Quote of the Day

Once you figure out there is nothing else you can do-then you need to find what it is you need to do.
Cyrsti

Another Myth Destroyed?

In transgendered history the legendary "Chevalier D'Eon" was a French spy, diplomat, international traveler and transvestite.
He was rumored to have spied on a Russian Czar dressed as a maid and London Stock Exchange members even ran a pool about his true sex.
All wonderful fireside stories to tell the young cross dresser in your family- BUT!
This portrait was just found and sold which ruined all of my preconceived notions about the "Chevalier".
Either this is not really him, was not a good day for him or was painted on a "male" day. Whatever the cause he is probably turning over in his grave knowing this portrait came to light!
This has to be the "before"!

Quote of the Day

"No matter where you go-there you are!!!"
Unknown

Being Transgender in America

If you haven't seen or heard this yet, MSNBC's Melissa Harris-Perry featured a show last Sunday on being Transgendered in America.
I'm going to post this video here in the condo in our "Home Entertainment Center" .
Here's a quick look from guest "Mara Keisling" who is the Founding Executive Director, National Center for Transgender Equality who said:
"For one of the first times that I can remember, trans people got to outline to the public at least part of the trans political agenda for ourselves. From health care access, to barriers to updating identity documents, to talking about jail and detention reform and raising awareness of CeCe McDonald's story, we finally had a chance to bring trans issues to a national audience as trans people. 
From the first appearance at a trans event by a sitting Cabinet Secretary to the incredible list of policy victories we’ve achieved in the past year, trans policy is now firmly part of the political debate.  Of equal importance is that now, the conversation around the country is moving in our favor, symbolic of  important cultural progress in our movement."

She will join the Melissa-Harris Perry Show on a nationally televised panel discussing the movement for transgender equality. Mara will join other trans advocates Kate Bornstein and N.Y.C Council Candidate Council Candidate Mel Wymore to examine recent trans policy victories and current challenges.
The whole video to me took on a surreal feel to me.  All these years of watching all the other groups explaining their feelings, lifestyles and rights-now I'm watching my group.
It's about time!

Transgender Comics?

On the heels of the huge "Glee" episode we featured when they added a real live transgendered character. Not a gay or a lesbian character-a transgender character. For once we get separation from the other two.
Now Archie Comics has announced that Issue #636, which is scheduled for release on August 22, will focus on issues related to gender and perceived gender roles by featuring gender-swapped versions of the three main characters.
In "The Great Switcheroo," Archie, Betty and Veronica will become Archina, Billy and Ronnie thanks to a magical spell cast by two special visitors to Riverdale -- Sabrina the Teenage Witch and her cat Salem.

I picked up this story from the "Huffington Post"
Check the story for a couple more very interesting links plus I'm going to post a couple other illustrations here (in the "Gallery") and on "Trannsnation"!

Fluid Transsexuals?

As we continue to beat one another up internally and as a community for what we are,  yet another fascinating study is coming to light which proves once again much of our anguish is something we had no control over.
This look at being a man in the morning and a woman at night comes from the "Scientific American" site:

"A graduate student of famed neuroscientist Vilayanur S. Ramachandran has found a group of men and women who report that their sexual identity can switch involuntarily to that of the opposite sex and back again. The transgender metamorphosis, these people assert, can occur several times a day and at inopportune moments. It is also accompanied by the sensation of phantom breasts or genitalia of the non-biological sex.
The research grows out of Ramachandran’s long-standing fascination with the study of body image and how it contributes to a basic sense of the self, work that has included investigations into the phantom limbs of amputees.
The preliminary study by Laura Case, Ramachandran’s student, raises the prospect of a new category of transgenderism. “Alternating gender incongruity (AGI),” the neuropsychiatric term the researchers have tentatively proposed, describes the involuntary change of gender identity, along with perceived phantom sex characteristics, a tendency toward ambidexterity and bipolar disorder, all signs that suggest a biological basis for AGI. (A related term, bigender, defined as blending or alternating gender states, precedes AGI.)"

Of course there is much more to this study. Just go to the "Scientific American" link above to read more. 

Another Look at Our Transgendered Image

Every once in awhile, I read a post which really describes a huge portion of my life as I know it and
this post certainly jumped out at me.
It's called "De Facto, Defect or Defector" from "Andie's Place" and this is part of the post:

"Defector

And then there are the gender politics. Am I an intruder, as far as women are concerned? To some I certainly am. Why are you in the ladies’ loo?! Well, it’s because I am not a man, and I am not disabled. And I am not a spy either. I am who I am, and I know where I fit easily and best. I do not think about you like a man does.
More to the point, for some men I am a threat. I am a defector from a place of privilege and power, who is undermining the solidarity of the male realm. Goodness! What would happen to male authority if too many people like me started to climb down and join the other side? If that is you, and you need reassurance, I was never on your side, never a part of your tribe, even though I made a decent presentation of it most of the time. I don’t hate men, I just never did man stuff very well and I never liked the idea of male privilege. Some people were most persuaded by my ‘male skills’ – that I was taught in school just because it was a boys’ school.
I am not defecting; I was just never legitimately in the right team. And I’m not taking sides now either. I am just being myself.

Summary for the newly puzzled

I understand that I have changed you without your permission. You are now the person who knows a transsexual, or a transgender person (please just don’t say tranny), and the closer you are the more difficult that may feel. I got over it, so can you.
De facto: this is how I am, so get used to it. "

Read the entire post here.

Shopping Part Deux!

Since I wrote the "Fun, Thrifty Shopping" post a couple days ago, I have heard from several of you about new and fun things to do on the shopping trail.
For you "high tech" girls I understand some chains now have "apps" you can install on your phone promoting bargains.
For others of you who think all of us this is too good to be true, let me tell why it just may not be.
First of all, you beginners just might find shopping is one of the easiest ways you can be accepted in your feminine role.
Here are a couple reasons:
Merchants want our money. Many now even have training for their staffs in dealing with people like us.
Other shoppers are on a mission-most could care less about anyone but themselves as they look for their own "finds".
So if you don't do something crazy like dressing totally outrageously, you can go about your business with very few problems.
Normally, most of our problems deal with the confidence to do all of this and that is very understandable.
Here are a couple more tips to consider:
Most sales people are open to helping you. Many are on some sort of commission and at the least that factor alone makes you more reachable.
Many store associates want to help you and they do have a lot of expertise to offer. You do have to be careful of becoming more of a dollar draw than a fashion challenge to some clerks.
If you are relatively presentable as a woman of course, all of this will be easier but don't get too sly. You may be hurting yourself.
I have two examples from within my immediate family alone.
My daughter and my brothers daughter in law both worked for a certain leading woman's lingerie retailer with the word "Secret" in it's title. They both have unsolicited stories about men shopping for themselves in and out of dress. In fact my daughter made major commissions waiting on one of us when no one else would. (Way before she knew about me).
The moral to the story is that both said if the shoppers had reached out for and accepted more help, it would have been a better experience for all involved.
Well, we can go on and on about this subject. 
Be on the outlook for Part Three!

"Glee" Introduces It's First Transgendered Character

Glee raised the bar for diversity on network television again last night, when it introduced a new character named Unique, a transgender African American student and performer in rival glee club Vocal Adrenaline. The character is played by Alex Newell, who finished as a runner up on The Glee Project; the Oxygen reality show in which a group of hopefuls competed for a spot on Fox’s hit show. Audiences first saw Unique as Wade, a shy student from a different high school who gushed with fandom for Kurt and Mercedes and asked for their advice on coping as outsiders. Wade recalled being tormented by other kids at school and even family members, and revealed that “Ever since I was a kid, I would play this game. Where I would pretend I was a different person. The person I dreamed of being. The real me. I even have a different name. Unique.” Kurt offers words of support, saying “I hope one day you have enough courage to be him.” To which Wade responds “Actually, Unique’s a her.” The education of Kurt came later in the episode when, with help from Mercedes, he attempted to deter Unique from performing as a girl. “I’ve worn some flamboyant outfits, but I’ve never dressed up as a woman," he tells Unique. "That’s because you identify yourself as a man," she replies. "I thought you of all people would understand.”

 With shows such as this maybe more people will understand! We need separation from the gay and lesbian cultures to be accepted and understood!!!!