A Reminder

Last night we went out to dinner at one of our fave spots.

It was a warm, even hot summer evening here in Ohio, an ideal night I thought to wear one of my long slinky maxi dresses.

It was fun to take my shower in anticipation of the evening and washing my hair and letting it dry naturally, bringing out all the curls.

All too quickly it was time to slip into my dress, attach my favorite earrings and slide into my black flats. Even though I spend my whole life in a feminine world, I had an inkling of a thought...all of this was fun and I loved it.

The feeling continued into the evening.  The restaurant wasn't very busy for a change so we didn't have a problem finding the rest of our party.

As I walked in, I was distinctly aware of the changes to my body thanks to HRT. I could feel everything from my hair on my neck all the way to the shoes on my feet. Now I thought, this was what I went through all the changes for.

Ironically, a woman in a black pants suit (and obviously nothing under it) sat down close to us. For a second my mind flashed back to an earlier time when I would have been intensely envious of her. But last night, I didn't have to be.

I was free to finally be myself and it felt great.

The picture on the left is actually the same dress taken last summer. 

Marvel Goes Trans

From "The Swaddle":

"The third season of Jessica Jones released this week, concluding Netflix’s four-year-long, uber-successful partnership with Marvel. The series, with its feminist lead and all-female lineup of directors, is known for its inclusive representation of people of color and sensitive handling of queer relationships, sexuality, rape, and post-traumatic stress syndrome. Pushing the diversity envelope even further, Jessica Jones‘ new season stars transgender actress Aneesh Sheth, who plays superheroineJessica’s sassy and resourceful new assistant Gillian — Marvel’s first ever trans character.

While this is a big move for trans representation on screen, the way the show portrays the character of Gillian is significantly refreshing. In a promotional interview with Marvel, Sheth says: “I’m transgender, and the character of Gillian is also trans. But there is no mention of her being trans within the show, nor kind of a narrative around her identity, which I think is wonderful because trans people exist in the world and it’s not always about their [trans] narrative.” 

Sheth was born in Pune, India, and moved to the U.S. to pursue a career in acting. She graduated from New York University and kicked off her career as Sweetie, a character in A.R. Rahman’s musical Bombay Dreams. Today, she is an actress, a singer and a trans activist, with a Master’s degree in social work, who spends her time between the stage, the screen and working with LGBTQIA+ youth groups.

“I think it’s important in terms of representation to have people out there recognize that you’ve got a South Asian trans person on television who’s kind of creating representation, but also how wonderful it is for that person to exist in a show without having to hit [everyone] over the head and avoid sensationalism,” Sheth says, speaking to Marvel."

For more follow the links above.

Acceptance

The person I hadn't had contact with in over eleven years took very little time in getting back in touch with me.

It turns out she lives in Phoenix, Arizona now and while being surprised (shocked) at my gender transition news she accepted it one hundred percent.  Further more she wants to see if I can add any information on my ancestry for her. It should be interesting.

Speaking of interesting, we (Liz and I) are booking a trip to Colorado in approximately three weeks. We get the dubious thrill of riding a tour bus through quite a bit of boring scenery before the fun starts. I am a huge train buff and we will ride four different rail lines and even spend a couple days in Denver.

The tough parts will be figuring what to pack for a ten day trip and holding back all the internal fears I have about being "discovered" by a mean old lady on the trip. I call it my "Transgender-PTSD." This is actually our fourth time doing this, so you would think I would be getting better.

More than likely nothing will happen and I will have done all of this worrying for nothing.

Nothing is Ever Easy

Out of the clear blue sky this morning on one of my ancient e-mail accounts, I received a message from an old acquaintance (2011) asking how I was doing. By the way, 2011 was the year I decided to follow my instincts and come out as transgender.

Without hesitation, I told her the reason she could not find me on any social media as a guy anymore was because I wasn't one anymore.

We shall see if I get a return comment.

Changing topics now, I am going back to yesterday's post concerning Kansas's new birth certificate ruling which allows transgender residents to change their birth certificates to reflect their true gender.

According to Connie, there is much more to it:

 " I believe that half of the states that do allow gender changes on birth certificates do so only after GRS; not like Kansas just did, requiring just a sworn statement. If you're lobbying the state of Ohio to allow the change, make sure that they follow Kansas' example. I was born in Arizona, which is one of the states requiring GRS, so I'm out of luck. 

Another thing that is not so great, even though a state may allow the gender change, is that the new certificate may be stamped "altered" or "modified." Anything short of a gemder-changed birth certificate being just like any other issued is just a certificate of proof so that one can out themselves officially. "

To my knowledge, Ohio's changes would be the same as Kansas, but we will have to see what happens. Ohio allows the "modified" certificate now, so we are hoping to move past all of that.

Now There are Only Two

Kansas has become the 48th state in America to allow transgender people to change the gender designations on their birth certificates.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has entered a consent judgment in a federal lawsuit to allow people to legally change the gender in their birth records by submitting a personal sworn statement of gender identity.

In addition, they would have to provide a drivers license or passport with their new identity, or an affidavit from a physician or mental health professional attesting to the person’s gender identity.

Now, the only two states left not allowing birth certificate changes are Tennessee and Ohio. I am sure some of you discerning Cyrsti's Condo's readers are aware I am from Ohio. 

Our birth certificate case is in the courts now and hopefully we will climb out of the middle ages in this area also.

I have changed all my other gender markers and am waiting to do my birth certificate too!

Group Tears

Last night's transgender - cross dresser support group meeting at times was very intense. For example, we had a first time participant show up who is not transgender but has two trans kids. Ironically, she wants to be able to connect with them but can't seem to. More than likely their is probably another detached spouse pulling the strings. Through her tears she managed to say she "thinks" Cincinnati Children's Hospital is involved , which is the "Gold Standard" for trans care in the area for anyone 24 or younger.

Another interesting attendee was struggling to put into focus who they really were. Even though, they are starting HRT and most of work knows, they still use the terminology "dressing up" as a woman and not dressing as their "true self".

Also in attendance were two totally new peeps, one still dressed as a guy. Neither said a whole lot except one owned a new "old school" board game shop fairly close to our house.

More tears came after the new peeps when one of the trans women who brought her wife to the last meeting read a letter from the wife. The letter delved deeply into the struggle she was having accepting the "death" of her husband and the ability to being able to move on if she had too.

Between her and the woman with the two trans kids, I realized once again the severe distress gender dysphoria can cause.

I hope everyone's time at the meeting was valuable. Even the young trans woman who has a boy friend who knows she is trans. Haven't seen her for a long time but she is transitioning really well.

Balancing her story is a sad one. One of the nicest transgender women I have ever met went through all her gender surgeries with flying colors, found a man who again knew of her past but went ahead with plans to get married anyhow. However, before the date, he backed out saying people in the small Kentucky town he was from were calling him gay. More tears.

Maybe I should check my hormone levels!

Naked and Transgender?

From the New York Times:

Quince Mountain 

"Quince Mountain is the first openly transgender person to be on “Naked and Afraid,” Discovery’s reality TV show in which participants try to survive 21 days in the wilderness. His episode debuted this month"

Here's an excerpt:

"I’m lying under an uneven canopy of foliage, sharp gravel digging into my back. I try not to think of the jungle rain as unceasing. I try to feel it, drop by drop. Sometimes a drop hits a spot where my skin is cut or burned away, and I feel a little thrill.

I am camped along the bank of the Corinto River, in a rain forest in Atlántida, Honduras, and have been for nine days. I’m alone: the partner I started this 21-day challenge with went home five days ago.

This is miserable, but I feel fortunate. Growing up knowing I was a boy when everyone around me considered me a girl — and not a very good one — already taught me how to survive alone. Being naked in this remote jungle is a relief. The wilderness couldn’t care less who I am."

"It’s a big deal to be a trans person out in the public square who is able to act rather than simply being acted upon. In appearing on “Naked and Afraid,” I want to show what I can accomplish, without having to deal with people questioning my credentials. I want to show what trans people can accomplish. With new laws restricting access to bathrooms, locker rooms and shelters, physical attacks on trans people on the rise, according to advocacy groups, and federal legislation threatening safeguards for the transgender rights that do exist, I want to shout: “Just leave us alone!”

Obviously, the more exposure we get as a transgender community, the better!

Pride

Yesterday was a very long day for my partner Liz and I. It was Cincinnati Pride Day.  A medium sized event (as far as Prides go) with around 100,000 people attending.

Our day started around eight in the morning since we also set up a promotional booth for our fall Cincinnati Witches Ball. I stayed in the booth while Liz and a couple others walked in the parade. Doing so, I was able to escape the early showers that ended early in the afternoon.

Since we set up a booth, we had to stay all day until nine at night, so as I wrote, it made for a long exciting day.

Cincinnati, Ohio Pride Parade

During the day, I was able to "escape" a couple times and visit the booth the cross dresser - transgender group I am part of too. They did so well they passed out all the information they brought by around four in the afternoon.

Of course what I like about Pride the most were the younger people being able to celebrate being themselves in a totally inclusive environment. The whole day gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling for the future. Once the majority of the old white power dinosaurs finish dying off and the kids take over, they can change the world.

As for me yesterday, by the time the day was over, I was feeling every bit of my nearly seventy years on this planet. Part of me was happy the day was over but another part of me was sad too.

Even though I live my own Pride 24/7, I can't wait for next year!

Staying up Late

Last night's monthly dinner social with the transgender - cross dresser group we are part of came off as predicted...good food and over by nine. About that time, word started to spread about a Cincinnati Pride kick off party at a old restored theater. Since Liz had the day off Friday, we decided to go.

The crowd at the kick off party was predictable but fun. I am fairly sure I was one of the few transgender people in the venue. Most of the participants were gay men interspersed by lesbians and drag queens. In particular one drag king performer put on a sexy burlesque show which was dynamite.

To make a long story short, I drank too many beers and stayed out late but a good time was had by all.

Janet Mock

From Out Magazine:

After writing, producing, and directing for FX’s Pose as well as being signed on to direct an episode of Ryan Murphy’s upcoming series The Politician, Janet Mock has announced an overall deal with Netflix. The announcement makes history as she is the first trans person to establish an overall deal with a major studio.

“This deal is so bonkers,” she said in the announcement video, released today. “I, of course, will be writing and directing a few hush hush projects that I can’t really talk about, but one of them is a half-hour drama and another is a college series. So I’m really excited for that.” The latest episode of Pose, the ballroom drama, now set in the early 1990s, was titled “Worth It” and written by Mock. Mock’s directorial debut “Love Is the Message,” the sixth episode in Pose’s first season is also being considered for an Emmy.

“This is the first kind of deal of its kind for a trans person, no less a trans woman of color,” she continued in the announcement. You know 84% of Americans say that they don’t know and or work with a trans person, and so there’s potential now with Netflix’s worldwide audience to introduce millions, hundreds of millions of viewers to trans people and showing people who may not understand us that we can tell our own stories.”

Can't wait to hear more!

"Bee" in the Bonnet

Connie reacted to my relatively radical post about transgender women versus drag queens:

 ConnieJune 17, 2019 at 5:02 PM

"Oh my! How did that bee get in your bonnet? While you may get some argument on that statement from some people, you won't get one from me. I sometimes wonder if drag queens should be under the transgender umbrella, either.

There are transgender women who do drag, and there are even some cis women who admit to doing drag, as well. There is some entertainment value to both the drag-or and the drag-ee, I suppose, but -to me - it's all about flaunting a caricature of a woman. I would never want to be perceived as doing that, myself, but it is disconcerting to know that there are quite a few people who think that transgender women are drag queens.
When I perform on stage, my makeup and attire are certainly more edgy than what my ordinary look is. It's sometimes difficult for me to be happy with my stage appearance because I feel that I might be seen as a drag queen. I don't do a drag act, by any means, however.

Nowadays, I may even be pegged a drag queen if I read a story to a group of children - since the popularity of "Drag Queen Story Time," anyway. :-)"

I am glad you asked. What really got me going the other day was when I watched coverage promoting the upcoming Cincinnati Pride parade. Of course, I saw the usual cross dresser in a prom dress riding along on the first car followed by a garishly painted drag queen in the second. Fortunately, this must have been old stock footage the station used, because I know for a fact (counting this year) two out of the last three parade marshals have been real live transgender women. Not a caricature of a woman who doesn't represent me at all. 

While I realize not all drag queens aren't gay guys, I still don't want the average citizen watching the news to think it's true and miss the whole point of celebrating the transgender world as a whole.  

I guess transgender is a lifestyle while drag is entertainment.

Hunter Schafer

From Rachel Paige:

"You’ve probably heard the name Hunter Schafer before, and if you haven’t you should definitely learn it. She’s only 20 years old and already a star on the rise in the worlds of modeling, acting, and maybe most important especially in this day in age, LGBTQ rights.

Schafer is a trans woman who stars as Jules in HBO’s brand new series Euphoria where she’s also playing a trans teenager who’s just transferred to a new school. Much like everyone else on Euphoria, Jules gets into some rather difficult to watch scenes that are sure to have audiences talking — but maybe for the right reasons. Even in 2019, it’s rare to see trans characters on screen, and even rarer for them to actually be played by transgender actors (GLAAD's survey of 2017 and 2018 media found only 17 trans characters in all of television — a measly five percent)."

For more, follow the link above.

A VERY Important Distinction

Transgender women are NOT drag queens!!!

Busier Week

All sorts of things are happening this week.

Today I had my "Parent's Day" breakfast with my accepting daughter. It was very enjoyable, especially when the server finished up our meal with "You ladies have a nice day."

Tomorrow is my monthly visit to my therapist. One of these month's I am going to keep tract of who asked the most questions...her or me. Of course since I don't lead the most exciting life, sometimes there just isn't much to talk about except in the rare instances I am dealing with a lot of anxiety.

It's Pride week here in Cincinnati and Wednesday I have volunteered to help the transgender - cross dresser group I am in with an information table at the local VA hospital.  I went last year and it was a very nice event.

Thursday my partner Liz and I are going to the regular monthly dinner for the same group. Hopefully the server who called me "he" last time, get's my gender right this time. If she doesn't, she will hear about it.

Friday, I return to my hair stylist for a trim and shaping of my hair. I think I can go another appointment without having her color it again.

Friday night we have a another spiritual meetup celebrating the longest day of the year.

Finally, Saturday the main Cincinnati LGBTQ Pride parade and festival is taking place. We are all hoping for good weather this year! It's a very long day since we set up and promote our October Witches Ball Halloween Party. Normally though, a good time is had by all. 

Happy "Parent's Day"

Today is Father's Day, or Parent's Day as my daughter prefers to call it.

As far as my Dad was concerned, he seemed to follow a trend I saw this morning on the news. Current Fathers spend three times the amount of time with their kids as Dad's did back in 1965. I would have been approximately halfway through high school.

I respected my Dad but I can't say we were ever able to express any love between each other. Our roles seemed to be deeply predefined.  Plus we were deeply divided on what was going on in the country in the 60's.

He was a child of the Great Depression and a survivor of World War II. Very much the self made man.

He passed on years ago and to my knowledge never had any idea of my gender problems.

Happy Father's Day Dad!

Transgender Racer

During our lives, most of us are busy trying to out run our own gender disorders. Charlie Martin is literally trying to do the same thing. From CNN:

"Standing amid the fevered atmosphere of the Le Mans 24 Hour race, Charlie Martin had an epiphany.

One day he wanted to race at the iconic French cathedral of motorsport -- home to the world's oldest endurance race that takes place again this weekend -- instead of watching rain-soaked from the sidelines.

But this dream was secondary to another, more urgent desire that beat inside his body like a pulse.

If he raced it would be as a woman.

Charlie Martin 

"Back then I wasn't even racing," Martin explained to CNN Sport. "But if you could have granted me any wish -- apart from changing my gender which was always the default answer -- it would have been to race at Le Mans.

"It is such a festival for petrol-heads and I came away spellbound; it was everything, the feat of endurance, what the cars go through, the scale of it in front of 300,000 fans."

For more, follow the links above.

Meeting the Enemy?

Today we sat up in a local park's farmer's market to try and sell fresh baked goods and other articles in an attempt to raise money for our Witches Ball Halloween Party coming up in October.

We didn't do too bad considering the day was overcast with occasional showers.

As we were beginning to close up for the day, two squeaky clean young white girls who were showing just a little too much attention to what we were doing stopped by...without offering to buy anything of course.

Finally it came out when they offered to exchange cards and yes they were Mormons. They didn't pay me much attention and I was getting too mad at the rude woman nearby smoking a cigarette. Which I can't stand.

At any rate, I turned my attention back to the Mormon girls who by this time were singing the praises of going to Utah. Quickly I realized I didn't really know much about how the Mormon faith approaches being transgender. I always assumed Mormons didn't accept us. So when I got home, naturally I Googled it.

Here is a small look at what I found from the "Human Rights Campaign" , as well as a few other issues which might relate:

"The LDS Church follows strict rules of sexual conduct, including commandments against pre-marital sex. The Church distinguishes between same-sex attraction and behavior. As stated on its website, "The experience of same-sex attraction is a complex reality for many people. The attraction itself is not a sin, but acting on it is." The LDS Church previously taught that same-sex attraction is a curable condition, but now states that "individuals do not choose to have such attractions" and that therapy focusing on "a change in sexual orientation" is "unethical."

Those who do not act on their sexual identity, “enjoy full fellowship in the church, which includes holding the priesthood, carrying out callings, and attending the temple.” The Church considers Mormons who act on feelings of same-sex attraction to have disobeyed church teachings on morality and thus are subject to ecclesiastical discipline. They may be (1) placed on probation (for those desiring to change their behavior), (2) "disfellowshipped" (excluded from participating in the sacraments for a finite period of time while they correct their behavior), or (3) excommunicated.  Members who face a disciplinary council and refuse to repent—or insist that their feelings are integral to who they are—almost always are excommunicated. They lose their membership and cannot participate in any way other than attend meetings. They also lose the eternal ties that bind them to their families and their church.

The LDS Church has no official policy regarding transgender individuals."

Now I wonder since I acted on my gender issues and transitioned does it make it wrong in the eyes of the Mormon's?  Or, more precisely should I care? 

The easy answer is I don't really care and maybe I was wrong. The Mormon girls were just doing their thing and really didn't consider me an "enemy." Or better yet, I enjoyed passing privilege  and they never even knew.

"Mo" Trans History

Just when I thought my old noggin remembered vividly almost all the transgender influences of my past, along comes two reminders from Cyrsti Condo readers jogging my memory on others. The first post is from Calie:

1. "The woman who really hit me hard was Canary Conn. This had to be around 1978 and I saw her on a television talk show promoting her book. She was a pop singer, formerly known as Danny O'Connor. I did buy the book and read it twice. I was about the same age as her at the time. I knew what I was prior to that but Canary Conn made a profound impact on my life. I knew then that I had to transition but, for many reasons, never did. More info on Canary Conn here:
   http://queermusicheritage-theblog.blogspot.com/2013/02/danny-oconnor-became-canary-conn.html"

   

   And, from:
2. 
   ConnieJune 12, 2019 at 1:47 AM

   "In 1963, I was a twelve-year-old, going it alone. I honestly don't remember learning about anything having to do with transvestism; nothing that really affected what I was feeling about myself and my gender identity. I think that I was actually a transphobe back then, but I was already adept at applying makeup while behind the locked bathroom door. I was, alternately, prideful at the young woman I saw in the mirror, and disgusted with myself for "giving in" to something for which I seemed unable to control. I really didn't want to know of others who were like me, because I never could see myself being like anyone else. In retrospect, I knew, even then, that I was not a cross dresser. What I wanted to be was a woman, but not just during those times when I could sneak into the bathroom to look like one. Aside from Christine Jorgensen, I hadn't heard of anyone who was even close to the way I felt about myself.
   
   It almost didn't matter what, or who, I knew about when I turned seventeen. It was then that I embarked on a successful suppression that lasted for another seventeen years. When I broke the mold, I was still going it alone. I went back to hiding behind locked doors, but with a family and a job, there was so much more to be hiding from. My thought was, why would I seek out a role model who would abandon their established life for the selfish endeavor of being who she was? Well, now that I'm another 17 plus 17 years older (68), I'm pretty lucky to still have my family while being the not-so-selfish woman I am. It was not by any prominent figure that got me here, but I did get here with a little help from my friends - you included, girlfriend!"
3. Thanks sooo much!

Going Blogless

Sorry I missed a day blogging yesterday. The day turned out to be much busier than expected.

In the morning, I ended up going with Liz to two of her Doctors' appointments. I was flattered when one of them even remembered my name.

In the afternoon, I watched the baseball game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Cleveland Indians on television.

And, at night, my partner Liz made me an offer I couldn't refuse...a dinner out if I went with her to her martial arts class. I did feel a little guilty when I upgraded my evening outfit a bit to go out. But what the hell is a girl to do? The whole day went well though.

To make up for missing a day, I thought I would pass along a little background and a picture of the beautiful Australian Daniielle Alexis cable television star:

Down under viewers are used to seeing her in prison garb as one of the inmates on the cable TV drama Wentworth.

But this week, Daniielle Alexis showed fans a different side of herself by pouring her curves into a busty tube top in a display of self-empowerment on Instagram.

With her ample cleavage on full display, the 32-year-old wrote in the caption: 'I questioned whether to wear this at first.'

Transgender History

One never knows when simply being older than everyone else could be a positive.

One of the questions at last night's transgender - cross dresser support group meeting was what was your earliest remembrances of obtaining any information at all concerning your gender differences.

Being the oldest in the group, I was the only one to remember Virginia Prince , her  Transvestia Magazine and The Society for the Second Self... for male heterosexual cross dressers. The last issue was in 1979.

Over the years,  Virginia finally has began to receive the credit she deserved for being one of the pioneers of the cross dressing movement all the way to the beginnings of understanding the transgender movement. She came from a socially prominent family in Los Angeles and like so many of us struggled (and lost) a marriage because of her cross dressing. She began cross dressing when she went to a church Halloween party dressed as a woman and no one knew. So, again, many of us followed the same path as her.

I know I first obtained a copy of one her books "The Transvestite and His Wife" (1967) and immediately read it approximately three times. I also subscribed to "Transvestia" for awhile. Plus, my first dealings with other transvestites came from a Virginia Prince connected group in Cleveland, Ohio. So I owe a lot to her as a pioneer.

Virginia Prince

Virginia passed away in May of 2009. Follow the link above for more.

Change is Coming?

Every once in awhile change seems to be upon us in the transgender world, even amidst all the horrible trans murders. It seems the "Craft" movie remake is attempting to become more inclusive and add a transgender Latina actress.

If you are qualified, check out the ad below. And if you are not qualified like I am, you can check it out too!

Andreja Pejic

Talented, gorgeous Andreja Pejic is still breaking down barriers. The Australian born model is now taking on the silver screen. More from the "Them" site:

"Andreja Pejić has walked runways for the likes of Jean Paul Gaultier, Marc Jacobs, and Jeremy Scott. She’s been a cover girl for international editions of GQ, Elle, Marie Claire, Harper’s Bazaar — the list goes on. But tomorrow, the 27-year-old model will make her acting debut on the big screen.

“It’s been a crazy whirlwind. I can’t believe I’m in a blockbuster Hollywood film,” Pejić tells me with an elated sigh. “What is life!” It’s two days after the New York premiere of The Girl in the Spider’s Web when we hop on the phone, and Pejić is still processing the fact that she stars in an adaptation of the book series she grew up reading as a teen.

In Sony’s latest reboot of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo franchise, Pejić plays Sylvia, an Eastern European goth girl and Lisbeth Salander’s lover. In director Fede Álvarez’s film, adapted from the fourth novel in Stieg Larsson’s Millennium series written by David Lagercrantz, The Crown’s Claire Foy steps into the role of Salander, the leather-clad hacker vigilante."

Can't wait to see it! To my knowledge, it is streaming on certain services such as Amazon Prime. It was actually released November of last year.

Revenge?

Last night was our regular monthly social with the transgender - cross dresser group my partner Liz and I are part of. All of the usual suspects were there, including the Mike Pence (yes the fascist vice president) loving cross dresser.

I was enjoying myself. I thought I looked as good as possible with my loose fitting sleeveless top, along with my black leggings and black flats. The outfit gives me an inkling of how the hormones I have been on are finally shaping me a feminine body without the benefit of any shapers what so ever. The weather was not overwhelming hot and the air conditioner works well in the almost new car we just bought. Life was good.

I was even ignoring my less than fave cross dresser until Liz started a conversation with his daughter about why my brother and I don't speak anymore. The basic reason is he (my brother) won't accept me over the feelings of his Southern Baptist in laws. All of the sudden I sensed my opening was coming.

To set it up, a couple weeks ago over dinner, I was trying to get Mr. CD to bring up his buddy Pence (they are both from Indiana) and he did by calling him a "man from a good Christian family." Last night, his daughter wanted to know why my brother didn't accept me. I couldn't resist and looked her and Dad right in the eye and said because of a good Christian family.

All of a sudden, the dinner conversation was over. I felt I had arrived finally. Everyone was wondering why I was so quiet...no more. However, I warned them.

Speaking, or writing on religion, Connie did write in this comment to add in because it's never "enough said.":

"Well, I wasn't going to comment on this, since you ended your post with "enough said," but since others have spoken up...

The book of Deuteronomy is, basically, a list of rules that pertained to the society and culture of that time. It doesn't explain the reasons, really, and much is left to interpretation. I've read that 2:25 may have been in reference to men attempting to avoid military service, as well as women who wanted to fight. Of course, it could have been put on the list by a homophobic authority figure who found himself attracted to a trans woman. Your anonymous "commenter" appears to be of that ilk, especially considering the other Bible verse attached. 

Connie

After years of hiding myself from anyone, literally and otherwise, I had what was, at least, an epiphany - but I do believe that God spoke to me directly. As I sat alone, locked in a room, I heard a voice saying, simply, "It's OK; you are OK." For me, that overrides any Bible quotes anybody else tries to throw at me. 

Now, if I could just get one of those Bible Thumpers to explain why God created a man with nipples before He created a woman, I'd be a happy woman! :-)"

Enough said? This time?

All that Jazz

This quote from new Harvard student Jazz Jennings reportively  about a year removed from her genital realignment surgery has a lot to say:

 "I just know in my heart that the world is getting better and better and that change is being created. So stay hopeful, stay strong, and just continue being yourself, because one day, everyone will allow you to be your true self.” :trans:

We Got Mail

We received two great responses from our religious post yesterday here in Cyrsti's Condo:

1. KeithJune 5, 2019 at 10:44 AM

   "Genesis 1:27: "God created man(kind) in his image...…….male AND female he created them". It is not the exclusionary connector, OR, but the inclusive connector AND. We all have varying PROPORTIONS OF BOTH, according to the first book of the bible, the introduction to our connectedness to God. As ond deepens in their spiritual awareness one tends to understand the scriptures at a deeper level, as originally intended. Thanks for your post."

   
   
2. 
   GracieJune 5, 2019 at 9:49 PM

   "I have a hard time getting too excited about Deuteronome 22:5 after a little scholarly research. Although not completely understood, there is some speculation that it may have had to do with admonition of some pagan rituals that were performed crossdressed. Or in a society where men and women socialized separate from each other, it was a way to get together with the opposite sex for illicit purposes. If taken too literally, one could suppose that the majority of contemporary western women will be going to hell for wearing pants, and St. Joan of Arc is also burning in hell."
3. Thanks to both of you for responding!

It Finally Happened

After all these years writing an almost daily blog, it happened.

Someone, under a pseudonym of course, quoted a bible verse  or two saying Ava Glasscott was going to hell for wearing women's clothes.

Here is the verse, which I guess pertains to me too:

Deuteronomy 22:5

“The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God.”

1 John 2:16

“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”

Without becoming too religious, the Bible to me has always been a wonderful history book full of contradictions. Search close enough and you can find a phrase or two to contradict other verses. 

And, what about following the simple all forgiving work of Jesus which a few of today's so called Christians have seemingly forgotten. 

Enough said.

More Visability

Perhaps you have heard (or have seen) Boston has named a transgender model Ava Glasscott as a co-parade Marshall for this year's Pride Parade. Here is more background on Ava:

 "Ava represented the State of Massachusetts in the Miss Trans USA Pageant 2018. She is the first post-op transgender contestant from New England to represent her Community in a National Pageant. The story of Ava’s journey as a trans model has been featured by NBC Boston and the WCVB-TV show “Chronicle.”  Ava made a cameo in Amy Schumer’s 2018 movie “I Feel Pretty,” which was filmed in Boston. She also appeared in the documentary film “All Stars: The Changing Face of Drag (2016)”, which she promoted at RuPaul’s DragCon in Los Angeles."

What a great  choice for a huge event.

Girls Day Out

It turns out, our yard sale was a very relaxing experience.  I was there with my partner Liz and two other women part of the day Saturday and the whole day Sunday. The weather turned out to be excellent.

Being in the company of women has always felt more comfortable to me, so it was no real surprise this would be any different.

As you can see in the picture, that is me lounging out to the far right.

Even the red neck village was sort of well behaved. I only saw three Confederate flags on the back of pick up trucks and motorcycles.

My only personal challenge was leaving with Liz for a bit on Sunday. We went down the street to a convenience store for snacks and a rest room break. As it turned out, the place was nearly empty and we got in and out with out even a glance from the cashier.

As the day went on, I did have a chance to sit back and reflect on my past. I wondered to myself the differences in hanging out with women rather than men. To me, for the most part women are more laid back when dealing with each other and change when men come around. An example was when a man was waited on versus a woman. The man always received more attention. I guess that is human nature but it's interesting to see when you have walked both sides of the gender frontier.

The weekend turned out to be fun.

The Power of the Dollar

Long ago when I first started down the long feminine path to living full time, I learned many of the retail clerks I interacted with didn't care I was cross dressed, only that I had money.

Little did I know, way back then, I was touching the basics of an up and coming LGBTQ economic force.

Yesterday, I received an email from Elouise alerting me to an article called "The SMB Guide to Success in the LGBTQ Market.

I call it the "Anti" Chick fil a/Hobby Lobby post. Two decidedly anti LGBTQ companies. Here is the beginning of the article from  Website Planet:

"If you own or manage a small or medium-sized business (SMB), this article is for you. With less resources to play around with, SMBs must pull on all available resources to effectively work with and market to a wide customer base focused on interests, not social demographics.

That’s why SMBs must begin building strategies to effectively market to and work in an LGBTQ-affirming world.

The LGBTQ market is one of the fastest-growing sectors out there, and it’s becoming an increasingly valuable customer base across all industries. In fact, according to GayStar News, a conservative estimate on the size of the global LGBTQ market is $3.7 trillion – that’s a huge market that could be left out of your customer base unless you take the right steps. This community is also particularly sensitive to social issues."

This is a very good in depth piece,  if you would like to read it follow the link above!