Finally!!!!

"On Friday, U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter announced the Pentagon will repeal the military’s active ban prohibiting transgender service members from serving openly, beginning on July 1. The decision to repeal came after recommendations from a working group examining the effect of lifting the ban, something Carter has previously indicated he favors.

According to USA Today, top military officials will meet as early as Monday, June 27, to finalize implementation of the plan. It would direct each branch of the armed services to roll out new policies reflecting the change in the areas of recruiting, housing and uniforms for transgender troops.

Last year, Carter all but indicated that repeal was in the works, and would only be halted if the working group concluded that removing the ban on transgender service members would have an “adverse impact on military effectiveness and readiness."

Being the doubter that I am, I have to say I thought the Pentagon would push this off until the next election. Who knows the nightmare that may bring!!!

Congratulations to this hard fought victory for all our actively serving transgender military members!

We Got Mail!

Connie wrote this interesting correlation between football and being transgender:

"In regard to your friend's daughter being blindsided with the "God" card, I immediately thought back to my old football days. As I'm sure you learned, too, while playing on the defensive line, if the player opposite you pulls out and leaves a hole wide open for you, you'd better watch out. I learned quickly that there was going to be another offensive player coming from one side or the other, just looking to take me out. 

So it can be with transitioning, as just when things are feeling OK to you and you step into the open, someone or something comes along to try and knock you down. But, you learn from the bad experiences, as well, and you become better prepared for the next time - even to the point of anticipating and thwarting the attack before it can cause harm.

 Of course, it took another 40 years for me after my football days to be able to apply what I had learned there to my gender dysphoria and transition, so your friend's daughter is going to be far ahead of me if she can only hang in there. Ha! I even believe that God gave me some talent for playing football as preparation for being a woman!!!! We all get there in our own ways."

 Thanks!

Janie B

Somehow over the years, Janie B and I lost track. Number one she is younger and gorgeous but more importantly is going through what the rest of us have - or will- go through as we MtF transition. 

Janie B

Recently she added a fiction post to her blog called "Smile for the Camera" 

If you like a little well written transgender fiction, follow the link above!

What's Up? - Or Down

It's not often that I wake up to a lead news story these days from relatively staid Great Britain. But this morning the vote for the British to leave the European Union did it. It obviously was an emotional issue from which I don't understand all the far reaching ramifications except it's a great time to visit Paula in London with the pound plunging against the dollar.

Otherwise, things have been relatively copacetic for me. I do have a dear friend though who has a 20 something trans daughter who is struggling mightily with her gender dysphoria. Of course, it didn't help when the parent's of her friend threw the "God" card at her when she came out to them. 

None of that BS even deserves our time here, but it is a shame.  (However, it would be a good topic for another post examining the differences when you are rejected for being transgender at what age.)

The bad news is she is shy on deciding coming out further because we have several really nice LGBTQ groups in the metro Cincinnati area which could help.

The good news is her Mother really cares and embraces her. Most of us would agree, that is the hardest part. 

Where Did Rude Paul Go?

Rude Paul, to my knowledge, didn't go anywhere. Instead I moved on. Good old Rude and his drag queen culture used to get my blood pressure rolling and kept me away from Pride events etc. 

I am happy to say I have outgrown him now. I can go to Pride events and gay venues as a proud transgender woman, as the gay and lesbian community is catching up to us quickly as far as knowledge goes.

I can even consider going to a drag show again.

It's nice to be free!!!

Living Like a Woman?

Every once in a while someone will ask me how long I have been "full time" or 24/7 as a woman.

The easy answer no one understands is I have lived my whole life as a transgender woman, you just never noticed and what exactly does that that mean anyhow?

It has just been in the last couple years, I have lived an "external" feminine life.

I guess 24/7 to me is to do everything from the stereotypical "girl" things to boy things too (like auto parts stores).

Getting here was tough, but I have a sense the toughest is yet to come.

My struggle is remembering gender is but a mirror and what people see of me from the outside may totally miss my insides.  Then again I have a group of friends who have always seen me for what I am and they make life on the heaven side more than the alternative-more than they will ever know.

After the meeting I went to yesterday, I realized how fortunate I am truly am.

Welcome Jessica!

Today we added a new blog for you to check out called "World of Cross Dressing" by Jessica.
Just look in our "wanna hook up" section, and if you have a blog you would like to exchange links with JJ's.
Let me know!!!

Lana Moore

   Columbus, Ohio

Cate McGregor (Archive)

Australian Cate McGregor (according to Wikipedia) (formerly Malcolm Gerard McGregor) is/was a serving member of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). 

In 2012, McGregor was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in the Military Division for "exceptional service to the Australian Army as the Director of the Land Warfare Studies Centre".^[10]

Following a period between 2010 and 2013 when numerous ADF personnel were involved in misogynistic behaviour (including the non-consensual filming of sexual encounters with women), Chief of Army, Lieutenant General David Morrison AO responded in a video speech which was written by McGregor. In the speech he described the actions as a "direct contravention" of the Army's values, and said "those who think that it is okay to behave in a way that demeans of exploits their colleagues have no place in this army." 

In 2013, David Morrison "refused to accept " her resignation and she went public" as transgender. In November 2013 McGregor was the highest ranking transgender individual in the Army, and the speechwriter and strategic adviser for David Morrison.

McGregor has been appointed as a patron of Kaleidoscope Australia, a not-for-profit organisation focused on promoting and protecting the rights of LGBTI people in the Asia Pacific region and is to move into trans-advocacy, on a full-time basis.

Follow this link for more.