Cross Dressing and the He Pronoun

I found this post to be interesting on so many levels. It's from Now Toronto.com and Michael Gilbert/Miqqi Alicia Gilbert York University professor of philosophy, activist, director of Provincetown’s Fantasia Fair. Heterosexual male, cross-dresser. He uses the he pronoun...Cool...here's more:

"I (Miqqi) cross-dress when I start to feel the longing, but I have to say at my age the mood happens less often. Sometimes I’ve made a commitment to go to a class at York or somewhere else en femme and I think, “Shit, I have to go to all that trouble.” Trust me, I’m a guy who knows it’s a lot harder to look like a girl than a guy. The truth is, I’m an old hippie, and if I were a woman I would not be wearing much makeup. Heels? I haven’t worn them in 20 years. I do like skirts. I’m thinking of doing a workshop called Not Trans Enough. So many trans people look upon me as a dilettante. Worse yet, cross-dressers are considered annoying little sisters: “They wear too much makeup, they don’t know how to dress properly, they get in the way.”

My visualization of the workshop "Not Trans Enough" would be a big room of peeps from all through our culture who are brave enough to step out from behind their computers, photo shopped pictures and into the light of day and then before a moderator with a timer and a bull horn. How much fun would that be?

Fun yes, but productive?  Probably not so much unfortunately.  Too much ego floating around in a room full of males desperately trying to act as if they got rid of it.

Ironically, as HRT takes it's good old sweet time on me, I'm not the "guy who knows it's a lot harder to look like a girl" so much anymore.  The challenge is to stay with the challenge of building a day to day wardrobe I feel comfortable in.  I'm the same as Miqqi in that it's been years since I worn heels and I rarely wear a dress or skirt but that does not mean I never do not do my best to work my style.

I guess that's my primary reason I don't care how you identify. Cross dresser, transgender, transsexual or Martian- if you are doing your thing and respecting others-who cares?

I will say the pronoun deal is a little tricky with the public in that in many cases they are confused anyhow.

As always there is so much more to a topic such as this and for more on Miqqi, go here.

The Shattered Trans Glass Ceiling

Really? A transgender woman playing a trans woman in an acting role? according to Buzzfeed LGBT, Lavern Cox (left) has done it:


"Cox, a former reality star (I Want to Work for Diddy), has a breakout role in the new original Nexflix dramedy Orange Is the New Black, from Weeds creator Jenji Kohan. The highly anticipated show, based on Piper Kerman’s memoir, is set in a women’s prison and was renewed for a second season before it even premiered.
Cox, who shares an acting coach with Nicole Kidman, plays Sophia, a trans woman who, pre-transition, was a firefighter. In the third episode, guest-directed by Jodie Foster, we learn about her complicated relationship with her wife and son. “I don’t know of a trans character on television played by a trans person that has as much humanity as this character,” Cox says."

Who knows, maybe soon a "humanized" transgender woman or man will become a regular character on a mainstream network television show!!!!

God Save the Queens!

Here it is kids...another drag queen fix for you on the Cyrsti's Condo big screen:

The Documentary of Drag

This is an interesting factual look at many of the good and "not so good" questions a "civilian" would ask a drag queen on the Cyrsti's Condo big screen:

A New "A" Word?

Well maybe this term is a little newer to me. In some senses it works into the post I wrote about being patronized as a transgender woman.
The word is Ally.  To split hairs, to be a transgender ally is great- if you do it right.  I can almost compare the idea to the much maligned trans admirers- without the sexual content.

However, since I did bring it up and I feel somewhat conflicted about handing someone a rule book on how to like me- I'm passing along a post from "The Thang Blog" called "How To Be a Better Ally to Trans Folks in Four Steps". Actually it's very well written and contains four very basic easy to understand ideas- including knowledge, becoming an activist, being an apostle for our trans culture and more.  (The apostle is my term not theirs and  I use it to describe a person who speaks up and carries a positive message to others.)

As I read the blog, even I quickly came to the realization "the four steps" do and don't apply to the patronizers I have encountered. For the most part these peeps are casual acquaintances who I wouldn't expect to care that much one way or another. I would however not hesitate to use the basic" four steps" at any meeting I went to with a majority of gay/lesbian members and "sympathizers".

I know deep down all these written rules and regulations are good in theory but I am of the opinion the main factor in building Ally's is my personal behavior.  Maybe I should  add a list of trans do's and don'ts similar to "Quotations from Chairman Mao"  to the contents of my purse everywhere I go. But then again, I have a hard enough time finding my keys in the "bottomless pits" anyhow. (I added a link for all you youngsters to Chairman Mao.)

Perhaps if I'm really good, I could actually add in a chapter or two on how admirers should admire. Explaining concepts such as the true meaning of what it means when a cross dresser says no men!!!  We could call the chapter "Cyrsti gets snarky. 

Seriously I do feel all of this discussion is good because it represents dedicated folk determined to spread the trans word in a constructive and positive nature. No matter how you cut it- a wonderful alternative to all of those who went into their stealth closets and did nothing.

What Would Woody Say?

Woody Hayes was an old school legendary football coach at The Ohio State University.  I would suspect he would not have supported this event...Go Bux!!!! and thanks Lynne!

From the Cyrsti's Condo Library

Who is Renee James?  Renee James is the pen name of a Chicago-area writer who lives in two genders. - and has written a book called "Coming Out Can Be Murder"

"Renee's book is the by-product of a fictional journal James wrote on business trips during her magazine editing years. The journal was a reflection on what her life might have been like if she had chosen to become a transsexual woman rather than marry and raise a family as a bi-gendered male. -"

Her effort has been highly praised and you can follow the link above for more information including purchasing.

The Writing is on the Wall- in the UK

In response to my Cyrsti's Condo "Quote of the Day" post which touched on graffiti in men and woman's restrooms, Paula Gee came up with a few "classics" from the UK:



" I am something of a fan of graffiti , our UK version of the "Jesus saves" one is "and St John scores of the rebound" Ian St John being the Liverpool striker of the day, I have fond recollections of "My Mother made me Homosexual" then added later "If I gave her the wool would she make me one as well" and of course the classic during the Irish "troubles" "Free the Heinz 57" My all time favourite involved the old roller towel manufacture Advance who used to make a product called Towelmaster, so the graffiti read ADVANCE TOWEL MASTER "and be recognized""

Love it! Thanks Paula!

On the Cyrsti's Condo Big Screen

I grew more and more transfixed by the ups and downs of Emma in this YouTube video. Quite the in depth no holds barred look at her transition: