Transgender Earth Mother Figure

 Liz: found this figure in a shop on Etsy ( Bliss and Kittens) and shows exactly how "far back" transgender women go in some cultures.

TransGender Berdache Deer Earth Mother Venus totem figure sculpture pagan forest fairy Doe Fawn Stag.

Are Transgender Beauties Just Fluff?

Nearly every time I post a picture or story here in Cyrsti's Condo I get a fairly terse and bitter response on how a Trans Activist such as say Janet Mock's ( beautiful example) public exposure has nothing to do with those of us still mocked and/or discriminated against because of our appearance.

It's a good point and one I found addressed in a recent Huffington Post article.  Of course I have my own ideas like I'm sure you do.  First of all, what are your expectations of the feminine role you are transitioning into? This time, lets use Mtf transgender woman Carmen Carerra as an example (left).  Look, I know there is not enough surgery, HRT or wishing in the world I am ever going to look like Carmen. Then again too, I could say the same thing about most all of the generics I know.  As females growing up though, all of them managed to transition to womanhood becoming beauties in their own rights.  What Carmen Carerra did do for me (as well as Janet Mock, Laverne Cox etc.) was scream to the world GENDER is NOT about GENITALS.  Which means to me a huge amount.  It's helped me to carry myself with a little extra confidence as I transition into my womanhood.

In Courtney O'Donnell's post she said it (in part) this way after trans woman Jenna Talackova burst upon the scene:  "In the weeks that followed, the number of people visiting my blog via the keyword "Jenna Talackova" was simply stunning. That keyword outdistanced the previous high by a factor of 3. The people drawn to these pro-transgender blogs were given an opportunity to learn things -- human things -- they may not learn elsewhere."

So, yes we have discussed attitude over appearance in the Condo when it comes to the public and if you don't have a nasty personality to start with-each of us can make a huge statement in small ways. Beautiful or not, I am going to pick the women I mentioned above to be on my team! 

Just one other quick point, make sure to think past your male ego past and look past the pictures or looks and listen!

And So It Is Christmas!

To all of you of the Christian faith, if you dig deep enough through the commercialization, the beauty of the holiday shines through.

My point with this post is to wish all of you a Merry Christmas! It's a shame all religions can't pause for a second and respect the other's Holy Days.

It's also a shame the number of people who refuse to accept a LGBT person because they are a "Christian."

So, at this time of the year, I pause to thank my central spirituality for my life's blessings and make time to pray for the tons of others are not so blessed. The ones who are on the streets for simply being who they are. And then there are all of you who are stuck in a very dark frustrating closet which in the end can cause the very high number of transgender suicide attempts.

Before you run off and call me the Trans Grinch who stole Christmas, it's the time of year when I lay out any kind of glitzy outfit-I do pause to think how fortunate I am.

Here's hoping you are too!

Merry Christmas!!!!
Cyrsti Hart

From the Hart!

Merry Christmas from Cyrsti!

Eye Candy?

I ran across the entire cover of the "Candy" Magazine cover featuring 14 transgender women and thought I would pass it along!

The "Ultimate" Gift List?

From the Advocate:  What is the perfect gift for a drag performer this holiday season? Wigs? Makeup? Tuck tape? At the World of Wonder holiday party, drag stars like Lady Bunny, Alyssa Edwards, Yara Sofia, Kelly Mantle, Landon Cider, and more revealed what they'd love to see in their stocking this December.

There are several drag queens interviewed for this story. I picked YouTube Star - Lacey Noel:

What should one give a drag queen for the holidays?
Tucking tape.

Is there a gift that straight people should never give gay people?
A Chick-fil-A gift card.

Follow the link for more!

Mo Mail

This Cyrsti's Condo post is basically a potpourri of comments from you ladies.

First Paula Goodwin ran a little poll on her blog on a choice of three outfits she could wear to a holiday party.  The Fashionista in me won!   Paula GoodwinDecember 22, 2014 at 11:21 AM

You guessed my outfit for tonight!

Thanks Paula and I hope you had a wonderful time! You looked great!!!

Speaking of "Fashionista", how does hair fit in?  Here's an experience:

J.AlanaSDecember 22, 2014 at 11:14 AM

In my childhood, I was a tow-head blond but it got darker as I aged so that it became more of a darker blond/brown with red highlights. I was once mis-gendered because of my long blond hair. I'd just checked out and the bag boy said, "Have a good day miss" The check out girl had my atm card and corrected him. I just said "Thank you" 

Good point! If you remember even I mis-gendered a 14 year old boy with straight long blond hair recently in a surgical waiting room.  Furthermore, I believe my hair growth was one of the biggest surprises of my HRT. It happened quick and I believe was the biggest factor being accepted as a trans woman.

Finally, J.AlanaS., I had a similar 'encounter" with a bag boy who was just "melting" in front of me.  I was just a redhead in a baggy sweater and 1980's big hair wearing a short mini and flats. He could barely get out he would help me with my one bag of groceries to my car.  The cashier found it all to be quite humorous.

We Got MAIL!

Gee all of you are on your game more than I can ever say and I really appreciate your quick inputs!!!

In no particular order, let's get to the post What Would Mao Say?  and this comment:

 J.AlanaSDecember 22, 2014 at 9:07 PM

Funny because during one of my college classes we read M. Butterfly, and it seems that Mao or his government weren't above using a little gender confusion to elicit information about the US in Vietnam via a low level French attache.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M._Butterfly
and the real French Diplomat:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Boursicot
and the opera singer:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shi_Pei_Pu

Thanks "J.AlanaS" and if you haven't seen the movie, it's worth a look too!

Moving on to our Cyrsti's Condo post "Androgyny and the Trans Girl" -Sally Bend commented:

Sally BendDecember 22, 2014 at 11:28 AM

Well said, hon. Everybody talks about before/after, but you rarely see anybody talk about that androgynous in between. That grey area used to bother me, but with no true after in sight, I've come to appreciate the little joys it delivers.

Thanks Sally! Looking back at the post, I don't if I made my point about how androgyny really sux for the kid being bullied at school.   For the rest of us though, the tipping point of gender androgyny provides an exciting/scary look into the gender life you are considering.  You can go forward, back or as Sally said, appreciate the view.

We have more mail next!!!

Love at Christmas!

Recently, MtF transgender activist Janet Mock began hosting an online show on MSNBC . Then, she celebrated another milestone- a romantic one!

This weekend the longtime boyfriend of transgender author and activist Janet Mock upstaged her Friday debut as a host of an online show for MSNBC. He popped the question, and Mock revealed the news — and showed off the ring — to her fans and friends on Instagram andTwitter, declaring, simply: “I said YES.”

Here's the juicy  love story from the Advocate: 
Tredwell met Mock early Easter morning of 2009 at a bar in Manhattan, and as she described their first encounter in an article on XOJane, she caught him looking at her as she twirled on the dance floor. “He's a fantasy come true, and I want him to want me,” she recalled.

They went for a walk on Houston Street. Over lattes and a cinnamon roll, they shared their stories: He’s from North Dakota, takes photos, and trains dogs for a living; she’s from Hawaii and works as an editor for a popular website. She told him she wants to tell stories that matter.

After a month of casual dates, Mock revealed her own story, saying, “I was born a boy.” She told him what she called her “whole story,” because she was falling for him. Her revelations includded “I knew I was a girl from my very first thoughts”; “I began presenting as female from age 12”;  “I took hormones in high school”; “I flew to Thailand to have surgery at 18.”

Afraid, worried about what he would say, Mock waited for him to react. And his reaction, as she described it, provoked tears: “Can I hug you?”
Mock credits her relationship with Tredwell and his desire “to know me, to ask me questions about my past, force me to retrace steps that have made me the woman I am today” for inspiring her to write her best-selling memoir, Redefining Realness. 

Follow the Advocate link above for more details on her first show So Popular with Janet Mock.