Ohio Inches Forward

 FINALLY the court case designed to allow transgender Ohioans (like me) to change the gender on their birth certificates has been approved in court. This is from "Equality Ohio"

"Until today, Ohio was one of only two states that had a blanket ban against transgender people changing the gender listed on their birth certificate. Today, a Federal District Court struck down that policy—transgender Ohioans will now be able to correct the gender marker on their birth certificate!

Accurate identity documents, including birth certificates, are crucial for trans people to fully participate in society. The 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey found that almost one-third of trans people who showed an identity document with a name or gender marker that conflicted with their perceived gender were harassed, denied benefits or services, discriminated against, or assaulted.

This is wonderful news for trans people who were born in Ohio and, until today, have not had the ability to update the gender marker on their birth certificate—even if all of their other documents were updated. 

The next step is for the Ohio Department of Health to update its procedures for correcting birth certificate gender markers. We’ll be in touch as soon as we have more news about this! In the meantime, please contact the Equality Ohio Legal Clinic through our virtual legal intake if you have other legal needs."

Of course Ohio does have sixty days to appeal this case but is not expected to do so.

Personally I am excited by the fact, I am one of those transgender persons who has gone as far as I could changing my legal gender markers. Even though I have never been asked to produce my birth certificate to establish my gender, it would be nice to have. 

Supposedly, it will take at least sixty days for the Department of Health to catch up to this much needed change. 

Now, if Ohio can pass the anti LGBT discrimination bill currently in the legislature, we may be able to move into the 2020's as a better place to live for transgender people. 

"Wass-Up?"

It's been a minute since I have written here in Cyrsti's Condo on what has been going on in my day to day existence.

Currently, Liz and I are on the outs with the paranormal hunt group we used to be a part of. The break up occurred due to several reasons I will not bore you with. None of which had anything to do with me being trans.

In it's place, I am beginning to become more active in an organization called "Equality Ohio" which has organized to fight for the ratification of a key bill to further insure transgender rights and against the recently introduced anti trans youth bill. Coming up this Thursday is a happy hour get together I have been invited to.  It is being put together to celebrate a big suburban area of Cincinnati passing it's own pro LGBT protection bill. Ohio as a whole is a very divided state between progressive cities and rural right wing counties. The state is at a tipping point though of finally becoming a fairly progressive state. Maybe I can play a small part in it happening.

I have decided too to attend another cross dresser-transgender support group meeting to see what is going on. In fact I am thinking of going to the competing group too. All in all though, I probably won't go to more than one or two a month.

This week coming up is yet another quiet time for my medical appointments. The first week of March I have a couple therapist appointments coming up plus my annual hearing test.

So, outside of a few routine errands, life has been fairly routine.

Cyrsti's Condo "Sunday Edition"

Ker Plunk! Listen up! Another Cyrsti's Condo Sunday Edition is hitting your virtual front porch. Here in Southwestern Ohio we are entering our usual "schitzoid" March weather period. Today is sunny and in the 60's but with winds near 50 miles an hour and two inches of snow by Thursday, Maybe I can get a shot of "El nino" in my cup o joe? Let's get started!

Page One: The Week that Was or Wasn't: Perhaps a sign of old age is not remembering last week??? Actually, receiving my new Social Security Card last week from Uncle Sam was huge as was reading Connie's experience at SS and we will pick it up here: 

1. "The lady at the SS office was not so helpful either, as she was not up to date on the gender change procedure, even asking whether I had the "operation". The only thing she told me that seemed to make sense is that one should be consistent from one agency to the other. In other words, if you're wanting to change both name and gender for one thing (like your driver license), it's important to do both for everything else. I really don't care what gender Social Security thinks I am, and that extends to Medicare and the IRS. I want my doctors to know that I have a prostate gland that needs attention at my age, so an "M" is OK with me. Changing my gender on my passport, however, will be important, and the "M" connected with other federal agencies could cause problems should I even have changed to "F" on my passport. I don't want to find I can't leave (or worse, re-enter) the country because TSA has found the discrepancy or inconsistency. Even if I can't afford to take a trip out of the country right now, I need to make all the changes, starting with SS I think. When I do win that trip to Fiji on Wheel of Fortune, then, I will be ready to go! OK, that possibility seems remote, but changing my gender seemed impossible not that long ago, as well."
2. Thanks Connie! I really haven't given't a passport much thought although the way it's going, I may have to have one to travel to neighboring states around here!
3. Page Two: Yesterday's Coffee-Opinion: In February the Ohio Psychological Association confirmed LGBTQ people are just like anyone else! Here it is:
   First, OPA affirmed that modern science recognizes LGBTQ people as existing on a normal spectrum of human identity. That is, LGBTQ people are just like anybody else.  On February 13th, 2016, the Ohio Psychological Association (OPA) released a statement written by the Board of Directors and the OPA LGBT Committee. The statement strongly condemns the use of conversion “therapy” on minors. Follow the link for more. 
4. And!:Equality Ohio now has a link to follow key pro/con LGBTQ bills in the Ohio Legislature like this one::OH HB389 Sexual orientation/gender identity-prohibit discrimination/religious rights, A great way to see who holding the rights of the LGBTQ community back. 
5. Page Three: Entertainment: Transgender concert pianist Sarah Davis Buechner is going to be be performing March 6th at Xavier University here in Cincinnati. I mention she is trans at all because she risked her career to restart a as woman - and guess what, she still is as good as she was and undoubtedly happier for the process. 

Page Four: The Back Page: I truly didn't set out to have all this Ohio news in this edition, it just happened that way. (Story of my life!) I will say if your state does have an "Equality" site, you may want to check it out and discover the same info I did. It could get you a head start on where you can use the bathroom before you know it!

As crass as this may sound, I have to go so the dogs can go for their walk! Love you all! Thanks for stopping by Cyrsti's Condo and to Liz for pointing out all the Equality Ohio action!

Sex and the Transgender Girl

Wouldn't that subject make one heck of a reality television show?  More exciting than Mountain Men? Who knows, but one does touch quite a few nerves when you talk about it.  Then again, it's a highly personal subject.

Back when Dr. Stanley Biber was performing all the SRS changes in Trinidad, Colorado (prior to Marci Bowers joining his staff in 2003) all the rage was to have the operation, find a man, go stealth and live happily ever after. How about a plot like this- transsexual woman goes through the change, begins ideal life with the man of her dreams- until the woman of her dreams comes along?

Regardless of your feelings about all of that, times "are a changin'" (could Bob Dylan have been a closeted cross dresser?)

Most of us were shocked when Facebook went from two binary gender choices to 50-most of which we didn't understand-unless we were living them.  I for one, thought the process was a huge step forward, as much so as a growing number of individuals who rebel at any sort of sticker label being applied to them.  All of the sudden, genitalia aren't the basis for gender feelings and aren't the basis for being comfortable as a chosen gender in life.

Then, as you take sexuality and mix it in with this potent brew-the whole picture becomes even more confusing to some and exotic to others.  At my recent visit to the Equality Ohio meeting, the organizers went around the room and asked us to give our name, pronoun preference - plus how we identified.  I gave it all-to a point.  For some reason I said I identified as a transgender woman- not a transgender lesbian woman and transgender veteran (which I brought up later to them)  I just figured it was too much information for them.

Some times, it is too much information for me.  This Cyrsti's Condo comment sent in by Caroline, may say it best:

I was about four and a half and had know that there was something wrong for a couple of years already then I twigged that as bad as I thought it was, girls liking girls was a real no no...

I really thought way back in the fifties that I was truly doomed, they think I am a boy is bad enough but to not want to be a typical girl who likes boys, what the heck!?

I was even thinking only a few years ago that such a fact would make sure I never got any help but I did.

Who on earth can find guys attractive anyway?

Thanks Caroline, fortunately my Mom found my Dad attractive enough so I could be here babbling :). But of course I know what you are writing about. I believe the longer I do this, the more I feel there are more people like us Caroline.  I'm so glad you got help!

To those of you who are still coming out and unsure of your sexuality, I would say yes, the lesbians are a tough crowd to be accepted into.  But, if you follow certain parameters, I'm proof it's not impossible. (Coming up in a future post.) To explain the process even better, I'm still trying to get my lesbian partner to write a post or two here-maybe she could explain what the trans scenery looks like from the "other side of the street." 

She's a tough sell!!!

The Price of Trans Jade

I received this comment back from Grant, an  Equality Ohio organizer:

(Cyrsti) My first visit here to your condo, and all I've got to say is: yes yes yes. It's easy to get jaded since we've been working for YEARS on a nondiscrimination bill. Marriage isn't the end-all-be-all, especially for trans rights. I like the letter you sent Boehner.

I feel like we have the strongest shot our community has ever had this year. We're organized - and organizing - so smartly lately.

Thanks for linking to EO too :)

Thanks to you Grant and EO!

AND! Thanks for mentioning Trans Rights!

I think we transgender women and men face several obstacles when we summon up the courage to face the light of day in society at all and then attempt to have our voices heard against injustice.  At meetings such as the Equality Ohio affair, at the least I feel the need to offer some explanation of how I live.  It's become a good life for me but I don't labor under any ridiculous idea it's good for all the world.  It never fails though at least one or two peeps at these meetings linger to talk to me, which is cool because education is never bad.  I was flattered the one person who talked to me the longest was the pastor of the church whose congregation was struggling with it's views of same sex marriage laws here in Ohio. My goal was to fill the pastor in on the tremendous percentage of transgender women and men who try to take their own lives and yes-I was one of them.  To me, the process is the one biggest litmus test  which determines if a person should be a spiritual leader at all.  This pastor was truly struck by my story and it essentially was the thought I sent on to Boehner (mentioned by Grant) - a simple "what if" your son or daughter was TGLBQ.

The whole idea is so complex though, even it has it's own moral and political bases.  Morally, would the politician support his or hers offspring. Politically, would they continue to deny basic freedoms to the child, mandated by their electorate and finally what level of hypocrisy would they attach to it?

Can't of course speak to any of that, it's just an observation I have but together from my humble place in the world.  I do agree with Grant though, "our community" is organizing better than ever and I do hope our time is now on several platforms including weeding out several long term ineffective career politicians in Ohio.  Their records of lack of response, go way further back than TGBLQ reform. Including current huge social problems such the heroine epidemic, violence against ALL women and more. Old ideas and praying simply are NOT solving the problem.

On the other hand, I see the reaction on several fronts from young fresh minds and I get excited! What isn't lacking for me is a sense of excitement of how the world could become!

Organizin'

Last night I was fortunate in that I happened to be around my hometown and not Cincinnati and at the last minute my transgender friend told me of a meeting we should go to.

I live in one of the 23 or so Springfield's in the United States and not a place anyone is going to mistake for a hotbed of liberal activity.  That's OK if you are talking about fiscal politics, not the social right wingers who of course base much of their anti TGLBQ beliefs squarely from the Bible.

The meeting last night was organized by Equality Ohio, who among other things is fighting for same sex marriage in Ohio (which we all know is just a legal battle away from happening) and a vastly more important anti-discrimination bill which is working it's way through the Ohio legislature again.  Predictably, it always makes it through the senate and is shot down in the house of representatives and like in other places, it's a Democrat versus Republican issue.  Unfortunately now, the Tea Party is beginning to rear it's ugly head here too.

I'm not going to get real political here but will simply say, personally I believe in the Tea Party's professed financial agenda but why in the hell did they feel the need to jump into a social agenda too?  Locally there is written proof of a letter to the NAACP pushing the idea of TGLBQ rights possibly infringing on any of the future rights of the black population.  Really?  The scary thing locally is our long time state house Republican Representative ally is stepping down and a very virulent Tea Party candidate is running for his seat.  They are like roaches in your tea-very hard to get out if they get in.  This guy has already said he refuses to hire any GLBT employees or deal with any outside contractors who do.

Predictably, the meeting was sparsely attended and I don't make a value judgement on that either-I know many just can't when their jobs and livelihoods are at stake-and they are around here.  I just happen to be at a juncture of my life where it is harder for the bigots to get after me.  The group last night was diverse though, attended by two trans women, several gay men, an equal amount of lesbians and ally's.  Plus, it was held in a church and the pastor attended.

What happened?  We were given actual paper work, forms and phone numbers to contact our politicians. I'm the first to admit, I'm pretty jaded from a life of abuses from this country's political system - which some days I find amazing still works at all.  BUT, when I was given the phone number to a very powerful politico in "Warshington" (local spelling) - Speaker of the House John Boehner, (yes I am in his district) I simply said, "I know you are a busy man but could you take a moment and reflect exactly why basic American freedoms are being withheld from a sizable portion of the population and what if they were your son or daughter?"

I don't want to walk away from this post sounding too negative. On the other hand, if any of us thinks out and out discrimination against our community is not happening should have been there with us last night to hear a few of stories.  Too many of us think our freedoms are being fought for in far off lands by people in uniforms when in reality they are happening here and now.

I've said it before here in Cyrsti's Condo. You don't have to be "out" or a so called activist to make a difference when you vote.  In fact you can stay safely in the closet and do the right thing- vote for TGBLQ rights.

If you follow the links above, they contain contact info.