Thank YOU Girl Scouts

I have a granddaughter who is in the girl scouts and my daughter is very active in the scouts too.
I have been very out to my daughter since last spring.
Along the way we have discussed how we would approach the three grand kids with my transgender issue. I would like to publicly thank the girl scouts for their help.
If you remember the story, a young transgender girl wanted to join the girl scouts in Colorado. The local girl scout pack said "no" but the national organization said "yes".
My granddaughter was curious what transgendered even met and my daughter took the time to carefully explain what being transgendered met and used the whole time to open the door to future discussions about my transgender status.
 She told her and then left it alone to give her daughter a chance to come to her own understanding.
The two of us then went on to discuss how much better life would be if other parents would simply allow their kids to understand that difference isn't bad.
Of course we are biased!

Making a Transgender Difference

Women like these are fighting to make our lives easier!

Dionne

Dionne Malikowski was recently suspended from
Fort Collins High School for violating a policy by using a girls' restroom. She was told to use the faculty restrooms.
The 16 year old transgender woman
believes she should have the same rights as any student to use the bathroom of her choice. But the fallout from following her convictions
is prompting her to transfer to another school.
She said: "I just want people to understand that there are so many kinds of
people out there, and people who are a little different shouldn't have
to be treated differently or looked down on."
Yes!!!!!

Vandy Beth Glenn

Vandy Beth Glenn was fired from her state job in Georgia after informing her employer
she was transitioning from male to female.
She fought the decision and won.
Greg Nevins, Lambda Legal
supervising senior staff attorney from Atlanta who will be arguing the
case on behalf of Glenn issued this statement.  "It is clear Vandy Beth Glenn was fired because her boss didn’t like
her as she is. That is unfair and illegal.
The law is on our side here, but transgender employees are still vulnerable to sex discrimination from their employers who don’t understand it.
A clear statement from Congress — made by passing the Employment
Nondiscrimination Act — would protect LGBT employees and provide
helpful, clear guidance to employers. Because nobody wants the right
to sue as much as they want to be free of work-place discrimination in
the first place."
Glenn has been receiving a paycheck based on her 2007 earnings but has not been allowed to return to work.
Can't say enough about brave transgender women such as Vandy and Dionne!

VA Transgender Update

During my time away from all of you, much has happened in my push to get the Veterans Adminstration to help my transgender status with hormones.
Here is a short recap for those of you who maybe are little newer here. (Forgive me if my knowledge of the positions and titles of some of  the VA peeps I deal with are a little vague).
To begin with, the person who monitors the meds I receive from the VA said she was qualified to prescribe BUT...she preferred a consultation first.
I went through that process with four meetings with a psychologist and she approved me for hormone therapy BUT...no one in the Dayton, Ohio VA Medical Center would would or could actually prescribe BUT...there may be some other options.
One of the options was to go to an outside medical doctor and petition the VA for a co-pay of sorts. The first appointment with this highly recommended doctor was supposed to have happened today but didn't BECAUSE...I had a flat tire on the way to the appointment and couldn't get there.  Really.
I was devastated and was able to reschedule in a couple of weeks.
I then backtracked and tried a recommended source within the VA for copay information AND..hit a brick wall.
BUT...we all know brick walls can be climbed or ran around and here is the latest idea from yet another VA person. The one person who had been left out of this loop for whatever reason was my primary care physician.
I was told if he approved the hormones, I may be able to get them from the in house pharmacy.
SO...I asked him and he responded he didn't really know if he would because I was absolutely the first transgendered person he had ever treated. SO...if I did follow through with the private phyiscian on the whys, when and hows of the proposed hormone therapy, he would consider it.
NOW...I'm very much in the game with a couple very realistic opportunities to make this happen plus some of you have added a few great ideas.
MY...final point is and has been, if a transgendered vet in California can be prescribed hormones; why can't I in Ohio.
I know where "where there is will, there is a way". Not a single step of my transgendered journey has been easy and I didn't expect this one to be any different. I only need the one person who is more concerned with helping me than covering their own rear.
If I can't find that person I will consider a few of the recommendations I have received on petitioning the higher ups.
If the VA is serious about their recent directives on helping trans vets then I'm serious about taking them up on it. 
I will keep you posted!