Cyrsti's Condo "Cover Girl" of the Day

Our feature cover for Wednesday here in the Condo is Seryozha Chernykh

My Hero!

I have mentioned numerous times of my accepting daughter and her family here in Cyrsti's Condo. I have three grand kids, a 12 year old girl , 9 year old grandson and a 7 year old grandson.  She has told the two oldest kids abut me, but they have never seen anything other my androgynous changes.

My daughter and I do breakfast every couple of weeks and this morning she told me how the oldest grandson said to her, since he found out I was gay, I was his hero.  Well of course, that's all well and good-but it's not true.  My daughter said your grandpa is not gay but is transgender.  He didn't have any idea what trans is all about.  Gay was an easier concept to grasp because his 4th teacher was/is a very out gay man.  My daughter though, waded in and tried to give him an explanation of what transgender was all about in the short time before he had to get on the bus.  His last words on the subject were "that's all very confusing!"

The interesting part will be if I still will maintain my "hero" status?

Cyrsti's Condo "What if?"

Oh shit! Can I make to the attic to hide in these shoes?

"Mocking the Cis World?"

This story and video came from theFrisky which you may recall is the source of the Cyrsti's Condo "Power Scopes" and is very transgender friendly:



Total hero Janet Mock, author of Redefining Realness and a trans advocate, recently sat down for an interview with Fusion’s Alicia Menendez, only this time, she was the one asking the questions. The interview was Menendez’s idea, and stemmed from a desire to show just how ridiculous and invasive the media is with trans people, specifically trans women like Mock.

Go here to watch the video for a real look of what it would be like if a cis woman was asked the same questions Janet Mock (not to mention others of us) go through. I say "us" because I don't know about you, but I can almost depend on a genitalia related question coming at me very soon from casual on line acquaintances.   Of course, I don't have the benefit of presenting as well as Janet Mock does, so my question usually comes from the angle of "do you still have 'it'?"  Actually, I don't. I lost most of my rational thought years ago.

I have also been told to "mellow out", the question is a "natural"  one and most cases an innocent one. However, I will have to remember this interview when and if I encounter a rather "tedious" pain in the rear.

Cyrsti's Condo "Power Scope"

This week, the stars again have given me a very interesting look at the week ahead:


Libra (September 23-October 22): There are going to be eyes all over watching you, making you feel as if you have to rethink all your steps. Plus, snide remarks will be peppering this week, making you feel as if you are running through a jungle without a map. While your resources will be in short supply, your resolution won’t be and no matter how exhausted you are, pick up the pace and out run your enemies. 

Best Day To Get Lucky: Sunday, May 4

If I have to run very far, it's time to call the paramedics but you don't have to run far to see your very own "scope" - compliments of theFrisky - here.

Cyrsti's Condo - New Feature

I was getting bored with what we have going on here in "the Condo" and decided to roll out a new feature called "What If?"  It's actually my take on transgender and/or cross dresser pictures I see here and there around the web, and wondered what if they were thinking this?

"Dammit! I thought this selfie was a good idea!~Now I'm stuck till the wife comes home!"

Cyrsti's Condo "Cover Girl" of the Day

Our Tuesday cover is a treat!  The beautiful MtF transgender woman Amelia Maltepe:

I'm Out of Labels!

I am sure you all are familiar by now with Facebook's 50+ gender identification profile tags which were released several months ago.  Some liked it, some hated it but life went on. Didn't bother me greatly one way of another though I didn't care for FB's use of only two genders.  I just changed mine from female to MTF transgender woman and went on living in my own little "label" universe. During my life, I have nourished my labels like flowers here in Cyrsti's Condo, some die and go away and are replaced by new ones.

Most of the time though,  my labels are tucked away into my "who cares anyway" circular file folder. (Waste basket.) But I usually was smugly certain, my "love children" were fairly unique until I saw Alexandra Pollack's  (left) profile on Twitter: She said,  "I am a hippie, transgender, lesbian. and a Veteran of war. "

Wow! As I sat and read each label, I felt each word was like matching a winning number on a lottery ticket. ( I have never have had one.)  Each word fit me completely plus I have never seen them all together in another profile.

Maybe we transgender women and men aren't like snowflakes. There could be another one of us out there!

Cyrsti's Condo "Thought of the Day"

So Sad  but So true.                

Chelsea Manning's Legacy?

Every now and then something comes along to get me really stirred up about Chelsea Manning who is serving time for treason.  Along the way, I have had my doubts if I had been too harsh with my feelings.  When I read stories such as this one, I wasn't harsh enough.

 After spending hundreds of thousands of dollars training Landon Wilson to intercept communications, the U.S. military was capitalising on its investment in the young sailor, already regarded as a rising star in a critical, highly technical field. But shortly after 2 a.m. on Dec. 7, when a superior tapped him on the back and summoned him outside, one of the secrets that mattered most to Wilson began to unravel. "This Navy record says female, but this paper says male," the grim-faced sergeant major noted, displaying two sets of personnel records. "So, what are you?" After an awkward pause, Wilson, who joined the Navy as a woman but who has long felt like a man, provided the answer that set in motion the end of his military career: "I am male."

Of course U.S. transgender military personnel have one real right-the right to be fired if they are honest about being trans. The article itself comes from a site called World Americas and you can follow the link to read it but my point is, didn't Manning make everything even more difficult for trans military members currently serving? It's tough enough on all of us to be tossed into into the trash can by ignorant bigots but what a shame when one who says they are trans did what Manning did? Look, I'm not saying all transgender people are angels or don't do anything wrong but some are easier to overlook than others in the damage department. I was probably was of the more "nonmilitary" type persons you would have found, serving in the most ill conceived/ unpopular war in our country's history. (Vietnam) I served my time though and learned first hand how military personnel do need every honest break they can get when  in danger of harm.  Don't care if Manning is transgender or not. Do care what he did had and has the potential to put others in harms way-especially current transgender military personnel- who can be injured or instantaneously lose their jobs and careers if they are simply honest such as Landon Wilson was.

By the way, America's closest allies, including Canada, Britain and Australia, allow transgender service- so seamlessly. The Pentagon though seems content in marching on, secure in it's ignorance that trans members are security risks like Manning- an idea which is as backwards and untrue as restricting the ability of same sex couples to adopt. (Ohio) A topic for later here in Cyrsti's Condo

Frock Magazine Goes Mobile!

From Frock editor Katie Glover:

We have created a FREE App version of Frock Magazine specially for iPads and iPhones, Android tablets and smartphones and Kindles. You can download it to your phone or tablet from the App Store or from Google Play. Just search for Frock Magazine. We have also created a free issue of Frock Magazine which you can also download from within the app itself (see cover below). Go get yours now!

All the Colors of a Weekend Rainbow!

I believe this weekend, I got a little warm up to what I should experience at all the TGLBQ Pride events coming up around me in the next couple of months. Following a week which went quickly but was a "grinder" (for both my partner Liz and I)  we decided to check out a "mixer" of sorts for CrossPort   which is a Cincinnati, Ohio based transgender support group.  Although I am an atrociously poor "mixer" because I have been innately very shy through most of my life, I really wanted to step out of my comfort zone and hopefully meet other transgender women or men.
Did I? No I didn't, and here is my excuse.  First of all, I think there may have been a total of six or seven trans women who filtered through the gay venue we were at between eight and ten and then suddenly left.  Of the group I was only able to make solid eye contact with two or three-who abruptly turned away.  That's it and poof! the group vanished to who knows where and by the time Liz and I began to notice they were gone, we were having such a good time, we didn't notice. So yes I was a social failure yet again and if you read Cyrsti's Condo and you were at Shooter's Bar downtown, I wasn't being a bitch and not trying to say hi!

On the bright side, I did get a chance to wear my hand beaded transgender hair barrette (Liz made it) last night with the "Yin and Yang" center logo-as you see here on the back of my noggin.  If you want one made for you, let me know and I will pass on all the information on costs and timing you need to know! I plan on letting my trans pride flags fly at Pride!

So, other than the trans sisters I did see and I few others in the bar who we thought were transgender, the other colors of the rainbow were represented too.  Shooter's itself was unique to me because it was the first gay venue I had ever been in which went from country line dancing music to a drag show.  Liz and I have a little country in us, so the music was OK but then again maybe not for the other trans girls? Like I said, we became so immersed in the art form of removing jello shots from tiny plastic cups with our tongues, we didn't notice much else except- my favorite game, "spot the genetic woman."  After careful consideration, as the evening progressed (or regressed) we figured there was one other transgender lesbian couple in the bar. ( A trans/genetic couple like we are.)

Liz managed to trash me on the jello show dexterity contest and kept her "boy toy" jello shot person busy as the queens arrived to get ready for the drag show. When show time neared, the place began to thin out as several gay male "bears"  took off. and a few lesbians filtered in.

At the least last night,diversity was very diverse at Shooters.  As were the jello shots!

Cyrsti's Condo "Cover Girl" of the Day

What better way is there to start the week off than with our transgender feature cover, Apoena Ponthes!

Cyrsti's Condo "Cover Girl" of the Day

Our feature Sunday cover just proves what many of you have commented on here in the Condo, when you cross dress a very pretty androgynous boy as a girl, chances are the transformation produces a pretty- not so androgynous girl; such as Luiss San Murguia, a   Mtf  model:  

Cyrsti's Condo "Sunday Edition"

"Ker Plunk!"  Another edition of our Sunday edition has hit your computer!

Page 1.-Mom.   Mother's Day is  still a ways off, but I couldn't resist a couple references to my Mom because they fit so well!  The first came when I was thinking how fast the week went by.  My Mom, the noted philosopher, said at one time "life is like a roll of toilet paper, the closer you come to the end, the faster it goes."  How could one forget knowledge such as that?  The other indirectly came from a recent post which referred to my lack of expertise in math- I sucked.  I was not alone it seemed as a received this response from Mandy Sherman:

If girls "aren't supposed to be good at math" and "boys are," then it's quite clear that I really am a girl in a boy's body. 'Cause without a calculator, my math ability sucks, and with a calculator it isn't a whole lot better.... Unfortunately, I never had the opportunity to take home economics in school...it might have been the better choice! Mandy

As it turned out Mandy, my Mom was a Home Economics teacher at the high school I went to.  I too would have enjoyed "Home Ec" more than the college level math and science classes I was forced into except if Mom taught it.  I was in enough trouble already being in the same school as her.  Sadly the whole lack of freedom in high school was just another example of being pounded in a square hole as a round peg.

Page 2.- Coming Soon.  As Mom said, I'm getting close to the end of the TP roll this month and into May and time will fly. I'm sure how over the next month or so you will get tired of reading me whine about situations I put myself into.  The festivities start out the end of May when I present my workshop at the Trans Ohio Symposium and roll out my book "Stilettos on Thin Ice."  No pressure, right?  The next weekend is a huge party of sorts for my grand daughter.  Peeps are expected from all around the country and an occasion I have decided will be highly androgynous for me.  I had thought about coming as me but then thought it should be her day, with no distractions.  I will have to find an extra large loose shirt, tie my hair back and go for it. Finally, beginning the end of May and into the latter part of June, there are tons of Pride events in the cities around me which sound like great fun.

Page 3.- Cha-Cha Changes.  This morning I had a pleasant surprise when I put on a bra I haven't worn for awhile which is a real live "C" cup and I actually almost totally filled it out.  Truthfully, I hadn't paid much attention to development.  I either used my old breast forms or just went braless. Instead I was focused on improvements in my hip and butt areas.  My goal is this summer to do natural justice to a summer sun dress.  Standing in my way is weight loss and skin care.  I have very sensitive "sun burnable" skin.  To take the weight off, I like to work outside, which of course means plenty of suntan lotion.

Page 4.-Back Page.  This week there isn't one.  So simply, Y'all have a great week and as always, thanks so much for visiting Cyrsti's Condo!

Cyrsti's Condo "Cover Girl" of the Day

Our Saturday cover feature is the androgynous male model Mishel Mood:

Prom Daze

I wrote a post here in Cyrsti's Condo perhaps two years ago revisiting my prom experiences and got blitzed by a couple readers.  Their problems seemed to be wrapped around the fact I went to Prom at all and was sort of bragging about it. For them to even think that represents a real failure on my part of communicating my thoughts.  To you international visitors, "Prom" is a spring ritual rite of teen passage-often involving more angst, expense and even pain than anything else.  In other words it's a formal dance, dinner etc.

I went to my junior and senior proms.  Interestingly, it's held against me now, by some who want to attach some sort of former male privilege to going.  I thought just the opposite was true.  As the guy, I had to find a date, not be the one in the pretty dress, and finance most of the evening.  Some "privilege", right?  I know now of course, the view from the girls side of the fence wasn't quite that green either.  She had to wait to get asked, obsess over finding the right dress and hope the clumsy boy (me) didn't gouge her trying to pin the corsage on or ruin her new shoes stepping on them while we danced.  Oh yes, I experienced another male privilege when I got cornered by my senior date's Dad, and told what not to do with his daughter.

Sadly, at least in my generation, the whole affair was set up for failure and we never knew it.  The popular kids socialized and won Queen and King contests, while the rest of us struggled along just by being there, or not going at all.  Today there is hope as more and more schools are being forced to open up their prom events to transgender, gay or lesbian students.  As with so many other things, the younger generation is doing a better job than we did, which is wonderful!

Oh yes, there are two side notes to my senior prom.  One is tragic because years later my date committed suicide following her second divorce.  Among other things, she was worried about her declining looks -she was a beautiful 40 something woman when she did it. Maybe her Dad should have spent more time building her esteem and not harassing me (No grudge though!). The other is fun in that the supper club we had dinner in that night years later became a gay venue.  I couldn't wait to go there and use the same bathroom the girls used that night - and I did and didn't pee down my leg!

So there you go kids, I hope maybe this time I was able to do do a better job of communicating what prom meant to me.

Cyrsti's Condo "Cover Girl" of the Day

Our feature cover today is the gorgeous Mtf transsexual woman Maria Roman

Transgender Onions

Identifying as a transgender woman these days continues to be a fascinating experience. Seemingly, once a week, I am genuinely surprised by something I read, see or personally experience. Lately, I have been fascinated by the number of truly beautiful androgynous pictures of people I see on line.  I have begun to refer to them as "too much beauty for one gender."   The example on the right is Alexander Bekker from Russia looking for all the world like the sexiest sultry "vampiress" of Count Dracula's dreams, but stops short with a bare male chest.  Sure I know this example is "photo shopped" to hell and back but many others just aren't.    

Then there are the "new" generation of transgender thinkers such as Parker Malloy,  who are challenging the very basics of what we are about. Primarily the notion held by most of my generation that one should transition, find a man and disappear into society. For any number of reasons, I didn't fit that mold but took another path and began a serious transition on HRT from cross dresser to transgender. Now it seems I'm peeling back another layer of the onion and transitioning again to a place I thought was impossible to access.  

Do you remember the 1989 movie called Altered States ? The plot centered around actor William Hurt who played a Harvard scientist.  He conducted experiments on himself with a hallucinatory drug and isolation chamber. In the movie he ends up regressing genetically (as you will too if you watch the movie "under the influence" too many times)!  My point is now I'm seemingly beginning to be able access a female persona in myself- "female" not "woman". The problem is I thought it was impossible.  I felt no matter how many operations you had and meds you ingested, you are a woman-not female.  Now , I'm not so sure.  Much of my "altered" belief comes from the different way I perceive the world these days and a portion of it seems to not be a "learned" response but a brain driven one.  I've even taken my thought pattern to the point of SRS, which is pretty much out of the question for me due to financial and even age considerations.  But, what if it wasn't, would I?

There is obviously so much more to this story that has not been written and even if I did go for SRS, a whole new transition would take place to write about. Also, like it or not, the Grim Reaper holds the rights to the final chapter. So, in the meantime,I hope he stays away and I will get back with you when I peel another layer of our onion. Hope it doesn't make us cry!

I

400 LARGE!

I'm sure you remember this story which actually is about a year old from (in this case) the not so friendly Pacific Northwest.  What happened was a transgender / cross dressing group was abruptly told to leave a tavern they had been meeting at for some time.  Here is the result on the Cyrsti's Condo big screen:

What Was I thinking?

You just know the girl on the right in this picture is thinking why the hell did I let this guy in my closet?

Taking It All for Granted?

I read a post this morning from the Paula's Place blog which I visit regularly.  Here's an excerpt which caught my eye and heart.  She has being doing an alphabet blogging challenge which explains her reference to the "R post."

My life is at a point of flux and I am uncertain which way it is going to go. A few days ago under my R post I said I was Ready, well I am but I am also uncertain, and just a little frightened. I am aware that this is a one way journey, and that I am getting close to a point of no return, and I need to consider how this will affect other people as well as me. 

 Many of my friends are telling me that I should only consider myself, but I believe I need to consider my daughter in all my actions, how will what I choose impact on her life. She is stridently inclusive in her outlook, but these things can often be different when they are personal, when it is your own father. I am also uncertain about my wife, my Church, and my customers. At some point I will need to make these decisions but not just yet.

Of course I was in Paula's shoes for literally decades.  Now, I try never to take my situation for granted because as I have said a zillion times here in Cyrsti's Condo, the path to my transition was made easier by several very sad events in my life.  Here's an example:  Through Frock Magazine, I recently learned of a film company which was searching for participants to work with them on a transgender documentary.  Being the curious critter that I am, I contacted them to learn what they were looking for.  It turned out they were looking for transgender persons who were in the process of actively coming out to others-which pretty much left me out.  I told her my story of almost everyone of substance in my life fooling around and dying on me in a two year period. (Except my parents who passed years ago.) With a clean slate, I just started over and formed a circle of friends who never knew the old me to start with and came out to my only child, a very accepting daughter. It was clear, I didn't really fit what she was looking for.

So while I can understand Paula's dilemma's, as the days pass, I have to be careful I don't lose my empathy for her and so many like her.  Not having a job to worry about transitioning in, a wife who passed years ago who never accepted me being more than a cross dresser and an accepting religion-I'm certainly in the right place for the sad reasons.

At the end of each day and at the beginning of each new day, I must make sure I never take any of my life for granted and Paula, follow your soul girl friend!

Just Crazy

Ok kids, it's time to prove how crazy I really am!

Here are a couple of my "what if's" comments from my Pinterest page: The first is "Hey Mom and Dad! My boyfriend Joe and I are having a great time on vacation in London!"
 





The second (right)  is " Well honey, I wasn't quite ready to tell you exactly what my part time job is!."

Cyrsti's Condo "Cover Girl" of the Day

Our feature cover today is Miguel Ángel Cundapí Bustamante putting on a show somewhere.  I would like a penny (or more) for the thoughts of those watching the show!

Cyrsti's Condo "Quote of the Day"

"Blessed be those who accept your transition even though they have no idea why!"

Cyrsti Hart

I Was Bad at Geometry

Maybe my dislike of the subject and very poor grades came from a deep down dislike for my own "angles"?
Probably not, but to this day, I so admire a woman with all her curves in a sweat suit.  Or should I say, I was down right jealous!  I could only guess how it could feel to be soft and curvy rather than angular and hard.

Strangely, I remember a certain day at home when I was going through puberty and I looked down at my hands.  For some reason on that day it occurred to me my hands were no longer like "boy hands" but were "squaring off" into man hands.  I can't say I had what the transgender purists would say was a point of panic about the changes which were coming - I just noticed of all things my hands on that day. Looking back though,  it's unfair to pick on my hands. As changes went, I was lucky with my hands.  They are kind of passable and were too small to catch many passes in football, so hey, who am I to complain?

Maybe (if the HRT continues to work it's miracles) I may have a chance to have the last laugh on all this angle stuff anyhow.  As I wrote about recently here in Cyrsti's Condo, I'm beginning to develop in the hip and rear area to match up with my breasts.  So with spring not totally in gear around here, I still have time to slip into some sweats and get up close and personal with my new curves.

I guess the geometry deal was OK after all, girls aren't supposed to be good at math but don't tell my Grand Daughter who is!

Cyrsti's Condo "Cover Girl" of the Day

Our feature cover today is the Brazilian MtF Transsexual beauty Roberta Holanda

Cyrsti's Condo "Power Scope"

Finally! A "scope" I can embrace!


Libra: (September 23-October 22): Shake up the system in every way, from the way you dress, what route you take to work, what thoughts you share — even the foods you eat. When you put yourself into this curious mode, it’ll be easier to see that there is a parallel universe that fate is trying to steer you towards, as it’s time to witness these intriguing places and faces of your day-to-day that you never saw before.

This works so well with the rebirth of spring in my world and a chance to pull out, examine and dust off my warm weather wardrobe! Nice!

Hopefully your "scope" will be as much fun too.  Go here to theFrisky
to find out.

Mala Mala

On the Cyrsti's Condo big screen, a look at the film  Mala Mala -  a new documentary about trans life in Puerto Rico. Directed by Dan Sickles & Antonio Santini. Produced by Killer Films. It's called a unique exploration of self-discovery and activism, featuring a diverse collection of subjects that include LGBTQ advocates, business owners, sex workers, and a boisterous group of drag performers who call themselves The Doll House. The film  portrays a fight for personal and community acceptance paved with triumphant highs and devastating lows.

No Body Told Me?

It seems a lifetime ago since I sat in front of a therapist at the VA to be evaluated to start HRT.  I guess since it was such a life changing experience, it was a lifetime ago.

Recently I took a moment to reflect back on what were the biggest surprises of my MtF gender transition so far on hormones.  First of all, I feel the changes sealed my past as a cross dresser and opened my future as a transgender woman.  Look, I was the first to say with all the experience I was gaining in public and with the friends I was making as a girl-I thought I was making the transgender jump long before I did. I was wrong. Transgender didn't truly start for me until after I started HRT and externally came quickly with no wigs, softer skin etc. but the major differences I would experience would be internal.

(As always, please don't think I'm casting any negative thoughts towards cross dressers in anyway.)

Looking back internally, I certainly expected to be more emotional and even cry for the first time in my life -and I did.  Plus,  crying for joy and experiencing sudden bouts of melancholy were different, but not as shocking as the extra amount of worrying which began to creep into my life.  So much so, that on occasion, I slipped into what I always considered feminine hysteria.(Not one of  my pleasant feminine stereotypes!)  Yet again, there it was and is, but I'm getting used to it.

Of course, when almost everyone thinks of HRT , they wonder how it works on your physical being and again I had my share of surprises. Looking back, my biggest surprise came when changes began to occur quickly and then slowed down.  I was excited and then let down while I waited for more change to take effect. Finally I mellowed out and let the changes work as they may. For example now,  I haven't taken time to measure any real breast growth but I have noticed a real change in my hips and rear.  I was excited  the other day when I put on a pair of leggings and a top which came down to the middle of my hips.  I saw for the first time in my life a small but definite feminine shape! Perhaps excitement is too mellow of a word!

One way or another, this has been quite the ride and the HRT induced part of it has been even more exciting at my age.  At the least, the external feminization my body continues to go through, helps the public perception of me.  At the best, the internal effect of the hormones just makes me feel complete.

I would be fibbing to you if I told you there was anyway three years ago I would be where I am today.  The biggest misconception of all!

Cyrsti's Condo "Cover Girl" of the Day

Kendra Maserati-Why drive a Chevy?

Our Monday featured covers here in the Condo are actually showing the magic of before and after MtF gender transition.

Cyrsti's Condo "Sunday Edition"

"Ker Plunk" this Sunday Easter Edition of Cyrsti's Condo just hit your door! (I hope-or look in the bushes!)
Section 1.- Easter.  For some of you, Easter does have a deep religious meaning which of course I respect as I was raised with it.  For others, not so much - or at all.  To me, the right to worship as you please, takes all precedence. On the non religious side of Easter, it was one of a few special occasions as a youth, I especially yearned to be a girl.  Of course, I wanted to be the one in the frilly pastel dresses, white tights and new shoes for Easter Sunday.  Ironically, several genetic women I know tell me how much they hated it and got in trouble continually for getting their new clothes dirty.  My partner Liz's Mom, in particular was never happy with daughter dearest wrestling in church with a boy who went on to be an infielder for the Cincinnati Reds. But you go with the cards that life dealt you the best you can.  I'm sure you all felt somewhat the same around prom time or even Christmas when you were stuck in a suit and the women in beautiful, colorful gowns.

Section 2.- The Week in Review.  For me, the week here in the Condo was a short one indeed because of computer problems. Looking back, we received quite a few quality comments about our "Trans Girl's Guide to Eating Out" post here on the blog and in my email (cyrstih@yahoo.com).  Several zeroed in on my own personal experience of older women being meaner to me than younger ones. In fact though, if you are in the wrong place, at the wrong time, with the wrong person-age does not matter.  Ignorance and bigotry comes in all age brackets.

We all touched on the difficulty of finding a friend of any sorts in the transgender community.  By "friend" I mean someone you can discuss highly unique experiences of say HRT, trans friendly spots and more.  For lack of a better example, the same sort of girlfriend a genetic woman would have. Briefly, severe problems still exist with stealth, closet and trans trolls which make it extremely difficult to find a friend.

Section 3.- Coming Soon!  This week, my first article in Frock Magazine was published.  I'm writing on the subject I know most about-transitioning later in life- and may do more.  In fact, coming up soon, May 30th-June 1st, is the sixth annual TransOhio Symposium in Columbus.  For the second year in a row, I will be doing a workshop on the subject and rolling out my book Stiletto's on Thin Ice-a Transwoman in a Man's World.  In the month of May, I plan on rolling out samples to you here in the Condo.  I can tell you this, it will be E-Published and very inexpensive.

Section 4.- The Back Page  That's it for this week kids!  I just can't get involved with the newest babble about who is transgender enough to speak on the matter, so y'all have a good week and thanks sooooo much for stopping by!!!!

Lonely Girls

It is seriously tragic how many of us in the transgender community suffer terrific loneliness. I can understand the world as a whole not understanding us but it has always been surprising to me how few  transgender people I have been able to meet. In my limited world, on Facebook alone, I know I have at least 75 peeps who claim to be transgender within an hours drive from me who haven't uttered one word about meeting for coffee or whatever. So, I wasn't surprised that just in the two or three days I have had my computer back up and running, I have had two comments on the subject of being alone already.

One was a comment Frock Magazine received on my article in their last publication:

Hi,  
My name is Nancy Wilhelm. I am transitioning at the age of 61. Your article "It's Never Too Late to Change" by Cyrsti Hart really hit me. I can really relate to what she had to say. While I face some of the same things she does I also have other issues. I am retired and on SSDI with no reserve. So, most (99%) of the things we need to do to really transition I can't afford. Also, the city I live in, as far as the transgender community, is really weird. I have met one (1) other TGirl total. The girls here are not interested in getting to know you unless you are young and looking for sex. I'm neither, so I have a total of five friends, 3 that I might see once every other month. In other words I'm a lonely girl here. Loved your magazine. I'm going to bookmark it. Hope you can keep it free. Nice to find something I can enjoy. Looking forward to the next issue.

Hugs, Nancy

The other was from a much younger person just exploring her gender identity, along with a supportive girlfriend but with no other idea of how to go any farther.  Fortunately for her, she lives within an easy driving distance of Columbus, Ohio which is an incredibly diverse city. I recommended that at the least , maybe her girlfriend and her should make the trip to Columbus Pride in June to at the least see how the "other half's" live. I did feel bad I couldn't come up with any better ideas of how to find a trans friend or even a trans group.  Maybe I'm being the bitch again but I agree with Nancy's take on what the majority of the "participant's" are into and it's not me either.

Truthfully, I gave up years ago finding transgender friends on line. I got burnt early when the trans "nazi's" got a hold of me and went my own way.   So, I do have my circle of wonderful friends and yes two of them are transgender and they are local.

It is exceedingly difficult to find a friend but far from impossible.  The "T" is beginning to not be as silent in the G&L Centers and there are some resources, plus there are good folks mixed in with the trans trolls.  It's just a shame we all have to go through yet another super difficult process.

Be sure to follow the link above to Frock Magazine and my "two cents worth" on page 30!

Cross Dressing Battle

This video has been around for awhile and thanks to Lynne for bringing it back to my attention!  Kenny vs Spenny on the Cyrsti's Condo big screen:

Cyrsti" Condo "Cover Girl" of the Day

Our feature cover today is yet another beautiful androgynous model David Ferran.  At what point in time do the genetic female models feel threatened?

Cyrsti's Condo "Gender Blender"

Androgynous male and female models together:  Kirill Sadovy (left) Alexandrina Til (female-right)

Turmoil!

If you would have told me a couple years ago I would go into panic mode if I lost my computer, I would have said several highly derogatory comments.  Now however I'm literally surrounded by electronic gadgets which hook me up to who knows where and panic me when they don't work.

Now that my "precious puter" seems to be well for awhile, I can catch up with all of you, work on the final stages of my book based on how it looks on my Kindle and continue to learn all the wonderful (and not so wonderful) features of my new Android phone.  To quote Star Trek, "Beam me up Scotty-there is no intelligent life down here!"

Sadly, I'm still catching up and even finding your great comments in the midst of my virtual office mess here in Cyrsti's Condo, like this one from Linda Marie Daniels-which goes back to last Sunday:

Regarding the 50 something women in the restaurant who were so rude: unfortunately, after a certain age, most people don't change their opinions about the world. Although there are older people who are willing to examine long held beliefs, most "dinosaurs" are going to keep their ideas about transgender people. The good news is that younger generations seem to be more able to look at people as people, regardless of whether they don't conform to strict definitions of gender identity. The bad news is, at least for "dinosaurs" like me, that change in attitude as the ideas of a new generation become the mainstream, will be a little late for me. Great post as always. Happy Sunday to you!

Thanks Linda Marie!  You all know I am one of the "dinosaurs" too. As a matter of fact I mentioned it this morning when I was working on a new article for Frock Magazine. I was on my soap box again ranting about how our generation (and me) was notoriously in the closet/ stealth as transgender women and cross dressers.  All of us know we can make a case why that was but the past is just the past and we have left ourselves with what we paid forward-nothing. Now, whatever we can put into the transgender piggy bank is better than nothing!

I do have a spousal checklist in one of my book chapters which may be of interest to this discussion too. It compresses three sample kinds of spouses from accepting to call the divorce lawyer I will have to remember to pass it along to all of you.  The key term is remember! Sorry kids, have to wrap this up now. The dinosaur needs a nap!

Cyrsti's Condo "Cover Girl" of the Day

For Friday we are going to run a dual feature cover from the past. Vintage female impersonators Kim Christy and Kim August.

Kim August

Kim Christy

Cyrsti's Condo "Cover Girl" of the Day

We are back with our Condo feature covers. Today check out beautiful drag artist Jem Stone

Summer Fun!

Forget the inch of snow we had the other day and the frigid temps which sent me scrambling for my sweaters, I figured it was time to begin my maintenance on summer's number one fashion accessory- skin.

At this time in my life, I have certain "specialized" needs.  As far as fashions go, unfortunately, the flirty short summer skirts and sundresses are not age appropriate for me but the longer ones certainly are.  While I still have the remnants of my upper body biceps, my muscle definition has gone way down and my HRT induced skin tone has gone way up. So sleeveless tops this summer are back for a second season for me.

I do a pretty good job of taking care of my upper body skin and if I don't it tells me. As far as winter and my legs and feet go though, not so much.  I have work to do to shed dry skin, soften and moisturize.  Also, I don't think I have mentioned my dislike of wearing any sort of hot panty hose in the summer. I'm going bare legged under my long skirts and normally do a self summer pedi for sandals.

What I am looking forward to this summer though, is adding a long sun dress or two to my wardrobe for the first time.  I think with the right bra and panty set, I will be able to enjoy my new found femininity this summer to the max and stay cooler. (#1  goal!)

So, we will see what climate change does to us around here in Ohio and my plans. I am notoriously short term though so maybe I will have to come up with plans "B or C" too. First, I have to think about them and I actually have started.  I am subscribed to a local woman's Mary Kay site which recently promoted tons of summer cosmetics.  On the other hand, I also use "home made" products too.  My most recent example was when Liz directed me to her cooking Olive Oil to help my dry facial damaged winter skin. She read the hint from Glamour Magazine and it actually worked better than any of the big name expensive products I was using.  Just check around.

Another hint is my grocery store (Kroger's) has a ton of on line coupons. Several are for cosmetic products
and if you hit a day when they are already on sale, you can do well.

The MaryKay link is above and I'm sure there were and are other places you can go for fun!

Ketchup

Yes, I'm using a condiment name for a Cyrsti's Condo blog post and it actually serves a couple purposes!

On a lighter note, I'm "catching up" on a few of your comments from a post which indirectly involved food. Clever, right?

Thanks to all of you who commented on the Trans Girl Guide to Eating Out post.

The first came from Leann:

Crysti, I agree whole-heartedly with 1, 2 and 5. Of late, I have been trying to go to a local (Northeast local) chain called Legal Seafood about once a week. I have at least one waitress who sits down to chat with me. As far as 3 and 4 are concerned, I haven't run into these S&Sers so I haven't run into them in the restroom either. The only conversation I have ever had in a restroom is someone commenting me on my suit. :)

Thanks Leeann!  For those of you who don't know, #4 was my reference to using the women's room. Similar to you, I haven't had any problems for literally years but having the cops called on me twice, being called a perve and getting kicked out of a venue left their marks I'm afraid! Anymore, I don't let the past ruin the present!

The second came from Mandy Sherman:


On #3, Trouble in Paradise... It's not only the 50-somethings. While it's indeed precisely as you say with them, alas, teenagers haven't given up on S&S yet. Last fall during my final 2013 en-femme outing, I was having a solo dinner at an upscale steakhouse restaurant on the Maryland side of Washington, DC. The joint wasn't full by any means. A pair of 18-year-old-plus girls and their dates were seated across the room, with the girls having an unobstructed view of my table. (How do I know they were at least 18? The wine bottle and glasses...) The girls spotted me as I walked in, and as soon as I was seated they informed the boys of my existence. The boys seemed rather ho-hum about it, as a mere glance was all they sent my way. But every few minutes, one of the girls checked me out, whispered something to her friend, who then looked my way. They then giggled, and whispered things to each other, while the boys looked rather annoyed at their dates' actions. The special dinner date (for which they were paying a tidy sum) was being compromised by this "guy in a skirt." 

The foursome got their "special night" back when I left...with no wine, appetizer or dessert, I finished well before they did. But I could feel two pair of young female eyes following me all the way out, once they noticed I was leaving. And you can bet I remained a part of their conversation for the rest of the evening... Sorry, guys - your dates were paying attention to me, not you. Better luck next time... But this is a solemn testament to the fact that teenage female S&S is still very much alive and well in suburban Maryland. 

And with regard to #4 - Rest Room Pass: Since that night, I have used a few select women's rooms, while dressed androgynously. But that particular night, I was in a "holding pattern" - waiting to go back to my hotel room. No way would I have wanted to chance meeting those girls in a restroom situation. Cheers, Mandy

Hi Mandy and thanks!  Sounds as if the narrow minded young women just were looking for diversions to their boring dates and you were in the line of fire.  You bring up several really good points.  Ultimately, stupidity is not limited to one age group and the longer someone has to sit back and look you over, the more chance you become of someone making you their business.  Pretty much that is what happened to me the other night with one of the bitches who about broke her neck to stare and smirk.  (The other didn't give me a second look later.)

Once again ladies, thanks so much for your comments!

Back in The Saddle

This is sort of a test post. For what seemed like years, I was experiencing computer trouble at Liz's and my house too.

Happy to say, I'm back-I think and will be blasting away here in the Condo soon!

A Trans Girl's Guide to Eating Out

My qualifications to write this post go back many years to a 30+ year career in the commercial restaurant business. I have seen trans women in my venues as well (of course) dining in others.

Here you go:

1.- Be nice and talkl.  I'm sure many of you think, Cyrsti, this is common sense.  It is, until I expand on it.  Before I even began to journey out into the world as a woman frequently, the cross dressers/transgender girls who my staff's waited on, drew extra attention to themselves by being too quiet.  I was guilty of it too, during my early ventures.  What happens is, you may be quiet, scared to death and shy-which comes off to the world as you maybe doing something wrong.

2.- Tip well.- Especially, in the current ultra competitive climate, food employees would serve Martians if they minded their own business, were pleasant and tipped well.  As transgender women, we are in an ideal spot to make a great impression because so many people don't make them. An example was,  in the restaurants I ran, the "after church" crowd on Sunday was notoriously difficult to deal with.  Look at it this way, unless you are an extremely passable trans woman, you will be remembered.  Make your impressions good ones and you will be welcome.

3.- Trouble in Paradise.- Just when you are thinking all is well when you are heading out for a nice meal, beware of the predatory 50+ something genetic female.  It used to be we thought teen aged girls were the worst group of humans we could face.  This is the same group all grown up They are still in the same blissful state of transgender ignorance suffered from in their teens and are still our biggest problem. Young girls today either know "one of us", are informed about us, or just don't care.  My latest example of 50 something genetic bigotry was just last Friday night.  As Liz and I were blissfully enjoying our food and company, two women just had to S&S- Stare and Smirk.  Outside of aggravating me, I don't let ignorance ruin my evenings anymore but  women like this can throw more than stupidity at you. Such as:

4.-Rest Room Pass.- It is human nature.  When you eat and drink, you may have to potty and are easy prey for an S&S er out to save the world for morality.  Of course you have a couple alternatives.  Hold it and don't go, just throw your shoulders back and the girls out and head confidently to the restroom or watch where the bigots are heading.

5.- Go Back.- As I said, if you like a place, return and begin to establish yourself as a regular.  As you do, all kinds of good things can happen.  These days, a progressive business embraces diversity which includes the TGLBQ community.  I have never minded being the token transgender person.  If possible, find another person to go with you.  Nothing gives you more credibility.  An example is when Liz and I go out, she is totally oblivious to the possibility I may be facing negative feedback.  Which is fine, I fight my own battles.  Finally, especially with my restaurant background, at all costs I try to respect the owners or management of the venue and be welcomed back.

So there you go kids, I'm sure many of you have welcome hints of your own!  Be sure to pass them along.  Bon Appetite! 

Cyrsti's Condo "Cover Girl" of the Day

Our feature Sunday cover here in "theCondo" today is transsexual pioneer Phoebe Smith

Cyrsti's Condo "Sunday Edition"

"Ker Plunkt!" Another Sunday edition of Cyrsti's Condo has hit your door, get a hot cup of coffee ready and lets go.

Section 1.-Fashion.

We topped 75 degrees here the last couple of days in my part of the world and I was able to experience the delicious sensation of short sleeved feminine fashion.

As we were living our house this morning, Liz looked quickly at my T-shirt and jeans outfit and said "I like the 'Tom Boy Chic' look."  Of course I was impressed and we headed out to pick up her son. Along the way we stopped to pick up pop and snacks and I wasn't paying much attention to the world until-I turned around and saw this bearded guy looking at me.  I figured at the least, he thought Wow! did that big woman (me) just get back from the gym or worse. Another blog post to be sure!

Section 2.- Fighting On.

As always, the transgender world fights on from many different points of light.  This week, among others, Texan trans woman Laura Jean Krug won her battle to be reinstated as a substitute teacher in Texas.  These battles are similar to hand to hand guerilla fighting-fought by individuals everywhere on a case to case basis.  What seems to be happening though, the country as a whole is beginning to learn who we are as a people and respond on a positive morally and legally sound basis.  On the other hand, I encountered two  "smirkers" at dinner with Liz.  We were enjoying an "Oyster Fest" evening and two 50 something women in the restaurant had to make me part of their nightly entertainment by staring at me and smirking.  The good thing is, you notice I said "50 something", nearly all of my smirkers are human dinosaurs and are on their way out and are living in the past.

Section 3.- We Got Mail.

The comment we received this week which received the most feed back here and on my email (cyrstih@yahoo.com) came from Connie Malone in the Pacific Northwest:

On transgender hiring: Why wouldn't an employer want to hire me? I have all of the expertise and experience that was afforded me by being a man, but now I'd only have to be paid 77% of a man's salary.

Connie has a wonderful sense of sarcasm and she is actually the first to urge me to write a blog, so this is her fault! (Kidding!!!!)

And Mandy Sherman commented:


THAT is PRICELESS! Particularly with the news having the 77% figure front and center lately... Companies which are hiring really should be seeking TG workers, to help keep their costs down! And that would help improve the TG unemployment rate, too. For the right opportunity - whatever that is - this girl might even consider applying. 77% is a lot better than nothing!


Back Page.- As I wrote here yesterday, I do have an article posted in this month's Frock Magazine, please be sure to check out the issue and as always thanks and have a great week!

Cyrsti's Condo "Cover Girl of the Day"

Our Sunday cover features Andrew Semuel a beautiful androgynous MtF model from Singapore.  

Cyrsti's Condo "Quote of the Day"

"Opinions are like A-holes, everyone one has one and like all A-holes-they should stay hidden."

Cyrsti's Condo Weekend Fun

This morning, for kicks and giggles, I'm passing along a couple of "what if" cross dressing pictures.

One of my Pinterest boards is based on the not so fictional idea of a husband coming home and encountering a spouse with a little more than just bringing home a gallon of milk for dinner.  I call it "Lucy I'm Home!" which is named after a phrase from the classic 1950's television show I Love Lucy. 






The first one I call "Dammit! I forgot the milk honey!"


The second (right) I call "Oh Oh! She's home! Can I hide in the attic from here?"

**My disclaimer- these pix were not credited to anyone.  If you know and want credit-contact me!

Frock Magazine

For what has seemingly been an eternity Katie Glover at Frock Magazine and I have been trying to get together for an article. Finally the sun, the moon and the stars came together and another literary masterpiece of mine made it into this issue.

The subject is a familiar one to those of you who frequent Cyrsti's Condo-MtF gender transitioning later in life.  I have tons of opinions on subjects but at the least I am living this one.  At any rate, if you have never visited Frock Magazine, it's is quite the effort.

Please take the time to follow the link above (and me too!)

Another Giant Step Back for Trans Haters

What did the Rolling Stones say? "It's just a shot away?"

Imagine a future where you could chose your own gender and a few of the most basic arguments against it wouldn't be valid? Primarily from the radical anti-transgender feminist groups? (Terf's)

Stories such as this are beginning to suggest those groups won't be having a vagina to stand on before we know it.  From Rueters:

Four young women born with abnormal or missing vaginas were implanted with lab-grown versions made from their own cells, the latest success in creating replacement organs that have so far included tracheas, bladders and urethras. Follow-up tests show the new vaginas are indistinguishable from the women's own tissue and have grown in size as the young women, who got the implants as teens, matured. All four of the women are now sexually active and report normal vaginal function. Two of the four, who were born with a working uterus but no vagina, now menstruate normally.

You can bet if they can do it in genetic girls, boys won't be so far away.  Hopefully, as all the transgender hating dinosaurs begin to become extinct, the younger generation will accept the process with a huge yawn- and think so what?

Turmoil in Texas

Nikki Araguz

Deserved or not, Texas gets the rap for being radically against transgender rights.  Transsexual widow Nikki Araguz's case comes to mind.

I say "deserved or not" because it only takes one or two ignorant gender bigots to poison the reputation of an entire area.

The "Lone Star State" though jumped backed into the gender headlines recently:

Texas Teacher Laura Jane Klug Was Suspended For Being Transgender — But There’s Something We Can Do About It

Laura Jane Krug

This was actually one of many posts and stories about the incident but was the one which caught my attention because of where it came from and the last part of the heading.

It comes from theFrisky and you can read it here. While you are there, check out the other transgender stories on the page!

Three more observations.  I consider theFrisky to be a solid trans ally and the school system needs a strong trans woman to substitute (baby sit) a fifth grade class and Goddess forbid if the kids parents would have to answer questions they weren't prepared for and afraid to discuss.

Cyrsti's Condo "Cover Girl" of the Day

Our Friday feature cover beauty is androgynous model Kim Zuluaga
   

In-Sync

One of our regular contributors here in Cyrsti's Condo, Shelle,  recently sent in this comment:

Indeed waking up each day knowing you mind and body match your correct gender must be a huge blessing to the Cis-gendered world, one I have never known,I wake up each day knowing I will have to convince myself I am who I am,despite seeing things in the mirror that bring me great discomfort.

Thanks Shelle and to use an worn out term, we are talking about "cis priviledge".  The majority of humans do think gender is something to be taken for granted.

I took the concept a step further with a friend I mention many times around here, who is deeply in the closet. So deep he goes into deep rationalizations why. On the other hand though, he is a cis guy who somewhere got his wires crossed and fell into some sort of a interest into cross dressing. That's all good but sometimes he really frustrates me. As hard as I try, I can't seem to ever get the point across to him that just because I may have cross dressed a lot with some sort of minimal success-none of that has anything to do with who I am today.  I keep telling him being a cross dresser was not a gate way to me being transgender, just a band aid to fix the problem. That is how we differ.  I never was a cis guy but a pretender forced to live in their world.

Truly, I don't expect most of the world to understand what took me decades to come to grips with.  My life has very little to do with the fun external girl things (most of them) and everything to do with syncing my soul with the world.  Let's take my hair appointment yesterday for example.  Sure, just the whole feeling of being there and pampered and looking better was great but my soul was on fire with delight.  I "synced" my internal being with how the world was viewing me.

Many ask how does it feel to be feminine and I say, I can only answer to how it feels to be me physically. However, the effects of HRT have given me a point of reference into what a genetic woman's life is like. Examples are hot flashes, emotions, sensitivity to hot and cold, etc. But of course, I will never know the discomfort of a period, giving birth or any of the major "female" operations.

I'm with you Shelle, in that when I look in the mirror, I see a desperate attempt to reshape a 60 something male body into a feminine one for the world to see.  On the other hand, I am done convincing myself who I am. I finally know who that is!

Salon "Selfie"

Hope you can catch the shade of my hair in this selfie I took after my salon visit this afternoon with minimal makeup (as you can see.)

For the second time in a row I had the same guy do it and this time I think he out did himself with the color.  My hair is a bit short on volume to me but most of that has to do with how he flat ironed it because he cut a minimum amount of hair off. Under threat of bodily harm!

Sorry about not smiling, I really don't like to take pictures of myself - as you can see!

Cyrsti's Condo "T-Shirt of the Day"

No kids, one of the very rare times the "T" doesn't refer to transgender, transsexual or transvestite! I couldn't help passing this along:


It's from a shop on Etsy called "Atomic Bliss."

If you don't know it, the show actually refers to a popular American TV show aired from 1957-1963 called "Leave it to Beaver"

An Extra Shot of "E" Please

I'm very excited about this afternoon! Following a long brutal winter, I'm heading back to my hair salon for a "spring/summer" update.

I refer to the experience as being exposed to a "contact" dose of estrogen.  In other words, it's the female equivalent of going into a car parts store with a bunch of guys.  Of course in the salon I go to, there is the occasional guy and several "very pretty" effeminate male stylists but everyone else is genetic or transgender and is engaged in the feminine pursuit of feeling pampered.

On my first visit a year or so ago, the pampering part is what surprised me the most.  Of course I dearly love what a professional can do for my hair, but how they do it is even more fun.

Of course, each time I learn more and can communicate what I want done-rather than sitting in the chair and saying "what do you think?"  It's yet another example of the old "act like you've been there" quote, because I have.

This afternoon, I know I need my split ends cut off, plus some shaping. Plus, I can afford one highlight added to my basic reddish color, so I'm thinking about going with a lighter semi blond for summer. I have a tendency to over think the process and always forget to remember my hair grows rather fast as does it's color-which does a real quick fade to gray.  What ever I do, it won't take long to repair itself- if I screw it up.

Every time I can afford to go to the salon, I do come back with a greater realization of why women consider it a staple of their lives.  Not only do they look better, they get a chance to relax from the world and get back to feminine bonding,  mostly, with others of the same sex.

Professional Women

Many cross dressers in the "community" do an excellent job of "professional office drag".  I used to find the genre useful when I wanted to blend in shopping in upscale malls or stopping to eat in a nice restaurant.
Here are a few examples I found on Pinterest for Cyrsti's Condo.  If one is of you, please tell me and I will gladly give credit where credit is due...

The first is of Katie


The second (bottom right) has no credits:  As always my disclaimer is, on some of these pix, I have no way to know if any of these women are truly genetic-which on Pinterest I feel a high percentage are.








Our third office professional woman is "Carrie" to the left!

Cyrsti's Condo "Quote of the Day"

Trans fat = SRS weight gain?

Cyrsti Hart

"That's So Male!"

This is a cute quick story here in Cyrsti's Condo from an experience I had last night.

One of my genetic girl friends invited me to meet her for a drink and who was I to turn her down?  The place we went to was having live trivia-which I am deceptively good at.  What I mean is, out of ten questions, I get two right, two close and the rest I have no clue. The people around me (if they aren't paying too much attention) then think I'm some sort of savant and want me on their team-the jokes on them!  Plus, I have the attention span of a five year old, so I as go into rounds two or three, my mind is bored and is in another dimension.

You aren't supposed to cheat at this trivia and Google the answers so you can win but that didn't stop my friend and another woman down the bar from doing it.  Naturally, to do this you need to find an answer in a timely manner.  For whatever reason, I knew the place we were in had sketchy WiFi reception to start with, which was slowing the cheaters down. In short order, my friend got frustrated and started pounding her phone into the bar.  Not long after that, the woman down the bar did the same thing.

I was amazed and said to my friend, "that was so male!"  (It was!)  She quickly turned to me and sputtered "how do you sit there with your hair and boobs and all and tell me that?"  I calmly said "because I have been there and can say it."  Conversation over.

I look at it this way, over the years I have been called a "transgender pretender" because of my lack of desire to "purge" all of my masculine past.  To me, pulling a gender card out from the bottom of the deck on occasion, is just pay back for all the hell I went through to get here.

Besides, as I told my friend (who has invited me to lesbian only events over the years), I could have never come close to the innate masculinity in many of those women!  What a wonderful diverse world we humans live in if we could understand and enjoy the show.

Cyrsti's Condo "Quote of the Day"

On transgender hiring:  Why wouldn't an employer want to hire me? I have all of the expertise and experience that was afforded me by being a man, but now I'd only have to be paid 77% of a man's salary.

Connie Malone

Cyrsti's Condo "Cover Girl" of the Day

Our feature Wednesday cover is transgender beauty Kalindra Chan

Just a Girl in the World

This video was sent to me from Lynne who occupies the same age demographic as me (old) and is decidedly more conservative and in the closet.  For no negative reason, I was really surprised though both of us saw the light in this video. The light is joy from an older MtF "transitioner on the Cyrsti's Condo big screen.

Cyrsti's Condo "Cover Girl" of the Day

Our feature cover for Tuesday is A.D. Miles.  A.D. as I understood it, was a writer for the Jimmy Fallon Show several years ago when the show was doing a ensemble drag skit.  I always thought, AD showed way too much talent for his/her chance to cross dress on national TV.  What a great way for a cross dressing writer to just act like he "came up" with this idea out of the clear blue sky and he just happened to look so good?

Perhaps, in his past, AD discovered his "talent" at a womanless beauty pageant?

Cyrsti's Condo "Power Scope"

My stars aligned themselves in another crazy way this week and left me with this warning:

(September 23-October 22): Everything and everyone will have their place this week, so feel free to compartmentalize your life away. Sometimes you can’t have two parts touching each other on the same plate, as they can have a tendency to bleed unfortunately into each other. So, take heed, as this week will be much like a game of Jenga. Take a few steps back and think before you settle on your next move forward.

I say crazy, because organization is a scary word to me and the idea of "compartmentalization" is even worse. Hope I don't trip on my "few steps back!"

I'm a Libra, as you probably noticed from the dates on the "scope" above, if you aren't, no worry! Go here to theFrisky for your very own sign!

My Behind

I have been behind it seems this time, for the past several days.  When that happens, I rediscover posts I wanted to pass along to you here in Cyrsti's Condo.  One is from Brynn Tannehill in an article she wrote for the Huffington Post called "Paper's Please"  If you don't know, Byrnn is a transgender vet and Director of Advocacy for SPART*A.  

Her very detailed post follows the incredibly convoluted path transgender and transsexual women and men follow in their lives-in and out of military circles.  Here's an excerpt and you can follow the link above for more:

Imagine for a moment you work at a U.S. military base as a contractor. You step out of a bathroom after using it, and are immediately confronted by someone with base security. He demands you present identification proving your gender, otherwise he will arrest you. Your mind races, blood pounds in your ears, flight or fight kicks in -- being arrested will probably cost you your clearance, your job and any chance you have of working in your career field again.

It's no surprise to those of us who spent a significant amount of time in the closet, how scary all of this can be-and kept us in the closet.   Then I began to wonder about those overly ignorant human's who think we trans folk had a choice in all of this?  I constantly remind myself that no matter how much I enjoy where my gender life is now, if I had a real live choice to never go on this journey-would I? No I wouldn't and it's very difficult to explain to my friends what a luxury it would have been to have known what gender I was when I woke up in the morning. That's usually a real conversation stopper!

The "choice" idea is nearly as ludicrous as the occasional on line "genius" who tells me HRT must be great since I have my own boobs to play with.  Tough to explain to such a suave guy, yes it is nice to have my own breasts as an expression of my femininity.

But, let's face it, the world will always have it's share of those who are just innocent ignorant.  They just don't know much about transgender individuals and we should be able to educate them.  The ignorant bigots are the tough crowd and some how some way we need to keep fighting to beat them down.  Hopefully, along the way the gender marker problems will go down with them.

Cyrsti's Condo "Cover Girl" of the Day

Our feature Cover for Monday is a bit different-makeup artist Joseph Harwood from the UK.

I have also included a video from his site on the Cyrsti's Condo big screen.

Cyrsti's Condo "Sunday Morning Edition"

Ker Plunk! Another Sunday edition has hit your virtual porch and it's time to get started.

Page One.- The Week in Review.  Last week we covered the fact the transgender community has an unemployment number twice the national average. Now though, it is possible the light at the end of the tunnel is not the train and certain groups are trying to help the situation. In fact there were actually TGLBQ job fairs recently in San Franscisco and Salt Lake City which sort of tied in with our mention of transphobia in rural America.  Shelle was kind of enough to detail her experiences concerning the lack of resources many TGLBQ women and men have in smaller less populated areas-including job fairs.

Slime Paul

Allyson Robinson

Of course my favorite slime ball Rude Paul was back in the news with his show's use of the She Male term. Supposedly  Glaad backed down the producers of the show and they made some sort of half apology. Similar to the vague tripe GM's top person is rolling out. Perhaps you all have heard,  the slime slick is heading UK's way. A version of Rude's show is coming.

Page Two.- Positives!  In much more pleasant news, an upcoming documentary which includes transgender military personnel from the US and the UK is in the works.  Just the fact transgender vet Allyson Robinson's name is attached, gives the project much more respect.

Also, transgender model Geena Rocera's "Gender Proud" video was a resounding success with over a half a million hits in the first couple of days.

Last but not least,  we mentioned "Auckland's" Amy Brosnahan who decided to enter a beauty contest down under because she wanted to spread the word for young transgender women.

Page Three.- Accepted!  I don't believe, during this week of chasing my tail, I have passed along the fact I have been accepted for the second year in a row to be a workshop presenter at this year's Trans Ohio Symposium.  I figure I must not have embarrassed myself too much if I got invited back!!!

Page Four.- We Got Mail.   In a post called "If it Walks like a Duck, Looks like a Duck and talks like a Duck...is it a duck? , we briefly jumped into the murky waters of what made a trans woman feel secure as a woman.  And we received this comment from Marian:



I've found that gender is as much of a social construct as it is a physical body construct. We, as a species, are cued into "gender" based on certain obvious and not so obvious signals. But when the signals are not presented strongly in one direction or another, confusion will result. For example, Julia Sweeney developed an androgynous character, Pat, whose gender id couldn't be determined - and the associated skits had fun with the miscues... Take that character and strengthen the cues slightly towards one gender or the other, and androgyny would be taken away - yet, the person could still be gender queer and presenting in a gender opposite from what she/he was born into....

Thanks Marian! and I agree. In fact I'm growing to the point where I am sure gender is a total social construct. Also, I like the reference to "Pat". Shown at the left.

Well kids, time to finish my Sunday morning "Cop O Joe" and get the dog out for her walk.

You are all my "fave's" for stopping by the Condo!!!! Thanks to all!!!