Trace Lysette

 Even though I had heard of Trace from her work on television, I didn't realize she is from Dayton, Ohio which is very close to my hometown of Springfield. 

Not surprisingly, Trace went through more than a few troubling times to arrive where she is today. Including losing a job at Bloomingdale after she was denied using the women's restroom. 

She underwent successful gender realignment surgery in Thailand and returned to New York to work as a dancer in Manhattan for nearly eight years.

Trace Lysette's big career breakthrough happened when she landed the role of "Shea", a transgender yoga teacher on the "Transparent" series.

Trace Lysette

An Ohio native and mother of the ballroom scene's renowned house of Mizrahi, Trace Lysette is rising from her Midwestern background and career in the underground into a household name. Lysette appeared in Law & Order: Special Crimes Unit in 2013, but her star truly rose as Shea on Amazon’s Transparent. What was meant to be a guest appearance grew into a recurring guest role, thanks in no small part to Lysette’s undeniable talent on-screen.

Trace Lysette

Transgender actress, Trace Lysette:

Trace Lysette posted nude for Women’s Health Naked Strength issue, which she described as an incredibly empowering experience given the pressures she faces as a transgender woman, according to an article dictated by the actress for Women’s Health.

In the photo, the Transparent actress posed nude against a tree with her side turned toward the camera. With one hand, she supported herself against the tree while the other rested on the knee of her bent leg, strategically covering her side breast. With the other leg stretched out behind her, the 31-year-old showed off her flawless figure and ample backside while gazing unsmiling at the camera. She wore her long, brown, curly hair loose and flowing down her back while her face was made up with subtle eye makeup and pink lips.

In the article, Trace also opened up about being trans. The Ohio native went on to say:

“As women, we are told not to show our bodies, and as trans people, we’ve been told not to exist. There is something so liberating and beautiful about being naked on your own terms.”

We all should be able to transition as well!!! 

Nashville Cats!

Transgender actress and activist Jen Richards is on the road to Nashville!

Richards (Her Story) has joined the country music drama in a recurring role for season five, it was announced Tuesday.

She will play Allyson Del Lago, a tough but understanding physical therapist who helps one of the series' main characters through one of their most difficult challenges. Richards' casting marks the first transgender character on CMT and the first out transgender actor on the network. 

CMT, along with Hulu, resurrected Nashville in June one month after it was canceled by ABC after four seasons.

Richards recently nabbed an Emmy nomination for co-creating, writing and producing the digital series Her Story. She also starred in the Los Angeles-set romantic as Violet, a trans woman who must confront her attraction to women when she meets a cute reporter named Allie (co-creator Laura Zak) while also worrying that her attraction to women makes her less trans. 

"Richards also appeared as herself on the E! docuseries I Am Cait, which centered on Caitlyn Jenner's post-transition journey. Although I Am Cait was axed last month after two seasons, transgender TV has continued to prove popular. Transparent, which centers on a man's transition to a woman, has won Emmy and Golden Globe awards for star Jeffrey Tambor. Laverne Cox, best known for her breakout role on Orange Is the New Black, will next headline Fox's Rocky Horror Picture Show remake in October, before making history as the first full-time transgender character on a broadcast television with CBS' Doubt. Richards also is slated to appear on the midseason legal drama, in addition to co-producing the forthcoming docuseries More Than T.

In addition, Richards is an activist and advocate who works with national organizations and media projects.

Nashville's fifth season premieres Thursday, Jan. 5, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CMT."

Go here for more.

We HAVE Come a Long Way!

All of this news comes from the "Hollywood Reporter" site!  When I think of the dark days of growing up in my closet feeling so alone, I sometimes can't believe all of this:

Glee continued to put the spotlight on the underdog Friday when the Fox musical featured a 200-member transgender choir.

Recommended

Dot Marie Jones on 'Glee's' New Groundbreaking Storyline

Golden Globes: 'Transparent's' Jeffrey Tambor Becomes First TV Actor to Win for Transgender Role

ABC Family Orders Transgender Docuseries Produced by Ryan Seacrest

Emmys Make History With First Transgender Acting Nominee

What's Behind the Rise of Transgender TV

The singers, which were put together following a nationwide search with the assistance of LGBT-watchdog group GLAAD, were introduced as part of the dramedy's transgender storyline featuring three-time Emmy-nominee Dot Marie Jones.
Read more 'Dot Marie Jones' on 'Glee's' Groundbreaking Transgender Storyline
As was first introduced during the Jan. 16 episode, Jones' Coach Shannon Beiste revealed that she was transitioning from a woman to a man. The football coach made her triumphant return during Friday's appropriately titled "Transitioning" episode as Sheldon Beiste and found immediate support from former New Directions transgender student Wade "Unique" Adams (Alex Newell).
The choir backs Newell's performance of "I Know Where I've Been," from the musical Hairspray.

Cyrsti's Condo "Sunday Edition"

"Kerplunk!" another edition of our Sunday Edition has just hit your virtual front porch!  Get your hot "Cup o Joe" snuggle in your fave jammies and lets get started:


Page One: The Week that Was or Wasn't. Across the country, news from the transgender world seemed to slow a bit with stories such as the "Transparent" television success and the "Leelah Alcorn" tragedy seemed to fade a bit. Speaking of Leelah, Liz and I were traveling up the very busy Interstate Highway 75 between Cincinnati and Dayton, Ohio yesterday and she noticed a very androgynous fellow driver in another car looking at us. Perhaps, she saw my "Leelah-Fix Society" bumper sticker?
Page Two: I Was Misquoted?"  No actually, I wasn't but what I wrote was taken out of context. Here it is:

FABULOUSCONNIEDEEJanuary 24, 2015 at 4:49 PM " Cyrsti, I have a challenge for you....Is not your statement, "almost as big as being a cross dresser to being a transgender person" something that a trans nazi might say? Well, it certainly sounds like something a "proud member" of a certain social network has said in the past (still being said, probably, but I divorced myself from that network years ago). I ask this because sometimes we may not be aware of "what we is or what we aint". ;) "  Yups Connie you are right and over the years I did grow up in the community (as you did Connie) with a forced understanding of where I "belonged" in a system with transsexuals at the top and cross dressers at the bottom. My fault was I did not add my usual disclaimer to what I wrote. First off, I never ever want to sound like I am insulting anyone who cross dresses and definitely DO NOT want to infer I would be putting myself up on any sort of pedestal-ever. Please forgive me if I do! Thanks Connie!

Page Three: What's Up Doc? Last week, I wrote about my first visit to an endocrinologist who cared more whole heartedly about my gender transitional well being. Actually, a Veteran's Administration assigned Doc. I know it is easy for me to sit here and write about taking advantage of nearly free medical care as I continue down my HRT road-but not having it can be problematic to your health. Real problematic. My new Doc even called me personally Friday night at 6 to "re consult" with me about taking me off the estrogen pill and putting me on the patch because it would be easier on my liver.  Are you kidding me? I can't remember the last time I got a personal call from a Doctor and at 6 at night? I thought he was going to tell me I was going to die!
Page Four: The Back Page-Editorial:  Age gives you a certain confidence that you have seen it all.  Going through a gender transition tosses all of that into the dumpster as I continue to experience. On one hand all the new "bright and shiny" new toys I get to play with are wonderful, on the other, I still wonder how anyone could ever think a transgender person is going through all of this because we merely want to. I have any number of things I want and quite a few I need. I want a new car and my grand kids to be happy but I needed to transition to save my life.


Everyone have a great week! The Goddess willing and the creeks don't rise-we will be back next week with another Cyrsti's Condo "Sunday Edition."

Transparent Wins!

For all of you who disagree somehow on the Laverne Cox's, Janet Mock's and Carmen Carerra's of the transgender women's world, being strong role models of the trans community- because of how attractive they are, here you go: 

Transparent, an Amazon original drama about a family struggling with its father’s admission that he is transgender, won this year’s Golden Globe award for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy.

Jeffrey Tambor, (above) best known for his roles in There’s Something About Mary, Entourage, and the Hangover movies, stars as Maura Pfefferman in the show, and accepted the award alongside fellow Transparent cast and crew. 

I don't think you can necessarily make the argument either, a transgender actor should have been involved with the role (rather than Tambor) precisely because of the "passing privilege"  he doesn't possess. I saw one of his appearances on a talk show and they showed a clip from "Transparent" coming back from a break. Predictably, I heard a smattering of laughter-until Tambor started to talk about the show and the audience became completely silent.  Nothing funny about this topic. What the hell? How can this be? He doesn't look like a woman????

I'm sure though in the greater transgender community, someone will find something wrong.

Trans Visible Again?

Lately it seems, I'm increasingly writing about transgender women breaking the gender barrier and becoming more and more visible. The fact that several of the most visible right now are transgender women of color. Women such as Laverne Cox and Janet Mock are truly "out and proud" - but after listening to Laverne I learned life is still not as easy for her as most of us would think. As her Mom told her-her hands and feet were too big for a woman's-even though now she has her Mom's full support.

Now Best-selling author and transgender activist Janet Mock (left) has been named a special correspondent on in Entertainment Tonight. In her first appearance she delved into the issue of cisgender (nontrans) actors playing trans roles and a host of other topics in an interview with Transparent star Jeffrey Tambor. (More here.)  

Certainly, I am thrilled every time I see a positive transgender story and now even more thrilled when a trans person is actually involved in the process. (rare) I know the only persons who can truly understand my mtf gender transition are those friends of mine who are going through it too.

I do wonder how all of this "plays at home." I remember years ago when the transgender term was rare at best and most cross dressing images were characters up to "no good."  When my wife and I were watching one of these shows, the cross dressed character became the "elephant in the room." I did my best to not be too excited.  

I also wonder if this rush of transgender education and publicity helps those of you (in a relationship) considering playing in the girl's sandbox.  For women like me, I can only hope my friends and acquaintances think, "Hey! There is a person like Cyrsti!" 

2015 The Trans Central Year?

2014 brought many positive changes to the transgender community, fortunately too numerous to mention. For the first time we saw trans women (Laverne Cox and Jazz) making it into most influential woman categories.  All of a sudden, the mere act of being born female with a vagina does not equate with the essence of becoming a woman. At the least, a very scary thought for many traditional binary thinkers.  Making the process even more difficult for those folks is it's looking like even more are in store for the future!


Here is one from the "Hollywood Reporter" : 
"ABC Family is continuing its push into the unscripted arena with a big swing.

The Disney-owned cable network has handed out a straight-to-series pickup for My Transparent Life, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
The docuseries, from Ryan Seacrest Productions, centers on a teen named Ben who learns his parents are not only getting a divorce, but also that his father is becoming a woman.

The series will intimately follow Ben, his family and friends as they support each other through the unexpected journey and watch Charlie slowly become Carly, as she experiences the many stages of her transition from male to female. The show is described as a generational story of a loving family and circle of friends, supporting each other through the unfamiliar and unexpected situation."

Of course all of this is following the success of the Amazon series Transparent with Jeffrey Tambor (left).  For a start, I love the fact Tambor loves the part and is in many ways a truer portrayal of how most of us are able to visually transition. After all, we all can't look like Carmen Carerra, Janet Mock or Andreja Pejic. The best is yet to come!

Finally!

Mtf Transgender Writer Lady J

I know it is a fairly radical idea to have a transgender person write or portray a trans person in a movie, television show or play-but it recently happened on Transparent!


According to Outward: Back in October, things got a bit testy between Jill Soloway, the creator of Amazon’s wonderful series Transparent, and Jenji Kohan of Orange Is the New Black during a New Yorker Festival panel on the state and future of LGBTQ TV. At issue was the question of whether one’s identity necessarily had any connection with one’s skill at producing art related to that identity—a rather ancient bugaboo in art criticism, but one made newly relevant by the sudden (and greatly welcome) advent of transgender characters in the media. Soloway insisted that she could not imagine continuing to make a show about a trans woman (Maura, played by Jeffrey Tambor) without having a trans woman on the writing staff, arguing that “it’s absolutely necessary, and it’s gonna change the show.” Kohan, while valuing diversity in the writers room, bristled at the idea of hiring a writer because of her identity rather than her skillset: “What you are in life shouldn’t automatically make you what you do in your art. It doesn’t necessarily translate,” Kohan said.

Let's be careful out there folks...we trans peeps just might have a little more insight into our lives than you think!!!

"Trans" is the New What?

Before all the trans nazi's and trans terfs start to tear this show apart too, allow me to be a bit euphoric.  It's getting good reviews and I think it is important to realize that not all of us are fortunate enough to go through a dramatic MtF gender transition without the basic body structure to easily do it.

Plus, of course I will be ready for the usual comments about transitioning so much later in life!  

Here's the "scoop":from Amazon.com.

An LA family with serious boundary issues have their past and future unravel when a dramatic admission causes everyone's secrets to spill out. Starring Jeffrey Tambor, Judith Light, Amy Landecker, Jay Duplass, and Gaby Hoffmann.