We Got Mail

Thanks to you all for sending in your input to "JJ's House"! Yes I finally added a new picture and decided to add a new title at the same time. Thanks for your patience!!!

Now on to the input:
First from Paula in Great Britain. For me this puts the USA on a similar footing to Russia and Uganda as travel destinations, it is all so sad.

Sad is correct Paula but this is yet another mini revolution. This one though is fueled by the fact that we transgender people have been tossed under the bus by a group of radical right wingers. Spare me the rant! Plus, what has exasperated the whole situation is the trans population's potential power, exposure and even popularity.

The only thing the right wing has found to fire up a largely backwards group of the country is the restroom non issue. Also it is a proven fact most of the largest religions are losing their memberships slowly.

Finally, you have to keep in mind we are a big nation, so many areas simply are and will be easier to move around in as LGBTQ peeps. An example is I can move around easily where I live on the East side of Cincinnati but a little over 50 miles East of us are where the eight people were killed in the rumored drug cartel murders. Rural and mean.

Then there is Donald Trump, Paula, as far as trans people go, I think we barely show up on his radar. After all, he told Caitlin Jenner to use what ever restroom she wanted in the Trump Tower.

It's going to be a down and dirty time between now and fall elections in America with a lot at stake for all transgender women and trans men.  

I Bet They Never Saw This Coming!

From the GayStarNews : The price of North Carolina’s attempt to abolish protections and to exclude trans people from public life continues to mount up, as the UK Foreign Office has revealed it has raised the matter through official channels.

This was in response to a written question from Cat Smith, Labour MP and Shadow Spokesperson for Women.

Cat Smith

Last week, she asked the Foreign Secretary: ‘What plans does the Secretary of State have to raise the issue of LGBT rights in North Carolina and Mississippi with his counterpart in the US?’

The official response, delivered late yesterday afternoon, was that they have already raised it with North Carolina.

Responding on behalf of the Foreign Office, Hugo Swire, Conservative MP and a Minister of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office wrote: ‘Our Consul General in Atlanta raised our concerns with the North Carolina Commerce Secretary on 19 April.

‘We have amended our Travel Advice for the United States to reflect legislative changes on LGBT rights in North Carolina and Mississippi . This Government is opposed to all forms of discrimination. We are committed to ensuring that all LGBT people are free to live their lives in a safe and just environment.’

The Good? OLD Days?

This sweatshirt comes from DentzDesigns on Etsy and takes me back to more than one of my alcoholic evenings when I was trying to out run my transness!

Cyrsti's Condo Archive Post

I started to write this Cyrsti's Condo post after I read someone's comment (I paraphrase), if she was able to interact with women - as a woman- does that make her a woman?  Good question and way too complex to discuss in one post-or ten.

Since the venerable "sex is between the legs" and "gender is between the ears" quote is beginning to go the route of most other "discussions" in the transgender community - into bickering hell, I had to try to come up with something different to toss into the mix.  Eventually I went from hell no that's too easy, to why not? She just could be on to something. If gender is a perception held mainly from others, then she is a woman because she is perceived as one plus she perceives herself as one. Finally, I came away with one certainty,  all the thinking made my head hurt!  Remember the old cheap shot, "look at the head on that?" What would have Einstein thought? Is that what happened to his hair?



As I said though, I didn't plan on continuing to write on the vague concepts above.  (Aren't you lucky?) Instead, a mere three word question got my attention, "are you (me) a pre opt transsexual?"  Well, in the strictest of terms yes and no.  Yes, because of totality of my lifestyle and No, because I don't feel the need for surgery (SRS).

That's as simplistic as my backward noggin can make it.  Without another headache of course!

Transition VII

Over the past week or so here in Cyrsti's Condo we have been going over my levels of a Mtf transition. At level VII you are past (as Connie wrote) the "wide eyed wonders of a world you so have desperately wanted to live. 

All of a sudden you don't have to spend an hour in front of the mirror every morning to do your shopping at the grocery to be referred to as "she" or "her." All of that though does not come without peril, as your mind starts to wonder "is that all there was to all of this?" Then again you start to wonder just why didn't I do this sooner.

In reality Level VII should be the "jumping off point" to a possible GRS and changing your legal gender markers for good.

For example, all my important gender markers have been changed, but I still don't see (or feel) like a genitalia reassignment surgery should be in my future. I have learned though to never say never. 

Plus I worry over nursing home and other health issues in my future, so Level VIII is never too far off and then there is death. If I'm writing from the other side-you all need to worry!!!!

Transition VI

Welcome to my Cyrsti's Condo "Levels of Mtf transition." In level five we touched on your "aura" confidence and presentation levels. In level six we are going to assume you have figured out the life you are leading is the correct one.

As I have written a number of times, only you can decide gender on the most basic level possible. Do you meditate? Are you spiritual? Or, in my case, my life felt more natural and it opened up the other two I just mentioned.

More than anymore of the transition levels, VI is personal. Forget how you look, or act, this is all about the you- you should have been.

Perhaps this is the level you have decided to start HRT and began the process of GRS. (Neither of which should define your level of femininity.)

I like to call Level VI the closest level to going through adolescence. The world is just newer and more exciting somehow.

Perhaps it's because Level VII will be bringing more serious challenges!  

Pammy Rose

Pammy Rose the young woman from Seaham, County Durham (across the pond), is set to compete against other transgender women in a completely different kind of contest. 

Now fully embracing her true gender, Pammy is determined to become Miss Transgender UK 2016 for the first prize of a sex change which she has always dreamed of. 

Pammy said: “The last time I took part in a pageant nobody knew I was transgender but now I want everyone to know. I am raring to go, I can't wait for it. I am determined to become the representative for transgender people all across the UK.”
The now 23-year-old had no expectations when she entered the modelling competition. 

A talented dancer, Pammy Rose wowed audiences and judges alike as she made it to the final of the beauty contest.

But the gorgeous blonde was hiding a huge secret from everyone in the mainstream competition.

Pammy Rose was born male.

Cyrsti's Condo "Sunday Edition"

Ker Plunk! Another "Sunday Edition" is hitting your virtual front porch! Weather report? Here in Southwestern Ohio,it's a glorious Sunday, so today lets grab a cup o iced joe or tea and head out to the back deck and get started.

From North Carolina Hotel

Page One: The Week that Was or Wasn't: During the week, the costs to North Carolina's economy continues to mount from all sorts of different directions. Too many in fact to even begin to list here (a good thing) but you can go here to check out a comprehensive look from the Daily Kos. 


Also, if you have been following the "Prez's" visit to Great Britain, he has come out in favor of LGBT causes again, even to the point of saying he has learned from his daughters on the issues.

Now, if he pushes through equal rights for transgender active service women and men before leaving office...

Page Two: Yesterday's Coffee-Opinion:

All week long we have been presenting a series of posts on the different levels of transitioning. One of which briefly touched on the subject of aura. Which Connie followed with this comment:  "To be, aura not to be. That's the question! I would (respectfully) "tighten up" your loose definition by saying ones aura is her or his true self which radiates regardless of any self awareness thereof. I think that the brightness of ones radiance depends first, on the self awareness of the aura, and second, on the acceptance of it. 

Blessed is the person who learns both at an early age. I'm speaking as aura applies to gender identity here, as I also believe in negative auras; Hitler, Charles Manson, Ted Bundy, (and maybe Donald Trump?) fit into this realm. Although these people are (or were) inherently evil, they learned how to manipulate their auras just enough to fool others into believing and following them."

Extremely important when you consider gender is decided in a couple seconds when one human sees another.

Take the time I met Stana from Femulate for the first time. She oozed femininity from the inside out, and if you have read her blog at all, she says she pretty much always has.

Page Three: What's in a Name?: Ironically, Mandy sent in a comment which jogged my noggin into something I haven't brought up in a while...my name and how it relates primarily here and on Facebook/Twitter:

"My male name (which I won't disclose) is now a predominantly female name. All too frequently I hear women yelling "my name" in stores, to locate their daughters. A bit disconcerting, but I'm used to it now. 

The bright side is that I am often gendered as female after I present my credit card with my real name. Folks are used to seeing women named thusly. Used to hate my name in school. But now I can say "Thanks, Mom and Dad!

Mandy"

Well, my name was about as far away as being feminine as it could get and no it wasn't "Chris." So what I did was go with generational names from the family which the grand kids could use to call be. The abbreviation is "J.J"  and it works perfectly as an androgynous name. 

Page Four : The Back Page: Well kids, it's time to get out and enjoy this beautiful day! Monday we will get started again on my stages of transition which in turn will fill a chapter in book number two. 

As always, love you all and thanks for stopping by Cyrsti's Condo. 

Transition V

This week we are writing a series of posts here in Cyrsti's Condo on what I call the steps to completing a transition. We finished the Level Five post with the power of aura, confidence and presentation.

Loosely defined, aura is the sense of self which radiates from a person. I always believed my aura was feminine in nature because of the times in my past when I was completely engrossed in trying to be male and someone would nonchalantly come along and call me "mam".

Where times really got rough though was when I began to sync up my total person and gain the confidence to present my real feminine self to the world. At times it was a brutal experience because let's face it, I fall into the category of most male bodies, with big bones and a thick torso. For the longest time my life was brutal if I tried to go out, often being laughed at behind my back, if I was lucky. If I wasn't so lucky I had strangers wanting to take pictures of me and being just totally rude. "Whiplash" was what I called it when a person (mainly women) would flip their heads around so fast to stare I thought they were going to hurt themselves.

Through it all though, somehow a little voice inside me kept whispering to stay the feminine course. It all would be worth it in the end, as it was. Ironically, so many think my life is better because of how I present and it isn't. My life is better because of the confidence my circle of friends has given me and now the world see's my aura matched up with an exterior which does match. I compare it to running through hot coals in six inch heels. 

Once I made it to the other side though, I found it was time to begin to tie up loose ends of my old life and start a new one I never thought possible.