Finally!

The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio, the American Civil Liberties Union, and Lambda Legal filed a lawsuit challenging Ohio’s refusal to correct the gender marker on birth certificates for transgender individuals, for any reason, at any time. Ohio is one of just three states, with Tennessee and Kansas, that has yet to change the extremely regressive and outdated policy.

“This policy is not only archaic and out-of-step with the rest of America but also dangerous. Forcing transgender Ohioans to go through life with inaccurate birth certificates, a basic form of identification, unnecessarily exposes them to discrimination, harassment, and violence. It also denies them their very identity,” Lambda Legal Law Fellow Kara Ingelhart said. “In fact, government officials in Ohio know this, given that they allow transgender people to change the gender on their drivers’ licenses and state identification cards.”

“Ohio’s policy deprives transgender people who were born in Ohio of a birth certificate that accurately reflects their gender identity,” said Susan Becker, General Counsel for the ACLU of Ohio. It’s past time Ohio complies with the Constitution’s promise that all people have a right to live freely and openly in society as who they are, without fear of discrimination.”

Word is, it will take approximately one year for the case to wind it's way through the legal system. Go here for more.

Big News From the VA

Hopefully, this will be the first of these stories to come out of Veteran Administration Clinics around the country. And yes, it comes from the much maligned city of Cleveland!

Starting in November, the Louis Stokes Cleveland VAMC will be the first VA to have a Transgender clinic for transgender veterans.

"We are excited to announce the opening of the G.I.V.E (Gender Identity Veteran Experience) Clinic in November. This will be the newest addition to our Medical Center and will be headed by our very own Dr. Megan McNamara M.D and her team: Jen Healy RN, Kami Bizub LPN, and Tike'ta Brock AMSA. This clinic will make a difference by offering a comfortable and safe atmosphere where Transgender care is #1 priority. More information coming soon regarding opening day.

Actually my therapist in Dayton, Ohio asked me if I had heard of such an effort in Cincinnati and I said no. I am fairly sure she is working on one!

Cyrsti's Condo "Sunday Edition"

KerPlunk! It's time again for another Sunday Edition hitting your virtual front porch. It's our 4th of July edition. A time to remember all of those again who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms we enjoy today. Freedom is never free. It's a beautiful mild day here in O-H-I-O so let's grab a cup o joe and get started.

Page One-the Week that Was or Wasn't- Take this money and shove it!!! From the AP:SEATTLE (AP) -- The Girl Scouts of Western Washington said it has returned a $100,000 donation because it came with the provision that the money couldn't be used to support transgender girls.

The group said it sent back the money in late May after the donor had asked that the gift be returned unless the group guaranteed it would not be used to benefit transgender girls.

"Girl Scouts is for every girl, and that is every girl regardless of race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion. Every girl is every girl," Megan Ferland, CEO of the Girl Scouts of Western Washington, said in an interview Tuesday. "It was a sad decision, but it was not a difficult decision. There was no way I would be put in a situation of refusing a girl participating because of a gift. It was really that quick."

The local council has transgender girls participating in the Girl Scouts, said Kate Dabe, the council's vice president of marketing and communications. To preserve their privacy, Dabe declined to say how many or provide other details about them."

I am especially proud of the Girl Scouts and my daughter/grand daughter's participation in the Scouts!

Page Two.- Another Victory: Also recently  the transgender community and their supporters celebrated a huge victory in their battle towards equal rights.

The U.S. Justice Department announced in a court filing that transgender students must be allowed to use the restroom that corresponds with their gender identity.

The department says in a statement of interest filed Monday that failure to do so amounts to sex discrimination under Title IX of the U.S. Education Amendments of 1972. 

Page Three.-Welcome Francine: I would like to take this opportunity to welcome Francine Keller and her In Transition blog...Here is an excerpt from a recent post:  'Not a Trendy Woman'

I’m not an ordinary transgender woman. Since that word would never describe transgender anyway, my statement sounds like a contradiction, doesn’t it? Transgender women usually work hard at looking pretty. They want to blend in with CIS gender women, so presentation usually takes longer.

Many trans women follow trends in fashion, others make their own style. Getting caught, outside without makeup is terrible for them. It’s a little like reverting to the boys they once were. Consequently they primp and worry about image. 

I tend to drift the other way, and I’ve come to identify with Cyrsti Hart who, like me, has a non-conforming approach to womanhood. She is one of my heroines. Until recently, her linebacker shoulders prevented her from wearing tanks and camis. Now, she looks great in them. Although I love to wear tanks around the house, I too, have linebacker shoulders.

In my non-traditional approach, I find myself dressing traditionally, like CIS gender women, who are my age. I dress up sometimes, but I lean toward the casual, and primping is not in my nature. Perhaps I would be different if I’d grown up as a girl, but I’m getting old, and most people don’t care how much makeup I wear anyway."

(Be careful Francine-I don't know if I identify with me haha!)

Be sure to follow the link above for more and/or go to my "Wanna Hook Up" Link section here on the blog!

Page Four.-The Back Page: Thanks for stopping by Cyrsti's Condo on this Fourth of July weekend!!! Luv ya all!!!!

Up Date

Several of you have asked if I have heard or read any further information on the young pagan transgender woman in Akron, Ohio who was slain from her "demon's" by her father.  The reposts I have read still say (more or less) "Bri" was migrating back towards Brian during the last year.

My only "guess" is Bri leaned towards being gender fluid and was searching for gender roots.  Plus, as some of you may know, my partner Liz is a Wiccan (closely related to Pagan's in beliefs).  So, I know enough about it to be dangerous.  It's quite possible (like me) Bri was exploring a spirituality which is largely feminine based and similar to the ancient Native American cultures, acceptors of a Two Spirited person.

Now, since I'm guessing, Bri's hometown of Akron, Ohio is actually clear across the state from me and is yet another decimated old rust belt industrial city. I would think it would not be the ideal environment for a person with a crazy father- if you are searching for a gender identity.

Of course I have my biases and ideas-but that's all they are-unfortunately.

And My Blog Gently Weeps

From GayStar News and Trans Ohio:
A 22-year-old, believed to be a trans woman, is alleged to have been stabbed to death by her father on Friday night (13 February). Bri Golec, an artist and drummer from Akron, Ohio, is the seventh known trans person to murdered this year. -Trans Ohio said: 'We are saddened to learn of the murder of Bri Golec (left), a 22-year-old trans woman who resided in Akron, Ohio. 'Her father has been arrested and is in jail at this time. Please keep our Akron community in your thoughts and prayers.



This is yet another refusal of the family to accept a members transgender identity.  Here is more:   The language in this report (from Akron) has been updated to reflect family members' clear statement that Golec was male and not a trans woman. We continue to note, as we did before, that Golec's gender identity can not be 100% confirmed based on conflicting evidence currently available. - See more here. 

Just Another Halloween?

Truly, I'm not sure if there is ever just another Halloween for most of us.  In my case, the day was the beginnings of a chance to journey out of the closet and begin to learn my true gender identity.  She was screaming at me, but I wouldn't listen.

My first Halloween adventure was when (after the Army) I settled back in for several years in my home town (here in Ohio) came when a group of friends and I went to an event called a "Spook Out" (as I recall) in the late 1970's.  It was a time when certain cities were busy restoring their ornate old downtown theatres. Including Columbus, Ohio which was presenting the silent original movie version of the "Phantom of the Opera" complete with the newly restored theatre organ.

Of course, the evening was custom made for an aspiring cross dresser to get out of the closet and explore the world.  I  managed to have a wonderful time.

I say "managed" because I felt a lot of unneeded pressure to enjoy every second, feel the process and secretly wondering if I could blend and pass. 

For the evening, I came up with a "costume" which not surprisingly, was more slut than originality.  My skirt was short, heels high and hair was long.  The result was a relatively uncomfortable evening in clothes I really hadn't spent enough time wearing to understand what I was "walking into" literally-my heels killed me.  My imagined enjoyment of walking down the street in my panty hose, short skirt and freshly shaved legs did thrill for awhile-until the chill set in.

Back in those days though, I could still pay the price for fashion.  Thirty plus years of working on my feet in high volume restaurants hadn't caught up with me yet and the shaved legs/hose was still electric.

Can't say the evening was "magical" but up to that time in my life, it most certainly was fun and  a quality learning experience. Plus, I don't believe I have ever seen so many, imaginative costumes in one place ever.

Sadly, for whatever reasons, the restored theatres around me at least have not done similar events for years.  These days though, so many more venues have opened for younger transgender women heading out to explore the world.

Back in those days though, it was a time of limits and deep dark closets for me and the evening was custom made.

The "Anti Jerry Springer?"

Jasmine Ford

Let's hope so! You can only hear "I was born a man" or "tranny" so much in the same hour. According to the Miami New Times a new talk show for the transgender "niche" will started on line this week.

 "Jasmine Ford, is lending her voice -- and face -- to Miami's transgender community with her talk show, The Gender Experience. Ford, 41, describes her middle class upbringing in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, as traditional, where topics such as gender disorders were never discussed. She recalls how other children around her would "solidify their gender identity and begin learning and mimicking the appropriate behavior prescribed for their sex." But for her, and others like her, this did not happen. "The popular description of being 'trapped in the wrong body' is an accurate one," says Ford."


The Gender Experience actually premiered last night,  Thursday, December 19, at 10 p.m. on TruRythme.TV. Personal inquires can be made to thegenderexperience@gmail.com, and the live taping will be held at CL Gaskin Center (5525 NW Seventh Ave., Miami).

For more on if you can listen on line and the story go here.

First Trans Male Prez?

Well at least in a musical and he is being playing by Chaz Bono. (left)  From the Advocate.com:


"Chaz Bono landed his first male role, playing the President of the United States inThirty Minute Musicals: Independence Day, reports People. The role, which is an imitation of the character played by Bill Pullman in the 1996 film Independence Day, is a dream come true for the iconic trans actor who credits playing a male role in high school with opening his eyes to his own gender identity.

 “I started acting in high school. It was the career that I wanted but I stopped because I couldn't really do a good job playing female characters and I didn't know why," Bono told People. “My senior year of high school I got cast as a male character and for the first time I really excelled. But I told myself, ‘This will never happen as a professional so I need to find another career.’”

Take a look at more here.

What the Hell is Wrong with Kasich?

Most of  you Cyrsti's Condo readers know I'm from Ohio but probably fewer of you know the Governor is Republican John Kasich. The good news is at the start of his term in 2010, Gov. John Kasich renewed an executive order to protect gay state workers.  The bad news was he removed language about gender identity.

For the life of me, I can't understand why emotionally.  Why would Kasich on purpose exclude the transgender population of Ohio? At that point, I started to try to redirect my thinking to what politics is really about- behind the scenes power.

It's no real secret in Ohio and probably elsewhere opposition to equal transgender rights in any form comes from the social right which includes a huge entrenched religious base. So I tried to connect the dots between them and Kasich's desire to deny us with basic rights every American should be entitled to.

I don't know of course which group Kasich was catering to on this move. Perhaps it was a last ditch "line in the sand"   deal with right wing social and religious groups-to be compared with someone who will tolerate a transgender person in public until the person wants to use the bathroom. Or maybe some in the statehouse felt an approval by Kasich would set the stage for Ohio employees to fight for more transgender coverage in their insurance plans?

Like I said- no one called me from Columbus. Perhaps another idea could be  Kasich's "responsibility" to other Republicans in the Ohio legislature. What pressure came to bear from them?

On the positive side, the wind of change seems to be blowing in Columbus.  I recently read an article in the Columbus Dispatch detailing some of the changes:


"The 2010 election brought a wave of fresh Republicans to Columbus. And at the start of his term, Gov. John Kasich renewed an executive order to protect gay state workers but removed language about gender identity. “Largely, I think there’s a younger generation of Republicans that may be more open to this,” said Sen. Frank LaRose, R-Copley, who was elected in 2010 and is co-sponsoring the Senate bill.

 There’s also been growing support on the national level, including from U.S. Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio, who made headlines in March when he announced his support for gay marriage. “I think more and more, it’s not a partisan issue,” said state Rep. Nickie Antonio, D-Lakewood, who is co-sponsoring the House bill with Rep. Ross McGregor, R-Springfield. “We have fair-minded people on both sides of the aisle — I know we do.” Eighty of the top 98 employers listed on the JobsOhio website include sexual orientation in their anti-discrimination policies."

So, here we go again:

"After years of trying to outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation, a bipartisan group of state lawmakers is mustering another attempt. The package is nearly identical to previous efforts and would add a number of anti-discrimination protections, including housing, wages, certain government contracts and mental-health services. A set of bills — one in the House and one in the Senate — are sponsored by two Republicans and two Democrats."

My problem is I don't see "gender orientation" included here.  Plus this final excerpt may be the dot I was trying to connect- explaining in part why we were excluded:

"Small-business advocates are wary of possible side effects. Any time lawmakers expand the discrimination umbrella, owners are vulnerable to costly lawsuits and court cases, said Chris Ferruso, legislative director for National Federation of Independent Business/Ohio. “It creates a new avenue for employers to be sued,” Ferruso said. He said the federation has reviewed the bill but has not officially sided either way."

This business dynamic could be changing too though.  To attract new progressive business to the state requires equal protection under the law for all employees. Showing support from the state level would give Ohio a chance to take another step out of the dark ages- before everyone else does that we are competing with.

As I said, time will tell.  For more of the article in the Dispatch go here.

Home Sweet Home?

I'm from Ohio and I know it is not known as the most progressive state in the country but now we have a chance to join 21 other states and do the right thing.
From WSKU News:

Legislation introduced Friday in the Ohio Senate aims to expand Ohio’s workplace discrimination laws. The Equal Housing and Employment Act adds sexual orientation and gender identity to existing law, which prohibits discrimination based on age, race, religion and disability. The bill’s sponsors include State Sens. Frank LaRose of Akron, a Republican, and Democrat Michael Skindell of Lakewood. Republican Ross McGregor of Springfield and Democrat Nickie Antonio of Lakewood are sponsoring the companion bill in the Ohio House. To date, 21 states and the District of Columbia have enacted similar laws. The Ohio bill contains an exemption for religious organizations, and businesses with fewer than 15 employees. In a recent poll, 79 percent of Ohio voters supported equal rights regardless of sexual orientation.

You did notice the lack of "gender orientation" in that survey though!

We Are In The Comics

From Underwired:


Once banned from the world of mainstream comic books by the infamous Comics Code Authority, LGBT characters now have a stronger presence in the world of superhero comics than ever before, with gay and lesbian heroes like Batwoman, Northstar and Green Lantern Alan Scott openly declaring who they are — and even getting married. Today, DC Comics told Wired that it will continue to expand the LGBT diversity of its superhero universe by introducing the first openly transgender character in a mainstream superhero comic. In Batgirl #19, on sale today in both print and digital formats, the character Alysia Yeoh will reveal that she is a transwoman in a conversation with her roommate, Barbara Gordon (aka Batgirl). Taking care to distinguish Yeoh’s sexual orientation from her gender identity, Batgirl writer Gail Simone noted that the character is also bisexual.

Winning in Columbus

Columbus, Ohio is very close to me geographically and a couple years ago was ranked as one of the top ten Gay cities in the country. In many ways the outcome of  Savanna DeLong's (pictured right) story didn't surprise me as much as it happening at all. This story comes from the LGBTQ Nation:

"A municipal court judge in Columbus, Ohio, has ordered owners of a private dining and business networking club to pay a $1,000 fine in the city’s first-ever transgender discrimination case. Franklin County Municipal Court Judge H. William Pollitt Jr., on Monday levied the fine against Columbus Hospitality Management, owners of the Capital Club, for retaliating against Savanna DeLong and denying her work at the downtown club. Savanna DeLong Image via WBNS-TV It’s the first-ever case brought by city prosecutors against a Columbus business for discriminating against someone who’s transgender, since gender identity was added in 2008 to local anti-discrimination laws."

I wondered though if DeLong had retained her job after all of this and a 1000 dollars is very much a slap on the wrist. Read more:

" Chief Prosecutor Lara Baker-Morrish said DeLong’s status as a contractor prevented the city from fully pursuing a discrimination case against the company. Columbus Hospitality Management was fined for retaliating against DeLong by denying her work after she filed a federal equal-opportunity complaint. That complaint was dismissed because federal anti-discrimination laws don’t cover LGBT Americans. Without the 2008 addition of gender identity to Columbus’ anti-discrimination laws, though, DeLong would have had no standing to pursue her case, Baker-Morrish said. The $1,000 fine against Capital Club will be paid to the city, not to DeLong. But, she said, she has gained something from her involvement in Columbus’ first transgender discrimination case. “It gave me a lot more self-confidence. It made me realize Columbus is a pretty good place,” she said. “I feel like I contributed something to the community.”

That is a better ending!

Domaine Struggles

Perhaps you remember Domaine Javier, 25, who was expelled from the private Christian school California Baptist University in August 2011 after she appeared on an episode of an MTV show called "True Life". She discussed the stigma experienced by transgender people and revealed that she was biologically male. She has now filed a lawsuit alleging that her civil rights were violated because she was expelled on account of her gender identity. She was informed that she violated the university's policy against "committing or attempting to engage in fraud or concealing identity" because she stated on her admissions application that she was female.

The basics once again go back to gender versus sexuality. Domaine of course had been living full time female for years and obviously identified as one no matter what her sexual organs were. So she was honest on the application.

For more on the story, go here.

Alphabet Soup

Check this out: "The gay rights movement has added a few more letters onto its initialism: LGBTQIA. LGBTQIA stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, Intersex, and Asexual. The new acronym allows the sexuality and gender identity-based community to include individuals who may not conventionally identify themselves as a man or woman." From the The University Daily Kansan (University of Kansas)

Let me add three more, OMG! Renee Richards (78) on Katie Couric this week said something to the effect the transgender word wasn't even invented when she was young. Hopefully Renee will be around this world long enough to see the entire alphabet not included in descriptors for our culture. Furthermore I disagree with the first sentence: gay rights movement and transgender being lumped together at all. That's the subject of a whole other post and a whole other alphabet.

Republican Politics

I really try to not be too political here in Cyrsti's Condo but every once in awhile a story comes along to reinforce my idea of why I'm not a Republican. Here's the latest.

Just when they think you aren't paying attention, House Republican leaders quietly unveiled their Violence Against Women Act reauthorization bill on Friday, a proposal that differs from what the Senate passed last week in a handful of ways, namely in its omission of LGBT protections and its modified language targeting Native American victims of domestic abuse. The GOP proposal was posted on the House Rules Committee website with little fanfare, along with an announcement that the committee will begin moving the bill forward in a Tuesday hearing. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) will sponsor the bill and the House is expected to bring it to a full vote later next week, a House Republican leadership aide confirmed. Here is a link to their 288-page bill and a section-by-section analysis of what's in it. House Republicans are planning to take up the Senate bill, strip its contents and put their language into that bill. A cursory look at the bill reveals some notable changes from the bipartisan VAWA bill that cleared the Senate last week. The House GOP bill entirely leaves out provisions aimed at helping LGBT victims of domestic violence. Specifically, the bill removes "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" from the list of underserved populations who face barriers to accessing victim services, thereby disqualifying LGBT victims from a related grant program. The bill also eliminates a requirement in the Senate bill that programs that receive funding under VAWA provide services regardless of a person's sexual orientation or gender identity. Finally, the bill excludes the LGBT community from the STOP program, the largest VAWA grant program, which gives funds to care providers who work with law enforcement officials to address domestic violence.

 Read more here. Thanks Bobbie!

Oh-Canada?

From Canada's Xtra:


"A Riverside, California, woman says Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officers pulled her aside and ultimately denied her entry Oct 22 because she is transgender. Domaine Javier says the first officer at Vancouver International Airport gave her a “weirded look” after checking her passport. “The picture in my passport is me, but it doesn’t look like me anymore,” Javier explains, noting that the passport still describes her as male. But, she says, the officer didn’t overtly ask any questions about her gender identity. Javier told the officer that she was taking a break from work and had come to Vancouver on vacation after a friend bought her a plane ticket and that she would do casting calls for a show while here. Javier says the officer wrote a number on a card and told her to “go ahead.” Another officer checked the card and directed her to a room where people were having their luggage checked. A third officer then asked to see her passport and boarding pass."

Of course there is more and you can see it here.

Alicia Liu

This is model Alicia Liu . She is a 24 year old model from Taiwan. Alicia is a successful model in Taiwan- appearing in commercials, promo shoots and videos. No one knew until recently that she is a transsexual woman until a former schoolmate outed her.

No Gender At All Part Two

For those of you who have visited Cyrsti's Condo for awhile, you will know the respect I have for Sherri Lynne who is a transitioning transgender therapist who actually works with trans patients.
Her latest post actually revolves around her visit to the recent Southern Comfort Conference. As I read on though, the post actually went into a portion of the subject in my End of Men topic:

" I heard the attitude shared that many younger people at the conference philosophically don't like the idea of having a gender identity at all. They identify as gender queer or other similar labels and they would deny everyone their own right to a gender identity as male or female in a society of their own design. I find it interesting that they would segregate themselves and impose a societal code that denies others of their own gender identity. You see this theme in much of feminist academic writing and in the presentations these individuals give at workshops. They want to impose the use of new language in the use of pronouns that deny the existence of gender identity. Ironically, these folks seem to be a small proportion of those in the gender community. I can never see myself identifying as anything than "female" or "woman" and would feel oppressed by a society that denies me my own identity, much as these individuals feel oppressed by a society that expects them to have a gender identity of either male or female. I find that rather ironic that they would choose to subject others to the same oppression they seek to be freed from."

Read more from Sherri Lynne here!

Outing your Stealth

This post is more un-original content but is as complex as the stealth question seems to be.
From the University of Montana comes the story of a transgender coed who ending up dancing with a male student who reportedly didn't know of her gender identification.
In a classic case of he said-she said the incident ended up in a beating for the coed and a restraining order against the male student. You can read an account of it here from The Missoulian.
My point is how responsible we are as trans women or men to out ourselves? Who knows?
I'm far from attractive enough and far from young enough to say attend a dance by myself or meet a man in a public situation where he doesn't know I'm trans.
If I was, I'm afraid I would attempt it even though I know it's wrong and extremely dangerous. I'm a firm believer in many violence cases against trans humans happen when we surprise the opposite gender (men).
So obviously I don't have the answer except I know my genetic female friends would point out very few of them would put themselves in the situation of the Montana coed to start with. They would want proof of how she was dressed and was she attending the dance by herself?
Then again I know some reasons she would.
What complex lives we live!

Mryna-An Original Dramedy Series

I wanted to pass this along to all of you:

"Mryna" is a groundbreaking, original dramedy television series!
 Synopsis: After a successful career in front of the camera and on the stage, an actor is willing to sacrifice everything when she finally confronts her true gender identity and transitions from male-to-female. We follow Myrna as she struggles to find work as an actress, wrestles with a manager who still wants to send her out as her former-famous self, Michael and deals with the drama of her friends' reactions as they make an effort to come to terms with Myrna and her life-altering transition.

Marlo Bernier brings 50 plus years of living to the table, as well as over two decades of solid work on both stage and screen. On stage (Mark) Bernier repeatedly delivered award-winning performances in roles such as, Roy Cohn in Angels in America; Parts I and II, the twins John/James in Love! Valour! Compassion!, and Berg in God's Country."

 If you have heard of Kick Starter ,there is a fund raising campaign going on for this project. To check it out, go here.

I also am posting the video promo in Cyrsti's Condo "Home Entertainment Center"