Paris Lees:Dear Ian McEwan:

From across the pond, the "Daily Telegraph" and Paris Lees:

"Everyone seems to have an opinion on transgender people these days - from Germaine Greer to Jeremy Clarkson, they have all offered up their thoughts on trans people.  Ian McEwan is the latest

. As a fan of his books and a trans woman myself, I’m (Paris) very grateful. After all, he seems to have spent a whole five minutes thinking about people like me before sharing all his ill-informed ideas about us with the rest of the world.

“The self, like a consumer desirable, may be plucked from the shelves of a personal identity supermarket, a ready-to-wear little black number,” he said. “For example, some men in full possession of a penis are now identifying as women and demanding entry to women-only colleges, and the right to change in women’s dressing rooms.”

There is a ton of good reading here. Follow the link for more!

Paris Lees CREDIT: NEIL DAWSON FOR ATTITUDE

Is the Cat Out of the Bag?

All of a sudden it seems more and more people know of/a transgender woman or man. The tipping point it's called.

As more of the world knows the truth about us, that we are not the restroom rapists we are drawn to be, will the bully on the other side of the teeter totter take off running?

As you have probably have read, Mississippi is the latest state to legislate the worst legislation against the LGBT community yet. Then again, it's tough to expect much more from a state with a Confederate Flag incorporated in it's flag.

As I understand it, Mississippi's law even dictates an employer can impose a dress code. Does that mean a genetic woman can't wear pants to work?

With all this activity I thought it may be a good idea to see where your state stacks up.

Plus there are states like Kentucky where anti LGBT bills have ground to a halt in session, and Georgia has not been up dated on this map.

It's important to note too, how much impact all of us can have one on one with the world. Especially with our dollars. In fact, yesterday I emailed Asheville, NorthCarolina (billed as one of the most liberal towns in North Carolina) that I had taken them off our possible vacation plans. 

I will let you know if I receive a message!

An Incredible Idea

Yesterday when I got back from playing ping pong with my therapist (she wins everytime!) I received an email which (I paraphrase) asked me to be part of a artist collaboration of how contemporary Cincinnati women use their heads. The piece will be in response to a photo in the "Lloyd's archives of two women in the 1800's posing with baskets on their heads. (No cheap shots about my flat head!)

Regardless of flat, I have a problem on occasion of overthinking things to the point of missing the point all together.

I immediately wondered why me for a photo shoot/interview. Finally it came to me what the artist wanted, a different perspective on how a woman does use her head from one who has lived life from a gender fence. Sometimes finding a lofty view, sometimes getting buried in my own gutter.

I still feel HRT has been the big difference for me. The readjustment of gender hormones in my body has allowed me to find the feminine rainbow which I always knew existed but had such a difficult time fulfilling. 

Needless to say, I can't wait until next Thursday and in the meantime, it will be time to use my hair color and the free hair styling I won (to help the budget.)

Ideally, if the whole project gets accepted, it will be accepted at a bigger show in October.