Cyrsti's Condo "Silver Screen" Update

As I wrote in the Sunday Edition, Liz and I watched "The Danish Girl" Saturday and "Carol" on a rare weekend when we go out to see two movies. Carol stars Cate Blanchett who is at once a powerful/cold wealthy woman at love with Rooney Mara.

On the other hand, Blanchett is vulnerable in the role and goes from sort of a regal/imitator to the girl next door peaking out of the shower with no makeup,

As I said/wrote before, we were interested in watching Carol also since it was filmed here in the Cincinnati, Ohio area and we happened to be downtown when they were gathering the vintage cars for the movie.

Since Carol is a love story between two women-yes there is a very erotic love scene. Sort of icing on the cake (so to speak.)

Of course between the two movies, "The Danish Girl" meant more to me from a purely personal nature. Lili Elbe's life (even though years apart) were so similar-MAINLY the interactions between her and Gerta her wife. I think I walked into the movie thinking Gerta gave Lili the green light for a transition which went all the way to one of the first sex reassignment surgeries. I was wrong. Gerta was hurt and questioning-mad and hurt through out the experience. To the point she used the magic words most all of us hear if we are married crossdressers or transwomen from our wives.  A transition is all about us.

I don't want to go into any more spoiler alerts than I did. I did overviews. 

Finally, if you live in an older city the size of Cincinnati, you may look around for what I call "boutique" theaters. They are usually around big colleges or upscale suburbs in reclaimed movie theaters.  Plus, the theaters are more apt to hold on to movies a little longer than the big box places with all the kids!

Cyrsti's Condo "Sunday Edition"

Ker Plunk! Another Sunday edition is hitting your virtual front porch and if you live around this part of Ohio your porch is cold and getting colder by the hour-down into the zero degree range by tomorrow. Yikes! It's time to make a cup of Buckeye hot cocoa (with a tad of peanut butter) and maybe a little protein powder too. So, let's get started!

Page One-the Week that Was or Wasn't:  For Liz (my partner) and I, the weekend was the whole week essentially. Friday night we joined our friends for dinner which was cool as I wrote about and today we hope to make the early (old peeps) showing of the movie Carol  

The  film tells the story of a young aspiring photographer and her relationship with an older woman going through a difficult divorce. Highsmith based the character of Therese Belivet on herself, after an encounter she had in 1948 with a woman while she worked 

at Bloomingdales in New York City. Other than being an LGBT based film, the "movin' picture show" was actually filmed around the Cincinnati, Ohio area.

Page Two-Yesterdays' Coffee-Check Your Fluids-Opinion: Recently, I wrote more in depth of the dinner with a group of friends we went to Friday and the chance I had to sit close to a transgender man friend I have who I believe (like the majority of us) has struggled with gender fluidity. The reason I say that is, early on when I met him-I used the male pronoun and learned I may have been the only one that was. Of course I asked him and he said it didn't matter. So now I listen for what his partner calls him of course. 

Gender "Fluidity" may be more prevalent than we think, similar to transgender women and men. As Connie commented "As dazzled as you may be when you learn from someone that they know another trans person, it should give you pause to wonder just how that trans person is presenting herself or himself, and then how are you being viewed in the inevitable comparison." Good point! So many times it's NOT all about us. And, the more we realize it, the better chance we have to move on with our lives in our intended gender. A point which was made in the "Danish Girl" which we saw last night.

Page Three-The Back Page - Saving the Best for Last: I was literally shaken after viewing "The Danish Girl" I mean, how dare they rip chapters from my life and put them on the big screen? At the least the movie was lush in it's backgrounds and scenery, powerful in it's message and so sad. 

With that, it's time to go. Wherever you are remember I luv you all and thanks for making the Condo a regular stop! 

Cyrsti's Condo "Sunday Edition"

Ker Plunk! Listen closely! Another Sunday Edition is hitting your virtual front porch. I hope this finds you safe from all the terrible weather and nastiness sweeping our country. The West Coast is on fire, Oklahoma is hosting blizzards, Texas and the South -tornadoes. Rachel in particular, I hope you are good. Around here in Southern Ohio, we are still very warm but very rainy. We will be getting cold though and more than likely, low lying floods are in the Ohio River's future here. Enough of that, lets get a Cup o Joe (coffee) and get started:

Eddie Redmayne (right)

Page One: The Week that Was - or Wasn't: Of course another week has come and gone along with Christmas. The whole season touches a tender chord with all the transgender and GLBQ community who have been separated from their families-by ignorance. Elsewhere, The Danish Girl has/is hitting the silver screens.

I have not seen the movie yet. But when I do, I am going to try to put away any bias I may have had on who was chosen to play the role, in fact, I wanted to see an actor attempt to capture the overwhelming emotions/uncertainties of changing genders.


Page Two: Yesterday's Coffee - Opinion:  A year or so ago,  17 year old transgender girl Leelah Alcorn stepped out in front of a semi truck and committed suicide. Not far from Cincinnati, Ohio where I live. In memory of,
Cincinnati, OH, December 22, 2015 — The Transgender Community of Greater Cincinnati is holding a Press Conference and Call to Action at 10 am Monday December 28, 2015 on the steps of City Hall 801 Plum St, Cincinnati OH, 45202. 

The Press Conference and Call to Action will share the love, affirmation, and acceptance given to all attending the vigils held earlier this year to remember Leelah Alcorn. It will also outline what the immediate needs are for members of the Trans community most at risk: Trans youth and Trans Women of Color.

"Last January we gathered at Kings High School and the Woodward Theater to honor Leelah's life" said Lindsey Deaton, one of the organizers of those vigils. "This Monday we will be meeting again to remember her Spirit, answer her call to fix society and name the Trans communities lack of access to emergency shelter or housing, the lack of access to medical care, to drug and alcohol treatment and to job training".

‘There have been many positive changes in the ecology for Trans adults and children in Cincinnati,’ said Deaton. ‘With the leadership of City Councilmember Chris Seelbach, Cincinnati is now the first city in the United States to ban the kind of reparative conversion therapy experienced by Leelah’.

Liz and I will be there.

Page Three: Oh No She  'Dint!'  I have passed along the story of when I was called a "Sir" when picking up a ham for Christmas dinner this week. I promptly emailed the company and getting a response back from the company the next day.

What I haven't passed along though, is how this morning I came out to one of the few long term friends I have left. (By email as she isn't that close.)I will give you more info and how it all worked out-if I hear back!

Page Four- The Back Page: By this time next week, we will be into 2016. Here's hoping your find the rest of 2015 a safe one! Thanks for stoping by Cyrsti's Condo - Love you all!

You Have Great Legs-for a Boy

This morning I saw for the first time the early press releases of "The Danish Girl" starring Eddie Redmayne. 

Like most everyone else on the show, I was wowed by Redmayne's depiction of the husband who posed as a female model for his wife and essentially never went back to the "dark side" as a man. He does present so well as a woman.

Then of course, there are those in the transgender community who are dead set against a non trans person playing the role at all. So what? Get over it, I don't think we can present the right person for the job. The movie producers need a before and after actor so the news anchors can chat away about how "good" he looks as a woman.

Immediately I thought of how I felt during the very early days of when I began presenting as a woman. Like so many of us, I was told "Wow! you have great legs!" which I believe "comes with the territory" for many cross dressers or transgender women - we all should be justifiably proud. But then I began to hear the "for a guy" added in.

Look, if your were the producers and you had a guy like Redmayne as a possible star and he had that bone structure and one academy award already? What would you do?

As you can imagine, we all will have a chance to form our views in the near future the first trailer is here. The trailer caught my attention in that it is a beautiful period movie which captured many of my initial feelings during  transition. Check it out!

Street Smarts?

I can't begin to tell you the amount of pure terror I felt when I began to open the closet and venture into the world as a cross dresser.

Most assume it would be a natural reaction to the radical idea of turning your gender world upside down. 

When I saw one of the pictures of Eddie Redmayne who stars as transgender woman Danish artist, Einer Wegener.in the upcoming movie "The Danish Girl."

Two things stood out. The first of course Redmayne presents as a convincing woman but more pressing- was how "frail" he looked.  

Then it occurred to me, what may have scared me more than presentation fears were as I went out and began stripping myself of what I call the security of male privilege. There was no doubt I had it with my size and how I carried myself. I also found out quickly how much my life would change as I transitioned. 

Most certainly, gender privilege is a slippery slope. Some see a "privilege" as the opposite. I don't know though how anyone can argue most men enjoy more security in society. The picture of Eddie Redmayne just reinforces my point. 

Bring the Popcorn!

We are still receiving great comments about Eddie Redmayne landing a transgender woman's role in an upcoming movie "The Danish Girl". Plus, increasingly, indepth posts are beginning to appear around the web.  For one of my faves, go here.

Back to our Condo Comments... The first is from Pat:

"If the movie is faithful to the story and to the book then we can expect a fair, sympathetic, emphathetic and feature film quality production. THe odds are greater for more people to feel safe and comfortable going to see the film if the lead is held by an Academy Award caliber actor than a relatively unknown T person."
Pat

And from Paula:

Paula GoodwinMarch 3, 2015 at 8:33 AM

"I wonder if Eddie was box office when hired? I suspect that producers should try to select the best actor for the job ~ regardless."

Good call Paula! First of all, it turns out Redmayne did have a history with the director in another  production. (The rest of you get your mind out of the gutter!)

 

Any more though, there are increasingly more transgender woman actresses capable of a role such as this so the rhetoric for not casting them is unfounded.
I do however think another of the most important casting factors of-a box office drawing card is showing a popular male actor transformed into a "woman."

Another "idea" I have read is-it would be too difficult to "un-transition" a gorgeous trans actress such as Jamie Clayton (left) to play the role.