Interesting Problems

As our springtime weather has finally settled in here in my little part of the world, the need for severe lawn care is upon me.
I don't have a lot of property and over the years I have let several of the old garden areas go wild.
This year however, I want to be organic hippie girl and plant herbs for a friend of mine to use in her products and grow some tomatoes, peppers and oregano to use in cooking later this summer.
So here I am with a couple of dilemmas. First it's warm and second I don't want to risk a farmers tan on my neck and arms if I'm out with a t-shirt on. (A farmers' tan comes up your arms to where the shirt starts-not exactly complimentary with a sleeveless top.) The hormones are working and my breasts are beginning to take on a very feminine shape so taking my shirt off is still barely in the realm of possibility. I'm very fair skinned and have never been able to tan so lotion is a necessity too.
I do have a high wooden fenced in yard so privacy is very good.
So, solution? Go topless?  Put on one of my sleeveless tops to do the work. I have never owned one of the male sleeveless t shirts so I didn't want to put out the money now for one of those.
What I did do was find the biggest old T-shirt I had and "customized" it with a pair of scissors.
Being the fashion designer I am not, I cut the sleeves off and cut around the neck line to expose more shoulder and only stayed in the sun for about 5 minutes at a time.
I realize as the hormones keep working their magic none of this will be feasible. For now though, today was like most everything else in my life-in transition!

Kind of Says It All?

Thanks Bobbie!!!

Yet Another Transsexual Girl Update

Perhaps you remember the story of Jack/Jackie not so long ago.

"Ohio parents Lynn and Michael pose with their children Jackie, left, and Samantha. Jackie began life 11 years ago as Jack — a boy. After trying for years to modify their son’s effeminate manner, the couple decided to let Jackie live as a girl."

It's fortunately becoming more of a increasingly common story in the media. A family accepting a transgender child in their family. Please note I'm not saying this is an everyday occurrence but it is good our culture is portrayed in a positive nature. Maybe more will react in the same way.
This story hits closer to home for me in a couple ways. First, the family lives within a hundred miles of me in Ohio and Meral Crane, clinical director of the Gender Program of Central Ohio counseled my wife and I years and years ago is quoted as saying:
"No one’s sure how many children wrestle with gender dysphoria, a condition in which people feel uncomfortable because their bodies don’t match their perceived gender. Some studies suggest that 1 in 1,000 individuals has gender dysphoria; others put the rate at closer to 1 in 30,000.
Regardless of the statistics, it’s clear that awareness is growing and attitudes are changing."

You can read the story from the "Columbus Dispatch" here.

Transgender Twin at 14

"Nicole at Glad dinner in Boston 2011"

Do you remember the remarkable story of Wyatt Maines? At four years old, Wyatt Maines asked his mother when he would get to be a girl. Born into a pair of male twins, Maines knew he was living in the wrong body. By the time the twins reached elementary school, Maines told people he was a “girl-boy.” As years progressed, Maines began going by the name Nicole, and living life as a girl. At age 11, Nicole underwent puberty suppression (which blocks male hormones and puberty changes from occurring).
She now is 14 and Nicole family are activists for transgender rights. After a student complained about Nicole using the women’s bathroom, the family took a stand by filing a Maine Human Rights Commission complaint. They also successfully lobbied to defeat a bill introduced in Maine legislature that would have repealed protections for transgender people in public restrooms.
You can read more of the story here. Another wonderful point to make is I found this article in "TeenVoices *Changing the World for Girls through Media". Exactly the exposure our culture needs!!!

Alex's Story-Clair's Journey and More

By "Alison Walsh" of National Geographic Channels.
Male or female? Boy or girl? Most of us can answer that question without a second thought, but for some people, the answer isn’t so simple. American Transgender takes us firsthand into the daily lives of three individuals—Clair, Jim, and Eli—who each identify with a different gender from the one in which they were born and raised. We witness their struggles and triumphs, and experience their hopes and fears. How do they manage at work, build careers, maintain friendships, and nurture lasting, intimate partnerships? Each of the characters in the film tells their story in their own words as we follow them through life’s daily battles and victories, both large and small.


Go here for more!

Let's Be Careful Out There!

No matter how some of the public news is becoming a little more positive about the transgendered community, hate crime is still a HUGE problem for us as evidenced in this video from San Francisco:
Maybe that little container of pepper spray I've been thinking of adding to my purse isn't such a bad idea!

Transgender Life in My Little World

As I approach 4 full months on hormones, the major changes I seem to be feeling now are internal with moods and hot flashes.
As I have passed along before, I have cried more in the past month than in my last 50 some years of life.Now, I don't want to portray these tears as a major sign of depression. They were more of a reflection of life and memories I was having.
I suppose you could call this a "liberation" of sorts or ideally I should have been this way my entire life and not let "male conditioning" get in my way.
It doesn't matter. I just know it is happening. Very simply, a couple genetic women I talk to have said "welcome to their world".
So, as I sit here file my nails and think about this post - I guess I am getting what I asked for and yes it does feel natural and good. I was seeking a slow and steady feminization of my body without any major surgery and it's happening.  A whole summer of new fun is almost upon me with more hair on my head and less on my body.
The only frustration I have are those who want to take me to task for how I got here, where I am going and what label I attach to the process.
For the rest of you on (and off) this blog-thanks sooooo much for being along!

Branching Out!

Well, it's Spring around here (more or less) and as the plants and trees start to grow I am growing just a bit too! (Not the hormones this time!)
I'm starting a column on"Brianna Austin's  TG Life.com."
I will have more for you later!

What Will They Think of Next???

It's heresy! The next thing you know people will be thinking of letting transgendered people vote!
Read this from Singapore (More reaction to Jennifer Talackova's acceptance in Miss Universe)

Engineer Leslie Wong, 29, said the rule change was unlikely to alienate fans of the competition. “If you're in a beauty pageant, you probably look like a beautiful woman,” he said. “I'm not sure I would even be able to tell who is transgendered.”
That's all good but here is the radical part:
Trans student Marla Bendini, 26, said transgender contestants could lead to a more positive representation of the community in society. Bendini said society should also make room for pre-operative transsexuals, but the rule change was a good first step. “It's a beauty pageant, not a glorification of genitals,” she said.

For just a second the floor under my feet was getting colder and I thought hell was freezing over!

Video Choice-Name Choice

I came across this article in the "New York Times" Opinion Page. It's a touching and sensitive look at our culture and the many variations. The same variations which on occasion lead us down such an destructive internal path.
 Here's the intro by Sharon Shattuck published: April 18, 2012:
"  I’ve heard much debate in the past year about what constitutes a “healthy family.” Some politicians argue that the best environment for a child is one with a mother and a father — and the underlying context here is that a “normal” family should be helped by a “normal” heterosexual couple.

For me, “normal” is something entirely different.  Yes, I grew up with a happily married mother and father in a small, conservative Midwestern town. But my father is transgender, and he’s a cross-dresser. He has never tried to hide these facts from anyone.

As you can imagine, my family stuck out like a sore thumb in our small town, though I didn’t quite realize to what extent until my dad legally changed his name from Michael to Trisha. And yes, I sometimes still get tripped up about whether to refer to my dad as “he” or “she.” Growing up with Trisha caused me some grief, mostly because I worried about what other people thought of my family and me.  But Trisha just went about her business, painting prolifically in oil on canvas, playing the banjo — and winning people over by simply being a good friend, neighbor and parent.  You can’t choose your parents. Now I know that I wouldn’t want my dad any other way.

What I’m trying to do now, with this short piece and with a feature-length documentary I’m working on, is to put myself in Dad’s shoes, and in the shoes of other LGBT families across the country.  There are a lot of us out there, and I hope that one day we will see “healthy family” redefined to include us, too.

Sharon Shattuck is an animator and filmmaker who lives in Brooklyn.  Her award-winning animation “Whale Fall” had its premiere on Radiolab."

And here is the video:

Asian Transgender News

From "AsiaOne News": 
A beautiful transgender has caused a stir by registering as an election candidate for the Nan Provincial Administration Organisation.
"I'm confident that my experience and ability will be useful in the development of Nan," Yonlada "Kirkkong" Suanyos, 30, said yesterday.

This is the first time a transgender has run for a political post at the provincial level.
Although she is a new face in politics, she is famous as president of the Trans Female Association of Thailand.
For many years, she has campaigned for the rights of trans-females.
The PhD candidate owns a jewellery business and runs a satellite television station.
Last year, she was named by a media organisation as one of the most influential women in Thai society.

Down Under Comment

"Jamiegottagun" commented on the casting of the Austrailian transgender icon "Carlotta" by a genetic female actress:
"Particularly small-thinking when they could have had Shane Jarek (Courtney Act) instead.
How much you want to be they never even considered casting anyone besides a female actress?"

I don't think they probably ever considered  casting a transgendered actress or even a male playing the role.
For those of you who haven't heard or seen "Courtney Act" - here she is!

A Plethora of Classic Videos!

I posted a couple of interesting classic videos over on "Trannsnation"
Also I just put a classic "Christopher Morley" doing Marilyn Monroe here in the Condo's Entertainment Center.
Enjoy!

You Can't Always Get What You Want

Australia's transgender icon performer "Carlotta" will reportedly be played by a very genetic woman- (pregnant) Jessica Marais in an upcoming telemovie.

"Carlotta"

"Jessica Marais"

Carlotta, who was born Richard Byron rose to fame as a cabaret performer in the Kings Cross stage show "Les Girls" and was rumored to be the the inspiration for Terrance Stamp's character in "Priscilla Queen of the Dessert."





Obviously a real live transgendered actress would most of our preferences to play the role but certainly "Carlotta" must be flattered by the choice!

New "Horrorscope"

I love this!
Libra (September 23- October 22)
Your strength will be throbbing at maximum levels, making you one hot toddy filled with passion and perfumes that can lure in even the most reluctant and odd lovers. Yes, new experiences are on the sexual horizon, giving you a lot to think about, as you’ll discover something new and naughty about yourself now. YUM!
As always from "theFrisky".

Taking a Look Back at Transvestite Newsletters

"Back in the day" as the internet was just coming into our lives there were "transvestite" newsletters which were the beginnings of the huge amount of information we see today.
Amazingly, the entire genre' is available to interested viewers. One was called "Life's a Dragg" which you can link to here
I picked up the link from the "TG Forum" which in itself has been established quite a while!.

Are Transgender Times Better?

I heard a line "That depends on where you sit and what cards you hold".
Over the past week or so we have witnessed several positive influences on the transgender community.
Three I can think of are the Ontario Canadian ruling, the Melissa Harris- interview and the Glee program.
I am going to refer to "Janie's Blog" a Canadian herself about the decision to allowing a gender change on documentation with out SRS.
She recently wrote: "
A court decision in Canada has struck down a law requiring SRS as a precondition to having one’s gender changed on their documentation.
There are undoubtedly people on both sides of this issue who will be unhappy about it – post-op transsexuals who may feel that anyone who can tolerate the “bits” of the opposite gender is not truly transsexual, and others who may feel that this just makes it too easy to play games with one’s gender and official documentation.
But, remember that most people who eventually undergo gender reassignment surgery spend years living as the gender opposite to what their identification indicates. They do this for financial reasons, or even for reasons of uncertainty and fear of going through with the surgery. They are not fooling around; this is serious business in their lives, and having a passport or ID that matches the gender they are living is important.
(Read the whole post here.)
A show two Sunday's ago saw MSNBC's Melissa Harris-Perry featuring being Transgendered in America.
(It's  posted  here in the condo in our "Home Entertainment Center" .)
Guest "Mara Keisling" pointed out
"For one of the first times that I can remember, trans people got to outline to the public at least part of the trans political agenda for ourselves. From health care access, to barriers to updating identity documents, to talking about jail and detention reform and raising awareness of CeCe McDonald's story, we finally had a chance to bring trans issues to a national audience as trans people."
Then, lets not forget the "Glee" episode which featured a real live transgendered character in a very mainstream television program.
So, where I sit, have sat and looking at the cards I hold, my hand definitely is improving as a transgender person in this country.
I'm going to quote an old song "You got to know when to hold them, know when to fold them and know when to run".
Well, I'm not going to run (tried that), not going to fold them (**purged a couple times like the rest of you) and I certainly will want to hold them.
As with any good player, I know the game is far from over but I like the progress so far!

**Purged is totally throwing away all your items you were using to present as your chosen gender.

Quote of the Day

Once you figure out there is nothing else you can do-then you need to find what it is you need to do.
Cyrsti

Another Myth Destroyed?

In transgendered history the legendary "Chevalier D'Eon" was a French spy, diplomat, international traveler and transvestite.
He was rumored to have spied on a Russian Czar dressed as a maid and London Stock Exchange members even ran a pool about his true sex.
All wonderful fireside stories to tell the young cross dresser in your family- BUT!
This portrait was just found and sold which ruined all of my preconceived notions about the "Chevalier".
Either this is not really him, was not a good day for him or was painted on a "male" day. Whatever the cause he is probably turning over in his grave knowing this portrait came to light!
This has to be the "before"!

Quote of the Day

"No matter where you go-there you are!!!"
Unknown