Into the Main Stream

Any time I open my email account and the lead news story is 'M' or 'F'.-  Outdated ID's worry transgender people. I immediately paid more attention.

This story actually originated in San Francisco through the Associated Press:


"Most U.S. residents don't think twice about the gender printed on their government-issued documents. But those "M'' or "F'' markers — and the legal and administrative prerequisites for switching them on passports, birth certificates and other forms of identification — are a source of anxiety and, even, discrimination for transgender individuals.

The rules vary from state to state, agency to agency and even clerk to clerk. But a transgender applicant generally has been required to submit both a court order approving the gender change and a letter from a surgeon certifying that the person underwent irreversible sex reassignment surgery before obtaining a new document. Over the last few years, though, the emerging movement for transgender rights has been quietly pressing the issue, persuading state lawmakers and federal and state agencies to simplify the lengthy and often costly process.

Advocates recorded their latest victory Friday, when the Social Security Administration announced that it would no longer require proof of surgery to alter the gender identification of individuals in its computers and records."

One of the "Advocates" is Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality who was quoted as saying:

"Most people may not see this as a big deal, but transgender people know that this seemingly small technical change will protect their privacy and give them more control over their own lives,"  Since 9/11, it's become  incredibly important to have accurate and consistent identification. Without it, you can't open a bank account, you can't use a credit card, you can't apply for a loan, you can't get a job, you can't vote, you can't get insurance."

For more on this story and it's far reaching implications, go here.

Zagria and the History of Trans

Filed away in the back of my closet with all those fashion mistakes I have made over the years is my college history degree.
To this day, I remain extremely interested in several historical periods and persons.
For this reason (among others) if you (like me) are interested in  trans culture history, here's one of a couple places you can go for wonderful information: A Gender Variance Who's Who by Zagria.
Follow my blog roll link to read her latest post about Herbert Beeson!

So Many Faces So Little Time

I enjoyed a wonderful fun day yesterday. Attended a local very well attended artisan street fair with a gf..
My ultimate goal in this post would be to toss out the fact I'm transgender all together.You all know that, right? Unfortunately as they say in the old country "That ain't happenin".
Actually yesterday, most of the public did just that. They did better it than I did. Most didn't notice or care if I was transgender, green or purple or both.
Let me backtrack into several larger forces at work here.
For simplicity, lets mold identity and presenting into one. Then maybe public perception and stealth into another.
(You know how much 6,000 word thesis posts bore me.)
Through all the twists and turns of my life, 62 years have taught me I identify as transgender-not transsexual. For better or for worse a certain percentage of the public will discover that. Fortunately for me, the public is coming to a little better understanding of what a transgender person is all about.
Ironically, I'm learning with them. I have a delightful friend who I used to identify as a ftm transsexual but now I think he is more of a transgender male. He is about half my age and enjoys being mistaken for a male but is not sure of starting hormones.
So, if I present transgender woman to the portion of the public who notices then it's up to me and on intelligent publicity to educate. No slam to either group but I'm more (not better) than a guy in a dress or less than a guy with new genitalia.
Finally, let me flip two words:   present and public perception.
Doing this allows everything to become nice and orderly in my world until I get to stealth.
I have never like the term and basically had no respect for the individuals in the trans culture who basically assumed the roll of their chosen gender and disappeared into society.
My problem is yesterday, for the most part I was stealth to the great majority of the general public.

Of course I have concocted a rationalization for not resenting myself.
My friends have so totally embraced me as a transgender woman. It's their fault! Just kidding.
What has happened is I have grown past a word into a person, I'm just me. For better or worse I am some sort of a gender blend.
How's that working for me? Pretty well. Just why did it take 62 years to get here?