Cyrsti's Condo "Sunday Edition"

Sharla and Cynthia. Photo: Brigitte Lacombe

Ker Plunk! Another virtual edition is hitting your front porch! All in all, another glorious day here in Southwestern Ohio and time for a hot "cup o joe!" Let's get started.

Page One: The Week That Was-or Wasn't: On the very pinnacle of transgender news and opinion, everything seemed to settle down a bit since we didn't have anything new from Caitlin Jenner to kick around. (Didn't really care she got her gender markers changed.)

 Over in the UK though, a new television series is featuring a transgender woman character (played by a trans woman, Rebecca Root.) had a successful debut.

From The Guardian: Last month, BBC2 launched a new sitcom that’s looking quietly revolutionary. Boy Meets Girl centres on the awkward love affair between early twenty something Leo (Harry Hepple) and Judy (Rebecca Root), a trans woman who is pushing 40. And it’s already shaping up to be the breakout comedy of the year.

Page Two Opinion: One way or another, age washes away memories, good and bad. Plus, too many of the gender transitioning experiences we see today seemingly want to only center on the transgender person and (if married) not the spouse. I ran across one such article from the "New York Magazine" and I thought I should share. But, first of all, my thoughts: 

1. 1  Any Gender transition is extremely selfish. After all you are shedding years of guilt from hiding your true self.But, your spouse (or girlfriend) is all of the sudden left holding the relationship bag.
2. Betrayal and Trust issues. Often the fact your loved one feels worse about this than the knowledge of your gender issues themselves
3. Going through puberty is not fun. Think about when you begged a spouse to help with clothes and/or make up. Or, worse yet, did it on your own. 

1. ..

I could go on and on with these and each of us who has gone through the painful process of transitioning with a spouse- has your own story. If you don't remember, my wife of 25 years was OK  with me cross dressing but going down the HRT route was a total no-no. She took the easy way outt and passed on nearly eight years ago. Others I know are able to enter into a "marriage of convenience." .Follow the link above for more.
Page Three- The Back Page: Times up kids! Big day ahead. My Bengals are overdue to turnover and get their kitty bellies rubbed by the Ravens in a couple hours and tonight I'm heading to a full moon ritual. Interestingly, it is the brightest in 32 years-if the clouds stay away.
In the meantime, I hope all of you don't stay away from Cyrsti's Condo. Luv ya!!!

The Deepest Cut of All

How many of us haven't suffered through the "that's a man!" slur? In fact, I rank it up there with the "earning the right to be a woman" process. 

As transgender women or cross dressers in world, we are experts in how out and out rude people can be - and not just with us. If you have ever seen the show "My Giant Life", the show features several women- all over 6'6" tall. The camera's follow them around and document all the rude peeps going nuts staring, whispering and even asking for selfies.

My latest "skirmish" came a couple weeks ago at a local movie theater when a couple pre teen boys looked at me around a corner and ran away laughing. I couldn't blame them as much as their parents.

Then, I read this story from Scotland:  A trans woman was left in tears after visiting a branch of "Specsavers" when a group of workers began laughing at her. Jess, on the left above began her full time transition nearly 10 months was with her wife, who called them on it.

The good ending to this ugly experience came when Jess posted her experience with the company to Twitter and got an apology and a pledge to diversify and sensitize it's employee's.



I will always wonder though how people can be so damn rude-and oh yes-here is your link.

Out in the UK

Natasha was apprehensive about competing, but eventually entered because the event is not based on looks

From the Independent:

This weekend, dozens of women will compete for the Miss Transgender UK crown.

For the first time on Sunday, London will host Miss Transgender UK, a pageant for transgender women. The competition, which will take place at EGG Nightclub in north London, is the brainchild of Rachael Bailey, a head chef and hospitality supervisor in Cardiff.

“Isn’t it about time we were noticed and accepted?” she wrote on the event website. “It’s up to us to show the UK that we’re here. We work, live and function as part of society, and as women together we will bring the UK in line with Europe for acceptance and equality for all…We need to see an end to living a life crushed by stealth."

Follow the link above for more.

Earning Her Rights?

Bernhard

Recently I read this quote I totally agree with. 

The quote came from the "Bravo" show "Watch What Happens Next." : As it turns out comic Sandra Bernhard was no fan of Bruce Jenner. And has not changed her mind now that the 65-year-old Olympic legend has transitioned to the the female 
Caitlyn Jenner.

Bernhard appeared on Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live on Thursday (24 September) and was asked by host Andy Cohen to weigh in on various topics including Jenner’s transition.

Bernhard shook her head and said: ‘Honey, Bruce Jenner was a sexist, golf playing bore.

‘Suddenly he becomes a woman and everybody’s like “Oh he’s so like moving and so emotional.” It’s like “No, sorry, no.”‘

Wagging her finger, Bernhard added: ‘You have to earn your right to be a woman.’

I agree because- a woman is socialized not born. And  it's the very reason any Jill or Jane off the street with their home grown vagina's should be able to judge a trans woman by what is between her legs. The more you become acclimated to the world from the feminine side of life - you do earn a certain right to be a woman on your terms. 

Plus, all the hormones and surgery in the world can't change a basic personality. A former egotistical bastard transitions well into a stone cold bitch.

Now, back to Jenner. You all know I have not been her biggest fan on several levels but- in all fairness to her, she is so new to the game. Plus, her gilded lifestyle may preclude her from really knowing what the rest of we transgender peasants (and worse) go through as we go about our lives.

A Day in the Life

Yesterday was one of those days you spend years sort of planning for- and hours thinking about as they approach. When I look back at literally all the time I wondered if I could and wonder how it would be to go "full time" and live as an "out" transgender woman. 

Liz was off and had a doctors mammogram appointment. I went along and benefited from what I call a "contact estrogen buzz" in the office from all the other women in the waiting room. From what Liz said it's a much more of a factory like demeaning process in the bigger hospital she goes to. I had mine in a much smaller one.

From there we came back briefly to have a little lunch before we drove the 70 miles or so up to Dayton to my daughters house. I made plans to not have to change clothes much if not at all during the day until Liz gave me a wonderful pair of black jeans she had found for me, so what was a trans girl to do? Easy answer? Wear them to a lesbian get together we were going to last night up in Dayton. The evening was significant in that it was the first time I had seen my "old friends" Nikki and Kim and I was going into an alcohol based venue since my drinking ban was instituted.

So, ideally, the outfit I was wearing had to have a little "pizzazz"  to it-without looking like I was trying too hard. 

On the positive side, my daughter wasn't going to be home (in Hawaii) but her Mother in Law was going to meet with with my VA meds I was coming by for. She has met me in social situations a couple times but we have never really have had a chance to sit and talk very much one on two with Liz and I. She did well and cut the miss-pronouning almost totally out. Of course the grand kids were the grandkids. One had band practice, one was fooling with some sort of computer part and the youngest? Well, no one really knows.

From there it was off on another 20 miles to meet the group. The whole time the clique "You don't need alcohol to have fun." was echoing in my noggin. Well obviously I didn't but much of my past was built around a party. Plus all the other tangents which were involved with drinking while trans. Which could fill another post.

I have to tell you, I loved seeing Kim and Nikki and was accepted by the group-but no booze did affect me. But obviously I will get over it and found Ginger Ale with a lime was OK.

As it turned out, we still weren't done and had to drive another 20 miles east to Springfield to pick up things and check my old house before coming back to Cincinnati.

By the end of all of that, my goal was achieved to put together an outfit which could be comfortable plus be "up scaled" a bit with make up. 

The whole day was exactly how I imagined it so many years ago. I was never sure though, if I could have ever imagined doing it.

Life As We Know it Now.

I was thinking it has been awhile since I have tried to update 'Y'all' about what's going on with me. Actually not much. But, if you missed it, I did actually stop my estrogen patches on Sunday. Since that time (For whatever reason) I have managed to cry about everything it seemed. Not sure it means anything yet. 

Health wise, I am feeling better, but won't know any real news until later next week when I go to my endocrinologist. I have found I can go on the VA on line health site for my records then compare them with the diagnosis with on line medical text books-and they matched. The diagnosis was doing phlebotomies  - or as one Doctor said "Change out my oil." As of now, I am into the second of a possible six appointments. 

Now, on we go into why we are here. What's happening with that pesky transgender deal you have going on Cyrtsi? It's been tough to describe but I feel internally I have gone stealth. I am just me. Externally, some days my passing privilege seems to working and life is a bit easier than others. On those other days (like anyone else) I want to strangle many of the rude ignorant peeps I run into.

Other than that, by FAR, Fall is my fave season of the year and it is beginning nicely. Sunny days and highs near 80. 

In my case lately, slower is better and my goal is to adjust to it!

Duke Leads the Way

Recently I noticed Duke opened one of the few centers for gender-related disorders (in the Southeast),on July 15.

Hunter

Not surprisingly, parents like Mac and Katy Schafer of Raleigh say they don’t know what they would have done without the help they found at Duke. 

Their daughter Hunter, who transitioned from male to female as a teenager, needed hormone treatments, and without Duke there would have been nowhere else to go.

The center was founded by Deanna Adkins, the endocrinologist who treated Hunter. The Center for Child and Adolescent Gender Care, which opened in July, is the first of its kind in North Carolina.

The post goes on to mention the extremely high suicide transgender rate and the fact puberty blockers have been found to be reversible- to give a young trans person the chance to make a quality decision on a huge issue!
Read more here.

Reminders!

We're 8 months out from the Congressional Election and I'm asking for your help.  Your small donation will go a long way to helping me achieve the best improvements in Employment, Education, Energy and the Environment!

Do what you can!!!



And: Sunday here in Cyrsti's Condo, I promised to pass along a link to a film project which involves a transgender character-which if it gets funded will be played by a trans actress:

It's called "Strictly Taboo."


https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/strictly-taboo-a-film-noir-transgender-love-story#/story

Parenting 101

Recently I found this little tid bit of huge parenting advice passed along by a transgender server Liv Hnilicka in Minnesota to a little girl. From Cosmopolitan:

In the post,(Hnilicka) describes the interaction,"which involved the dad coming up to her and saying, "My daughter just asked if you were a boy or a girl. I didn't want to speak for you so would you like to talk to her?"

Hnilicka then went over to the table and told the little girl that she liked her hair ribbon and answered her question with, "I heard you asked if I was a boy or girl. I think the important thing to remember is that everyone can be anything they want to be in this world. And it's also important to try to be the best selves we can be for our family and friends. And even to strangers. So to answer your question, I was told that I was a boy when I was little and now I live my adult life as a girl. It sounds complicated but it's actually pretty simple. Do you have any questions for me?" 

The little girl then smiled at her and said, "Nope!" 

Hnilicka went on to write: she wanted to post the story publicly for a multitude of reasons, one of which was that it was very different from the types of interactions she usually has with strangers. 
"Just this morning I was waiting for the bus and this man walked by me and kept smiling at me and then finally said, 'Cut that faggoty shit out.' And I'm like, 'I'm just in the world; I'm just waiting for the bus. It doesn't have to be this big conflict.' So yeah, this interaction was so out of the ordinary that I felt like I needed to run to the mountain top and shout it to the world. Clearly it's resonated with people.

YES!!!