On the Road Again

Liz has this week off and we have taken the opportunity to take some day trips around Cincinnati before we finish up the week at the Trans Ohio Symposium. Yesterday we headed "upriver" towards Pittsburgh (but not nearly as far) and found ourselves in Ripley, Ohio. Ripley could be described these days as one of those "sleepy" old small river towns. Once upon a time though, Ripley was a huge station on the "Under Ground Railroad" As slaves made their way north to freedom, the Ohio River marked the boundary between a slave state (Kentucky) and a free state in Ohio.

Enough history except for the fact there is a place called the "Rankin House" with a breathtaking view across the Ohio River Valley and down into Ripley. The Rankin House is credited with being the real story behind "Eliza" the slave and Harriet Beecher Stowe's fictional Uncle Tom's Cabin.

On the way home we took a small river ferry across the Ohio. We stopped for lunch in the small town of Augusta, Kentucky.

My paranoia going into the day stemmed mainly from where we we where going. As some would point out (me) - not potentially the most liberal part of Ohio. But you know, the places we stopped and the place we ate-no one gave me much of a second look. Then again, I was just "passing" through?

"What Would June Say?"

Around here, some of the older television stations are carrying a network called MeTv. Prominent in the promo was the channel featured family programing from a simpler time. Those of us who lived through that time knew it was only a simpler time because we had to conform, Even if we were fortunate enough to be born into an "understanding" family-information on being gender dysphoric was nearly non existent.

Perhaps you have been following the comments Connie and I have been going back and forth with concerning the "Leave It To Beaver" television show after a recent Cyrsti's Condo post.

Kristina Hernandez

Thank the Goddess (or whichever deity you worship) times are changing.'

From the "The Las Vegas Review Journal" 

"Kristina Hernandez waited nearly a year before she could use the girl’s restroom at Harney Middle School.

A sixth-grader at the time, Kristina spent the summer after elementary school preparing to transition from male to female — something she had desired for years. She encountered no in­tolerance from other students and said no parent lodged a single complaint about their child sharing a restroom or locker room with her.

The administration at the campus on Hollywood Boulevard north of Sahara Avenue, how­ever, required Kristina to use the toilet in the school nurse’s office, often making her late for class.

“After a while I stopped eating and drinking at school to avoid having to go,” she said during a Clark County School Board meeting last month. “I had to beg, plead and fight for months just to be allowed to be called by my chosen name and pronouns in class.

“I had to be the one to explain myself and my situation to substitute teachers, lunch ladies and support staff because my school did not protect me,” Kristina, now 12, told school board members in April. “It is your responsibility to make sure that all students are safe in school. You are failing me.”

After transferring to another public middle school, Kristina stopped losing sleep at night. A name and gender change on legal documents also helped, since administrators at her new campus couldn’t challenge her gender.

Kristina and two other transgender students shared their experiences with the school board at an April 23 meeting, pleading with them to enact a policy that offers guaranteed protection and equal treatment for transitioning students across the Clark County School District, the fifth-largest system in the nation.

The students plan to continue pressing for change at Thursday’s board meeting, but many of their parents expect the calls for action to fall on deaf ears.

“We’re going to make it plainly clear that we’re serious, and we’re not going away,” said Kristina’s mother, Laura Hernandez. “I am going to be heard no matter how loudly I have to yell.

Isn't she wonderful? Go here for more!

A Violet Vixen in Cincinnati

This weekend is the Trans Ohio Symposium up the road in Columbus and it was time to color the hair again. This year I was leaning towards something sort of age inappropriate that would stand out...just a little edgy. As Liz and I combed through (no pun intended) the seemingly millions of color combo's, I/we came up with a "Violet Vixen" color from Feria (Loreal). I have to say even I was a little scared when she kept playing with me having purple hair. Well, I don't and I love the color! It is one of those which changes colors when you see it from different angles. (I will try to get some more glitzy "selffies" as the week goes by-well at least selfies or Lizzy's cause she is taking them.)

Today we went out to Spring-Grove cemetery here in Cinci which is one of the most beautiful and historical in the country and just happens to be the final resting places of over 6000, Civil War Union troops. You can see all the flags where I am standing by what actually a canon standing on end and stretching out behind me. Below you can see one of the burial stones.

For some reason this year Memorial Day has meant more to me out here in dear old conservative Ohio. Yesterday we had a chance to stop by Liz's 90 (almost) year old Dad and thank him for his service in World War II. As you know, surviving WWII vets are getting rarer and rarer so Liz's Dad is a treasure.

 Of course as always I think how many of the fallen vets were actually our transgender sisters and brothers - and- they went from the closet to the grave. Hopefully the future will be brighter.

The true tragedy comes when some just don't seem to care at all and only see the weekend as a chance for a BBQ and extra day off.

Media Mania

First of all, you all know what I have thought about Bruce Jenner. However, I did see one of his coming out shows last night-his sit down conversation (tear jerker) with former wife Kris. And, I do know there are certain backstories which do or don't play in with me. But last night most did. Now, I did take what I saw last night at face value (no pun intended) and the story which played out between the two last night was ripped from the one which played out between my (deceased) wife and I.

Honesty, courage and communication ended up being our sticking points and I will admit I just couldn't "man up" and tell her how I really felt. I just didn't want to lose everything in life I held dear and wanted to have it both ways before I jumped off the gender cliff. I don't believe Jenner ever said it but the whole deal nearly killed me.

Also in the media recently has been the whole coming up story of the Duggar "19 and Counting Show" which has been cancelled on the TLC Network. In a classic "Bitch slap" Momma Karma beat up on Michelle Duggar who called transgender women child molesters and pedophiles in a recent anti LGBT campaign in her home state of Arkansas. Then, her son turns out to be the real deal pedophile with at least five underage girls including a couple sisters. Yes, the clan even knew of his molestations.

The whole story makes me sick from the 19 kids all the way to connections with Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. I went an immediately took a shower with lye soap after hearing all of this.

Finally,former Defense Secretary Robert Gates (now head of the Boy Scouts) said the Boy Scouts ban on Gay Adult Scout Leaders is "not sustainable" and needs to change from within. My daughters family is a huge scouting family (boy and girl) and of course support LGBTQ leaders and are very happy with this!!!!

Quite the week!

A Layered HRT Life

Here is perhaps another oft discussed topic for the upcoming Simmons College seminar on transgender issues in June we are participating in here in Cyrsti's Condo.

In a recent post, Connie mentioned all the "practice" she put in following all the feminine mannerisms she observed. Generics most certainly do too as they attempt the journey from female to becoming their own woman. I am not going to attempt a right or wrong way, as each of us is different.

I used to talk about certain of the Mtf transgender transition issues I had with my generic friends but more often than not, all I got back in return was "welcome to our world."

Not being the "sharpest tack in the box" it took me awhile to figure out, the women didn't have the slightest idea on certain occasions of what their world was. I quit bringing it up.

Any woman I have ever brought up the fact my HRT transition has added "layers" to my life, has looked at me blankly-HUH? Woman are just born into a layered existence. Men, aren't and I do believe now (more and more) how much the differences are hormonal driven AND a major source of transgender dysphoria.

Back to Simmons. One of the most asked questions I get is "what were the most dramatics changes during my HRT transition?" Everyone expects physical changes such as breasts, skin and hair changes. In reality though (it takes awhile) you begin to see the world in different ways and many times you have no one to explain it to.

As I wrote, generics take it for granted as a pro or con birthright. I compare the process to my nephew who could throw a 92 mile per hour fastball in high school. He took it for granted and now it's merely a "remember when" topic at family get togethers.

Adding the layers has been a fascinating experience and I am sure many would say I really didn't need the HRT to become the person I am today and they too are right. There is no wrong answer. Except to just cop out and say "welcome to my world."

I wouldn't do that to you if I could help it!

Mark Twain was What?

From Connie:  "They came to jeer, but remained to whitewash." (from 'Tom Sawyer') Not that Twain was necessarily speaking directly to gender roles here, but you have brought back memories of reading Twain's works many years ago. He had a few characters cross dressing in different books, and I took delight upon discovering them in my reading. I especially liked the Huck Finn cross dressing episode in which he inadvertently outed himself because, while threading a needle, he attempted to move the needle toward the thread (the way a man would do it), rather than thread to needle (the way every girl is taught). As a boy so confused about my gender identity, reading this made me really start to think about gender stereotyping, in as much as I knew that I'd have to be very careful to present myself properly if I were to ever to put myself into the "real world". I began studying the way teenage girls and young women acted (I never felt like I was a little girl so much), and I spent many hours practicing in front of the bathroom mirrors. Unfortunately, by the time I was really pretty good at it, the testosterone ruined everything.

I hadn't thought of it until I read your post, but I put so much effort into painting stereotypes in an effort to "justify" my gender identity. After being hit with the reality of male puberty, though, I ended up whitewashing my own identity. The lesson, I think, is that buying into stereotypes is not nearly as bad as whitewashing - which is just withdrawal and denial. Without stereotypes to define the binary opposites, like man/woman, love/hate, and war/peace, how would we ever figure out who we are? Besides, what could be more boring than a whitewashed world? 

Thanks Connie! I guess I shouldn't have taken a few of the book shortcuts I took with Cliff's Notes. I did however know of at least one of Twain's references to a cross dressing character. I positively loved your response. In my case I vividly remember a comic strip detective catching his "prey" by tossing "her" an item. She was wearing a long skirt and spread her legs to catch it-not squeeze them together like a man would do.

Then there was the Ian Fleming attributed short story about 007 James Bond in drag which happened to turn up as reading material in a high school history class I took with a very gay (much certainly not out in those days) teacher. I have never seen it since and wonder if Ian Fleming really penned it all. Surely though, to a gender conflicted teen ager it was fascinating as I secretly read it.

There is much more to Connie's comment which we will look at in a future Cyrsti's Condo post!

Cyrsti's Condo "OOOPPS!"

Ian! Get down here, dinner is ready and your grandparents are here to see you!

Unidentified cross dresser-Pinterest

Put That Damn Brush Away!!!

I should be the last person to stereotype the world! I get so frustrated when I do. I  know it doesn't help I am reasonably opinionated. Here are a few:

I have opinions that a macho "jock" looking man is going to react negatively to me when in fact I have found it's just the opposite. For the most part, they are secure in themselves and don't give me much notice at all. I have opinions my lesbian friends won't get much male attention-but they do. I assume gay guys won't like me and that's changing (maybe even lesbians!)

I also assume  people think I live in this conservative "red neck" part of the country-when I don't.-and others don't either. Take Shelle lle for example:  "As you know Cyrsti,I live In Indiana which is likely among the most Anti LGBT states in the Midwest,However I live in a fairly liberal town ,thanks mostly to the fact that Purdue University Is located here, and they have a well organised LGBT program on campus,I'm able to go anywhere around town without fear of reprisal and have not had any bad experiences at all I'm lucky and thankful for that."

Thank you Shelle lles! I am always encouraged by the pockets of understanding around the larger educational institutions anywhere (many of which have gender studies programs.) And, as I told my grand kids, they are the future diversity which oils the future. They can make a difference. 

Now, as far as living in Ohio, Indiana or Texas where my BFF trans woman friend is headed - sure there are places you don't want to go, for any number of reasons. But there places you can. But only when you understand the basics of where you are and as a transgender woman or cross dresser-you follow the basics of being any generic woman knows.

I am a terrible painter anyway and I need to be a worst one when I paint stereotypes. 

Cyrsti's Condo "Memorial Day" Tribute

Every Memorial Day it seems this post never changes - except more have died from war and transgender military members are still fighting for rights they don't have.

To me, Memorial Day, means taking a moment to remember those who have given the ultimate sacrifice. I am sure most of you these days have a family member who served or are serving now-thank them for me!!!!!

If you are a transgender veteran or a currently serving trans military member-thanks to all of you for what you did - or have done.

Freedom isn't free.