Second Class Citizens Again

In a not so surprising move, the "evil elf from the South-Jeff Sessions" took away the transgender protections from The Department of Justice who will no longer argue that workplace protections on the basis of sex protect transgender people from discrimination. That’s according to a new memo from Attorney General Jeff Sessions obtained by BuzzFeed Thursday.

The new policy reverses a policy put in place in 2014 by then-Attorney General Eric Holder. The fundamental question is whether denying someone employment based on their gender identity (i.e. being transgender) constitutes discrimination on the basis of that person’s “sex,” as protected under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. Holder held that trans people fall under that category, but Sessions has now reversed that and declared they no longer enjoy such protections.

Can't say I didn't see it coming when the new administration was elected. It is so sad and tragic to live in such a violence ridden country where I am a second class LGBT citizen!

Just think ahead all of you who are still in the closet. If/when you decide to come out, your legal protections are disappearing. Be careful of your vote! 

Tom Petty

Sort of lost in the Las Vegas terrorist tragedy was the untimely passing of musician Tom Petty.

Perhaps a little known fact about him was his support of the LGBT

transgender community.

In fact, in his later shows he included a picture of the late Alexis Arquette. (left)

Although Tom Petty's music will be sorely missed by many of us, his legacy will live on.

Another R.I.P! All too soon.

Better Late Than Never...A Transgender Life

this comment comes from Connie, and reveals her struggles transitioning into her trans life today:

"Yes, opportunity is maybe the thing that makes transitioning a possibility. For those of us who are transitioning now in our 60's, there was very little in the way of opportunity when we first struggled with our gender identities. If I had an oldest known picture of myself, it would be from a Polaroid camera, and I think still in black and white, as the color cameras had not been invented yet (getting a roll of film developed through the local drug store was NOT an option, for fear of outing myself). It never occurred to me to take my own pic as a child, though, because I was always very careful not to leave any evidence of my cross dressing "opportunities." Those are not the opportunities we're talking about, however. The opportunities we need to consider are, more precisely, found in the available options. There were few, if any, available to us 50 -60 years ago.

I've never subscribed to the saying: "a woman trapped in a man's body." The trap, for me, had always been the lack of available options - no exit door from my closet, so to speak. So, I must say that it was much harder to live with that than the transition process has been. I had become more than entrenched; I had dug a very deep hole for myself.

I would not recommend waiting for nature to reduce testosterone levels. I don't know if my "softer features" are the result of that, or just that I have a fat face. :-) I only know that I would have been better off had I had much less of it (testosterone) in the first place. I'd be much better off without much of the fat now, but I'm hoping to become the white Queen Latifa these days, anyway. ;-)

I remember when my own kids paid me almost no attention, but that had nothing to do with my gender identity back then. :-)" 

I remember the embarrassment of outing myself unknowingly to a guy I knew at a drugstore once when I took a chance and had a roll of film developed! Plus, like you, I too have never accepted the "trapped woman" theory of why I was a cross dresser or later, transgender.

Thanks (as always) for the input, Connie.