Transgender Thanksgiving Mail

Received a couple interesting comments to pass along:

1. FABULOUSCONNIEDEENovember 20, 2017 at 11:06 PM

   Thickness can be a problem above the neck, too. :-)
   
   The job I got with UPS has me burning more calories than I am taking in. 100 yards is a cakewalk for me these days! Plus, Seattle is very hilly, so I'm up and down lots of stairs. I don't, however, get lots of stares. ;-) I am a driver's helper, which is a grunt job, doing everything but drive the truck - all in an ugly brown uniform. I was assigned to work with a woman driver who is the same height as me (5'9"), and I think we may weigh about the same, as well. This is a far different way of blending in than I had ever considered before! It's OK though, as yesterday I got to be all prettied-up with a group of ladies at a baby shower for my daughter, and I blended right in there, too. I'm so excited, by the way, that I will have a granddaughter soon who will never know me as "Grandpa" first, as it has been for my other four grandchildren.
   
   Lots and lots to be thankful for!!!!!
2. 
   Paula GoodwinNovember 21, 2017 at 3:48 AM

   Here in the UK we don't do thanksgiving, after all it was for getting away from us that you are being thankful! But I often remind myself how much I have to be thankful for, I live in a modern western liberal democracy, which recognizes my right to exist, offers me the protection of the law, and provides a society that not only accepts, but embraces me.
   
   After TDOR this week this means a lot!"
3. Thanks to both of you!  Congratulations Connie :)
4. Of course this week I am also grateful for my super accepting friends, family and medical professionals!
5. More tomorrow!
6. 
   

Transgender Thanksgiving Week

Here in the United States at least, we are heading into the official week of Thanksgiving. Liz and I braved the hustle and bustle of our mega grocery store yesterday to do her "Turkey Day" shopping. Per norm, there and at a Walmart we went to, no one paid me any attention. This time of year, people are too wrapped up in themselves anyway to notice the occasional transgender woman.

Plus, as I found out from Paula, my height may not be much of a factor anyhow:
"Paula GoodwinNovember 20, 2017 at 5:08 AM

I used to "go out" with a girl who admitted to being five foot twelve inches tall. Of the three of us who (occasionally) work for my business at 5 10 I am the shortest and both the others are Cis women!"

Thanks Paula (follow her link to her blog) I like the five foot twelve inches!

My problem too, is my thickness. There is nothing I can do about being "big boned" but I walk the distance of a football field (100 yards) at least everyday and I am starting to watch my diet again...so I don't have to watch my mid section instead. I have the opposite problem of most cis-women in that I want the weight to go to my hips. Which it doesn't so much.

Through out the week, I will try to post what I am most thankful for. Today, I would like to thank all of you for stopping into Cyrsti's Condo as much as you do. There is no way I would have ever thought my humble efforts would go this far!

Much more to come :)

A Great Time to be Transgender?

With "TDOR" upon us (Transgender Day of Remembrance), it's easy to overlook the recent strides the LGBT trans community has made at the polls.

While indeed, it's a dramatic start, TDOR is a sobering reminder of the violence directed at the transgender community. At one of my support meetings, someone called last year's ceremony in the Greater Cincinnati area "dark."

Doesn't it have to be? I suppose too, some would argue the world as a whole is much more violence and we are just a sub portion. I don't buy that because as long as hate crimes are directed at the trans community, we are no different than other minorities. And deserve the same protections, rather than trying to take them away as we are seeing under the current administration.

The bottom line for all of us to remember on TDOR is none of us are safe from the violence. Especially those who have a difficult time "passing" naturally.

So, let TDOR be a reminder to be careful out there.