And So It Was Christmas!

Well, jolly old St. Nick has come and gone again.  I hope your Christmas was as good as mine. I must be doing something right!

I'm fortunate, the family I left is very close to me.  Some know I'm transgender and others suspect I simply have an extreme affection for women's clothes. This year I was able to put all that drama in my noggin aside and simply go as what is left of my guy self.  I was selfish to a degree but I've learned the hard way how life can change from year to year and next year I know mine will for reasons I will get into later.

For the moment though, I hope your Christmas experience was a positive one because I know for so many of us in the transgender community it just isn't. We aren't as lucky as our so called "brothers and sisters", in  the G and L communities. They simply have more developed resources to deal with holiday stress and we are tragically left in the corner alone. Even several gay venues opened for Christmas dinners around here, so everyone had a place to go. Thanks to fewer trans folks bolting immediately for the stealth closet, hopefully next year will be better for all of us too! I know I feel much more comfortable meeting my local G&L group now that I made a special point of introducing myself to them last summer.

Next week of course is the New Year, a time to take stock of the past and look forward to the future. Without dreams and goals our lives just sit and wither away.  Between now and the first, I'm going to share my 2014 "resolutions" with you and all my friends here in Cyrsti's Condo! Get your pen and paper ready!

"Bag-O-Rama"

Several times in the past here in Cyrsti's Condo, we have discussed the contents of one's purse.  It has proven to be an entertaining subject which has drawn plenty of response from you ladies here in "the Condo".

Check out this video version compliments of "Melissa Carmen" on the Cyrsti's Condo big screen. Of course she is gorgeous and  I just love her accent!

Jersey Girls?

According to The Advocate:

On Thursday, the New Jersey senate passed A4097 (previously labeled S2786) by a vote of 21-11. That affirmative vote now sends the bill to Gov. Chris Christie's desk — putting the fate of thousands of transgender people's legal identification in the hands of the Republican governor. If Christie vetoes the bill, it's unlikely that the legislature could override that decision, since state law stipulates that 27 senate votes and 54 general assembly votes are needed to do so. As it A4097 passed through the legislature, it garnered 21 "aye" votes in the senate, and 43 votes in favor in the general assembly.

As law currently stands, individuals born in New Jersey must prove that they have had some form of gender-confirming surgery before they can update their birth record. These surgeries generally cost tens of thousands of dollars, and often are not covered by health insurance, leaving many transgender individuals either unable or unwilling to undergo this method of treatment. Many trans individuals opt to medically transition solely through hormone replacement therapy. As New Jersey law stands currently, those individuals are not able to update their birth certificate. 

Most federal forms of identification can be updated without proof of surgery. Records with the Social Security Administration, U.S. State Department, and Department of Veterans Affairs can updated without any sort of surgery, instead requiring an affidavit from a medical provider that confirms an individual has received appropriate clinical treatment to transition. The discrepancy between the requirements to update various forms of identification can leave many transgender individuals in an unenviable position, where various forms of identification do not match up, leaving these individuals open to increased scrutiny, suspicion of fraud, and nonconsensually being outed as transgender.

For those of us transgender folk who don't see SRS in our future, any of this news is of importance to us. Plus, if indeed New Jersey Gov Chris Christie is going to try to make a presidential run, this would be an early indication if this Republican is going to attempt to broaden his political base or again keep the Republicans in the political dark ages.

"Duck Soup Leftovers"

Good or bad, I'm sure "Duck Boy" Phil of Duck Dynasty didn't spend his Christmas tuned into all of his clans old shows.  I mean what could be better than to celebrate the birth of Jesus with such an enlightening message of brotherhood and love which Phil delivered. In the meantime, more comments continue to roll into Cyrsti's Condo about "Duck Boy"...

"Randie Scott" wrote:

You raise some interesting points. I've never watched Duck Dynasty, most likely never will. My reaction to this whole thing is an employer should not be able to fire someone, or so called suspend, because of a personal belief. On the other hand the press didn't waste anytime running with the ball either. It could very well be a publicity stunt.

And Mandy Sherman:


Until the issue arose, I hadn't even heard of the program, and didn't even know what it was. (I must live a sheltered life.) Our television has never been tuned to DD, and never will. Nor do we now, or plan to in the future, buy or use any of their products (I first noticed the bin of DD hats in a nearby Walgreen's last week...). IMHO, this whole unfortunate dust-up certainly has the strong aroma of a big publicity and ratings stunt. And for that reason, we no longer watch anything on A & E, either... Ladies, vote with your wallet, and your remote control....

I know what you all are thinking.  How long is Cyrsti going to keep beating this "dead duck".  For the present, right now but whoever it is has to know when they enter the public arena, they should not be able to use what pulpit they have to bash gays, lesbians and surely we " invisible"  transgender folks who are tossed in the mix.  I have a very good idea of what Duck Boy Phil can do with one of his duck calls.

Hey, it's America and if he has a right to say it, I have a right to blast him.

Cyrsti's Condo "Quote of the Day"

"Someone will always be prettier.
Someone will always be smarter.
Someone will always be younger.
But they will never be you."

Tanni Sattar

Thanks Lynne!

Sarah Revisted

As 2013 comes quickly to an end, it's time to take a look at a couple very positive transgender achievements. One in this post and more to come in others.

Sarah McBride speaking at the passing of the Delaware Gender 
Identity Non Discrimination Act.

The first comes from WAMU 88.5 who has taken a look at Sarah McBride's life a year after she came out as transgender:

There was a time in the not-so-distant past when Sarah McBride believed she had to choose between her dreams and her identity. But nearly two years after coming out as transgender, she not only continues to pursue her goal of working in politics, but she's also achieving it.


The last time Metro Connection interviewed McBride, she had recently come out in a very public manner. After wrapping up her term as American University's student body president, the rising senior wrote an Op-Ed in The Eagle, her school's student-run newspaper. The piece was entitled "The Real Me," and in it McBride, who at that point was still known as "Tim," announced to the AU population what she had kept a secret for years: she's a woman. In the article, she explains that she'd spent years thinking she had to choose between her identity and her dream of being a politician. She rationalized that if she could make life fairer for other people, then the work would be fulfilling enough to overshadow her own internal struggles. 

 "I told myself that if I could make 'Tim' worthwhile for other people by changing the world, that being 'Tim' would be worthwhile," she wrote.

I wrote here in Cyrsti's Condo at the time how encouraging it was to see young transgender women and men not running for the stealth closet and making a difference! Read more about Sarah here.

Where Did it Go?

I had an archived post which went live this afternoon which I pulled down.

It was a "cute as a button" Go Elf Yourself video which a friend of mine put together on FaceBook.  I wasn't familiar at all with the concept but the video was hilarious.. I guess the deal is you paste faces on dancing elves and there I was along with a couple other of my genetic friends.

I tried to pull it back up here and got some sort of a weird deal so like I said I deleted it.  I did put it on my Facebook page if you want to go there to see it.

Cyrsti's Condo Christmas "Horrorscope"

What a way to wrap up a busy Christmas Eve and get ready to head to my families house than to pass along yet another "scope" from theFrisky!


Libra : (September 23-October 22): Now is the time to make bigger changes as you declare 2014 to be your breakout year. Not that you need to see your name in lights, but shifting where you lay down roots will be on your mind, as will making things work on your terms. Stop thinking and get to doing, because hesitating is so 2013.

How dynamic is that? Wow! and all this time I thought I continued to make quite a few big changes in 2013. Just between you and me though, I know what this script is saying and I will mention some of them as we actually approach the New Year.

Go here for your scope!

I Just Can't Imagine

Can't imagine the skill which went into this video on the Cyrsti's Condo big screen. Another Merry Christmas moment! Thanks Lynne for sharing!