Laverne Cox Lectures in Dayton!

Last night was my much anticipated visit to Laverne Cox's speaking engagement at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. She did not disappoint!!!!

She began with a short bio of growing up as a poor black boy in Alabama, and slowly bringing her life along to where it is today.

Several of her basic messages hit home to me, including her belief a woman in not born-she is created over her life. (They happened to be born female and grew into women.) Laverne said the first time she read that from powerful , well known women thinkers-she knew she would be a woman-on her own terms.

Obviously along the way, she wove in the influence and plight of trans women of color and why seemingly they have the most difficult times within their own races.

Then, she positively drove a knife in my heart when she related her stories of people screaming "Hey that's a Man!"

What I learned and walked away from her presentation was; a new found respect of who I was.  How difficult it was to get here, yet how far I still had to go.

Thanks Laverne! Today I'm just a little more secure and happy with who I am.  In many ways, I'm still the 14 old kid feeling there has to be something wrong with me and I am so alone. After last night- I don't feel so alone again!!! (Wow, such a famous, successful and yes beautiful transgender woman as had some of the same life experiences as I?)

If you ever have a chance to see her-do it!!!!

Finally!

Mtf Transgender Writer Lady J

I know it is a fairly radical idea to have a transgender person write or portray a trans person in a movie, television show or play-but it recently happened on Transparent!


According to Outward: Back in October, things got a bit testy between Jill Soloway, the creator of Amazon’s wonderful series Transparent, and Jenji Kohan of Orange Is the New Black during a New Yorker Festival panel on the state and future of LGBTQ TV. At issue was the question of whether one’s identity necessarily had any connection with one’s skill at producing art related to that identity—a rather ancient bugaboo in art criticism, but one made newly relevant by the sudden (and greatly welcome) advent of transgender characters in the media. Soloway insisted that she could not imagine continuing to make a show about a trans woman (Maura, played by Jeffrey Tambor) without having a trans woman on the writing staff, arguing that “it’s absolutely necessary, and it’s gonna change the show.” Kohan, while valuing diversity in the writers room, bristled at the idea of hiring a writer because of her identity rather than her skillset: “What you are in life shouldn’t automatically make you what you do in your art. It doesn’t necessarily translate,” Kohan said.

Let's be careful out there folks...we trans peeps just might have a little more insight into our lives than you think!!!

Thanksgiving Day?

Really Jim?  I thought you were kidding when you said you were going to bring a girl friend to the family Thanksgiving dinner...did she have to be you?

Cyrsti's Condo "Star Gazing"

For some reason now my life is like a huge pin ball machine and I am the silver ball. Some how I think my scope follows that theme!

Libra (September 23-October 22): You’ll be making headway now, which means keep up the momentum. If you take your hands off the wheel for even a second, it’ll result in setback. There is only one way to go now and that is full speed absurd. Paint your world in different colors and embrace a multi-dimensional tomorrow. Yes, there is so much to learn and you’ll want to understand it all.

Some days, I just hope I can keep this crazy ride on the road!!!  I think I will spotlight you Acquarians this week for HELP!!!

(January 20-February 19): Whoever ignores you now is a fool. Knowledge will be running about your brain and you will be on point with all you say. Sure, your thoughts are wilder than the general consensus, but if someone craves greatness, they need to be brave enough to jump into it. Free will is yours. Free will is a power. Own yours in spades, like the universe will ask of you now.

Yeppers! Finding your astrological sign is simple! Go here to theFrisky!

Cyrsti's Condo "Sunday Edition"

KerPlunk! Another issue of our Sunday Edition has just hit your virtual front porch, stay in those fuzzy "jammies" grab a "Cup O Joe" and let's get started!

Page 1-The Week that Was-or Wasn't!  Looking back, my week was one of success's including an early week semi annual trip to my Veteran's Administration "Doc" and then of course Thanksgiving.  As I have mentioned, putting my positive exam aside, he has a transgender niece in Chicago, which gives him a bit more interest in my transition.  In fact this entire week, I ran into more peeps who seemingly wanted to learn more about me.  More on all of that later.

Page 2.- Girl's Night OUT!  The Rubi Girls (left) are a Dayton, Ohio based drag troupe  who have raised over a million dollars over the years for local Aid's Research.  Their shows are rare and more "productions" than drag show.
Plus, last night was the third time I went with my daughter and her friends. Again, more on that experience later.



Page 3.- The Back Page.  Actually, this could have been our lead story.  MTF transgender star Laverne Cox is coming to Wright State University (Dayton/Fairborn, Ohio) this Tuesday night.  Most certainly, I will be there and get back with you!!!!

So it looks as if I will have a lot of "catching up" to do with all of you!  Thanks for stopping by "the Condo!" Luv ya!!!!

Cyrsti's Condo Trans Woman of the Day

Our feature Mtf Transgender woman today is Josephine Jochman from Germany:

Cyrsti's Condo "From the Hart"

Your Credit is Good!

From our Cyrsti's Condo post "How Many Words IS a Picture Worth?

Paula GoodwinNovember 28, 2014 at 8:15 AM

Thank you for your comments here, I just want to pass credit where it is due, the photo was taken by the brilliant Justin David

 http://www.justindavid.co.uk/www.justindavid.co.uk/Home.html

He writes, photographs, and performs his own work, indeed he is an all round very clever and very nice bloke.

Thanks Paula!!!!

Giving Thanks

Well, in my family, Thanksgiving Day has come and gone ushering in the commercial frenzy of Christmas (which if I live long enough, will start on Labor Day in September!) Yes, there was also the too bountiful meal with bunches of kids, way too serious discussions on politics and sports.

I have become in many ways the androgynous patriarch of the family who lost my significant inheritance in a failed business and a wife of 25 years. Nearly eight years ago, around Thanksgiving.

I used to be the "elephant" in the room with my transgender secret that most of the family thought they had an inkling of. In the past, I had a tendency to just be passive in my participation, not knowing from one year to the next when my androgyny would lead to a full time "hey look at me Thanksgiving."

The fun part this year was interacting with several of the older grand kids (12-17 year old range).  Of course I already knew how incredibly diverse my two oldest grand kids are but I didn't know about my brother's 17 year old grand daughter. Along the way, we were able to duck the political speeches and talk about her studies of different religions such as Islam, Buddhism and Hindu. She didn't know that in another life in Thailand, I was best "man" in a Christian/Buddhist wedding and considered myself "follower" of the religion until Liz began to interest me in earth based religions. As it turns out she hasn't been "polluted" by a parenting system who has encouraged her to think.

My 13 year old grand daughter doesn't say much but my 10 year old oldest grandson does...and stuck near my side most of the day.  To catch you up, he is the one who had a very out gay man for a fourth grade teacher a couple years ago. Not so long ago he proudly announced to my daughter how proud he was of me coming out as gay. My daughter said "not gay-transgender" and proceeded to explain the difference.  Fortunately, he seemed to become even more inquisitive about me.  Yesterday we had a quick conversation on a serious side about how he has ran into a few anti-Jewish remarks in his sixth grade class.  I said unfortunately haters are lurking around everywhere and told him about my encounter with "GSB" (gender slur bitch) as my example.

Being who I am too, I tried to get my daughter to let him and his younger brother come watch The Ohio State-Michigan football game Saturday with the family.  He would surely learn how hyper sports fans can reel off a set of cuss words in a record minimum time.  For those of you who don't know, "the game" is nearly a holiday here in Ohio.  As far as my leanings go, all you have to do is look at the picture above. It was taken last May at the Trans Ohio Symposium in The Ohio State Student Union with mascot "Brutus Buckeye."

So, today presents itself as a brief respite before "the game" at noon tomorrow and "the drag show" Saturday night.  More on that in a later Cyrsti's Condo Post!