Spring - Un Sprung?

Typically, this time of year is when Momma Nature teases us around here with spring time weather one week with tender new flower blooms and just as suddenly tosses in a few cold rainy days reminiscent of fall weather. Both of which put strains on which wardrobe to wear. Of course, I had put most of my fall and winter wear away after the summer like weather last week.

At any rate, my fave grocery store shopping is to shop the butcher/seafood shops for fresh specials. Cincinnati does have a long running permanent farmers market but it is too far to be practical for me to get to. So, today I threw on a soft form fitting long sleeve top I have with a pair of boyfriend jeans and headed to the store.

Of course, I had to treat myself to a coffee from the store's coffee shop before I started to shop! And, I was treated back with "Thank you Mam'" in return which made the frappacino taste so much better! Then I decided to see if I could find some fresh wild caught seafood on sale and did. (No, not from the Ohio River :)

Again the clerk was pleasant and thanked me nicely.

I often wonder what life would have been like if I could have enjoyed an existence such as this earlier. Better late than never I guess!

Being a transgender woman in the world never felt so good and so completely natural. Whe would have ever "thunk" it?

Not me.

Trans Ohio Part III

First of all I understood the demographics this year were a little different. The 9th Trans Ohio Symposium drew over 250 plus attendees this year which was a record and could create the need for more space in the already huge The Ohio State University student union.

The attendee's seemed to be a bit more diverse this year. Not too young, not too old (like me) and quite a few middle age folks and couples. But a nice contingent of youthful attendees enjoying the safe space I assume.

Clothing wise, most dressed in comfortable attire (jeans or slacks) with the occasional dress mixed in. I must point out though, the weather was terrible with tons of rain and a huge marathon which basically ran past the front of the campus main drag (no pun intended.)  So, heels and hose would have been tough to pull off.

Racially, per norm, the audience was overwhelmingly white.

Sure, there were some fashion mistakes, but I thought from my basically conservative perspective that this was the best year yet. I enjoyed the fact there were a number of quests that I couldn't tell were transgender or ally's.

In fact, I thought this whole year was the best I have attended out of four and I know from my back ground how much work it took to put it on.

All I can say is Wow! and thanks to the organizers!

Trans Ohio Part II

It's interesting to me that looking back on the Trans Ohio Symposium, workshop wise, I basically only remember the poor presentations except for one (by a transgender man) on positive and negative attitudes as you transition.

Being a history degree holder in college, I should have known better than to even try to go to the "Trans History" presentation as most history professors obtained their degrees by excelling in making paint dry. (That interesting!) I envisioned the person who lectured us as one of those undergraduate profs at The Ohio State University who teach (?) those huge courses with a microphone and "Power Point" screen.

Oh well, another hour out of my life I won't get back. Connie, though had a thought for next year:

"It sounds as though you need to think about filling the trans history slot for next year's symposium. You are, after all, both a historian and a transgender woman. I've thought about doing something like that, but I'm afraid I'd come across more as an "add junk" professor (it wouldn't be boring, anyway:-)"

Liz and I have been talking about coming up wit a more interactive workshop. Hopefully expanding on the participants knowledge in the room and calling it something like "It's been a Dark Closet, A Half Century of Transition."

Thanks Connie, I too can add my share of junk :).

I am thinking too of taking this all a step further and volunteering to help with the whole symposium after I found out how active Trans Ohio has been on the state wide scene. But we will have to see on that as there already is a representative from the Cincinnati area.

One way or another, the call for presenters for next year's event is only about six to eight months away, which will slip by before I know it!