Liz Speaks!

I write quite a bit about my partner Liz and we talk all the time about her becoming a regular contributor to Cyrsti's Condo. This is her response today  to a question on Local 12 WKRC TV Cincinnati concerning the upcoming Supreme Court ruling on "Same Sex Marriage": (on the station's Facebook page.)

I live and was born and raised in the greatest country in the world, with a Government who crafted a Constitution that is supposed to represent Equality for ALL of it's Citizens. Immigrants from all around the world flock to this country to live the American Dream, and they can become US Citizens and get married. (YAY! That is what the American Dream is all about!) I live, work, and pay taxes in this Freedom Founded country, and I have for 52 years, yet I am not allowed to Wed and have that marriage recognized? Who out there has the RIGHT to say that I am to be denied the same right to marry the love of my life and have it recognized? Whatever happened to the "separation of church and state"? This is an American Civil liberties issue, NOT a religious issue!

Thanks Liz!

Installing Windows in Your Closet

Recently here in Cyrsti's Condo, I added a sentence or two about a transgender woman here in Cincinnati who was interviewed after the Bruce Jenner interview show. She spoke of being totally alone among other things.

I reached out on Facebook to the very active "Transgender Community of Cincinnati" Facebook page and finally I am getting feedback.  A couple local transgender women seem to have met her, but don't really know how to get in touch. Meaning, she doesn't seem to have any social media presence. Maybe she doesn't want to, but I'm thinking don't go on television discussing it. Maybe though (it's possible) I'm missing the point. As Connie said:

"Being alone is different than being lonely, however. I remember a time when I could find people within the trans community via organized meetings or activities at least two times a week. I still can, of course, but I learned that, even though my participation helped to relieve my loneliness (especially when my only alternative was to stay locked up in the house), I was still alone when it came to really living my life. It's comforting to me that I have these outlets when I might need some support, but it's up to me to establish relationships outside of the trans community so as not to be alone. I'll admit to having avoided close relationships throughout my life, when to do so would have made keeping my "secret" even more stressful than it was. Since I never developed the necessary skills to form and nurture these relationships, I am still feeling alone - as well as lonely - much of the time now."

I too, have never had many "close relationships" in my life. And, I blamed my gender dysphoria on why but then again, my brother hasn't either. 

Then, there is a difference between being social and being socialized. I was fortunate enough to be socialized outside of what's referred to as a typical trans or cross dresser groups. Before you begin to think I am making value judgments, I am merely saying I was thrust into more "real world" transition situations.

So, of course I don't know where (if any) of those categories the local trans woman may fall into. I just know many of us around here are very paranoid about someone-anyone not being able to install any windows in their closets. Because of of Leelah Alcorn. We all know what the worst case scenario could be.

Cyrsti's Conco "Cover Girl" of the Day

Marcin Majewski Madox on MTV birthday party at La Playa, photo. AKPA

Our feature today is the androgynous Mtf performer Marcin Madox

Most Likely To?

Presidential Candidate Ted Cruz (left) - with gay hotel owner Mati Weiderpass

Question. When will presidential candidate Ted Cruz embarrass the gay community and come out of the closet?

Cyrsti's Condo "Quote of the Day"

You Can't See This Post

This post is in "stealth" mode. "Stealth" is yet another facet of the transgender world that- well- fly's under the radar. By choice, you don't read or hear much about it. In my entire experience as a cross dresser,  after  I began HRT and transitioned into my life I lead today, I have never had a person come up to me and introduce themselves as a "stealth" transgender or transsexual woman. Of course, that would defeat the purpose. Why would they?

Perhaps one of the next best things happened to me today when I ran across a look from the "invisible side" from Helen Boyd's Blog, (if don't follow it-you should. What caught my eye was her post entitled "Important Stealth Voice." At that point, I jumped over to her blog and then discovered her link to another blog by Natasha from Australia called "Here, let me Show you my Scars."

When you have a chance, it is worth a visit to both of their blogs!

One final word on being "stealth". It's a huge difference than being alone. After Bruce Jenner's interview Friday night, one of the Cincinnati television stations spoke with a local trans woman who talked of being totally alone. Immediately, Liz and I tried to reach out into the local trans community to see if anyone knows her. We would be more than happy to meet her for a cup of coffee. But so far, no one seems to know anything about her. Seclusion does not equal stealth these days. It's an outmoded idea in many places.

Cyrsti's Condo "Who Is the Princess?"

Unidentified Pinterest cross dresser

I know he thinks he wants to be the princess but a tiara too???? Really?

Damn! I'm Old!

In this day and age when more than a few transgender women want to throw the "I am more trans than you card" and many of my most asked questions pertain to when did I know I was gender dysphoric , this newspaper article pretty much says it all: (kind of-or at least a starting point)

 ((Originally published by the Daily News on December 1, 1952. This story was written by Ben White.)
At that time, I was approximately three.

Of course my reading skills at that age were less than stellar, so I can't tell you I went out and read my parents newspaper about the story.

What I can tell you is, not so many years later I did hear of the Christine Jorgensen story and was fascinated. So, I guess my trans pedigree is blurred. I can't say the first time I read the Jorgensen story at the age of three I knew I was transgender or transsexual or any other of the words which had not even been invented yet. So i guess I am not trans enough for most. Blah, blah, blah.

On the other end of the age spectrum, I was listening to one of the national sports talk radio shows this morning and they were having quite the Bruce Jenner discussion. With no particular horse in the race, Dan Patrick matter of factly pointed out most younger peeps never knew how much of a famous athlete Jenner was. Plus he (Patrick) could not shake the idea the subject was very serious but Jenner was using the interview as a "teaser" promo show for the upcoming reality series.

Transgender "Catfishing"

Ever watch the "Catfish the TV Show"? By total accident  recently when I couldn't find my remote-again-I stumbled upon an episode  about a guy named Jamie and girl named Ari.

Briefly, a "catfish" on a site such as Facebook is misrepresenting themselves as who they really are.

So, as I banged away at my computer, I wasn't paying in real attention to "Ari" who "had a secret of sorts she was hiding from Jamie. Well, it turns out Ari was/is a transgender woman.

I thought "here we go again." But surprisingly, Jamie took it fairly well and it was Ari who basically shutdown everything and walked off.

Most importantly to me was the link MTV added after the show-providing information and possible help to transgender women and transgender men. Follow the link above and you should be able to view the episode.