From the "Eagles Nest"

1. 
   
2. Connie wrote in:  So many Eagles songs come to mind that could take you to your past:
3. Hotel California, Desperado, Life In The Fast Lane, Take It to the Limit, New Kid In Town, Tequila Sunrise, Can’t Tell You Why, Witchy Woman, Lyin' Eyes, One of These Nights, Already Gone, Wasted Time, After The Thrill Is Gone, The Last Resort.
4. 
   I'm hoping that now you have "A Peaceful, Easy Feeling" and that you can finally "Take it Easy"!
5. Connie,
   
   Lyin' eyes is especially poignant to me, it was about twice as long as the other Top 40 music I was playing on the radio station I worked on all nights...I played it as a break song and (weather permitting), I would have a chance to go out and look up at the tower while it played. I was a wreck!

6. 

   Mail Box

   

   Archived Mirror Selfie

   These days, I don't know about Take it Easy, but I do have a "Peaceful, Easy Feeling" on occasion. I can't explain to myself why though I feel guilty these days every now and then. An example was when I was contacted for the photo shoot because I was transgender.
7. I guess " trans stealth" and I will never quite match up and I am guilty of too much info too often- I'm afraid.
8. 
   
9.  In fact, I had a couple of examples from yesterday I will get to in another post.

The Almighty Dollar!!!

WYFF, SC, USA


Conventions leaving Charlotte, citing House Bill 2

UPDATED 6:50 AM EDT Apr 09, 2016


CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) —Controversy over North Carolina's new law blocking anti-discrimination rules covering the LGBT community has made national headlines and now the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority (CRVA) says conventions are pulling out of Charlotte.

The CRVA says four conventions that were booked in Charlotte have now canceled the event in the Queen City over House Bill 2. WBTV broke the story Friday afternoon after a source gave WBTV's Molly Grantham the information. The CRVA later confirmed the numbers.

HB2 repealed Charlotte's non-discrimination ordinance, which was passed in February. The Charlotte City Council voted 7-4 to add sexual orientation, gender identity and marital status as attributes protected from discrimination when it comes to public accommodations including restaurants, retail stores and other businesses. Public schools would not have been affected by the ordinance.

The ordinance quickly became controversial with the majority of the focus revolving around the bathroom.

Republican leaders in North Carolina, including Governor Pat McCrory, expressed concern over the ordinance. A special session of the North Carolina General Assembly was held in late March.

In a one-day vote, the NCGA repealed the Charlotte ordinance, which was slated to take effect on April 1.

The new law requires transgender people to use public bathrooms that match their birth certificates. The law also makes clear local measures can't expand anti-discrimination protections for sexual orientation or gender identity.

According to the CRVA, four conventions have officially canceled their dates in Charlotte, citing House Bill 2. Officials say that translates to 1,137 room nights gone for hotels in Charlotte.

On top of the four canceled conventions, nine other conventions who were looking at Charlotte are saying they will no longer be looking at the city to be the host. That's considered a "lost opportunity" and translates into a potential 12,231 room nights not used.

WBTV also learned that 29 other groups have now said they are "hesitant" about bringing their convention to Charlotte. If all these groups pulled out, that's 89,723 room nights that will be lost."

In addition (you may have heard) Bruce Springsteen has cancelled his concert in North Carolina.

At the least, all of this activity lays the framework of what can/could happen to one of the other states considering going down such an unfair discriminatory route.

Are the "Good Ol' Days" Now?

Sure, as chronological years go, I hope my "double sixes"- 66 years continue to serve me fairly well. This time I am writing about the remembrances of a simpler time when all I had to do was obsess about when I was going to sneak out and what was I going to wear.

  An example is the picture to the left, which I call an ancient "photo shopped" mirror selfie.

Well, the good old days are now with me. In fact when one one the Eagles' songs came on the radio the other day, it took me back to an extremely dark and ugly time in my past.

I knew I had severe gender issues but in the mid 1970's I had no idea of what to do about them except try to drink them away. Which in turn, made it worse.

If it wasn't for my infant daughter, I don't know how I did make it then. She was grown with kids of her own when I tried an actual weak attempt at suicide. I say "weak" because I know now taking a full bottles  of certain pills won't kill me.

So, these are the good old days and sometimes I think I need to write posts like this to remind myself and others of how desperate being transgender can be,

Go Cincinnati!!!

I know many of you must think I get some sort of a stipend from Cincinnati when I write something good about them, wish I did.

Embattled Governor McCrory,  North Carolina

The fact remains though, Cincinnati was considered the poor step child when it came to LGBTQ rights, behind state capital Columbus and even nearby Dayton, Ohio.

All of the sudden a year or so ago that began to change and continues to.

It was announced today the city was going to try to pass an ordinance to ban un- necessary travel to North Carolina, until the state repeals it's swift and shady anti LGBT rights bill.

"Go Natti!!!"

Orange or White?

As I finally got around to coloring my hair yesterday, (dark auburn) as I was applying it I panicked a bit when it came out orange.


I got to thinking if I had orange hair, I would take a step to the right and take after Donald Trump. Then I thought if the color didn't cover my gray, I would take a step to the left with Bernie Sanders.

Paris Lees:Dear Ian McEwan:

From across the pond, the "Daily Telegraph" and Paris Lees:

"Everyone seems to have an opinion on transgender people these days - from Germaine Greer to Jeremy Clarkson, they have all offered up their thoughts on trans people.  Ian McEwan is the latest

. As a fan of his books and a trans woman myself, I’m (Paris) very grateful. After all, he seems to have spent a whole five minutes thinking about people like me before sharing all his ill-informed ideas about us with the rest of the world.

“The self, like a consumer desirable, may be plucked from the shelves of a personal identity supermarket, a ready-to-wear little black number,” he said. “For example, some men in full possession of a penis are now identifying as women and demanding entry to women-only colleges, and the right to change in women’s dressing rooms.”

There is a ton of good reading here. Follow the link for more!

Paris Lees CREDIT: NEIL DAWSON FOR ATTITUDE

Is the Cat Out of the Bag?

All of a sudden it seems more and more people know of/a transgender woman or man. The tipping point it's called.

As more of the world knows the truth about us, that we are not the restroom rapists we are drawn to be, will the bully on the other side of the teeter totter take off running?

As you have probably have read, Mississippi is the latest state to legislate the worst legislation against the LGBT community yet. Then again, it's tough to expect much more from a state with a Confederate Flag incorporated in it's flag.

As I understand it, Mississippi's law even dictates an employer can impose a dress code. Does that mean a genetic woman can't wear pants to work?

With all this activity I thought it may be a good idea to see where your state stacks up.

Plus there are states like Kentucky where anti LGBT bills have ground to a halt in session, and Georgia has not been up dated on this map.

It's important to note too, how much impact all of us can have one on one with the world. Especially with our dollars. In fact, yesterday I emailed Asheville, NorthCarolina (billed as one of the most liberal towns in North Carolina) that I had taken them off our possible vacation plans. 

I will let you know if I receive a message!

An Incredible Idea

Yesterday when I got back from playing ping pong with my therapist (she wins everytime!) I received an email which (I paraphrase) asked me to be part of a artist collaboration of how contemporary Cincinnati women use their heads. The piece will be in response to a photo in the "Lloyd's archives of two women in the 1800's posing with baskets on their heads. (No cheap shots about my flat head!)

Regardless of flat, I have a problem on occasion of overthinking things to the point of missing the point all together.

I immediately wondered why me for a photo shoot/interview. Finally it came to me what the artist wanted, a different perspective on how a woman does use her head from one who has lived life from a gender fence. Sometimes finding a lofty view, sometimes getting buried in my own gutter.

I still feel HRT has been the big difference for me. The readjustment of gender hormones in my body has allowed me to find the feminine rainbow which I always knew existed but had such a difficult time fulfilling. 

Needless to say, I can't wait until next Thursday and in the meantime, it will be time to use my hair color and the free hair styling I won (to help the budget.)

Ideally, if the whole project gets accepted, it will be accepted at a bigger show in October.

Coincidence or Divine Intervention?

If you follow sports at all, you will know last night was the finale of the NCAA men's basketball tournament. The two teams were Villanova (small Catholic school from Philadelphia) and North Carolina.

Normally, I am not the biggest fan of basketball and really didn't have a dog in this hunt, until North Carolina pretty much slipped in under the cover of darkness to legislate the most nefarious anti LGBT laws in the country.

As the game went back and forth, I began to think what if North Carolina lost because their coach is a jerk and the state won't let me potty where I want to.

Then my prayers were answered when Villanova drove down the court and shot an improbable three point shot to win the National Championship at the buzzer. (End of the game.)

For the next couple of minutes, I became a Catholic.