Bugs Bunny

Recently, the cross dresser transgender group I am part of  asked a question concerning who were our non binary role models growing up. Perhaps not so surprisingly that "crazy wabbit"  Bugs Bunny showed up on the lists. Growing up, the only major performer (other than Bugs) I can remember cross dressing many times was Milton Berle. Who I have added a picture with Bob Hope. Of course, Berle always played his drag for laughs. 

Moving ahead, times changed dramatically as the so called 'reality" talk shows became so popular on daytime television. Every so often transvestites and/or cross dressers would turn up trying to explain the world from their viewpoint. Depending on the show of course, many times the participants ended up being cast in an unkind light.

From there, the shows completely deteriorated into the Jerry Springer show and it's abuse of the transgender community. 

All in all, I am sure you all can add in your own transgender influences, good or bad. 

The problem is, there were way too few to chose from.

Trans in Trumpland

Sounds like a sick fairy tale doesn't it? 

Actually it's a new documentary produced by Trace Lysette  (below)

The four-part series, created by New York City-based TransWave Films and directed by trans filmmaker Tony Zosherafatain and produced by Jamie DiNicola, follows four people as they engage in the fight for transgender equality in the United States during the Trump presidency.

 For more, go here.

Vampire Day

Yesterday I finally made time to take the journey north to the Dayton, Ohio Veterans Administration center for my three month blood lab and Hematology visit. What happens is I have been getting blood labs also for my Endocrinologist. She (my endo doc)  whats to keep tabs of my hormone levels since I have increased my dosage. Now I have to wait. It normally takes a day or so for them to call about the results. 

I hope the levels are acceptable to her because I am thrilled with the results so far. My breasts are remaining full and my hips are starting to finally fill out. At the least, I hope she keeps me on the same dosage. And, speaking of breasts, I have a mammogram coming up early next week which is always uncomfortable but a right of passage for me anyhow as my maternal grandmother passed away from breast cancer long ago. Because of that and my age, the VA says I need a full breast exam yearly. 

As far as the vampires went, my Hematology results were not so good. Every three months, they check my iron level. My body has the tendency to produce too much iron and it can become toxic. To prevent it from happening, they "take" a pint. The formal term is a Phlebotomy. My iron was too high and the nurse who did the procedure fortunately was possibly the best I have ever had. It was nearly painless. 

So, all in all, it was a successful day, I wore my fashion frayed jeans and a matching form fitting tank top I just "rediscovered" buried in my wardrobe. When my vitals were taken, it was confirmed I have lost nearly five pounds since the last time I was there. Which was great of course. I guess my morning walks and less eating are starting to work.

It's just a reminder of how complex this transgender lifestyle can become.   

Escaping

My partner Liz was repairing a transgender woman friend of mines necklace and needed to return it to her. Finally, Saturday night she gave in and we met at our favorite restaurant to return the necklace. Even though we were socially distanced on the restaurant's patio and were wearing masks as were all the employees Liz still wasn't totally sold on going. Ironically what tipped the scales in my direction were Tarot cards. Liz had one of her spirit classes. She consulted the cards about going and received a positive response. 

Spirit was correct and all of us stayed socially distanced and had a great time. For the first time in months I was out and about  as safe as I could possibly be under the circumstances.

I even dressed up. I wore my soft green patterned maxi dress with flats. for makeup, I went with a light covering of charcoal eye color, no foundation (since it was too hot for it anyhow) and my Merlot tinted Lip Gloss. I was able to style my hair enough to get by and we were off for our exceedingly rare night out.

To make a long story short, outside of one old lady who was doing her best not to show she was staring at me through her sun glasses, I made a close friend with a pitcher of Margaritas and had a great time. 

Better yet, my trans friend paid the dinner tab. 

Unless something drastic happens here in Ohio with the virus, I am thinking the nights out will be few and far between. 

Amiyah Scott

Amiyah Scott is a transgender actress, model, and dancer. She is best known for her role as Cotton on the Fox drama Star.

Teddy Quinlivan

Michelle was kind enough to respond to the post concerning the first transgender Sports Illustrated swimsuit model by reminding me of the time Chanel hired it's first transgender model back in 2019. Her name is Teddy Quinlivan 

 At the time, she remarked:

The model and activist has announced she is the first openly transgender model to be tapped by Chanel Beauty for an advertising campaign. Quinlivan shared the news on her Instagram account, posting a video and image from the campaign along with a heartfelt quote on the significance of this role.

She then went on to detail the familiar pain most transgender people go through growing up:

“I find I don’t cry anymore when things are sad, but isn’t it interesting when we shed tears in moments of triumph?” she wrote. “This was one of those triumphant cry moments for me. My whole life has been a fight. From being bullied at school consistently, kids threatening to kill me and going into graphic detail how they were going to do it, my own father beating me and calling me a f–got, to receiving industry blowback after speaking publicly about being sexually assaulted on the job.…This was a victory that made all of that s–t worth it.”

Thanks Michelle!

How Did I Get Here?

This morning I made a very quick socially distanced safe trip to the attorney to drop off paperwork. To do it, I wore a simple white tank top, jeans and tennis shoes. No big deal and the only makeup I wore was eye makeup since the mask covered the remainder of my face.

As i drove the short distance to the office, I thought back to the early days of my feminine development as a transgender woman and wondered if I ever had any idea I would ever get this far. I even have another mammogram coming up in early August which I consider a feminine right of passage.

On occasion too, I get so desperate for new blog posts, I have been known to journey back through the old dusty Cyrsti's Condo blog posts for ideas. What I discovered was I was far more interested in the outward impression I was making as a transgender woman than my inner self. Probably much of that has to do with me having a strong partnership with Liz in public. I can't begin to tell how many times I have benefited when Liz has called me "she" or "her" to strangers. 

Of course I owe the acceptance of others to even begin to get to the plateau I have achieved today. My daughter led the way in opening her in laws acceptance of me. Leading the way to replace the family I lost when my brother rejected me.

And then there were Kim and Nikki who I parted with heavily early in my coming out transgender days  who introduced to the lesbian lifestyle and how eventually they led me to my partner Liz. I also learned I didn't need a man to validate me as a woman.

The trip this morning was very brief as I wrote, so all too soon I was back home and writing this blog post. I think I figured out how I got here...somewhat.

Can It Get any Weirder?

Just when I thought I had heard it all about politics, one of my least all time favorites Caitlyn Jenner has resurfaced and wants to be Kanye West's vice presidential candidate. This comes from LGBTQ Nation.com:  

"If you thought Kanye West’s quixotic attempt to be elected president couldn’t get any weirder, Caitlyn Jenner would like you to hold her beer.

In a quick conversation with a TMZ reporter, the transgender Olympian and reality TV star said she has texted Kanye to ask if she could be his running mate.

Jenner was supportive of Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, even going as far as sporting a Trump MAGA hat after he was elected. She has has since soured on Trump – calling him “the worst” for transgender people – but hasn’t stopped being a Republican.

“Are you gonna vote for Kanye now that he’s running,” the reporter asked Jenner as she strolled out of an LA Starbucks.

“Well, I texted him and asked if I could be his VP,” she replied.

“Oh, that’s genius,” the reporter exclaimed.

“Yes, I know,” she replied. “What a combination.”

“Are you gonna do it?” he asked.

“We’ll see,” she said."

Maybe the hormones have gotten to Jenner!

The Alzheimer LGBTQ Meeting

As I previously wrote here in Cyrsti's Condo, Monday I virtually attended a LGBTQ Alzheimer Association meeting. It's all part of my continuing effort to learn more what  I am possibly facing in the years ahead as a transgender woman. 

It turned out the moderator is the person I knew previously from the other Rainbow elderly group I am part of. He did a great job of explaining to the others what the difference between (among other things) a transgender person and a drag queen is as he compared Laverne Cox to RuPaul. I learned several things I wasn't sure of including where the "cis" term came from. It originates from a Latin term according to the moderator. 

More importantly, I learned I wasn't alone in being paranoiac about my future, especially if I follow down my Fathers footsteps into dementia. The Alzheimer Association has taken LGBTQ survey's which found a majority of people taking the survey fear for their basic rights when and if they have to go into an assisted living facility. 

On the positive side, there were several attendees who were relatively new to the LGBTQ community. Hopefully, they gained quite a bit of knowledge towards understanding the fears we have.

Laverne Cox

Negative!

Finally, after eight long days, my partner's 22 year old son who lives with us, test for the Covid 19 virus came back. Fortunately, it was negative. Unfortunately, he works at a casino and goes right back to work tomorrow. 

Now at least, I can get all get all my requested blood labs completed at the Dayton, Ohio Veterans' Administration. 

Thanks to all of you who checked in to send encouragement! 

Words to Live By

Cyrsti's Condo Quote of the Day:

Transgender Pennsylvania Star

From Philadelphia Today along with a heads up from Bobbie:

Every time Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine (above) appears on television with Governor Tom Wolf to talk about coronavirus in the state, Philly Mag gets a surge of internet traffic to articles we published more than five years ago. Those articles focused on the fact that Levine is the highest-ranking transgender official in Pennsylvania and one of a small number of transgender people serving in elected or appointed offices nationwide.

As Pennsylvania Health Secretary, Levine oversees the 1,300-employee Pennsylvania Department of Health and its battle against the coronavirus in Pennsylvania. In that role, she reports directly to Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf. She is also a professor of pediatrics and psychiatry at Penn State College of Medicine.

Levine previously told the Washington Post that being a person who is transgender has not been an issue, “with very few exceptions.” Levine has been open about her personal life. She has an old photo hanging in her office showing her when she was a married man named Richard, standing with her family. Levine is now divorced, and her children are grown.

There is more to her story of course. To read it, go here.

Transgender Model

Along the way, the Project Runway television show has featured a transgender model, as well as a few I wasn't sure of. The "out" model's name is "Mimi Tao' from Thailand.  For an interview, go here.

The End Game...Revisited

I have written here in Cyrsti's Condo in depth concerning my paranoia with nursing homes in my later years. Which aren't that far away. In fact, the whole deal has given me the push to join a regional LGBTQ Rainbow Alliance for the elderly. Recently, the organization is becoming the go to group for information on LGBTQ aging issues when it comes to nursing homes and assisted care facilities. Leaders of the group are even reaching out to certain loft communities in the area about their acceptance of us. 

Today I even registered for a webinar hosted by the Alzheimer's Association called "Dementia and LGBTQ plus Older Adults...Do the Letters Matter?"  Th subject is especially close to me because my Father passed from the disease and it was horrible.

In addition, I attend monthly board meetings and plan on helping out with a virtual elderly summit this fall in the metro area. It will be interesting to see what the outside world thinks of, or knows much of of anything at all about the transgender community.  

I hope all of this helps to fill the void of moving away from the cross dresser - transgender support group I have been a member of for years.

It's a Waiting Game

Thanks to Mandy, Connie and others who sent along their best wishes concerning the possibility of my partner Liz's son contracting the Covid 19 virus. The testing site he went to gave him an eight day window to receive the results. Which means, we are four days into the waiting period. 

As far as everything goes, nothing much has happened by choice. In fact, I decided not to sign into the cross dresser - transgender support group meeting Monday night this week. Plus I am not planning to attend a virtual "social" also this week. I can totally understand why some of the attendee's need the time to cross dress as their other selves but since I don't, I don't feel the need to attend. 

What I do have to do is schedule another trip north to the VA in Dayton, Ohio to get my blood lab work done. I am planning to do it as soon as the kid gets his test results back, provided they are negative. I am not as concerned with Hematology getting my iron levels as I am with my Endocrinologist seeing my new hormone levels. Along the way, I have learned the hard way not to play around with my blood doctors. 

Hopefully, I will get the all clear soon, so I can get all my blood work done.   

A Big Year Coming up

As we all are aware of, there is a huge presidential election coming up in November. What you may not be  aware of though, are the amazing numbers of LGBTQ candidates running this fall for office.

Examples are Louisiana's Peyton Rose Michelle (below) and West Virginia's Rosemary Ketchum... the two latest openly transgender women to be elected to public office. 

The best part is there are currently 26 openly trans elected officials in the country now and this fall 850 LGBTQ candidates will appear on ballots across the country. 

Change is happening!

It's All Fun...until it Isn't

Well, my visit to the see the vampires came to a screeching halt Tuesday. It was my Veteran's Administration appointment to have my blood labs checked for my Endocrinologist and Hematology doctors.

My 22 year old partner's son who works at a nearby casino came down with a severe sore throat and had to be checked for the Covid 19 virus. So I called and postponed my appointment until we receive news back on the test.

I didn't mention he lives with us in a small house and could easily spread it to the rest of us. Since I am particular highly at risk, the virus could easily be a death sentence for me.

However, I make it a personal promise not to jump off any bridges until they are built. So we will see what happens.

I just wish everyone I see not wearing a mask would wear one and for goodness sake, quit listening to Benedict Donnie and gay Mikey Pence who say this whole thing is a media hoax. It isn't if it invades your own house.

The Vampire Call

Today is my three month trip to the Dayton, Ohio Veteran's Administration to have my blood checked for excess iron. Due to this, I have to have a series of blood lab work done before I even go to see my hematology doctor. If my iron levels are too high, then I have to have a phlebotomy. Which means they will take out a pint of my blood. After all these years doing this, it's all very routine. Even a few of the lab workers know me as a regular. Not what I had envisioned years ago as an ideal. 

Ironically, this trip out and about (with a mask of course) is the first time I have been anywhere for a couple of months, except a trip or two to the pharmacy. We are even getting our groceries delivered in. So, it's kind of a big deal and I am dressing accordingly. 

I have decided to wear my light tan culotte pants with a sleeveless patterned tank top to allow the vampires total unheeded access to my arm veins they seem to love so much. Plus, even though I will be wearing a mask, I am going to breakdown and wear makeup. 

Hopefully today, my iron will be under the limit and I can escape the worst of the vampires again. Supposedly though, exposure to the sun is one of the causes of my problem. So maybe I am one of the vampires too?  

Honey I'm Home

This morning as I looked into the mirror, it occurred to me how mach I have changed and how much I haven't. 

Of course, over the years I have been able to grow a respectable set of breasts and quite the head of hair which now extends to the middle of my back. My ability to have been able to have gone on hormone replacement therapy has provided me with all of this.

What it never did provide me was an overall peace of mind. To start with, let us go all the way back to my childhood. I have seen ideas over the years of when children determine their gender. The bottom line is the time can be variable but the result is the same. Or is it? My problem with the whole idea is what if I never definitively came up with what gender I wanted to be. The best I could ever come up with was the somewhat vague idea I really wanted to be a girl, even though I was firmly entrenched in a male world. 

My idea is now, the time of gender indecision I was going through was the beginning of my gender dysphoria. Which I still suffer from today. In fact, I did this morning. Somehow, someway I was still the questioning child in the mirror.

Perhaps I will never be home. I only desire is to not be mis gendered and dead named when I die. 

More than likely, it will be the only time I will have a true understanding of why my life turned out the way it did. I will finally make it home. Until that time, it seems I will be stuck with me telling the mirror "No matter what you say mirror, all you see is me."

Finally! A Transgender Sports Illustrated Model

Following in the footsteps of all the gorgeous transgender women in the past who could have graced the pages of the Sports Illustrated Swim suit Issue but weren't allowed, we finally have one who could.

Now, Brazilian Valentina Sampaio has made history as an impassioned activist and true LGBTQ pioneer. And by saying she represents the well rounded woman who Sports Illustrated is proud to have representing them.

Your Mom told you What?

Many of us seemingly were raised to a greater extent by our Mothers more than Fathers who for what ever reason seemed to be away earning the all important living. Some of us even had the benefit of a semi-accepting Mother. Others like "Sara Michelle" who wrote into the blog even benefited from a Mother who taught her how to feed and take care of herself. Sara actually wrote in commenting on the transgender woman appearing on the "Worst Cooks in America" television show:

"Nice to see a trans woman on a show like that! That being said, one of the 1st things my mother taught me at an early age. Was to be able to cook and take care of myself! Along with her managing a career and raising the rest of the family!"

In my family, the essence of cook training was if my brother and I liked our bologna fried or cold. It wasn't until later during my Army years I learned to seriously take care of myself. 

Continuing on the subject of Mothers, I have always been curious how many of us can remember being secretly (or not so secretly) fixated on our Mothers when they applied their makeup. It's difficult for me to remember back that far but I think I was.  On the positive side, I didn't go as far as Connie when she "borrowed" her Mom's car and wig and went out for a spin in the middle of the night.

However you were raised, it's a near certainty Mothers could have had a real serious impact on our lives. More so than a non transgender civilian. My life circumstances sent me into a deep closet I still have problems with on occasion. And since both of my parents have long since passed on. I have very few memories of what they would have thought if they had found out they had a daughter, not a son. So it's way to late now to cry over spilled makeup. 

Finally, thanks for the comment Sara Michelle.

Bolivia's First Transgender Television Anchor

Twenty-six-year-old Leonie Dorado has been tapped as the new cohost of the Bolivian program Aby Ayala TV, becoming the first transgender news anchor in the country's history. 

The milestone may lead to a turning point in the largely conservative South American country, 

Hot. Hot, HOT

Connie has returned with a comment concerning my post on reaching a new level of comfort in my feminine skin when I went out yesterday to pick up a prescription for Liz. As I mentioned we are right in the middle of a hot and humid heat wave here in Ohio. Here's Connie:

"For some reason, the chorus to this old Jerry Reed song comes to mind:

When you're hot, you're hot .....................
When you're not, you're not

Of course, the song is not about the temperature, and refers to gambling rather than feminine presentation. At the same time, though, I can remember sweating out some attempts at feminine presentation, and doing so can also be a gamble - that is, it's a gamble if I think of it as a win or lose proposition.

I haven't been working for the past couple months, but my wife has returned to work two days a week. Her usual form of transportation was the bus, but we don't trust those rolling petrie dishes these days. So, I have been driving her to and from work. When I do, I'm often reminded of my childhood, when we had only one car, and my mom would drive my dad to work in the morning when she needed the car during the day. She still had the curlers in her hair, so she covered it with a scarf. Her nightgown was covered by a car coat, and the only makeup she wore was lipstick. Sometimes, she would put on sunglasses.

I do much the same, now, except that I have no hair for curlers and cover my head with a wig instead of a scarf. I'm probably just as vain as my mother was, but some things are not worth all the time and trouble of getting all prettied-up to do. As a child in the back seat, I somehow related to, and admired, my mother more so than I did my father for going to work.

It's funny that I don't really have recollections of the afternoons, when we went back to pick my dad up. I know that my mother was fully dressed and made up, as am I when I pick my wife up now. Maybe, when one is sure of herself, the song should go:

When you're hot, you're hot,
When you're not.......you're STILL HOT!"

Yup! Still hot!

Get Cooking

If you have ever watched the Food Network on television, they have a show which is called the "Worst Cooks in America." This season, the show has featured a first...a transgender woman contestant. Domaine Javier is the trans woman and she is an actor, writer and nurse. She holds seven college degrees, so it's no wonder she hasn't had time to learn how to cook.She was also the first trans woman to crowned a homecoming queen in the US in 2010. For more, go here.

A New Acceptance

It's been Ohio hot around here. Heat index highs daily have registered over 100 degrees (F) for a week now. To make matters worse, our air conditioner in the house doesn't work. Due to these conditions, I have decided to pursue my "natural" look more completely. 

Of course, it is easy because I don't go anywhere to speak of since I am staying home to be safe. On occasion though, I do have to go out. This morning was an example. My partner Liz had an emergency prescription she needed picked up at the pharmacy.  Since I wasn't doing anything else important, I volunteered to go get it for her. 

For the first time I can remember I just went as I was and used the drive through. I just pulled my hair back and went for it. I was wearing sleeveless tank top, jeans and tennis shoes. Of course, as I did it it wasn't such a big deal because all I did was go through a drive thru. 

But after I returned home, I began to think of all those years I had to try to get dressed up to even consider going out. I guess I should give ll my thanks to the effects of hormone replacement therapy. It has taken me to a point past androgyny and all the way to being feminine enough to get by with out much work.

This new acceptance of who I am has come just in time for a hot summer!

Another Huge Anniversary

Coming up very soon in August will be the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th amendment to the constitution known as the right to vote for American women. To put the whole struggle into perspective, the movement started all the way back in 1848 and the campaign was not easy.

Vintage Flapper" Cross dresser

Disagreements over strategy threatened to cripple the movement more than once, I can imagine! I was watching the History Channel and they were running a promo for the anniversary which said one rally drew 5000 women and 100,000 men. I can imagine the turmoil which the whole subject may have caused in my household. I am seventy years old and my Dad's mother was plenty old enough to be involved in the process. My family was very patriarchal dominated so I wonder what my Grand-dad thought too. Of course I will never find out. My parents would have been too young to experience much of the 20's and they have been deceased now for years.

I'm sure if times were equal, not all women back in the day probably agreed on acquiring the right to vote anyhow. It's like today when you would think no self respecting woman would support "Benedict Donald" and even more so a transgender woman. I won't go into why, because this didn't set out to be a political post. Plus, transgender women are notorious for not agreeing on anything.  

It's hard for me to believe I am but two generations away from women taking the right to vote. Just think, five years ago when I changed my gender markers to female I was busy appreciating the move. What I should have been doing was remembering all the women who came before me who did all the work! 

It's something for me to remember as we approach the anniversary.

Jewish Changes

Over the recent years, I have had the opportunity to be accepted into one branch of the Jewish religion. I have not converted but my daughter has. I believe the temple she and her family belongs too is part of the Reform Jewish movement. I have always appreciated the complete acceptance I received. From Southern Florida comes another example of transgender acceptance from one branch of the Jewish religion:

Samantha Zerin (above) headed home from a Yiddish class she had taught as part of her synagogue’s adult education program on the evening of Dec. 19 and knew her life was about to change. That evening, the 775 families at Temple Emanu-El would be getting a message that she knew would surprise some of the people she had gotten to know since joining the community 3 1/2 years earlier.

“Over the past several years, Sam has been exploring Sam’s gender identity,” read a message sent to the congregation from Samantha and her wife, Rachel. “This has been a journey for both of us, full of introspection, learning, and growth. Through this journey, we have come to realize that, although Sam was raised as a boy, she is in fact a woman, and she is ready to begin living her life publicly as such.”

There is much more to Samantha's story you can read here.  The article is called "Coming out as transgender when you are married to a rabbi. Becoming a Rebbetzin.

While we are on the subject of being Jewish, my grandson's Bar Mitzvah turned out to be a virtual affair for Liz and I. She (Liz) wasn't feeling well and since we are living in a virus hot spot in Ohio,  we decided not to go. Fortunately, Liz later felt better. 

So we are home being safe and always wear masks when we go out.

Stay Safe

This "Independence Day" may not be the time to be independent and throw caution to the wind. After all, the virus is taking the toll on us all. Especially if you live in the United States where some people think it is against their personal rights to even consider wearing a mask. I feel sorry for the health care workers who have to take care of all those selfish people. However, I am not going to take up blog space with a rant today. 

So I will leave you with this. Without protest, change never comes.

A Decade Ago

I am not one to remember dates well. For some reason, I remembered this one. 

In 2010, on the Fourth of July weekend, I officially closed what was left of my restaurant and prepared for an uncertain future. Bush's recession had gutted and ravaged the small to medium sized Rust Belt town I lived in. 

Through the haze and uncertainty of losing my wife and three close friends to death a couple years before, I was lost. Ironically (or not so ironically) the only part of my life which was not a mess was the feminine portion. It wasn't so far before all of this I had made a decision to pursue hormone replacement therapy through the Veterans Administration. I was already under their healthcare and for the VA to provide me HRT would be a relatively simple process. 

The only part of my future I knew for sure was I wanted to be a transgender woman. I knew too, I only had a fairly short couple of years to work before I could take my early Social Security and retire without coming out on a job. 

So, the 4th of July ten years ago was truly the beginning of a new Independence Day for me! 

Pride Month is Over

It has been a very quiet month this year concerning Pride activities. In an usual year there are at least six "celebrations" in the Cincinnati-Dayton Ohio metro area. Due to the virus concerns this year, all were cancelled. Then of course, there are the continuing Black Lives Matter marches to consider.

Regardless of the lack of parades and parties, it should be time to stop and consider what Pride stands for anyhow. Many forget the original "Stonewall" riots a half century ago which started the whole LGBTQ movement and typically many of the gay and lesbian members of the community forget it was transgender women of color who were out front spearheading the movement. Once again, the transgender members were moved to the back of the line. 

Ironically, many trans people don't seem to care. My theory is it is because many gay men and garish drag queens have essentially "hi-jacked" the experience. I felt if I saw one more drag queen leading a Pride parade, I was going to run and hide. After all, what did it mean to me.

Then things began to change (around here at least). Slowly but surely, I began to see more and more transgender people at Pride and even a trans woman as a parade leader a couple years ago. All of a sudden the whole process meant more to me. I even think my new board membership on a primarily gay and lesbian board was because they were seeking more transgender input.

The recent supreme court decision backing trans health care is yet another reason to be proud of who we are and proud of the legal organizations who support us.

Even if you are still in the closet, it is time for you to join the rest of us and feel good about who we are. 

Pride month is over but the feelings don't have to be. 

  

Cyrsti's Condo "Thought of the Day"