Don't Call me Transgender

Recently, with all the extremely popular, literate and gorgeous transgender women role models who have made their way to popular media platforms, some are saying "they are not trans women, just women."

In some sort of perfect world that is true but until we can all navigate society freely as transgender women and men, thank goodness, the recent women have been "out and proud"- finally adding a capital "T" to the LGBT group.

How wonderful is it "S" has not been added again to our little letter of the alphabet.  The "S" which stands for "Stealth".

Look, I'm selfish and any help I can obtain from positive transgender public relations, I will take. Plus, I'm sure there are many who deal in semantics who would say no matter how accomplished a Janet Mock is or how beautiful Jenna Talackova (below) is- they will always be labeled as trans by birth.

The good thing is though, none of that matters.  As each one of us who navigate the world knows, every person we interact with has a chance to finally see us as humans.  Surely we aren't as flashy as our transgender "stars" but each and everyone is helping to show all of us the way.

I have to say it again, "Thank goodness they are still transgender, women and willing to step forward!"

Our TG Cup "Runneth Over"

Coming off the heels of Lavern Cox and Carmen Carerra's appearance on the Katie Couric Show, yet another extremely positive transgender role model is set to step forward.  Perhaps you have already heard of Janet Mock.  She has a new book out called Redefining Realness and is going to be on CNN tonight. (Monday) on the Piers Morgan Show. Listed to air at 9pm ET in the United States.

Here's an excerpt from her bio:

JANET MOCK is a writer who stepped onto the national stage in 2011 with a catalytic profile about her journey to womanhood in Marie Claire magazine. Since then, she’s authored the memoir, Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love & So Much More, which will be published on February 4, 2014 by Atria Books/Simon & Schuster. After publicly proclaiming her identity as a trans woman, Janet focused her efforts on speaking about the struggles, triumphs and portrayals of girls and women like herself.

Follow the link above for more!

So Simple, So Powerful, So Sad

Transition Days

I place this video is the B+ category of examples of quality mtf transition videos.  Check it out on the Cyrsti's Condo big screen:

Fashion Find

Shopping in my regular grocery store today, I saw this T-shirt.  I lost my appetite for shopping when I saw Duck Dynasty Boy Phil's image jump out at me between the frozen food aisles.  The front of the shirt shouted at me "I ain't no Yuppie!"  I was disappointed , when the back of the shirt was empty and didn't say "But I Am an Ignorant Bigot."

Cyrsti's Condo "Sunday Edition

Greetings "Condo-ites" and welcome to another Sunday Edition.

The Week in Review.  Fairly quiet around here as once again we absorbed polar vortex snow and winter only to be greeted with the coldest weather yet of the winter due next week.  The only positive I can see as of now is I have a difficult time judging my HRT progress under three layers of clothes.  On a serious note, Duck Dynasty's return was greeted with an astounding cold shoulder and a 28% drop in viewers. Plus the family was exposed as yuppies in beards...with an homophobic bigot patriarch .  I wonder if Phil thinks his grand daughters should be married off at 14 so a man can train her right.

Finally, let's not forget the landmark Swedish operations which implanted uterus's into women born without them which of course means transgender women could be in line sooner more than later for the procedure. Which will set a whole bunch of trans haters on their rears.

Indy Film Review.  Late in the week I was contacted by Daniela Sierra, concerning her film project Pupa. Check out the review here. Also this week, for some reason I finally caught up with the Canadian independent film Better than Chocolate.  The 1999 film is billed primarily around a young lesbian romance but also is intertwined with the life of a transgender woman character.  In a classic scene the mother of one of the young lesbian lovers, discovers her daughter is gay and her new best friend is transgender in the same day.

Media Section.  Perhaps you remembering me mentioning this radio show in Miami:

The Gender Experience: A New Online Talk Show For the Transgender Niche with host Jasmine Ford.  It turns out I am working with Jasmine on the possibility of being on the show, by phone.  A trip to Miami, Florida would be nice about now!  Seriously, the show is on every Thursday and I will be getting back with you here in Cyrsti's Condo about show topics.  If I'm on it or not.

Also, lets not forget yet another indy transgender film project in the works by Pamela French called Becoming More Visible.  It's fantastic so many of these projects are beginning to appear. We need all of them we can get!

We Got Mail!:  In our email box, I received a wonderful email from Jae, over in the UK. At the age of 70 she is starting hormones, not to transition because of her wife, but to help her personally in other ways.  Jae proves once again the possibilities of positively influencing our transgender lives are endless-at any age. Thanks Jae.

And thanks to all of you!

Cyrsti Hart

A Natural?

I have followed Melissa Carmen's videos on YouTube for a while and have shown her here in Cyrsti's Condo.  Follow her story though and even the path of a "natural" is far from easy.

Cyrsti's Condo "Quote of the Day."

"Did you have to come all the way from New York to be stupid in new surroundings?"

1935 movie Murder on a Honeymoon.

A Beard, A Ball Hat and HRT

I do love the MtF transition videos of trans women who are a "little older". (Not a lot older like me!)  I have found the video's are much harder to find on YouTube most likely because the older we are, the more the technology is difficult to grasp.  Or, another scenario could be, a glamorous, stunning gender transformation is simply more difficult to achieve at an older age and not perceived as worthwhile.

I admire most all the transgender women and men who have taken the effort to make a video for YouTube. I'm sure you have read the extreme hatred contained more than a few of the video comments, especially aimed at transtioners such as me who are never going to make the runways as a model.

This video coming up on the Cyrsti's Condo big screen speaks to me because I do see a lot myself in her transition and where I would like to end up as a person.