Stuff!

OK girlfriends and guy friends...here is a miss mash of stuff (kind of like my closet!),
Number one is another site dedicated to "transequality". The "National Center for Transgender Equality" web site features great information and even a training piece. Check it out!
Way less serious news includes "The Village Voice" reporting that "Lady Gaga" is going to do a video with transsexuals. That is earth shattering! Really? Lady Gaga?

This soldier,who made the "Top Ten Chinese Crossdresser List" just blew me away!
"Back in the day", I had a friend who delighted in carrying "Mao Tsetung's" little red book. I really never believed he ever opened it, but it really upset many people... All he was looking for in our Midwestern town. Seemingly a thousand years later China is emerging as a world force and I thought we would feature a picture of one of China's former soldiers  Well, here she is!
What would "Ozzie" think! Yes that "Ozzie Osbourne". I don't really think "The Oz" is capable of a coherent thought but was he shocked when daughter Kelly ­tearfully dumped ­fiancé Luke Worrall when she found
out he was ­having a secret affair.
The heartbroken star finally ended her engagement to the model when
she discovered he was cheating with Elle ­Schneider, an identikit
blond.

But what Kelly didn't ­realize was that Elle was born a man - and is

now a pre-op transsexual.
Elle, 21, from Miami, revealed her secret to the Sunday Mirror, and
produced an ID card that shows she started life as Reynaldo Gonzalez.
Elle said she was open with Luke that she was born a boy and it turned him on more. Imagine that!
It seems (from my angle) this could be Kelli's fault. Her own transformation resulted in "Elle" and her looking like sisters. Maybe Luke thought that too?

A Visit from The Fashion Goddess!

On a whim I bought a long scarf.
Being the "bargain bitch" I am, it was on sale at one of the big box stores.
It has been exceedingly chilly in my part of the world .Maybe global warming is waiting another year? For such frigid occasions I have a long black wool coat that is very warm and very plain. Hmm, I thought, a scarf! Why not.
Then the indecision set it. What length, what color, fringe or not? Decisions!
In a rare moment of fashion color sense, I chose a paisley style print. It's a rich mix of gold, burgundy and even a little black mixed in. Not too gaudy but enough color to give the coat a little class and me a little more warmth.
Little did I know, the magic scarf would also work well with my "shaggy dog" coat. "Shaggy" is soft warm and fuzzy. The sleeves are long with fabulous soft fringe.
Shaggy and the scarf were instant friends. The gold worked so well with the tan shaggy. The burgundy set off the scarf to make it a highlight. A match made in heaven. But all of us weren't done. A trip through the jewlery box unearthed a little worn broach that happened to have a matching burgundy color.
I did forget this fashion splash began with my creamy tan sweater, tan and black streaked jeans and fur lined boots.
God, I hoped I looked as good as I thought I did! The evening was great fun, so maybe I did.
The bottom line however was the fashion gods just happened to smile on me last night. Why? It may have stemmed from one of the basics learned from my obsessive fashion research.
Build your look and your wardrobe from specific pieces you have collected over the seasons. Last night the newest articles in my wardrobe were my panty hose and the scarf. Everything else was at least a year old and obtained from sales racks to thrift stores.
Lock in on your style and let the shopping fun begin! Be sure though you don't tell anyone about that little "fashion goddess" statue you have hidden in your closet! It's your secret!

Reruns

I found another link concerning "Transgender American Veterans". This comes from "Navy Seals" and give a few more details of the estimated number of transgendered currently serving our country.
Nothing new about "reruns" in the fashion world. We have already mentioned the return of bell bottom jeans and the appearance of transgender models to wear them.
Now, it seems the "shirtdress" is set to make a return. As with any other fashion item, some of us can wear the shirtdress and some can't.
What this dress does is give you girls with the legs a chance to show them off. The whole look could fit with the "Minimalist" fashion trend being pushed by the industry. Solid colors will be in vogue. Not all bad for those of us with bigger shapes!
Think on the bright side, an oversize belted shirtdress worn over a black leotard and tights may be the fashion kick you were looking for!

Got To Have Some Fun!

It's easy to become too serious about the transgendered situation in the world!
This is when it's fun to bring up a quote from The Frisky about some "girly girl" things!

"These days a formal boudoir is hard to come by, so naturally a girl's gotta stake her territory elsewhere. This adorable cream-and-pink shower curtain will be like a flag, telling your gentlemen callers that this room right here is where the magic happens. The vintage beauty supplies depicted on the curtain — curlers, pearls, perfume diffusers — are too cute for words. Every glamour girl needs a bathtub shower curtain as pretty as she is! 

Think about it! Before you put that silky smooth shave to your legs. Before you slip into that new sexy dress and heels...enjoy your own girly girl bath.

How much fun is that!

One more thing girls, don't forget to add a dash of you favorite perfume!

Trans-Vets

A couple weeks ago  the "Don't Ask-Don't Tell" was repealed in the American military.  I thought "great deal!" times really are changing. I still feel that way, but once again where does this leave the trans veteran?
I am a Vietnam era vet, complete with all the baggage.
"Back in the day" any examples of any gay behavior were hidden. All I ever saw was the Senior Master Sergeant of the air base in Thailand  with his "Katoey" walking around the base most mornings,
Being openly gay in today's military is so foreign to me that I really have no point of reference.
I do wonder if I was a trans military person, could I walk into my "CO's" (Commanding Officer) office and demand a new uniform and name change? Why do I think a move like that would be nearly impossible without a blast of outside negative publicity.
I am negative about this. I feel the transgendered public has largely been ignored again. I did attempt a little research and did come up with a website/organization for Trans-Vets.
The Transgendered American Vets
site provided me with a starting point, which is all I was looking for. It also brought up another question concerning the treatment of transgendered veterans by the VA.  I have never read an official policy concerning the "VA" approach to us. I have however heard different regions follow different "unwritten" policies when prescribing hormones and other treatments.
I really have no personal evidence one way or the other. If you do let me know!
With the right amount of publicity and pressure from within, maybe we can climb the same mountains as the gay community.

Get Your Sexy On!

Following my post from last night, my surfing adventures brought me to an article that sort of follows up on what I said. The "Own your own Beauty" blog that I subscribe to (free) often has these little pieces of information.
Our own sexuality and how we project it is a fascinating subject.
From our own "Draco's" reflections on the attitude we project in public to various comments on the blog, sexuality is also a popular topic.
Take a look!

Cyrsti

The Female Essence!

I believe that most of us assume the true female essence is linked somehow to appearance.  Is the true alpha girl in the room the most sexy or attractive? Definitely not!
I had a chance the other night to watch a very plain woman be the sexiest female in the room. She was wearing the usual tight jeans, modest boots and a top that showed just the right amount of skin around her shoulders. She was far from being the most beautiful, but was the sexiest. Why?
The way she approached and held the interest of the man she was with was classic. With nothing more than her personality, she had his undivided attention.
She was my heroine, the wind beneath my wings and more. She reinforced to me the essence of a real woman and how much learning lays ahead!

More Andrej!

I've passed along the story of male model "Andrej Pejic"
Here is another stunning picture!

A "Teflon" Life?

I get many questions of when or if I would go full time as a girl.
I spend precious time considering if and when I could or would.
The fact remains I can. Being out to my daughter removes the only real family obstacle to the move. Finances are the only remaining question. I've gone this far, I'm certain I can figure out the rest!
I recently read a comment concerning a person who lived successfully on both sides of the gender spectrum. He/she felt no friction between the two lives. Like me, she was considering a "boob" job or electrolysis but not much else. As long as his female side had a rewarding, reassuring life all was good.
Now the future? Who knows?
Teflon does wear out. We will see.

A BIG Week!

My daughter and I scheduled a mid morning  "brunch" This week.
I'm not getting any younger (LoL) and have long desired coming out to her for personal and practical reasons.
The personal is obvious and the practical is because she is the immediate responder if something thing happened to me. I really didn't want her to walk into my house and discover a huge amount of female clothes and makeups.
She normally steers clear of the "what if" death question as do most 30ish year olds. For some reason this time she didn't. Let me preface this by repeating that her mother knew of my "trans" leanings from day one of our relationship. I've always assumed my daughter might know.
She asked about how I wanted everything handled when I pass.  Answered all of that and I then said there was an important part of my personal life that would have to be discussed that would involve her.
I quickly added "later". Well, a couple minutes "later" I just told her "you need to know I'm transgendered". Well there it was. The elephant in the corner now had a name.
Of course I was watching closely for her initial reaction. Did she know already or not. Well she did not.
She was truly surprised, but not in a negative sense. I told her I have felt this way most of my life and on a couple occasions could have made the decision to live full time as a female.  This was much more than just putting on a dress on the weekend or wearing panties under my male clothing.
As the conversation moved on, I told her the story of my brother blaming my Mom, her Mom wondering which one of me was going to pick her up at the airport and my Mom's reaction when I came out to her.
At that point my daughter was getting aggravated. The ironic part of all of this was her biggest problem with all of this was "why was I the last to know?"
Needless to say, the pressure was now off and I was on "cloud nine" for several days.
Where do we go from here? It's all up to her. I told her about this blog, but didn't give her the address. If she wants to persue the real me it's here. I will see if she does.
I understand if she doesn't. She has three kids who more than take up her time.
The bottom line is that both of us feel closer to each other. How lucky I am!

Nothing Ventured,Nothing Gained

One of the most beneficial parts of doing this blog is hearing from you!
Over the past year I have mentioned girls such as "Stana, Misty and Janie" What all three have in common is an uncommon courage to go out and live their new lives.
Recently, "Angel and Draco" have stepped forward to give us all a glimpse of their lives.
All of these persons have ventured out and have shared the experience with us.
They ventured out and gained! I understand the many of us don't have the flexibility or the circumstances to follow in the footsteps of these persons.
On the other hand, I hear so many with the well worn excuse "I don't look as good as you so I set alone in my closet".
I guarantee all of the people I have mentioned felt the way you feel at some point in their life. Very few of us have had the physical attributes to present easily as the other gender. On the other hand, there are a zillion "how to" guides to improve yourself. If you use them.
If you have the opportunity, 2011 could be the year you find your true self!