Cyrsti's Condo "Quote of the Day"

"I'll tell you what's at the bottom of it. If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you."

Lyndon B. Johnson

Monday Monday?

It's days like today I struggle to find something to write about. Life goes on, transgender or not. Which still seems to be of some interest to many and often tedious to me. I "yam what I yam" Popeye said it best!

Last night was different though. An example was the young transgender guy (Schuyler Bailar) who switched from the Harvard women's to men's swim team in (I can't help it) mid stream. Of course, much of the key to his successful transition was an accepting family and coaches at Harvard.

Then there was the story of Martine Rothblatt on a later show. The ultra successful CEO just happens to be one of America's highest paid C.E.O's and a transgender woman-sort of:


Martine prefers not to limit herself to available words: She’s suggested using “Pn.,” for “person,” in place of “Mr.” and “Ms.,” and “spice” to mean husband or wife. But “trans” is a prefix she likes a lot, for it contains her self-image as an explorer who crosses barriers into strange new lands. (When she feels a connection to a new acquaintance, she says that she “transcends.”) And these days Martine sees herself less as transgender and more as what is known as transhumanist, a particular kind of futurist who believes that technology can liberate humans from the limits of their biology—including infertility, disease, and decay, but also, incredibly, death. 

Martine and her partner were on an episode of Nat Geo's God , the story of the Ftm swimmer is called "Switching Teams" on 60 Minutes

After watching both of these shows, I understood again why the rightest red necks can't understand us. You only have to try.

Schuyler Bailar

.

Cyrsti's Condo "Sunday Edition"

Ker plunk! That's the sound of another Sunday Edition hitting your virtual front porch. Welcome in! Weather wise- Spring still hasn't decided to make a permanent arrival here in Southwestern Ohio. However, this raw blustery day is the ideal chance to lay back and enjoy a hot "cup-o-joe". Let's get started.



Page One: The Week that Was or Wasn't: As the battle raged over bigotry and discrimination in North Carolina and Mississippi, the first transgender (PAC) has began. Plus as liberal Republican's (Pat) will be happy to know,it will be bipartisan. According to  "Hayden Mora, a founding member of the Trans United Fund (TUF), says that the newly launched PAC will take support wherever it can be found. “Our vision and our goal is to have a conversation with anyone who is serious about supporting the trans community and supporting trans people,” he told The Daily Beast. “That includes everyone on the political spectrum." For more, go here.here 
Page Two: Yesterday's Coffee-Opinion: In the past, I have experienced "push back" in some circles when I am critical of those of us (?) who are more concerned about a run in their stockings than current LGBTQ affairs. I can accept that until I think how I can help in such a little way in the current wave of transgender battles. As I read not long ago, a gay man says the restroom paranoia reminds him of the "old days" when gay rights opponents used the same arguments against them. So I feel strongly it's time to stand up and be counted, and not runs in my leggings.
Page Three: A Night in Heels? Yes, surprisingly enough, I decided to wear my pair of three inch calf length boots to a birthday party Liz and I went to Friday night. I found out fairly quickly why I haven't worn them. First of all they are too big for even me and I don't maneuver well in tight spaces anyhow. On the bright side, the experiment came off better than I thought. Or, was that the wine?
Page Four: The Back Page: Another very busy day planned today, regardless of the weather. Looking ahead at this week I still have to get my hair shaped or styled (hate the cut word) before the Thursday photo shoot. My plan is to take a new picture or two to go with the blog as I begin the name change. 
Have a great week all! Thanks for stopping in and peace and love :) 

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