It Was All An Act

My friends are absolutely the best. I have two generic girl friends aside from my partner Liz who I talk about here in Cyrsti's Condo quite a bit.

We all got together last night. As I said, they are really cool about me not wanting to talk about Caitlin Jenner. But it happened, and we did. Per norm, Nikki is never afraid to speak her mind while Kim is a tad more laid back.  To put it bluntly, she has never cared less about my past. Nikki doesn't really either but she will rock my boat every now and then. I could see it in her face a Caitlin Jenner question was coming. 

After knowing Nikki for over six years now, I always enjoy playing verbal "tag" with her. The question was how did I view Jenner talking about her past as an Olympic hero and did I judge her gender when she did it. I said she was a male then. She asked about my past-especially in the military. Good question! I said male and it was the only way I could do it. But, similar to Caitlin Jenner, it was all an act. 

At that point, in classic feminine style, she asked (nicely) "so was I lying about my life like "Bruce" and even Rachel Dolezal. "  By this point in time I have been sufficiently experienced in woman to woman communication and just said "Yes, I was lying and I was one hell of a macho actor!"  On the other hand, I do have a real understanding of what Caitlin Jenner, Laverne Cox and so many other transgender women and men have gone through.

And just that quick, the topic we never talk about was over. I was just their friend again. I love them!

Trans Black?

If you live in the United States at least, Rachel Dolezal is the latest person to dominate the headlines. The story has unfolded something like this from Today:

"Rachel Dolezal, the former NAACP chapter president accused of pretending to be black, tells TODAY's Matt Lauer in an exclusive live interview that she identifies as black — something she started doing at the age of five.

"I was drawing self-portraits with the brown crayon instead of the peach crayon, and black curly hair," she told Lauer. But she insisted she never deceived anyone as numerous critics have suggested."

No, none of Rachel's story has anything to do with being transgender, but that she does identify as black (not pretend) and has forever (since five). It is not surprising some are connecting similar dots with trans women. 

Rachel Dolezal - Trans black? or Black Face?

Example? Rachel wasn't born black and I wasn't born female but we identify that way.

One of my least fave questions is, "How does it feel to be a woman since you were a man?" Well, I can't tell anyone how it feels to be a woman or a man. I am qualified to give insight on how the world has treated me either way. Plus, I am also qualified to comment on what happens when you don't get accepted either way. 

These days, I am fond of saying I am the person I choose to show you-no more no less.

If you are interested, one of the more in depth looks at all of this (of course, she is great!) comes from Helen Boyd here.