Cyrsti's Condo "Sunday Morning" Edition

"Ker Plunk!" Good morning all and welcome to yet another weekend edition.

Page 1.- The Week in Review.  The week produced no major over riding transgender national stories.  Unfortunately national and international tragedies captured the headlines and attentions of the world. My heart goes out to all of the families.
Around the Condo, we were locally focused.  Our Location, Location, Location post focused on the transphobic problems our transgender sisters have in rural America.I saw a rural transgender woman speak at a TransOhio community meeting a week or so ago and came away with the feeling I was so fortunate to be in the situation I am.  I was taking it for granted I even had the resources to attend the TransOhio Meetings I do.  Many rural trans women live in isolated transphobic pockets and for the most part are forgotten in blogs such as mine.  If you have a experiences pass them along and I promise to share them.

Page 2.- Jan Hamilton's Story.  I noted the documentary detailing the life of the transgender elite British parachute regiment soldier Jan Hamilton. When the "ultra" macho guys come out and explain their stories to the world, so many ordinary peeps are exposed to what our lives are like and the torment we suffer.  All of the sudden, extremely high suicide rates in the trans community don't seem so "far fetched".

Page 3.- Potpourri.- This week, I didn't feel well all week and I'm sure it showed here in the Condo.  We talked briefly about subjects such as reincarnation,   Regular contributor Pat commented on the Hindu religious belief in reincarnation among others.  As I said, it's a concept I don't believe in-or not believe in. Removing all the facts and fictions which surround the concept of reincarnation,  I used to wonder how much past lives had to do with me being a transgender person today.  Unfortunately, I went from there to the "I was crazy" misconception accepted by the psychiatric community.

Page 4.- The Back Page.-After an exceptionally wet and windy day yesterday, I considered the "beating" my hair was going through but this time- from a different angle-the rear.  "Oh no! What did the back of my head look like?" Then, I began to compare the back of my head to the dark side of the moon. You assume it's there but you never see it.  The problem  now is, I have to see it and take care of it. Yet another milestone in my trans journey. For better or worse now, I can't see all of my hair in one place in front of me and style it!

Well kids, that's it for this week! As always I take this moment to send a bit of positive energy your way and thank you all for stopping by the Condo!

Jerry "Springs" Forward Past Rude

Did you see this?

 In a surprising move, controversial daytime talk show host Jerry Springer has announced that he will no longer be using the word "tranny" on his show. In an interview with TMZ, Springer responded to criticism over a recent episode of The Jerry Springer Show titled "Trannies Twerk It Out," telling the gossip site, "I've just been educated." "I won't use that term," Springer continued. "I honestly had no idea that you're not supposed to use that term, so now we'll find another term to use."

That's his excuse and it's great he has dumped the term.  Now what about the transpobic Rude Paul?  The obnoxious cis gay man is still carrying the banner saying it's OK to use a gender slur.

Look Behind the Headlines

Cincinnati has an area of it's downtown which used to have the dubious distinction of hosting more murders within a certain area of any place in the country.  Now it's being transformed block by block into a thriving restoration area-almost.
About a week ago, the area was hosting their annual "Bock Beer" Fest and one of the local TV stations was doing a segment of the area and it's recovery.  Of course, as soon as they did, about a half hour later, they reported a person was shot and killed only two blocks away from the festival.

I recently read two stories from Brazil which played out the same way.

The first of which came from the New York Times and featured a look at the rise of transgender models recently on the runways of Brazil. One of which is Melissa Paixao, shown at the left.

Then, not much later I read the story of a slain "transvestite" in Brazil.

Of course I'm not bringing up Brazil for unfair criticism. Especially after I read the story of  Andi Dier. a transgender woman from New York who was roughed up by the employees of The Irish Times Pub and Restaurant in Holbrooke.As she was bruskly removed  from the premise,  Ms Dier says they used transphobic slurs and tried to take her I phone after seeing she had recorded part of the incident.

The moral to the story is, as transgender women or men in any part of the world - many times headlines are just that- only headlines.

No "Mo" Rose?

Paula Gee sent along a short comment about Rose Venkatesan, India's first transgender talk show host:

"OK first in India, how about anywhere else?"

Speaking for the United States, Paula, I don't know of any transgender talk show hosts yet on a major network, unless the person is living under unbelieveable stealth.

There was a short lived moment not long ago to consider Eden Lane, as a replacement on The View.  As of 2012, she was the first (and as of 2012 the only) openly transgender person in mainstream television broadcasting in the United States.

As I see the situation, until the transgender nation clearly crosses the line into mainstream acceptance, at least in this country, very little movement will be made.

Take the View and it's producers for an example. No matter how qualified Eden Lane is, to bring her on board as a regular on the show, is a risk. Complaints from bigoted transphobic viewers do have a tendency to make sponsors a little unedgy. In the same way the transculture can bring pressure to bigoted companies such as Barilla Pasta and Chick fil a...the reverse is true also.

In this country also, Paula, over the last couple of decades, the media has been monopolized by big business. Broadcasting giants such as "Clear Channel" have realized conservative rantings are the way to profits...So finding a place to even start as a transgender talk show host (and get experience) is very difficult. Notice, Eden works for Colorado Public Television.

Finally, the whole idea is a huge "Catch 22". If a transgender talk show host finally becomes accepted as just a woman or a man, then the novelty wears off and the job with it.

Cross Phobia on CBS

Billie commented on our Cyrsti's Condo "Transphobic Make Over" post:

"We cross dressers have always been the butt of jokes .. and sometimes more! It's sad that society still does not take us seriously save for the one thing we can (and most of us) do! I ask, are we to blame in there somewhere?"

Indeed you are right Billie, cross dressers, transgender women and more have been the subject of jokes.

I think several factors are in play.  First of all, comedic drag characters have always been popular as are womanless beauty pageants.  Ha, ha, look at the funny guy in a dress.  The whole concept is just a chance for an easy gag for the writers who are too incompetent to be better.

Another factor is over the years we have created our own cross dressing charactertures. I did it myself "back in the day" going to stores and malls in short skirts and high heels.

Finally Billie, it's time to put the blame where it belongs and put a halt to all of this. No matter what I did years ago at the mall should influence creative comedic writers today. Destructive jokes and comments which damage our standing in the world have to stop, no matter who was to blame in the past.  All of us have ignored this trash too long.

Surprisingly though, this is one area each of us can be a "force of one" to effect change and  stay in the closet to do it. I hate to quote "Tricky Dick Nixon" but the greatest potential force in the crossdresser/ transgender community is the closeted  silent majority.  Think about it,  no one needs to know our motives when all of the sudden we decide "not to buy" Barilla Pasta, why we refuse to watch Mike and Molly or we quietly just don't buy the show's sponsor's products. Remember, the most effective protests are often financial.

Look at it this way too. If we don't follow the lead of the Gay and Lesbian communities and exact change from these bigots, we should be blamed!

Transphobic Make Over?

According to the LA Times Opinion:

“Mike and Molly” has gotten a makeover, and it’s not pretty. Billed as the “new Mike and Molly,” the show is now trying to capitalize on its star Melissa McCarthy’s breakout bawdy movie persona. The problem is that recent episodes of the show have been much in the style of “Two and a Half Men,” another of producer and writer Chuck Lorre’s shows. That is, it has amped up its derogatory jokes for laughs.

As Sue Kerr, founder and editor of the Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents, points out, the show’s transition into lewd humor has come at the expense of the LGBT community. For instance, in the second episode of the season, Mike takes Molly on a ride-along to help her get ideas to write a crime novel. On the ride-along, the two meet Lousette, a trans woman the characters repeatedly misgender and question about her genitals — as if that’s at all necessary to the story. We saw a hint of this so-called humor last season when the show landed in hot water with transgender advocates for using the term “shemale,” a term blogger Trish Mifflin describes as “exclusively associated with pornographic depictions of trans women.” To be called that is dehumanizing for someone who wants to be seen as a person, not a sex object.

After the incident, Kerr claims that GLAAD worked with CBS to make “Mike and Molly” more inclusive of LGBT people, or at least not overtly mock them. That clearly didn’t work out.

The "Non Elite" Hate (oh) Eight

I already posted here in Cyrsti's Condo about  Barilla Pasta's recent homophobic stance and I assume transphobic stance too.


In the wake of Barilla's head honcho, Guido Barilla's homophobic and sexist remarks, a boycott followed, and we were once again forced to realize that some people just refuse to see everyone as equal. "I would never do [a commercial] with a homosexual family, not for lack of respect, but because we don't agree with them," the company chairman told Italian radio Wednesday evening. "Ours is a classic family where the woman plays a fundamental role.

 However, Barilla isn't the first company to express homophobic sentiments, and sadly, they probably won't be the last either. The United States Department of Labor may have ruled that all businesses in every state must provide benefit coverage for same-sex marriages, but that doesn't mean it's going to put an end to homophobia."

Of course their are many more companies which fall into the same category and you can go here to see them.   Some would be a surprise, some not.

By the way, here was my comment:

"Since transgender women and men were not mentioned here, should we assume these companies are transphobic too or are we just as invisible to them as we are to the gay and lesbian community?"

Hint**Even if you are in the closet, nothing is stopping you from steering any of your company catering away from  Chick-fil-A.

Picking up those Bad Vibrations

I happened across a story about Aerosmith's Dude (Looks Like a Lady)...the real story in the Huffington Post.

Over the years I have been negatively conditioned to put "Dude" on my most hated list. One night years ago I was subjected to someone playing it four times in a row on a jukebox in a pub I was in as the manager laughed about it. Plus there were other times when the song "just happened" to be played in a venue or party I was at. These days fortunately I rarely hear "Dude" which has become a transphobic musical anthem in the hands of many.

To make matters even worse is how badly I get creeped out when I see Steven Tyler who obviously has always had a not so secret desire to be a cross dresser. For some reason he just gives me the same bad vibes I get when I see "Rude Paul".

Here is the link to the story and have a hot shower running for yourself after you read it!

We Got Mail!

It seems my comment about the "immoral right" in our country stirred some emotion.

As always, my thoughts do not carry to my written word well at times.

First of all, I feel politics and issues now can be compared with sex and gender- each are so different. To me, issues are what effects my life as a citizen and politics have become way for special interest groups to bully the true issues.

Look, I'm old. I have seen a comedy of errors from both political parties. I'm ashamed to explain to my grand kids how my generation did and still does contribute to such a mess. All in all though, what does any of that have to do with the immoral right, left or center? Everything, then again nothing.

The immoral right I was referring to resides in the pulpits of local preachers spouting an endless stream of homo or transphobic hate,  or behind the microphones of Rush Limbaugh or the camera's of Fox News. One could argue the immoral right has simply utilized the polarizing voices of politics and religion to be the most vocal bully on the block. Misinformation and fear have always been powerful tools in any hands.

So there you go.  I never wanted to talk politics here in Cyrsti's Condo but I did and do. It's important to to take a stand and it's important for all of you to do the same. The problem is, the complex issues facing us have no easy answer and no dynamic leadership to offer us clear cut hope.

The true tragedy occurs when we can't talk about it!

Please go here to see the comments!

A Transphobic Pioneer?

For those "more mature" girls here in Cyrsti's Condo, the "dark ages" of information during our youth and longer is hard to remember. How did we exist back in those days without our cellphones and all the other electronic info devices we have today.  The answer is simple, unless you lived in a major metropolitan area, obtaining any information concerning your gender identity issues was tough to come by.

One of the first persons I discovered was Virginia Prince (left). As with most issues in our community Virginia is thought of in many different ways. On one hand she lived nearly 40 years as a woman but denied being a transsexual, which today could be considered transgender but also was perceived as being homo and transphobic.

None of that really mattered to me as I eagerly read her first couple of books including the "The Transvestite and His Wife"- and never showing it to my wife who knew I was a cross dresser.  Shortly after that in the early 1990's I began to attend far away Tri Ess meetings, a  nearly 150 mile one way trip and subscribed to Transvestia. Published by Virginia.  Ironically, I benefited so much from many of the exact problems she had with others. Transsexuals in particular.

Very quickly I found there were several groups within a group at the so called hetero cross dresser "only" meetings.  One of the "groups" would always separate from the main bunch in the hotel we met at and go to the nearest gay venue. Those evenings included some of my first contacts with the diverse subculture I was in including transsexuals and drag queens. Let's just say I had a fairly good idea a portion of the group were not completely "hetero" cross dressers. I loved the diversity of the group.

Then as today, I do think of Virginia Prince of one of the gender pioneers in my life. She opened my world, although I did view her as a throwback to my stodgy old grandmother.

If you don't know much about her, Dallas Denny has written an excellent in depth look at her life. To take a look, go here.

Damsel in Distress

I have had more than a few struggles with the classic cars I drive breaking down. I have to tell you your car coming to a grinding unforgiving halt as you think you are the most beautiful trans woman ever -is no fun.

Of course the fun meter goes to an all time high when you throw wrecker drivers into the mix! Those rascals! Over the past 5 years I have had to deal with three of them.

The first one I have written about here in Cyrsti's Condo.  He was the first man to strip me of my IQ.  He wouldn't even listen to me telling him how to get to my house!  Silly woman-what did I know? By that time I figured if he thought I was a dumb blond- I would be one and started to ask how this so complicated machinery worked on his "big ol truck". I wasn't sure he ever knew I was trans.

As harmless as the first experience was, the second one wasn't.  The second driver did know I was trans and I think he would have gladly beat me up and left me for dead. He was so bad the company sent someone in another vehicle to follow him.

The third one was OK but made sure I knew he was about the only one who would come and pick up my car from his company.  I didn't care and he got my car home and was gunning for me to send a giant compliment back to the company on him.

I will say times have changed for me and I will not hesitate to report a transphobic driver or company now. Plus it is the dispatcher who basically sets you up for success on these calls.

 Today I thought chances were good for a fourth call as  I was making a fairly lengthy trip.On the way back my car overheated-even though I thought I checked the coolant well before I left.

Approximately fifteen minutes into a two hour trip I had to pull off at an exit, find a parking lot to sit in and let it cool down. Being the prepared person I'm usually not, I even had an extra gallon of coolant with me..provided I had no leaks.

As I waited, a very interesting thought popped into my noggin...did I want a good Samaritan to drive by and stop to offer help.  Every ounce of my spirit was telling me, I was quite capable of doing this job by myself. If I had no leaks I just wanted to get home on a hot humid day...BUT...

Then again, if no one did stop did that mean the way I looked wasn't good enough for an offer of a helping hand to a stranded woman.

What I really did was park in a semi populated big parking lot in the late afternoon, towards the back. The whole time I sat there I think there were only two other cars at all who came close to where I was. I started the car, put the coolant in and all was good and I got home without further incident.

I really didn't start to think much about the other thoughts bouncing around in my ping pong brain until I was safely on the road again. Then again, I didn't even mention the security aspect of a stranger rolling up to help. But all in all the ideas were an interesting relief to a fairly boring drive!

While my Blog Gently Weeps

As I was going through my morning emails, two items struck me as being exceedingly sad. Certainly both plant the transphobic seeds which encourage violence directed at and suicide within our transgender culture.
Neither are new. One was the infamous radical femme site called Pretendbians. So bad I'm not even passing along a link.

Then of course, there our "fair and unbiased"  Fox News Transphobes.

According to Media Matters   Fox seems to have largely given up in its losing battle against marriage equality for gays and lesbians, but there's still one segment of the LGBT community that it feels comfortable openly mocking and demonizing on air: transgender people. In late 2011, during the controversy surrounding Chaz Bono's participation on Dancing with the Stars, Fox News host Megyn Kelly made the surprising move of expressing her support for transgender people. During the September 1, 2011 edition of America Live, Kelly stated: The transgender, they go through so much pain and emotional turmoil in dealing with the effects of that disorder or whatever you want to call it and I don't think they need people piling on and mocking them once they do something that many people consider very brave. But that's me, that's my two cents. [emphasis added]

 That sentiment wasn't shared by her Fox News co-workers, including Fox News "Medical A-Team" member Dr. Keith Ablow, who argued that supporting transgender people was "insane" and "psychologically destructive." In fact, it appears that most of Fox News' employees have ignored Kelly's suggestion. Over the past several years, the network has routinely made the transgender community a target of its mockery, misinformation, and general anti-LGBT fear mongering."

All of this leads to wondering about contacts I have known over the years.  Who have just flat out disappeared.  While I know many times some of them made an attempt to "purge" and go back to their birth gender lifestyle, decided the transgender life wasn't for them or went stealth and never said bye- I understand. The ones I do worry about though are the those who will never return at all and took the ultimate route out the door. Certainly it's not a needless worry in the transgender society with such high suicide rates.

I wonder, do the rad femmes or the folks at Fox  ever worry when they are alone, deep in thought about their actions?

It's so sad that hate in any form gets to this level. I understand the talking heads at Fox are just media bullies trying to make a buck at someone else's expense but the others sooner or later will have to take ownership of their role in all of this insanity. Plus I'm not giving a pass to all the trans nazi's I have known over the years who love to put together some sort of ranking system on frequent flyer miles to Thailand or hours spent under the SRS knife.

So now you know why sadly, I believe my blog will gently weep for a while longer.

OMG!

DUDE! Lose the beard!!!
From Odd Stuff Magazine comes the second coming of Conchita Wurst. No not bratwurst or mettwurst...Conchita.

I had to read this a couple of times to figure out where the writer was really coming from-or where Conchita was. She wrote:


"When I saw the picture I said (very politically incorrect) “Yikes“, when I saw a performance I said “Oh… well…” and when I saw more I said “She will go to Eurovision for Austria“. Conchita Wurst is a fictional character and has come to fame through the recent Austrian casting show “Die Große Chance” in which she came 6th, despite having won the second semi-final.

Wurst (German for sausage) is a woman with a beard, which is exotic enough, but when you hear her sing it’s even more surprising. Her real name is Tom Neuwirth, a shop window decorator who made it (as himself) to the final of the 2007 version of Starmania (He had his coming out during the show). In the final he was beat by no other than Nadine Beiler, who represented Austria this year in Düsseldorf. The Kronenzeitung suggests that the Eurovision application as Conchita Wurst may be an attempt of Neuwirth’s at revenge."

So I guess it's really Tom all along?

This is definitely not Eurovision's first encounter with anything which even hints at a man with a beard singing like a woman.  Back in 1998 Israel's transsexual performer Dana International won the competition. Could it be a shake up in the staid and transphobic American Idol show will break the trans barrier next season? OMG what's next-same sex marriage?

Anyhow, here's a 2012 look at Dana on the Cyrsti's Condo big screen:

The Fight Goes On!

A transgender woman has filed a human rights complaint against a Canadian bridal shop after the owner stopped her from trying on wedding dresses.

 Rohit Singh (left), in Saskatoon, was told “Sorry we don’t allow men to wear dresses here”,’ Singh said. ‘I said I’m not a man, I’m transgender.’ Singh has now filed a formal complaint with the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission. ‘It’s not just my battle,’ she said. ‘It’s the battle for all the transgender community, which are discriminated day by day from all society.’

 Singh's story has a good ending as not only is she keeping the spotlight on the owner of the first shop, she also took money out of the transphobic owners pocket by purchasing a red gown at My Lynh Bridal, just a six minute drive away, where she described the service as excellent. She got married at the end of April.

 As the management of a certain large fast food chicken chain has learned, a financial slap by the gay community can be a powerful deterrent to public homophobic stances.  We just have to do the same in the transgender community. Even if you went from the home closet to the stealth closet.

 For more on the story go here.

Oh No Canada!

From CBC News Saskatoon:

"A transgender bride who was not allowed to try on wedding gowns at a shop in Saskatoon says she will be filing a formal human rights complaint. Rohit Singh said her experience, at Jenny's Bridal Boutique, deeply affected her, in part because she had higher expectations of Canada. "I like to say Canada is so acceptable [with] equal rights for everyone," Singh told CBC News. "At least they should learn a lesson, so after seeing this no other bridal store — or any store — will do this in the future like they did with me." Saskatchewan's human rights commissioner David Arnot told CBC News Friday any discrimination, whether it is direct or indirect that a transgender person experiences as the result of a store's policy or rule, is still a human rights violation."

I just can't wrap my mind around the thought pattern of not letting this young trans woman at the least spend money with you?????? Then again  I'm assuming this bridal shop is run by women. Over the years, I have experienced much more transphobic behavior from women than men.

So Close to Home

From Shane Morgan, Trans Ohio Founder & Chair:

"Tuesday, April 30, 2013 Not One More.

   Those words still resonate with me. It’s the title of a poem written by our board member Erin Upchurch and read aloud at the 2011 Trans Day of Remembrance

. Not One More. Today, we learned that a community member from the Olmsted Township, a western suburb of Cleveland, was murdered and found floating in a local pond. She had been stabbed and tied to a concrete block. Local newspapers quoted people saying that they thought that she was a “mannequin, floating in the water” – the image of this burns in my head, just as the image of Matthew Shepard does – propped up against a fence like a scarecrow.

  Not One More. The outrageous and the stereotypes that have been perpetuated by the media are unthinkable, and honestly I find myself having to be reserved in what I write about them – the media, at this very moment. It disgusts me on so many levels; I don’t even know where to begin. Not One More. “While we remember and honor the life of Ce Ce, we - her community - have the responsibility to ensure that her death, her life and her struggle do not exist in vain," says TransOhio board member Erin Upchurch from Columbus. “The violent death of this young woman is unconscionable and needs to be addressed. Ce Ce was someone’s child but the perpetrator of this horrific crime could not see that all they saw was how she was different and trying to live their life the best they knew how. This is the third trans woman of color murdered in April in the United States alone and this needs to stop! This was a beautiful young lady whose life was stolen from her and all the news can talk about was what she was wearing, shame on them!” shared Cleveland trans activist, Jacob Nash.

   Not One More. “As a representative of MTQWI and the Cincinnati Trans* Community Group, I am both saddened and appalled by the news Cemia’s death. This tragic loss, and how it was handled by the media, reminds us of harsh realities; that transgender youth continue to be at severe risk; that transgender women, especially women of color, are frequent targets of violence; and that society still struggles to recognize trans* people as human beings deserving of kindness, love, and respect. Cemia’s attackers robbed her of her life and the offensively transphobic language of the Cleveland Plain Dealer robbed her of her dignity. We stand with Cemia Dove tonight as members of the trans* community and as fellow human beings,” says JAC Stringer.

   Not One More. It’s a difficult thing to wrap my head around – such intentional brutality intended to be hidden and never surfacing – literally. As a human being, as a compassionate person, as somebody’s friend, brother, sister, child – I can’t even begin to comprehend what Ce Ce’s family and friends are going through. As a community, we cannot allow this kind of violence to continue to happen, nor can we continue to allow the media, those who use our faces on camera or stories on the tv – we cannot allow them to use us – ANY OF US – especially our trans brothers and sisters of color – to be beaten down, brutalized and shown in the media as if there is something wrong with us, that we must have deserved such treatment. Tonight and as tomorrow comes and goes, we must reaffirm our commitment to one another, to our community. We must stand up for one another and put aside differences. We’re stronger together as a unit – let us not forget that. Stay strong. Grieve. Heal. Stay committed. You are worth it. We are worth it. In community,

 Shane Morgan Founder & Chair, TransOhio"

   As the sun came up so brightly on a Spring day and the birds were chirping here...this very dark cloud came across the horizon.

Hormones and the Transgender Jock

Many of you who are regular guests to Cyrsti's Condo know I'm a sports fanatic and of course I'm happy my The Ohio State Buckeyes are going back to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA basketball tournament

Hillary Thompson

Recently though, so much more is happening in sports.  Transgender and  transsexual women are increasingly trying compete with their own gender.  Kick boxer Fallon Fox comes to mind, along with trans golfer Bobbi Lancaster and skate border Hillary Thompson.

Of course I am for equal transgender rights at every turn but I'm not so sure of the inherent fairness of sports competition with genetic females.

I can only go with my own personal observations of how HRT has sapped my male strength but still think my basic body crafted from years of testosterone would give me an unfair physical advantage. IF skill levels and mental attitudes were comparable, changes are I would win.

I also considered the deep seated ideas of athletic competition between men and women which go back to our earliest days of getting beat by a girl.
That theory goes out the window though when you consider transgender roller derby skater Kayley Whalen? I'm thinking most of her fellow female skaters could care less and said so and vice versa as Kayley went on to fight with the bigoted transphobic Michigan Womyn's Music Festival. (Which has barred transgender participation).

Kayley Whalen, right.

.

Bobbie Lancaster

I guess the bottom line is I'm trying to do the infamous "pound the round peg into a square hole game". To each their own and let the best person win...transgender or not.

Pee Papers

Thanks To "Bobbie" our intrepid internet "Silver Surfer" here in Cyrsti's Condo. She passed along this story from the Daily Beast

" If a Republican legislator has his way, you’ll need papers to pee in Arizona. Thanks to the state’s infamous immigration legislation, residents are already subject to searches in order to prove their citizenship status. Now transsexual people will have to prove they are in the “correct” bathroom. A new bill introduced this week by Republican state representative John Kavanagh would make it a Class 1 misdemeanor to use a public restroom that does not correspond to the gender on one’s birth certificate. If a person is reported to be using the bathroom without the proper paperwork and matching genitals, it would be defined as “disorderly conduct” and the person could be fined $2,500 and spend six months in jail."

Obviously transphobic Kavanagh should get a real life and out of ours. If you are transgender and passing through Arizona...better hold it!

But Bobbie finished on a high note with this story from Upworthy:

Have you heard the story about the transgender student who joined a fraternity? Earlier on Upworthy we told you about Donnie Collins, a student at Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts. When his insurance policy turned down his request for transgender surgery, Donnie’s fraternity brothers started a wildly successful fundraising campaign. Total strangers pitched in, then Donnie’s health insurance company miraculously agreed to cover him, and the fraternity raised a bunch of money to help other young people with their surgeries too. Result! So what kind of person could possibly inspire so much love and generosity? Check out Donnie’s thank-you message from last month and you’ll get it. At 1:13 A campaign is born. At 2:38 Here is Donnie’s takeaway At 4:58 Consider yourself kissed, friends At 6:40 Here's the big heartfelt finish"

Thanks Bobbie!

"Dorkism" Part Two

My friend Shelle  lle" was kind enough to comment on my "Dork" post here in Cysti's Condo and to compliment me. So nice!
As always my overactive noggin began to think about the socialization of our inner selves...in our cases mostly girl selves.

To the uninitiated,  females are the warm and fuzzy side of humans.  In reality, their interactions with each other are much more complex than males and often as a group women do have a stronger internal toughness. I found out early on to always be on guard for a negative transphobic public interactions from  women.

What really surprised me though were the negative reactions on line from transsexual women who had gone through SRS.

I try so hard to use these negatives to socialize my inner dork. They are wonderful role models of who not to be.  One problem I do have is a genetic switch of sorts from my Mom to overcome.  Of course I love and respect her for what she was but "warm and fuzzy" does not come to mind. She was a great role model on how not to understand others.

As I throw all these life experiences in a blender (including male ones) hopefully the result will be healthy.
I am a believer in reincarnation and hopefully heading to a higher level after this life.  Hopefully, all this craziness will get me there!

Katie's Transgender Show

Tuesday afternoon in my part of the world, one of the more impressive television shows on transgender youth issues I have ever seen aired on one of my local television affiliates.

Katie Couric hosted a show billed as "Raising a Transgender Child".
Two impressive points were the fact the show was not presented as a sensationalized Anderson Cooper ratings booster and took a serious look at the lives of young transgender children female and male. All of them pounded home the very important point to the casual observer that gender and sexuality were different.
Above I have added a picture from the show including the youngest Coy (six) to icon Renee Richards (78) and yes the other two are transgender also.

Of course the subject of "puberty blockers" was prominently mentioned and experts were plentiful to discuss them. I would guess the more jaded of the public and the transphobic folks would have wanted a few naysayers on the show. In my mind a debate on the subject would have destroyed the continuity of the show.

Of course, I'm sure more than a couple trans nazi's will find something wrong in this show but I'm sure soon you will be able to judge it for yourself on line somewhere. Follow the link above for more!