Was It The Hormones?

Yes, I did get a bit emotional when I watched a trailer for the motion picture "Bully" which will be released in select theaters on March 30.
Obviously the title of the movie describes it-the increasing violent bullying going on in many schools. The activity once again drove a student in Ohio to violence in a high school recently when he brought a gun to school and killed a fellow student.
We all know transgendered youth are particularly prone to bullying.
The problem with the film is that it has been slapped with an "R" rating which effectively hinders a young person's ability to see it.
Read about it in this "Change.org" release, to see the trailer and to sign Katy's petition:
"A 17 year old in Michigan is trying to change the rating.

Katy Butler knows how it feels to be bullied. When she was 12, four boys came up behind her. They called her names and shoved her into a wall -- then they slammed a locker on her hand and broke her finger. “I held back tears while I watched them run away laughing,” she says. “I didn’t know what to do so I stood there, alone and afraid.”

So Katy, now in high school, was thrilled when she heard about a new documentary, Bully, that sheds light on America’s bullying epidemic. The film’s distributor, The Weinstein Company, even had plans to screen the film in middle and high schools across America.

But it was just announced that the Motion Picture Association of America has decided to give Bully an “R” rating, meaning no one under the age of 17 can see the movie -- and it can’t be screened in middle and high schools.

Katy thinks it’s ridiculous that the MPAA would prevent teens from seeing a movie that was made specifically to help them fight back against bullying. 

Potential Transgendered Advances In Ohio

Springfield, Ohio City Commissioners are considering a new ordinance banning discrimination based on "sexual orientation".
This ordinance does not have the huge loop hole which leaves transgendered women and men out.
Specifically, this is how the definition in the ordinance reads:
"Sexual Orientation" actual or perceived heterosexuality, bisexuality, homosexuality or gender identity , by orientation or by practice by and between consenting adults."
So of course when any reference to sexual discrimination appears, transgendered people are covered.
My disclaimer here is, I'm far from a legal expert. With all the political primary propaganda heating up I know that anything can be twisted. I believe my interpretation is correct.
This ordinance will be voted on tonight. We will see how well our cause is advancing in the "Heartland" of America!

The Winds of Political Transgender Change

It was not so long ago the average transgender or transsexual person could just hope change would come politically to our culture.
Now in many areas of the country, transgendered candidates are beginning to seek elected positions.

Trans Woman Candidate Gina Duncan

In some areas, the change is astounding.
Read this story from the "Orlando Sentinel" to see what a difference a decade makes!
Here's an excerpt.
When Randy Ross was running for Orange County School Board in 2000, he had a secret.

"I was worried people were going to find out I was gay," Ross said.

"What a difference a dozen years can make. Now there are three openly gay candidates on this year's Orlando City Council ballot — including Ross — and a transgender candidate running for the Orange County Commission.

As society has grown more accepting of gay people during the past decade, more candidates for public office have grown willing to campaign without concealing their sexual orientation. And with issues of equality — gay marriage, adoption and workplace benefits — heating up, more members of the gay community are drawn to politics."

You as well as I probably noticed there was no mention of a transgendered candidate in the opening paragraphs of this story- or society becoming more accepting of transgendered culture.When you follow the link though you will find several paragraphs towards the end of the article about Trans Woman Candidate "Gina Duncan".
It is crucial in these situations to not be lumped in to a giant gay category. In many ways the gay culture is as clueless to who we are as the straight culture.
Now, if we can educate the culture on who we truly are-change just could happen quicker!