Center on Halsted with other lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender senior citizens was simply one of the highlights of her week.
But while at the center, which offers an array of youth services for the LGBT community, Allen, 66, noticed that some of the young people arrived dressed inappropriately. Young men wore scandalously short shorts; young women sported baggy pants that sagged way below their waists.

"Mama Gloria"

So Allen, a transgender woman, got permission from the center to start a charm school. Allen, who's called "Mama Gloria," teaches youth etiquette along with how to dress and carry themselves — things they might have ordinarily learned at home if their parents understood how to guide their LGBT teens and were supportive enough to do so.
"I may be sounding old-fashioned, but I would see these young people wearing negligee-type clothes on the street and I would say, 'How could they leave the house looking like that?'" Allen said.
She said she felt strongly about helping because she understands how difficult it can be when a person has been socialized to be one gender but feels as though he or she is another. Also, she said she believes they have to set a good example.
"When you're a part of a minority community, what you do reflects the whole," she said. "It may not be fair, but that's reality. There are children out on the street. I don't want kids to say, 'Look Mom, look at that.' I don't want people to look at us like that."

Take a look at the rest of this wonderful look at a woman trying to pay forward in our community. In addition, her "words of wisdom" ring true for all of us!

Shades of Pink

One of my more subtle shifts in thinking suddenly became more apparent to me recently.
Slowly but surely many of my more aggressive thoughts are becoming more mellow.
It's not as if I suddenly became an angel but suddenly I have a tendency to see the other side a little more.  There is not a finality to my angry reactions I used to experience. Let me try to explain it:  Now someone doesn't have to be an idiot-they might be one! Also, of course any confrontation ideas are becoming a thing of the past.
Now, I'm not suggesting genetic women don't have any of the feelings I described. Aggression is just different. In addition, I'm not ignoring the feminine "passive-aggressive" nature which in time I would guess will be a natural progression for me too.

Other changes I'm experiencing  are curious changes in my skin which is definitely softening on my body and drying up on my face. Never in my life has my facial skin been so dry.  It feels as if I just spent a couple unprotected hours in a sub zero wind.
Finally, I think I starting to feel a little extra "padding" in my rear.
So, as impatient as I am. Change seems inevitable as I'm getting closer to four full months on hormones.

How Far We Have Come!

 I have mentioned before some of the amazing research and work "Zagria" does on her blog "A Gender Variance Who's Who".
Here's more of her work which illustrates how far we have come as a transgendered culture.

In most trans histories Virginia Prince and such people tend to be shunted into a separate section.  The gay transvestites, with the notable exception of Stonewall seem to disappear altogether.  As we saw with Susanna Valenti, the reality was that some of the same individuals who attend FPE meetings, would also go to gay bars and the drag balls.  This article is a summary of the various activities in New York City in the 1960s.

Unlike in California and elsewhere in the US, neither cross-dressing nor being homosexual (as opposed to homosexual acts) as such were criminal in New York.  However the New York police regarded homosexuals as morally depraved and arrested persons assumed to be such on whatever grounds that they could.  In particular they used entrapment, and raided clubs and bars and arrested those found within.  By 1966 the NYPD was arresting over 100 men every week on charges of 'homosexual solicitation' -- mainly resulting from entrapment.  The wave of decriminalization of homosexuality that spread across Europe, East and West, and to Canada never reached the US.  In 1953 then President Eisenhower signed a government order adding 'sexual perversion' as a reason for investigation and dismissal.  Police and military records were shared with private employers.  Thousands were dismissed from their jobs with no recourse.  No known 'sexual pervert' could gain or retain a professional license.  Cross-dressing was taken as evidence of homosexuality even when the person was married. The police had an informal rule that you should be wearing at least three items 'appropriate to your sex'.  The New York State Liquor Authority had its own laws: homosexuals and transvestites were decreed to be 'lewd and dissolute' and their presence in a bar made it disorderly and subject to closure.  Because no gay bar could be legal, the mafia ran most of them, not caring about licenses, bribing the police and blackmailing the customers.  The very harshness of the penalties led to many judges being unwilling to sentence gays, lesbians and transsexuals, and giving a fine or probation instead.  However the possibility of getting the wrong judge stifled expression and inhibited lives.

Read more: http://zagria.blogspot.com/2012/02/new-york-city-in-1960s.html#ixzz1s44Q2DiM
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution

In the "Passing Lane"!

I ran across a very long and complicated blog post concerning one of our culture's "sacred cows". It has been so long since I have even seen the term used, I almost forgot it existed. Of course I'm referring to "passing" and I thought it had been relegated to the "tranny" pile.
If you have a second to read this article called "Pass/Fail", it does bring up some relevant and long forgotten ideas!

"In the Life of a Transsexual Porn Star"

From the "Huffington Post" comes this interview with transsexual porn star "Madison Montag":
Here's the beginning of the interview by "Jincey Lumpkin":

Madison Montag

"While on the red carpet at the AVN Awards back in January, I couldn't help but notice a cute, petite girl in a mirrored dress coming down the carpet after me. Waiting in line to be interviewed by Showtime, I found out that that the tiny woman was Madison Montag, who was nominated as "Transsexual Performer of the Year." She has a real magnetism and a disarming kind of charm. A few weeks ago, I asked Madison if she would open up about the intimate details of her sex life, her struggles, and what it was like growing up trans. She revealed both titillating secrets and sweet dreams for her future."

Follow the Huffington Post link for more!

Psst! There are Cross Dressers Amoung Us!

This Cyrsti's Condo post comes from 2012 but is still very relevant today:

Over the months and years here in the condo, we have labored over many different labels. Out of pure simplicity I have just decided to stay with a couple main ones such as transgender and transsexual. To take the whole step further the terms "culture and community" have come into discussion too.

Having said all of that, I wonder where all the semantic babble we indulge in leaves the cross dressers who often exist like the "elephant in the corner". First of all, here are some of my ideas of a cross dresser:

In the most basic sense, we are all crossdressers. If you came out of the womb as a male and dress as a female (or vice versa) you are a cross dresser. All the tons of information, ideas and theories why don't matter in this discussion. Where I'm going here is where being a crossdresser may take us-or not.

For a fact I know more than just a few of you who are content to be just a cross dresser  You may love the feeling of the clothes-physically and or sexually. You may not have any desires to experience the world as a female in any sense and that's all good. Then, comes a much bigger cross dresser segment.

I use the term "transition crossdressers". You are the ones who are not certain what all this means. Is a sex change in your future? What about your life as you know it now? The bottom line is you know this is so much more than just putting on women's clothes in the privacy of your home. Exploration begins in so many areas  ranging from attending meetings to going public as a member of your chosen gender. (No matter how successful)

I was a transition crossdresser. What ever sexual thrill I initially experienced from women's clothes went away quickly and I was left wondering what was missing here? Like so many of you, I dug a hole, jumped into it and tried to bury that part of me. I was the crossdressed elephant in the corner of the room.  Silent and largely ignored by the rest of the transgender community and invisible to the transsexuals.

For the most part nothing has changed in our culture for the transition crossdresser except for the enormous amount information available today.

The only positives I can offer here are I know you are sitting in the corner and I remember the enormous struggles I have gone through to arrive at this point in my life. Referencing you becomes the problem because in some senses I believe you are the "silent majority" in the transgender culture because of necessity. Some seem to think if you have not made the blind leap of faith into absolute gender transition it makes you less of a person. I of course do not believe that and in many ways write this blog to provide any insight and help and can provide.

Yes Virginia, there are crossdressers among us!

Low Brow Comment?

Over the past couple of weeks I've had a couple "eye brow" questions. How did I shape my brows?
As a rule, I stay mainly away from makeup questions.  All of you either have found a path to your own style of makeup or are still exploring and my recommendations are far from being expert.
Eye brows and basic skin care are a different subject however and are rather easy to comment on if I can help.
Early in my feminine progression, my eyebrows were a focus for me-maybe too much so. I became rather aggressive to the point I think my thin brows were rather noticeable. I always assumed they would grow back and they didn't. As I shaped, I also thinned my brows to the point they are today.
I basically got away with it because I wore glasses which kind of covered my rather feminine brows.
So my brow advice is to go slow! Certainly you can cover them with certain kinds of makeup which you can see on a few of the "YouTube" makeovers.  If you are trying to look your best in a normal public setting, that idea is not the best way to go. On the other hand you don't want to walk around with a "uni-brow" look and feminine brows can go a long way in enhancing your look.
I'm sure others of you here have your own "brow beating" story.
Again my advice is to go online for brow shaping advice and go slowly!

Quote of the Day!

"The biggest thing you don't know-is the biggest thing you don't know!
Cyrsti

Just a Question

Far be it for me to be negative but it has been a long day and I am a little tired-So!
It occurred to me the first people to turn on Jenna Talackova will come from our own community.
To quote Jimmy Buffet "Fins to the left, Fins to the right (sharks) and she's the only game in town!

A Chinese Womanless Pageant?

Close!
 Read this story from "China Daily":
"Male students dressed up as models perform during an animation show in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei province, April 8, 2012. About 20 male students from several universities in Wuhan formed a group to perform in various animation shows and became popular locally. Each student makes on average 500 yuan for one show, Wuhan Evening News reported. A member, who wanted to be identified as Hao Ge, said he learned to act feminine in speaking and walking from his girlfriend. "This is only a temporary student group and we will not continue this job after graduation," the group has announced."
 (Unless they were asked, got paid or liked it?) 
Then again I might just  be cynical. After all, they are just a bunch of guys working their way through college!
We all should have been that lucky or looked that good!

I also added another picture of one of the performers in the "Den"!

Odds and Ends from the Gender Spectrum

I came across a video from "Genderf*kation" which I'm actually going to going to post over at "Trannsnation".
I believe it follows closely in the "Gender Queer" theme I passed along here in the Condo not long ago. The video is very interesting in the sense it covers a wide spectrum of gender issues. Just not our own inter community binary of transgendered and transsexual. (No I'm not leaving cross dressers out of this-that is more complex and will be a topic in a coming post).
Speaking of the trans binary, I saw "Jenna Talackova" this morning Abc's "The View".
Not only is she drop dead tall, blond and gorgeous, she comes across as a very sweet and real spokesperson for our culture.
Having written all that, everyone of us should be as lucky to have her attorney "Gloria Allred" on our side!
Allred (pictured right with Jenna) is known for representing high-profile clients, such as: English actress Charlotte Lewis, who alleged that director Roman Polanski had sexually abused her as a teen; Nicole Brown Simpson’s family during the O.J. Simpson murder trial; and a number of Tiger Woods’ ex-lovers.
It's no wonder "The Donald" Trump threw in the towel so quickly!

" A man is what his mother makes him".
Ralph Waldo Emerson

(That's why my Mom was so defensive?)

The World Wide Transgendered Web!

I so enjoy seeing and passing along stories from around the world about our transgendered sisters and brothers around the world.
However they choose to be identified, for many (in many societies) it's a huge and often dangerous step to take.
This story from "Gay Star News" says it all! A documentary about drag queens in Southwestern China is premiering in Amsterdam soon:
"CinemAsia Film Festival in Amsterdam starts tomorrow with a Queer & Asian section screening seven films from Indonesia, China, Singapore, The Philippines and Japan."

Here's one of the questions:

" There are different styles in different cities. In the city of Nanning, where my documentary was filmed, they learnt a lot from Thailand (since it's only a one hour flight from Bangkok). You feel the Southeast Asia influence in their performance. The performers do enjoy their work and life, though they don't have very high income."
Follow the link for more!

Shaping Up.

For whatever reason, I have not slowed down to write about the changes my body is going through as I enter month four  on hormones.
Physically "the girls" continue to be the most noticeable change physically.  They are starting the change from an enlarged "man boob" shape to more of a feminine breast appearance.
Mentally, I did experience my first major "cry" for no apparent real reason and some sort of real melancholy I did not know where it was coming from.
My facial skin continues to be dry while my body skin seems to be softening.
A friend told me others would notice the changes before I would, so I'm telling you what I see.
It's very difficult not to wish away time in this situation.
On the other hand, time does fly by and before we all know it I will have more wonderful changes to pass along!

Spring Beauty

Check the "Boutique Page" for more!

Bi-Gendered

Just when you want to say "OK Cyrsti, enough is enough! Get off the terminology already!".
Yes, you are right- but here is one more. Bi-gendered by physical definition.  I bring it up after interacting with a friend who actually lives and agonizes over a life like this.
The article is actually an in depth psychological look at the "no man's or woman's land" between what our community has chosen as transgendered or transsexual. Ironically, you may be able to think our "TG" or "TS" labels may be just a starting point. As a comparison, you may be able to use man and woman (on either end) with gay or bi in the middle.
I've added a few excerpts or you can read the whole article here.
respondents agreed that their gender switches were "predictable." The period of gender switches was highly variable, ranging from multiple times per day to several times per year. A majority (23/32) of respondents, however, reported that their gender switched at least weekly [with 14 saying it switched at least once per day]. What are the switches like? Some respondents are quoted -

"I still have the same values and beliefs, but a change in gender is really a change in the filter through which I interact with the world and through which it interacts with me."

"My voice usually ends up being higher than other times, I’ll be more emotional, my views on things like politics tend not to change, but how I react to certain things does. Like if I’m in male mode and I see someone crying I’ll think more along the lines of, 'Man up...' while if I’m in girl mode I’ll think more along the lines of ‘Oh sweety!’"

This being Ramachandran, the paper also touches on left handedness, brain hemispheres, phantom genitals and more, but it's fair to say that all this is pretty speculative -

"(In the survey) respondents agreed that their gender switches were "predictable." The period of gender switches was highly variable, ranging from multiple times per day to several times per year. A majority (23/32) of respondents, however, reported that their gender switched at least weekly [with 14 saying it switched at least once per day]. What are the switches like? Some respondents are quoted -



Great food for thought!

Enter the Seductress

Dileep went on a strict diet and even pierced his ears to portray Mohini.

 From the "Deccan Chronicle":


(Film Star) "Dileep has always strived to widen the borders of creativity by taking up “different” roles. Most often than not, his gambles have paid off too; his roles of a hunchback, transvestite and mentally challenged characters have stayed in people’s minds and got him critical acclaim. His latest one is perhaps the most challenging so far; that of a seductress in the upcoming Mayamohini, which is releasing today."
Film lovers who remember his portrayal of the effeminate character Radha in Chandupottu may assume that the role of a woman would be a cakewalk for Dileep but he asserts that the role of Radha was a huge impediment in playing Mohini. He says, “The first two days of the shoot were the toughest; there was this conflict between the characters of Radha and Mohini.
At one point of time, I even wondered whether it was a mistake to have taken on the role. I had to be careful not to let any trait of Radha creep into Mohini, who is completely female in her mannerisms and figure. Ultimately, Mohini triumphed on the third day!”
The inner transformation was as difficult as the outward one. Roshan who did Dileep’s make-up reveals that Dileep was given an option to use fake eyebrows but the actor decided to pluck his eyebrows and pierce his ears. Ask him about that and he says, “I wanted Mohini to be as natural as possible,” before adding, “Parents are normally present at the ear piercing ceremony of their child but here my daughter was there when my ear was pierced.”

We all know a little about the next part of the process:

"To maintain a flat stomach, Dileep went on a strict diet and ended up losing seven kilos. The shoot which lasted for two months made him miss a couple of good offers but Dileep is unfazed. “The entire film rests on Mohini’s shoulders and I wanted to give my complete attention to the role. This is a part of the experimenting process and I hope people accept this.”
The transformation had its moments of mirth, too! Dileep says he was even pinched on his stomach by someone in the crew who could not stop himself! Acquaintances who came to see Dileep took some time before realising that the ravishing woman standing in front of them was the star himself"

And the fun part:

"
His co-stars Biju Menon and Baburaj often told him that they kept falling in love with him. Dileep cheekily remarks that he now knows the pleasure women derive when the people shower their attention on them.
Talking about his family’s reaction, he says, “Manju wanted to know how I got such beautifully plucked eyebrows and even called up the beautician. My daughter was present from the beginning, so she had this ‘been there, seen all “expression.”

Nice!

Transsexual Ohio Becomes More Visible

From the "Brecksville Patch" :
"A few months ago, Katie Forman donned a simple brown skirt, a hoodie and some eye shadow and headed off to school.

That wardrobe choice was a big step for Forman, one that she says has been met with support in the halls of Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School. (Northeastern Ohio)

Forman, 18, is a male-to-female transsexual.

Forman said she realized when she was as young as 5 that something was different. She was fascinated with girls’ clothes, but hid her interests. This summer, Forman said she was depressed and in counseling, struggling with trying to be someone she wasn’t.

“You know what,” Forman says she told herself, “this is a waste of time.”

She’s been living as a woman for the past three months. Forman said that being transsexual is about “is how we feel inside.” It has nothing to do with sexuality, as opposed to cross-dressing. It’s not a temporary act or a fetish. It’s about changing one’s physical body to fit how they feel on the inside."

Check the link for more! I love the younger generation!!!!!

Transgendered Quotes!

The first was passed along by a friend:
"As Oscar Wilde said "A man should have a hobby" I am heterosexual with disapproving partner and so only get some 'tranny tokens' per year."
Got a kick out of the word "token".


The second is the use of "transgendered" overwhelmingly last night in the ABC Barbara Walters' interview with beauty pageant hopeful "Jenna Talackova" not transsexual.

Gender Queer?

After a quarter of a million hits here (thanks to all!), it may be time to take a look at another term which I have seen a lot of but never really looked into it's real meaning.
The term is "gender queer" and here is one definition from the Urban Dictionary:

"Genderqueer is most commonly used to describe a person who feels that his/her gender identity does not fit into the socially constructed "norms" associated with his/her biological sex.
Genderqueer is an identity that falls anywhere between man/boy/male and woman/girl/female on the spectrum of gender identities."
Example: "Mary doesn't feel that s/he fits the mold of any one particular gender; therefore, Mary identifies as genderqueer".

And another:
"Any position in a wide variety of gender identities, spanning the spectrum between male and female. A person who is Genderqueer is not transgendered, though the option is open to transition. Being genderqueer has no bearing on sexual identity or orientation."
Example: "Eli might have a woman's body, but ze doesn't feel like a woman or a man. Eli is genderqueer."

At the risk of starting another worthless war on words here and launching yet another term (which is new to me at least)-I definitely will revisit the term in the future!

Jenna Goes "Primetime"!

 From "TalkTV World"

"Transgender beauty contestant Jenna Talackova speaks exclusively to Barbara Walters in her first interview since making international headlines for being disqualified from 2012 Miss Universe Canada competition because she was not a "naturally born female". Just days after the disqualification of Talackova, who was born a male but had sexual reassignment surgery at age 19, the Trump Organization, which owns the Miss Universe pageants, said it would not attempt to keep Talackova out of the competition. The exclusive interview will air on "20/20" on FRIDAY, APRIL 6 (10-11pm, ET) on the ABC Television Network. On Monday, April 9 Talackova will appear live on "Good Morning America" (7:00 am - 9:00 a.m. ET) and on "The View."(11:00 a.m. ET)."

Africa's First Transgendered Artist!

Check out the video: Her name is Titica, from Angola.

Trans Surfer!!!

Every once in a while it is great fun just to to leave all the bitterness and cat fighting behind and just head out on "Al Gore's" world wide web and see what's going on-and have some fun!
As you regulars know I post what I call a "Horrorscope" from "theFrisky" when it is interesting and or fun. It was neither this week so I followed a link to "Manthhose" It definitely puts a new spin on male fashion!
Read on:

"Apparently some dudes are into wearing fancy tights these days, according to upscale hosiery retailer Emilio Cavallini, who tells WWD that purchases by men (and for men) now account for 2 to 3 percent of their annual sales. He noticed the trend about three years ago:

When we started our online shop we noticed that a lot of tights sized medium-large were being purchased by men ... So I did a search on the Internet and discovered there is a cult following for mantyhose."

But wait, there was more as I surfed on!
Under "Girl Talk" "He was the Prom Queen" caught my eye.
Here's a teaser:  "
When I received a Facebook request from a statuesque woman named “Carol Lee,” I knew the face but not the name. Mentally, I scanned my Midwest childhood, former life as a musical theater dancer, and transition into grad school. I have always loved colorful people, and she did look familiar.
“Do you remember me?” Carol Lee wrote in the message that followed.
I didn’t, until I read the next line. “I took you to prom in 1993.”
My curser blinked along with my cognitive dissonance. Carol Lee was a dead ringer for my high school friend Matt because she was Matt!
Some Google stalking revealed that Matt/Carol Lee was Orlando’s favorite drag performer in 2010, a bodacious blond who called Bingo at a place called Hamburger Mary’s.
I wasn’t amused." For more read here.

Finally, there was a short piece I saw on their rather vast site about a texting service for men where women can make a few extra dollars. To make a long story short this particular site encouraged men to ask a woman any particular question except explicit sexual ones and the fee would be automatically be deposited in her Paypal account.(PayPal is a service that enables you to pay, send money, and accept payments without revealing your financial information.)
Of course I immediately thought of a "trans woman or trans man" service. But just as quick discarded the idea when I thought the lack of sexually explicit texts would doom the service immediately. (For trans women. Can't speak for trans men.)
As I was blazing away through cyber space I thought of a comic book idea that probably already has been tried somewhere.  My "TransSurfer" idea would  be done in the style of the ultimate super hero comic book guru "Stan Lee".
Just think, another Halloween costume idea to dazzle your friends!
Going back a few more years, the "Archie" comic series would slip in a couple of the male characters dressed as rather attractive girls.
On occasion, Stana on "Femulate" will post a vintage picture of one of these "Archie" comic series .
 The one I'm passing along is a parody  and
 is not licensed by "Archie Comics" , but simply a parody of them and falls into fair use laws. It is from "feastoffun.com" if you would like to see more.

More Than Jenna

All of the exposure given to Jenna Talakova's bid to participate in the Miss Universe Canada Pageant has led to more exposure from other transgendered pageants.
Check this video!

International Transgender Updates

There is a new documentary being produced in Puerto Rico which actually crosses lines between the drag and transgender culture. Here is a preview and a link. It's called "Mala Mala".
You can check the video trailer below too!

Across the world, Singapore has seen some recent changes too!
From Asia One:
"It's a small step for censorship, but a giant leap for Singapore's entertainment scene. During the early 1980s, event organiser Richard Tan said that he tried twice to bring a famous Thai transvestite show, the Tiffany's Cabaret Show, here.
The 65-year-old event consultant from E-Fair Enterprise revealed that during that period, his application for the show's licence was rejected both times due to its "sensitive content". At that time, censorship for events was handled by the censorship section of the Ministry of Culture.
But times have certainly changed."

Then of course is news that "The Donald" Donald Trump overturned the decision to keep contestant "Jenna Talakova" out of the Miss Canada Pageant.
All good news indeed!

Comments!

Anne, once again for your edification I am going to point out your replies have been posted to the proper posts.
You simply must go to the posts to view them.
I know it must be hard for you to believe, I do have a life away from the computer screen and yes I could take your rants and make a separate post with them.
Then again, I don't have the time or inclination to do that. So, in the meantime you must take the effort to go to the post and see your replies have been posted.
As always Anne, your reply will be posted here on this particular post. 
I wish I had the power over Google Blogger to change the platform of this blog. I get the replies and they are posted...simple as that.
Secondly, I didn't set this up as a pure forum although comments and replies are always welcome. I just don't want to get bogged down into personal attacks which are so common in our community. In your life Anne perhaps you have been to meetings that get bogged down with minutia which can only be described as committee work. If person "A" wants to comment on what person "B" said in comments to this blog then they should establish contact with each other and go at it. That goes for me too Anne, like anyone else you are free to email me with any personal attacks you may have. My Email Anne is posted here.
Also Anne, this blog is for my own edification. I put the time and effort to love it, nourish it and put a lot of work into it. I'm sure you know Anne the amount of time to undertake something like this-AND the opinions expressed here are only mine and I never claim or claimed to be an expert.
My only goals are to help others with my experiences-to do the best I can. Everyone does not have to like me or agree with me!
Finally, I don't have the knowledge or time to change the entire platform of this blog to set a comment/forum style format you desire Anne. Certainly I'm working on it but in the meantime Anne, I afraid you are going to have to follow Google's rules that I didn't establish.
Someday I would love to meet you in person Anne.  Some tell me most people are much different in attack mode when they have to do it in person looking a person in the eye. Computers and social media have certainly have changed the dynamics the ideas of interpersonal communication. I guess I'm just old school.

Hormonal Update

Well, I can now say the first quarter is "in the book" I have been officially on the hormones now for 3 full months.
Along the way, I have documented the obvious. Most recently the crying binge and before that the first hot flashes and my skin drying out and becoming chaffed as if I spent the day out in subzero weather.
Of course, the beginning of breast development was an exciting experience.
The less obvious but much more important point I can't fail to overlook is the tremendous support of my friends.
I can safely say for most of my life I had many acquaintances and very few friends. Now the opposite is true.
The support and understanding I have received before I embarked on the hormone therapy was only exceeded by the support I received after I started.
Many of you I know read the blog and a few don't but to all of you I can only say any benefits from the hormones pales in comparison to knowing all of you!
Thanks more than I can say and I can't wait for the next three months!

Quote of the Day

"We already love him. We just now have to love him better!"

From a PBS show on children.

Don't we all wish our families all thought this about us!!!

Dream Weaver

I know there are several of you who join us on the blog who believe in the meaning of dreams.
Truly it's another one of those vague philosophies I don't believe or disbelieve in.
Now, for the first time in my life I am encountering a reoccurring set of frustrating rest inhibiting dreams. No, they are not nightmares.
Basically, here is how these set of dreams have fallen into a real pattern.
In them, I'm always stuck in situations where for what ever reason there is no way out.
Let me reiterate, I'm not in any physical danger. It's more as if I'm stuck in different kinds of mental mazes and trying to find the exit.
Whatever I'm trying to do however,  I can't find the right items or people to get it done. The situations I'm in change but the lack of resolution stays the same.
 Either I wake up or wake myself up in a total state of frustration. 
Of course I'm always trying to connect the dots with all of this to my transgendered feelings or even the changing of the hormones in my body
Maybe my subconscious is transferring the process to my dreams?
I don't know.
I have always prided myself in being tenacious if nothing else. I just know that during one of these dreams I will finally solve whatever problem or situation I'm facing.
I know I am solving my gender dysfunction in my everyday life. I just have to convince my subconscious I guess!