Pretty Boys and Beautiful Trans Women?

Mandy Sherman and Debra responded to our Cyrsti's Condo most recent Cover Girl of the day post. Mandy said:

"If the model is feminine and pretty in everyday life, spends most of her time as a female, and has trouble "passing" as a male when that is attempted, they probably should consider transitioning. For those going in that direction, best results can be obtained if the person is younger. 

Us old timers would have a much harder row to hoe. "

Certainly Mandy! Model or not, If a person is young enough, certain enough and in a rare nurturing environment-to at the least have the chance to go on puberty blocking drugs would be amazing!  In the meantime, we old timers didn't and have to do the best we can! I tell my mirror to "get over it" daily!

As far as the increasing amount of "androgynous" mtf models go, lets use Canadian Michael Knowlan  (left) as an example.

First, of course I don't know him but:

He reminds me of a "kid" who used to come and perform at an amateur drag night at a gay venue I used to go to.  This "kid" was as completely feminine as any person I had ever seen to that point and I wondered how he functioned at all as a boy?

As you said Mandy, these younger models lifestyles do and will tip their gender preference. Sure, many can look the part but how many want to live the part after they experience it? As we know, the jump from drag or cross dressing to transgender is HUGE! I think there is some sort of inner switch.

Plus, there always is the "Wow" factor going on right now of being a YOUNG mtf androgynous model and age does equal looks in women-unless the woman is on top her game!

My "age" example goes back to 2003 and "Soldier's Girl" and actor Lee Pace.  In the film, he did a wonderful job of portraying transgender woman Calpernia Addams. For the most part , he wasn't recognizable as a guy. Pace is on the right with Calpernia.



 But now he is equally unrecognizable as "her" in his new series called "Halt and Catch Fire."  Good Hollywood makeup to be sure as well as age too!  My point is-it it certainly easier for a pretty boy to transform himself into a beautiful woman but as with anyone else, looks fade with age. Then what?

"Gossiping" about this generation of androgynous, transgender and transsexual models is almost as fun as gossiping about  who is a cross dresser and who isn't in a womanless beauty pageant.

What's really great about this is, it seems the younger generation wouldn't be having this conversation anyway! For sure though,  the new generation of genetic model hopefuls have a whole different set of competition coming their way!

Cyrsti's Condo "Quote of the Day."

"Welcome to the other side of the looking glass, Alice"  From the motion picture "Soldier's Girl." A line spoken by Lee Pace as Calpernia Addams to her lover Barry Winchell. 

Cyrsti's Condo "Sunday Edition"

"Ker Plunk!"  Welcome to the "Dad's Day" Edition here in the Condo.

Page 1.-Father's Day.  If you reside in the United States, you know of the Sunday we set aside for the Dad's in our lives- Father's Day.  Anyway you cut it, for many of us, the day has the tendency to become a bit awkward.

Yesterday I was flattered to be asked to join in when my partner Liz, her 16 year old son and her brother took their very frail 88 year old Dad out for a Father's Day lunch- a day early to avoid the rush.  The server handled it correctly when he simply said "Happy Father's Day" to all who happened to be fathers at the table.

Personally, I don't know what else I could ever be to my daughter than her father. But, still the situation could get award I suppose if my friends said "did you have a good Father's Day Cyrsti?"  I certainly didn't give birth to my kid, really don't identify with "father" anymore and love her too much to say "sperm donor" - so identifying with the "parent" word is just fine.

All you "Pops" who read the Condo though- I hope your family's still accept you and however you identify-you have a good Father's Day.

Lee Pace as Calpernia Addams

Page 2.- Movie Review.  I am almost ashamed to say this, but I saw the Showtime movie "Soldier's Girl" in it's entirety last night It's the 2003 Canadian-American drama film produced by Showtime and based on a true story - the relationship between Barry Winchell and Calpernia Addams and the events that led up to Barry's murder by fellow soldiers  In a move that would be roundly disliked today, male actor Lee Pace starred as Calpernia Addams instead of Calpernia herself or an actual transgender woman actress.
                                                


Calpernia- shown to the right.

If you haven't seen it...it's like watching the "Titanic"-you know what is going to happen and it was not going to be pretty. But Pace, on the other hand did a terrific job as well as several others of the actors involved.

I suppose to me, much of the movie was like "well, you would have had to have been there" I was- kind of. Mainly,  Addams and Winchell met up at Ft. Campbell in Kentucky and years earlier I went through basic at Ft. Knox, also in Kentucky...so as a transgender vet I certainly knew of the mind set they faced.

Two other spots in the movie tore me up (other than the obvious one when her lover was killed.) One was the first time Winchell kissed Calpernia and almost got physically sick when he found out she was a pre opt transgender woman.  In the past I did have a guy who spit on the floor when he kissed me....and...the scene at the very end when Pace/Calpernia was interviewed by the news media and introduced as "Private Winchell's cross dressing friend."  Pace played it well with a pause and a glare and finally said - yes I am his cross dressing friend.

If you haven't seen it, grab some extra popcorn and/or a friend and sit down and watch it! Plus if you haven't seen, there are some incredible transformation video's on YouTube

The Back Page...This week's "back page" will also be a front page first look at next week's Cyrsti's Condo focuses. 
Among other issues, we will talk about TGLBQ Pride month and what it means to us, the Le Dame Footwear special and why I am being called back in after my mammogram on Friday.
In the meantime, all of you have a great week and thanks for making the Condo a place you visit!

Behind Every Actor Playing a Trans Role...

Is an even better transgender woman training him. Or at least with Jared Leto, in the Dallas Buyer's Club.
From Fusion:


Oscars season is coming up, which means we’re about to shower actors with awards and praise for their work. But the people who help them portray such stirring roles are rarely recognized. Calpernia Addams (left) is one of those people. “I recorded all of his lines from the script and he listened to that audio for months during his preparation,” explained Addams. 

Actor Jared Leto used her audio to prepare for the role of Rayon, a transgender woman living with HIV in the 1980s in the film “Dallas Buyers Club.” Leto’s performance helped he and the film earn six Oscar nods. This isn’t the first time Addams has helped A-list actors portray transgender characters. After 4 years as a field medic in the Navy, Addams came out as a transgender woman. Since then, she’s been an activist for transgender rights and was even portrayed in the movie “Soldier’s Girl,” a film about her relationship with Navy Private First Class Barry Winchell and his brutal murder. 

Addams’ first Hollywood experience was training actor Lee Pace to play her in the film. She’s since consulted for Felicity Huffman and, most recently, Leto. Addams draws from her own experience as a transgender woman. Her coaching goes beyond portrayal: Addams wants her clients to have a deep emotional and psychological understanding of what it’s like to be a trans person in the U.S.

Read more here.

Cyrsti's Condo Remembers...

Actor Lee Pace's dramatic transformation to Calpernia Addams for the movie Soldier Girl:

Classic Movie Clip

A look at the 2003 Calpernia Addams story as told in the "Soldier's Girl" Movie starring Lee Pace as Calpernia. (below)

Lee Pace

Actor Lee Pace went through some very drastic changes several years ago to portray Calpernia Addams.


From the "Soldier's Girl" movie:

Pace and Calpernia

Pace as Calpernia

Calpernia Addams

Transgender vet Calpernia Addams served as a Hospital Corpsman with the US Navy and Marine Corps.

It's A Wonderful World?

Unless you live in a cave, or with me in a box under a bridge-you probably haven't missed the transgender news in several areas.

Transgender youth are making headlines as homecoming queens or kings in their chosen gender. The latest story comes out of Texas where transgender student "Andy Moreno" (shown above) was nominated for homecoming queen by friends.

When the school principal said no-Moreno protested. Rightfully so!
Transgender political candidates are stepping onto the political stage. One of the races in Oklahoma, pitts transgender  candidate "Brittany Novotny" against an ultra conservative opponent.
Being a resident of the Midwest, all of this has not been lost on me. This activity is NOT taking place in NYC or San Fransisco. All of this news represents a true "Gender Quake" in middle America-in society.
As a public transgender person the "Quake" helps me tremendously. Finally transgender folk have better public roles models other than "Jerry Springer" and slasher movies. People have an easier time seeing me as a real person.
Of course, in the midst of all of this you have in fighting in our own transgender group. A genetic female friend of my mine sent me to Calpernia Adams (shown below) website and was confused by the lengthy negative discussion of our own.
http://www.calpernia.com/ 

Basically the argument boils down to a cat fight between girls who have lived more life as girls to those who haven't and should any of us "cuddle up" to the male gay movement. Unfortunately, I was involved in nearly the same discussion in an on-line transgender site. It was prolonged and ugly as me without.makeup.
It seems the more life improves for us in the public-the worse it gets with our own? Shame on us!
Some of this proves again "You can put the girl in a man-but you can't take the man out of the girl." I'm sure Andy Moreno could speak to the fact that being a girl is so much more than looking like one.  Sure you can spend thousands to change your body to beautiful, but you can't spend any money to improve your soul!
Or all we bringing out the worst in women as former men?