The Salvation?

I received this comment here in Cyrsti's Condo from Paula Goodwin from "across the pond" in Great Britain:

"I fear that many trans people expect transitioning to solve all of their problems, but it won't, only the gender one!"

I especially think this is relevant to those who go all the way and have gender realignment surgery. I have known some people in my past who ended up being very bitter and disappointed people. Seemingly, they would have been better off pursuing their part time feminine life than living 24/7 as a woman. 

If you remember too, "back in the day" the approved way of approaching being transgender or transsexual was having the operation and disappearing into the woodwork, or becoming the neighbor lady next door. All of a sudden, the round peg was still being pounded into a square hole with little positive result. 

These days, we have more options of course. We are coming to realize the gender fluid spectrum is becoming a real thing. Also, after excessive repetition,the public is slowly coming to realize gender is between the ears and sexuality is between the legs. Plus, there is no such thing as being more transgender than someone else just because of operations. Outwardly, you can appear in the public's eye as little or as as much as you want, even though your mind tells you you're feminine almost all of the time. 

As a sidelight, Stana of Femulate blog fame has a similar personal take on her blog today.

So, society is changing and the person who regularly crosses the gender line at our cross dresser - transgender support group meeting is becoming more in vogue. He/she admittedly is gender fluid and sometimes she comes to the meeting as her male self and sometimes as her feminine side. How great is that?

Quite the Week

Over the past week here in Cyrsti's Condo, I wrote about how busy the week was.

I believe the only day I didn't write much about was my Doctor's appointment on Tuesday. Since I have attempted suicide in my past and I am Bi-Polar, I have two mental health doctors assigned to me. One actually keeps track of my meds and the other of my life. Tuesday, I saw the meds doctor.

During my visit, I had my annual "update." It was worth noting to my Doc how my moods have been very smooth lately and much of it has to do with my decreasing Mtf gender dysphoria. However, I keep expecting it to start ramping back up any day. Unfortunately, I seem to always be looking over my shoulder. An example of positive reinforcement for me came Wednesday night when I went to Liz's martial arts class to pick her up. For a change, everyone there was nice and smiled and spoke to me. I especially liked it when one of them referred to me as "she."

Instances such as the experience always help my fragile confidence. Which in turn helps me live my overall life.

I know some people claim they don't need their anti depression or anxiety meds after they started hormone replacement therapy (HRT) but I am not one of them. In fact I had to make sure I could separate both sides of myself to the Veteran's Administration when I started my treatment years ago. In other words, I was transgender and Bi-Polar and one didn't equate to the other. So far, it's working.

Also this week, I did submit my proposal for a workshop at this years' Trans Ohio Symposium and I did choose the gender dysphoria subject. So far I have not heard anything back.

So, all in all it was a great week.

Gossip Central

Last night,  the cross dresser - transgender karaoke social was mainly a cross dresser dominated affair. Since for once I could hear what was going on around the table, I learned several surprises.

The first of which was one the most surprising was the fact one of the most natural feminine persons at the table still worked as a guy and lived a male existence. I wish I had a picture but you are just going to have to use your imagination.

Adrian Cronauer

Another surprise was another attendee was a transgender veteran. It became interesting how much else we didn't  have in common. She is a "Desert Storm" era marine sniper and I'm an ex American Forces Radio and Television Vietnam Era vet. Yes, I narrowly missed being in Southeast Asia with the late Adrian Cronauer
who Robin Williams portrayed in "Good Morning Vietnam."   She said she didn't see any combat and barely fired her weapon and didn't live in the barracks. I said I didn't even see a M-16 weapon the last two and half years I was in. Out of three.

By not living in the barracks, she meant she lived in a tent. When I said I never lived in a barracks (except basic training), I meant I was paid off for off base housing in Thailand and with my Women's Army Corps girlfriend in Germany. I did even miss out when the pesky Viet Cong mortared the air base I was working at in Thailand.

Robin Williams

Finally, still on the subject of transgender veterans, one of the group members (also a vet) who moved became the topic of discussion. She was the member who claimed at one point in time she had all the signs of pregnancy, even to the point of being intersexed. It turns out the whole story might have been just that...a story. Since she now lives in Minnesota, not Ohio, she couldn't speak for herself.

But hey, the group was proving they could gossip with the best of them.

Of course, my least favorite person of all was there. He/she was still talking the same line of trash trying to make in roads with my partner Liz or even Aggie, the very presentable cross dresser I mentioned earlier. Last night I was fortunate I could set down the table farther and ignore most of the trash.

At least it kept it interesting.