Transgender Awarness Week

Again I present another thoughtful post from Connie:

"Here I am, on Thursday, just becoming aware that this is Transgender Awareness Week. Could the reason for it be that I am constantly trying to forget my own transgender status, and that being aware of the "trans community" requires that I also be aware of myself? I think I have moved along in my own transition to the point where I look at transgender issues more from the outside than as one from within the community itself. 

Of course, I have empathy for people, especially the children, who are struggling with their own gender identities, and although I don't expect the general population to ever understand those struggles as I do, I wish that we could just be aware that we are all human beings. As Maya Angelou wrote, "We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike." Bullying is not acceptable human behavior for any reason. 

I was bullied as a child because my extreme efforts to hide my gender identity caused me to appear to be a weird kid to some people. Whether it was worse than the bullying a child must endure for coming out or not should not be the question; the awareness by either party is altered by individual perception. Maybe this should be Transgender Perception Week, then, yet are we more concerned with the perception of the transgender person or those perceptions of the rest of society?

 I have to believe the awareness is already established by now, and we should be dealing with the perceptions by moving on to a level of acceptance - at least tolerance. The awareness we need to spread is that we are more alike than unalike."

Just an idea Connie that sooner more than later one enters a state of stealth in their transition, if you seek it or not. Some of us stay in the "arena" to perhaps help others as some sort of activists. Some just go away which is OK too.

We will see what the future brings with the new administration and how closely we will all have to band together to effect more change.  For those having trans "passing privilege" going farther underground to be left alone would seem to be the natural way out. But fortunately, the younger generation isn't seeing it that way.

Good Karma Day

I am a real believer in Karma and today should be a good one for me. (I need so much!)

My first stop this afternoon will be a stop at the site of the Greater Cincinnati Transgender Day of Remberance. As I have written here, I am on the set up committee and my responsibilitees include gettting participarts from "Point A" to "Point B" etc. I figured it would be important if I knew first :).

Tonight I am going to a monthly "safe haven" meeting and donating a few supplies for the hardcore homeless in Cincinnati.

At least it will be a good day for it-70 and sunshine. Tomorrow windy and temperatures in the 30's with the possibility of snow. Never a boring moment!

Makeup as a Art? Form?

Using makeup most certainly isn't a problem just for transgender or cross dresser women. Just look around for all the makeup counters and commercials you see for us all.

Like so many others, I was convinced until I found a woman to do my makeup, I would struggle forever. While some would argue I still struggle, the first real professional makeup job I had was from a man.

I was a member of one of the early so called hetero cross dresser clubs in Columbus, Ohio in the 1980's and one of the meetings featured free makeovers by a couple of professionals. Most of the members there were too shy to wipe off all the makeup they applied and start over but not me.

Of course back in those days I had far fewer wrinkles to deal with and was blessed with smoother skin and the professional worked wonders. So good I barely knew me!

The true tests were to come later when the so called "A" list cross dressers began to compliment me and even invited me to tag along that evening when they went out after the meeting.

Finally, the evening came to an end with one of those "what if" moments when a real live guy ignored all of them and asked me to stick around for a drink. At the spur of the moment "Cinderella" decided she would leave with them and go back to the hotel.

In the days, weeks and years ahead I tried my darnest to copy all the makeup guy told me to not much avail.

Every now and then I have someone ask for advice and I always say if you have the budget, go to a professional and buy the basics only. If you don't, experiment and don't let the mirror lie to you. Plus you can read tons of tutorials on line which focus on value versus effect.

Rest assured the mystery of makeup does get easier but it takes work and most certainly the whole process is one of the most pleasureable parts of being a woman.