Waffles and Bikers

Remember the ancient movie "The Poseidon Adventure"? One of the songs from the movie was "There Has to be a Morning After - A perfect description of our Sunday morning.I will write about why in another post about Liz and I's traditional Saturday nights during the Trans Ohio Symposium weekend.  Let's just say plenty of adult beverages and good food are involved.

However, one "pays" for one's good time and Sunday morning, breakfast along with gallons of coffee was in order! The closest place to our motel to get a reasonably priced quick breakfast was a Waffle House. Truly, I was a little sensitive about going there as the "Houses" are good, basic restaurants but aren't known for an upscale clientele in many places. Plus we were quoted a 20 minute wait time. Plenty of time for inquisitive eyes and comments.

I quickly relaxed as not much happened and hunger increased. Hell, I almost asked the hostess if the two seats beside the Bikers from Maine were open. Seemed like a good idea until Liz's elbow landed in my side.

The moral to the story was neither of us climbed on the back of a Harley motorcycle and headed for Maine. We just headed to the nearest "Cup O Joe" Columbus coffee house and ordered our fave "Buckeye". A "Buckeye"" is a decadent blend of coffee, peanut butter and chocolate. Then we headed back to Springfield, Dayton, and finally Cincinnati. Plenty of time to discuss all of the weekend!

Talking Shop

Ideally, the core reason for attending the Trans Ohio Symposium for Liz and I was the hour set aside for my workshop on the transgender senior citizen.  What really happened (again) is I learned as much (or more) than I brought to the Symposium.  Plus, I got to meet a few very fascinating peeps.

My workshop this year was interesting in it's demographics which not unsurprisingly fit the whole group. Fully half of my group were allies but adding in a dash of spice was a person  who had transitioned years ago on the job, worked as a drag queen and contracted HIV. We also had a person who by her own admission, did the life balancing act living as a man, father and husband - and a woman when she could.



The allies? They were there because they had a niece who is trans and a brother who has written a book on having a transgender child.(Who attended.)

As promised, my agenda for the group was a blank piece of paper and I only ended up talking about myself for 15 minutes and let them fill the rest. Only jumping in to "facilitate" the discussion to those most qualified to talk on the subject.

This year at least I was pleased about the outcome and extra pleased from the ally input which was to be a theme throughout the weekend. Not one I expected.

So, there you go. The pic above shows The Ohio State Union building behind me and is from day one when Liz and I volunteered to help check everyone in. As I wrote earlier here in Cyrsti's Condo-the side stories from the weekend were classic!

Meet Caitlyn Jenner

Caitlyn Jenner, photographed by Annie Leibovitz on the cover of June’s Vanity Fair. 

Over Whelmed

Liz and I are back from the Trans Ohio Symposium and she has one final day of vacation to play with. In the meantime, not to be ruder than I can be on occasion, I am going to try to keep my posts here in Cyrsti's Condo to a minimum.

Briefly, here are a few of the future posts: (In no particular order.)

"Letting your hair down with the Blues."
"Where have all the Trans Women Gone?"
"Gone but Not Forgotten."
"Waffles and Bikers from Maine."
"God Bless the Ally's."

Knowing my noggin, these will spur on other ideas and memories from a wonderful weekend of transgender introspection and learning.

Stay tuned!!!

Trans Ohio Day Two

Headed off to day two of the Trans Ohio Symposium which is actually the day of my workshop. Attended one excellent workshop yesterday which I will pass along in a later post! Have to get going!

Trans Ohio Day One

The three day Trans Ohio Symposium is being held this year again at THE Ohio State University Union.

This year, Liz and I both cuddled up to the Buckeye Mascot "Brutus Buckeye" for a picture!

FYI Connie-Brutus is holding up one finger because we are-National Champions-still eating roast Duck.

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.