What's Next?

Now that I have read again that Medicare will cover some or all aspects of genital reassignment surgery, I am sort of stuck between the rock and the bucket place. 

As I have always said, my genitals don't define me to the world and I am not interested in such a major, painful operation at my age. If most of my life was ahead of me, I am sure I would think different.


What I have written about here is my desire for a breast augmentation operation, and it's finally time to stop into a plastic surgeons office to find out if I can do it partially on Medicare's tab.

If you read Michelle Hart's (no relation) comment in my last Veterans Administration post, waiting for the VA at my age could be a death sentence. It seems our country has a penchant for getting into wars it doesn't want to pay for later. 

At any rate, all of this leads me to another point. If I was to put together a "girl" bucket list for myself, I would have to put swimming on it. I never was a huge fan of the water, even though I know how to swim plus in the old days, swimming in wigs was tough. So I never did.

So who knows, and if you do have any input into any of this, please let me know!

Still No Real Movement at the VA

From The Advocate and Autumn Sandeen:
It will likely take a lawsuit  to end the Veterans Affairs policy of denying coverage for gender-confirmation surgery — a procedure currently covered by Medicare. 
Here is an excerpt: "A lawsuit was filed recently that made little news, lost to the headlines of HB 2 and the Department of Education telling America's 13,000-plus school districts that they must accommodate transgender students in accordance with Title IX. This little-heard-of lawsuit was filed by the Transgender Law Center and Lambda Legal, with co-counsel WilmerHale, and in it they've petitioned the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to change the rule that categorically excludes transition-related surgery for transgender veterans.

For a bit of background, in June of 2011, many of us transgender veterans were pretty excited when the VA announced a standardized policy of respectful and affirming delivery of health care for transgender and intersex veterans. The policy required equal access to affirmative basic health care for transgender veterans across every VA facility — which surprisingly wasn't uniform across the country — and that all medically necessary health care for transgender veterans was and still is to be provided by the VA.

Well, almost all medically necessary health care. Under existing VA regulations, transition-related surgeries — also referred to as gender-affirmation surgeries — aren't performed by or paid for by the VA. In fact, VHA Directive 2013-003 (Providing Health Care For Transgender And Intersex Veterans) states under line item 2.b. "[The] VA does not provide sex reassignment surgery or plastic reconstructive surgery for strictly cosmetic purposes."

Being a transgender veteran myself, I'm not holding my breath waiting for change, but who knows?

Transgender Migration (Archive Post)

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Transsexual Migrations

"Kristina was born 33 years ago as a boy, but in her teens she realized she was at odds with her body. She has been thinking of sex change since 16, but not until four years ago, after moving to Germany, did she start doing something about it. In Lithuania, sex change operations are impossible because there are no laws governing them. “I was told I needed therapy, they suggested I had my head examined. There was so much mockery before... About locking me in a mental hospital, testing and curing like a lab rat. But it is not a disease, a person is simply born in a wrong body,” she explains."

For more on Kristina and Lithuanian transgender law, go here.

Just What The Hell Should They Know?

Liz and I went to the first planning session for the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Transgender Day of Remembrance.

I didn't attend last year's because of reasons I don't actually remember, but later I got the sense there were two separate competing events? Partially, I guess, the problem was a cis gender woman was running one and it was way too religious in scope.

It was about that time, I began to tally my own unofficial count in the room and came up with an almost even break down of cis versus trans people. The count included an even break between transgender men and trans women. The HUGE problem I immediately saw was there was only one transgender woman of color in the room and she said she had to be talked into coming after last years event.

I grew quickly bored as the meeting turned into what I call "circular" the same peeps bringing up the same subject endlessly. Plus it was religion. 

Which brings me back to my original question, When does an "ally's" help cease to be help no matter how well intention-ed it is?

Fuddy Duddy?

"A transgender woman is set to become the next president of a New Zealand Rotary club and says it's not the "fuddy duddy" organisation some think.

Monica Mulholland is the Queenstown club's nominee and is set to take on the role in June next year, pending an AGM vote.

Just three months after making her transition, she says most of those in the club have only known her as a guy.

"The support and the affection that I've had from my fellow Rotarians has really blown me away."

"I think that's a huge step forward and a real credit to the people who run Rotary in New Zealand."

Read more: http://www.newshub.co.nz/nznews/queenstown-rotary-club-elects-first-transgender-president-2016051816#ixzz4918MvFyR

Right On! Target

Cartoon Time

I am sorry rest of world. Then again maybe you need all this stupid upheaval in America to forewarn and or entertain you of what could happen in your country.

Peeps boycotting Target is the latest.

You have to know they would be shopping Walmart anyhow. But hanging out with a bible outside of a Target? Really? The bible thumping churches and ministers must have the flocks stirred up and mobilized. I do however, have a long time trans woman friend who grew up in an Evangelical home and she warned me they (Evangelicals) would just dig in their heels and refuse to move the more they were pushed.

Before all of this started, I always found Target a pleasant place to shop and in fact Liz and I made our way into a Target Saturday night to shop for a few items. We will shop there more now of course.

Now, as far as the other two go? The pix say it all! 

"Sort of Settled?"

From the Washington Blade: Defense Secretary Ashton Carter has invoked the ire an LGBT think-tank for saying the implementation of openly transgender military service is “complicated.” The Pentagon chief made the remarks last week at the Air Force Academy in Colorado when questioned by a cadet on the best way to help people adjust to the idea of transgender people in the armed forces. “This is a complicated issue, and I think it has a lot of ramifications that are very practical ones,” Carter said. Months after a launching a review of the ban prohibiting trans people from serving in the armed forces, Carter said the principle of enabling trans military service is “sort of settled.”

“What matters is people’s ability to contribute to our military,” Carter said. “That’s what matters. The only barriers we should ever erect to the principle are ones in which there are practical issues that we can’t work through.”

Expressing confidence the issues would be resolved, Carter concluded, “It’s the quality and readiness of the force that matters. That’s the goal. We keep that in front of us.”

The repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” enabled openly lesbian, gay and bisexual people to serve in the U.S. armed forces, but transgender people are still barred from open service as a result of medical regulation instituted in the 1980s.

- See more here.

As predicted, none of this was unexpected from the Pentagon. Washington after all is known for it's incompetent bureaucrats (Carter) who collect a paycheck and move on. 

I have screamed it before and I will again the greatest hypocrisy in this country is with  holding basic freedoms from the transgender military members who are on the front lines fighting for them. 

JJ's Quote of the Day

Comparisons should not be with made with who you were, it's who you are going to become.

Hamburger Mary's

Last night, one of CBS's "Undercover Boss" shows featured a place called

 "Hamburger Mary's".  In the show owners and executives go undercover to see

how their companies are really running and if they need

 to make improvements. During last night's show, one of the owners even went undercover 

as a drag queen at one of their LGBT friendly eateries/bar. From the companies web site:

Ashley Wright (Co Owner) on Left

Hamburger Mary’s offers a flamboyant dining experience,

 along with nightly entertainment from our "Dining with the Diva's" drag shows

 and charity “HamBingo Mary’s” to MaryOke-Karaoke and trivia nights.

As fun as all of that sounds, my whole reason for writing this post has to do with the

 way the two twin brothers Ashley and Brandon Wright who own the company are trying

to rebuild it.

In last nights show, the owners went undercover with a whole rainbow of employees.

They started with a fairly obvious straight server trainer, went to a gorgeous drag 

performer/trainer who was transgender, a lesbian bar manager and finally a gay server.

The gay server in particular was singing the praises of Hamburger Mary's as a safe

place to work...which is huge as we know.

Remember too, if you live close to one of Hamburger Mary's venues, Support them

Because the Wright Brothers are doing the Wright thing for the LGBT  community!!!!!

 (Couldn't resist it!)