It's a Process

I love it on the days I don't have to write a Cyrsti's Condo post. On occasion it is so difficult to write a daily blog!

Thanks to Connie, we all can enjoy a great post today:

"Transition is a process. The reason I had to engage in the process was that I had gotten to the point where I felt I was a fake, no matter what gender I was showing. Whether I was really an impostor or not could be debated, but I still felt that way when I would jump, back and forth, between being seen as a man or a woman. Ultimately, I chose to be seen as a feminine being who possessed some masculine traits, rather than what I had been fighting most of my life - being the man who was hiding feminine traits behind a more-macho facade. I don't think I made for a terrible man, but I never could see myself as living up to expectations of what a proper man should be.

There's a difference between being a gentleman and being a gentle man. I was always happy to be seen as a gentleman, as even the most manly of men could be one. I was never happy when I thought people were perceiving me to be a gentle man, however, as I felt weakened by it. Had I really been secure in my manhood, though, I don't know that I would have felt that way. My gentleness has always been rooted in my femininity, so I was never going to feel secure about anything as long as I was seen as a man.

Living as a woman for the past few years has finally brought peace, and I am happy to be seen as a woman who possesses some masculine traits. While being seeing seen as a gentle man was disturbing to me, being seen as a strong and capable woman delights me. The advantages that came with my male privilege in the past have helped me to be who I am. The difference, though, is that my transition has caused me to use a different filter - a feminine one. The intuition was always there, but I had been using the wrong filter. Sifting through everything with the proper filter has been my transition, and seeing what comes out the other side is just as it should be (even if I must continue to run much of it back through regularly)."

See, I told you it was a great post!

Trans Layers

Even though I have been heavily involved in research of the transgender community, I'm always amazed how much more I'm missing.
This morning a link to B.O.I.S Will Be Blogging Bois. appeared in my email.
Of course many aspects of the transgender man and masculine identified women culture are familiar to me.
But many aren't, so my interest is always heightened when I have a chance to read more:

"One year ago, Latania McKenzie sat down at her computer and with a few clicks started putting into action a dream she’d had for years — a blog that caters to masculine-identified women as well as to transgender men. Named Queer B.O.I.S., the blog espouses the values McKenzie, 30, and her partner and blog co-founder, Taliba, aspire to in their professional and personal lives. While B.O.I.S. is meant to quickly identify its target audience, the letters also have meaning: Business, Opulence, Investment and Style. McKenzie, 30, moved to Atlanta 12 years ago from Belgium. She likes to shop in the men’s department and has a deep affection for pocket squares and bow ties. She said the blog is meant to bring visibility to a community that is often overlooked in the media. And while her first name is Latania, she prefers to just be called McKenzie. “When I walk down streets I see a lot of people look who look like me that are masculine presented. We shop in the men’s department or mix our clothing with women’s clothes. But there is not really a focus on us in media,” she says. “We make money, too. And the media should advertise to us and notice us. What I want people to know is we are not average. Don’t dismiss us,” she says. And that’s why B.O.I.S. and what the letters stand for is more than an identity, McKenzie says. It’s a way of life."

As always, I'm giving you a glimpse here.  Follow this link for more!