Did You Hear?

From Variety :  “Law & Order: SVU” has always looked to the headlines, and the upcoming 17th season is already planning to highlight a hot topic issue: the transgender community, which was recently brought to the spotlight in Bruce Jenner’s “20/20″ interview.

“We’ve already started our season 17 storylines. We’re doing a story about a transgender teenager,” showrunner Warren Leight told Variety Tuesday, the first day the “SVU” team began prepping the first episode of the upcoming 2015-16 season — which also happens to be the same day the cast was shooting the finale episode for season 16, which airs May 20. “The world keeps evolving, and there are a lot of dark areas that we need to look at,” Leight added."

If I am reading this right, Law & Order SVU doing a "dark" show on a transgender teen, means they "might" address trans bullying and violence. But, maybe Jenner is getting too much credit here. The show producers may had been noticing the real dark sides of life transgender youth face.

Liz Speaks!

I write quite a bit about my partner Liz and we talk all the time about her becoming a regular contributor to Cyrsti's Condo. This is her response today  to a question on Local 12 WKRC TV Cincinnati concerning the upcoming Supreme Court ruling on "Same Sex Marriage": (on the station's Facebook page.)

I live and was born and raised in the greatest country in the world, with a Government who crafted a Constitution that is supposed to represent Equality for ALL of it's Citizens. Immigrants from all around the world flock to this country to live the American Dream, and they can become US Citizens and get married. (YAY! That is what the American Dream is all about!) I live, work, and pay taxes in this Freedom Founded country, and I have for 52 years, yet I am not allowed to Wed and have that marriage recognized? Who out there has the RIGHT to say that I am to be denied the same right to marry the love of my life and have it recognized? Whatever happened to the "separation of church and state"? This is an American Civil liberties issue, NOT a religious issue!

Thanks Liz!

Installing Windows in Your Closet

Recently here in Cyrsti's Condo, I added a sentence or two about a transgender woman here in Cincinnati who was interviewed after the Bruce Jenner interview show. She spoke of being totally alone among other things.

I reached out on Facebook to the very active "Transgender Community of Cincinnati" Facebook page and finally I am getting feedback.  A couple local transgender women seem to have met her, but don't really know how to get in touch. Meaning, she doesn't seem to have any social media presence. Maybe she doesn't want to, but I'm thinking don't go on television discussing it. Maybe though (it's possible) I'm missing the point. As Connie said:

"Being alone is different than being lonely, however. I remember a time when I could find people within the trans community via organized meetings or activities at least two times a week. I still can, of course, but I learned that, even though my participation helped to relieve my loneliness (especially when my only alternative was to stay locked up in the house), I was still alone when it came to really living my life. It's comforting to me that I have these outlets when I might need some support, but it's up to me to establish relationships outside of the trans community so as not to be alone. I'll admit to having avoided close relationships throughout my life, when to do so would have made keeping my "secret" even more stressful than it was. Since I never developed the necessary skills to form and nurture these relationships, I am still feeling alone - as well as lonely - much of the time now."

I too, have never had many "close relationships" in my life. And, I blamed my gender dysphoria on why but then again, my brother hasn't either. 

Then, there is a difference between being social and being socialized. I was fortunate enough to be socialized outside of what's referred to as a typical trans or cross dresser groups. Before you begin to think I am making value judgments, I am merely saying I was thrust into more "real world" transition situations.

So, of course I don't know where (if any) of those categories the local trans woman may fall into. I just know many of us around here are very paranoid about someone-anyone not being able to install any windows in their closets. Because of of Leelah Alcorn. We all know what the worst case scenario could be.

Cyrsti's Conco "Cover Girl" of the Day

Marcin Majewski Madox on MTV birthday party at La Playa, photo. AKPA

Our feature today is the androgynous Mtf performer Marcin Madox

Most Likely To?

Presidential Candidate Ted Cruz (left) - with gay hotel owner Mati Weiderpass

Question. When will presidential candidate Ted Cruz embarrass the gay community and come out of the closet?

Cyrsti's Condo "Quote of the Day"

You Can't See This Post

This post is in "stealth" mode. "Stealth" is yet another facet of the transgender world that- well- fly's under the radar. By choice, you don't read or hear much about it. In my entire experience as a cross dresser,  after  I began HRT and transitioned into my life I lead today, I have never had a person come up to me and introduce themselves as a "stealth" transgender or transsexual woman. Of course, that would defeat the purpose. Why would they?

Perhaps one of the next best things happened to me today when I ran across a look from the "invisible side" from Helen Boyd's Blog, (if don't follow it-you should. What caught my eye was her post entitled "Important Stealth Voice." At that point, I jumped over to her blog and then discovered her link to another blog by Natasha from Australia called "Here, let me Show you my Scars."

When you have a chance, it is worth a visit to both of their blogs!

One final word on being "stealth". It's a huge difference than being alone. After Bruce Jenner's interview Friday night, one of the Cincinnati television stations spoke with a local trans woman who talked of being totally alone. Immediately, Liz and I tried to reach out into the local trans community to see if anyone knows her. We would be more than happy to meet her for a cup of coffee. But so far, no one seems to know anything about her. Seclusion does not equal stealth these days. It's an outmoded idea in many places.

Cyrsti's Condo "Who Is the Princess?"

Unidentified Pinterest cross dresser

I know he thinks he wants to be the princess but a tiara too???? Really?

Damn! I'm Old!

In this day and age when more than a few transgender women want to throw the "I am more trans than you card" and many of my most asked questions pertain to when did I know I was gender dysphoric , this newspaper article pretty much says it all: (kind of-or at least a starting point)

 ((Originally published by the Daily News on December 1, 1952. This story was written by Ben White.)
At that time, I was approximately three.

Of course my reading skills at that age were less than stellar, so I can't tell you I went out and read my parents newspaper about the story.

What I can tell you is, not so many years later I did hear of the Christine Jorgensen story and was fascinated. So, I guess my trans pedigree is blurred. I can't say the first time I read the Jorgensen story at the age of three I knew I was transgender or transsexual or any other of the words which had not even been invented yet. So i guess I am not trans enough for most. Blah, blah, blah.

On the other end of the age spectrum, I was listening to one of the national sports talk radio shows this morning and they were having quite the Bruce Jenner discussion. With no particular horse in the race, Dan Patrick matter of factly pointed out most younger peeps never knew how much of a famous athlete Jenner was. Plus he (Patrick) could not shake the idea the subject was very serious but Jenner was using the interview as a "teaser" promo show for the upcoming reality series.

Transgender "Catfishing"

Ever watch the "Catfish the TV Show"? By total accident  recently when I couldn't find my remote-again-I stumbled upon an episode  about a guy named Jamie and girl named Ari.

Briefly, a "catfish" on a site such as Facebook is misrepresenting themselves as who they really are.

So, as I banged away at my computer, I wasn't paying in real attention to "Ari" who "had a secret of sorts she was hiding from Jamie. Well, it turns out Ari was/is a transgender woman.

I thought "here we go again." But surprisingly, Jamie took it fairly well and it was Ari who basically shutdown everything and walked off.

Most importantly to me was the link MTV added after the show-providing information and possible help to transgender women and transgender men. Follow the link above and you should be able to view the episode.

Cyrsti's Condo "Sunday Edition"

KER PLUNK! Another edition of Cyrsti's Condo "Sunday Edition" is hitting your virtual front porch. It's a chilly, sunny spring morning here in Ohio so the "Joe" (coffee) is on and lets get started.

The Week that WAS or Wasn't.- Finally the much awaited Bruce Jenner interview with Diane Sawyer has come and gone. The two hour show at the least created a whole different level of who we are as a transgender community as many television stations featured a follow up interview with a local trans woman after the show. However you want to look at it, a whole new group of people were able to see we trans people are just that-humans. Not the monsters painted out by local bible thumping ministers or right wing politicians. To put this week in a "Jenner-esk"  sports reference-he has passed the (decathlon) baton to us and it's up to each one of us to run with it.

Hello Carol and Debbie!  Last night Liz and I went to a local Gay Couples get together at one of the couples beautiful home. Not long into the evening we began chatting with a lesbian couple (Carol and Debbie) and enjoyed it immensely. I should say a long term married lesbian couple. Not too long after we began chatting, I broke two of my personal promises to myself-as inane as they may be. I was not going to out myself or discuss Jenner. Blah, blah, blah. We did talk about Jenner and it was cool and as far as "outing" myself-everyone there I suspect knew anyhow. I was flattered to find several went out of their way to make me feel welcome. Good to meet both of you!

We Got Mail! I 'm going to sort through a couple which centered on Bruce (of course). The first comes from CalieApril 25, 2015 at 1:17 PM

I've got to agree. (about Bruce's media storm) The whole thing makes me very uncomfortable and I don't know why. My gut feeling is that this is not, at least right now, good for our community. Perhaps at some point I'll blog about my feelings on this whole thing. For now, it's a circus and the media - my occupation - is making the most of it. Funny how the story came out on the second day of the most important rating month of the year.....

Thanks Callie! There are no "coincidences" in the media-right? And another person who should have her own blog - Connie:

"The best we can hope for is that public awareness will open a few more closet doors, as well as a few more hearts. I think that we often forget how long it took for many of us to come to grips with ourselves and our gender identities. We need to give others some time to deal with it, as well. Whether coming out can be construed as an act of bravery (as many are saying about Bruce) or not is nothing compared to the responsibility we have to both ourselves and others when we do so. One of the most important things Bruce said was at the outset of the interview, asking that we keep a sense of humor about all of this. Humor can go a long way in easing the suffering of slings and arrows, as well as in keeping our own nobility - if not, at least, our own humility."

The Back Page:  Finally, what was the tasteless idea for a "joke" sandwich aimed at Bruce Jenner. It was part Taco and part Hot Dog. There you go. Essentially though, it doesn't matter what the sandwich was or the intended humor behind it. We (trans) have been the subject of jokes, smirks and out and out laughter- the world just needs to know they aren't funny anymore. Someday with equal rights and acceptance humor will be be fine, until then one person's "humor" is another's salt in the wound.

So there you go!!!! Another Sunday Edition in or "on the can." Have a great week!