Oh-Canada?

From Canada's Xtra:


"A Riverside, California, woman says Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officers pulled her aside and ultimately denied her entry Oct 22 because she is transgender. Domaine Javier says the first officer at Vancouver International Airport gave her a “weirded look” after checking her passport. “The picture in my passport is me, but it doesn’t look like me anymore,” Javier explains, noting that the passport still describes her as male. But, she says, the officer didn’t overtly ask any questions about her gender identity. Javier told the officer that she was taking a break from work and had come to Vancouver on vacation after a friend bought her a plane ticket and that she would do casting calls for a show while here. Javier says the officer wrote a number on a card and told her to “go ahead.” Another officer checked the card and directed her to a room where people were having their luggage checked. A third officer then asked to see her passport and boarding pass."

Of course there is more and you can see it here.

Trans Layers

Even though I have been heavily involved in research of the transgender community, I'm always amazed how much more I'm missing.
This morning a link to B.O.I.S Will Be Blogging Bois. appeared in my email.
Of course many aspects of the transgender man and masculine identified women culture are familiar to me.
But many aren't, so my interest is always heightened when I have a chance to read more:

"One year ago, Latania McKenzie sat down at her computer and with a few clicks started putting into action a dream she’d had for years — a blog that caters to masculine-identified women as well as to transgender men. Named Queer B.O.I.S., the blog espouses the values McKenzie, 30, and her partner and blog co-founder, Taliba, aspire to in their professional and personal lives. While B.O.I.S. is meant to quickly identify its target audience, the letters also have meaning: Business, Opulence, Investment and Style. McKenzie, 30, moved to Atlanta 12 years ago from Belgium. She likes to shop in the men’s department and has a deep affection for pocket squares and bow ties. She said the blog is meant to bring visibility to a community that is often overlooked in the media. And while her first name is Latania, she prefers to just be called McKenzie. “When I walk down streets I see a lot of people look who look like me that are masculine presented. We shop in the men’s department or mix our clothing with women’s clothes. But there is not really a focus on us in media,” she says. “We make money, too. And the media should advertise to us and notice us. What I want people to know is we are not average. Don’t dismiss us,” she says. And that’s why B.O.I.S. and what the letters stand for is more than an identity, McKenzie says. It’s a way of life."

As always, I'm giving you a glimpse here.  Follow this link for more!

Fun Stuff

I think I have mentioned this site at least once here in Cyrsti's Condo if you want to further your feminine development by reading up on bunches of different aspects of being women-by women.
To coin an older term, this site lets it ALL hang out about women and sex, clothes, beauty and soooo much more.
It's called xoJane jump here to check it out!

Quote of the Day

"If you don't dream big...you are just having a nightmare."
 Paraphrased from the movie "Diner" and actor Mickey Rourke.

Transgender and Political

Following the election a few stories of transgender success at the polls have come to the surface.
However, we have seen enough stories to give us hope for the future. The unthinkable "too good be true" for many of us may not be.  We can indeed make a difference as an active transgender public servant.
Obviously though, the journey is just beginning.
The future of course is with our trans youth. In that spirit I am reposting the story of Sarah McBride from this spring,

Until last week, American University students knew their student government president Sarah McBride as Tim McBride. But on the night of April 30, McBride stepped down from office, and into a largely welcoming university community that embraced her decision to come out as a transgender woman after struggling with her gender identity for 21 years.

At the time, Sarah stepped down as the student president citing conflicts between her identity and being president.

Hopefully, the future will not make being transgender an issue!

So Much for Predictions

I am really glad the election is over and my home state of Ohio didn't screw it up for the country. For what ever reason, Florida wants to keep that title. I could be cynical and say they still could be voting there  for all I know. More realistically they at the least are still counting!  Doesn't matter,  we still have an official winner-on time.

Also on time is my body shifting back to a little higher feminizing mode. I have been back on the summer dosage of hormones  for the last week  As I wrote before I had to cut back to a smaller dosage as I waited for the VA to work their magic. Now my breasts are getting a little sorer again so life is good.

In the life goes on department in Cyrsti's Condo...Let's see, playing with my big hair over the top "drag" look was fun.
My heart is still going out to all those poor folks on the East Coast who are still powerless and now are getting yet another storm.
Finally I still recoil and get physically ill at the sight of Rude Paul.

It doesn't seem possible the holiday season is almost here too.  It's a time of fun with family and friends but at the same time the loneliest time of the year for some in the transgender community rejected by those close to them.

Plus, let's not forget the Mayans predicted this was it anyhow. So I need to get ready.

Kevin Part 2

Just another picture of Kevin Balot from the Philippine's who recently won the "Miss International" pageant in Thailand.

New Initiative

Coming out at work seemingly will continue to be a problem long into the foreseeable future for the transgender worker.
Forget ability, experience and other positive attributes-you are a trans woman or man and that is normally some sort of problem.
Fortunately, some are trying to help. Check this video from wehappytrans* :

Election Eve or Is It?

Hey kids, I live in OHIO! I've been subjected to millions of dollars of wasted money designed to sway me to vote one way or another.
I live in the electoral "epicenter". Hell, the prez himself even came here to my little town last week.
Since I do live here, chances are my vote counts more than you because Ohio gets more votes in our hopelessly outdated national electoral college. Remember how Gore lost despite winning the popular vote? Also, my vote might count more than  you because I live in a "swing" state.
Yes we have swung in the wind here in Ohio for quite a while.  We "outsourced" our livelihoods to legal slave labor forces overseas while other plants which were just suddenly shut down by "merger" companies? my brother worked at a plant which was shut down a day after they turned down a new contract...similar to other members in my family. Don't know if it was one of the candidates businesses.  I just know one day they had a job and the next they didn't.
After all of that though,   it looks as if the election still has to come through Ohio.
 
So many decisions.  I know which party is more receptive to transgender issues and I'm sure you do too.
But what about health care? With or without the current confusion about Obama care, I still live with the tragedy of my "working poor" friends who can't afford health care in this country for what ever reasons. Several died an early death because of the system. Even sadder is our hopelessly impotent congress. Whomever gets elected probably can't unsnarl the medical greedy mess.

And how about the world we are leaving for my grand kids? I'm not so sure missing a winter's worth of weather around here followed by a summer drought followed by the storm of the century is a fluke?

Energy? Well,  all of the sudden we downtrodden Ohioans are sitting on huge natural gas reserves along with the coal and oil obtained by "fracking". What's that all about?   I'm only sure most of it will get shipped to China anyway and my gas prices will be sky high.

Do I sound pessimistic? You bet ya! I go back several presidential elections. Nixon (the crook) /McGovern was my first voting election. I see increasing complex pressing issues and clueless leaders on the take from lobbyists to handle them.

I wish I was smart enough to come close to understanding even a few of these answers. Hell it drives me nuts just being a card carrying transgender member of the last truly discriminated sector of the American populace and that only scrapes the surface of my concerns.

I am smart enough to know I will make a concerted effort to vote the best I can and be glad I'm not voting in Cincinnati. The voting machines there supposedly can be hacked very easily and happened to be owned by a company purchased recently by one of the candidate's sons. (supposedly)

But no I'm not a total pessimist and hope the rumors aren't true that we won't know the final election results for a week to ten days. Sorry to say you heard it here first- Ohio could be leading the way in snarling the results!

Get out and vote...dammit!