Carnival Barkers?

Yesterday, when I visited my daughter, one her her comments was: "My friends want to know what you (me) think about Bruce Jenner."

I just said "A clown show waiting to happen."  Nothing against him, but I will continue to pronoun "him" until he happens to come out, but I just expect the worse.  Sort of like Zoey Tur's comment last night that Jenner's HRT transition meds could have contributed to his tragic wreck. Really???  I guess I better be extra careful since I am on HRT and depression medicine too. Nice job putting the idea in everyone's noggin that we transgender women and men maybe "danger's" on the road.

The only lesson to be learned is no one is an expert and who the hell dug up Zoey Tur anyhow? Surely there maybe someone like Eden Lane (left)  out there, who is truly qualified? But I digress:

Back to my rant - Cognoscenti says it best:

Leelah Alcorn might still be with us had her painful gender odyssey attracted the empathetic national attention Diane Sawyer is reportedly about to shower on Bruce Jenner. But the struggles of a 17-year-old transgender girl from rural Ohio could never compete with the call of the carnival barker.

Few knew her name until Leelah, née Joshua, stepped in front of a tractor-trailer on Interstate 71 20 miles outside Cincinnati a few days after Christmas, one of the 41 percent of transgender people who attempt suicide, according to a 2010 report by the National Center for Transgender Equality and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. Figures about those, like Leelah, who die by suicide are harder to come by in a society that acknowledges transgender people only when they turn up on a hit Netflix or Amazon series, claim Sonny & Cher as parents or grace the front of a Wheaties cereal box.

Follow the link above for more!

What's Wrong With You?

For security reasons, I have all my HRT meds sent to my daughter's house.  It works for two reasons. The meds go to a secure place and I have a fairly regular excuse to see her.  If you stop by Cyrsti's Condo often, you know she is one of my strongest advocates-behind my gender transition all the way.

It turns out my new Estrogen patches showed up recently at her place and I stopped to pick them up.  After a bit of small talk about my grandkids and son in law, she got serious and I knew a big discussion was headed my way.

After a bit of side talk, she got right to the point and asked me why did I come in male drag to the recent birthday dinner for my 10 year old grandson.  She said how much sense did it make if everyone already knew and expected to see the real me?  Well, I thought what the hell, "why did I?" Right or wrong, I knew my excuse - It was his evening and I didn't want to take away from that. That is true but both my daughter and I have been putting off me sitting down with just the three kids for a question and answer. That is scheduled now for next week.

So...here are the three topics of discussion: (8-10-13 year olds)
!.- Is the "new" me any different than the "old" me?  No, I am still old and will share all my interests in history with them. I want to keep doing all we have been doing.
2.- What is this "transgender" thing all about anyhow?  Fortunately the kids are very cerebral and diverse in their thinking already.  My oldest grandson had a very out gay man as a fourth grade teacher who the whole school knew was a very well known drag queen. I am fairly sure I can explain rather plainly and by keeping it PG rated - the difference between being gay or lesbian and a  transgender person.
#3.-And-the tough one: What should they call me?  I am thinking about making it a contest. I'm thinking about "Granny C"?

I will let you know how the experience works out!

In Hot Water?

OK, of all the responses I figured I possibly may get from my transgender "Bucket List" post about going swimming, I missed the point totally on this one. I thought Connie would zero in on me for my "bucket" being large enough to use as a wading pool- or my bucket is so old it wouldn't hold water anyhow!  Here's Connie's comment:

Senior Ladies Water Aerobics class at the community pool? I hear the sharks in Ohio are among the most discriminating; they prefer aged meat. Be careful that your feminine expression does not become just another old expression, considering that "valor is the best part of discretion", that is. :)

**Note-the closest sharks to me are in the Ohio River and they have different names: giant catfish and carp!

Then Paula commented:

Paula GoodwinFebruary 9, 2015 at 5:29 AM

In London and Brighton (and quite possibly other places as well) we have special closed swimming sessions at local pools specially for trans and gender diverse people. It is really liberating, and great fun. Having been swimming with the London group and on holiday I am now challenging myself t use my local pool.

Thanks Paula!  My prediction is if my swimming idea happens at all, it will happen at a hotel pool when Liz and I travel. And, yes Connie, I will warn them ahead of time about an oil slick if I don't wear the right water proof makeup!!!!