It's Back to School Time Around Here

As the kids go back to school in various waves around here, I have been sadly reminded of how life has NOT changed for so many of our LGBTQ youthful sisters and brothers.

I know a 15 year old trans kid who is positively dreading going back to school because of senseless bullying at the hands of class mates. I mean where are the teachers in some of these schools and are the inmates running the asylum?

I know there are bright and shining examples of acceptance here and there, but I know it's tough for parents to get many of their kids into those schools who live in rural Ohio areas. And, even though the parents care deeply for their children it's not possible to find the best alternative to sinking or swimming.

My heart goes to the families.

Kids who are bullies have parents who are bullies and everyone else suffers.

It's Backwards Both Ways

Not such a strange statement to those of you who are dyslexic like I am?

Or, I suppose I could have used "Now You See Me-Now You Don't" as a title for this post on stealth (among) other subjects.

Those of you with a little age may remember the approved way to escape the rigors of the "Jerry Springer Show" and settle down, was to go through the "change" (SRS) and settle down in a different town. Essentially there was no in between - between transvestite and transsexual.

Let's not forget too, the infamous gender slur tra--ny and the use of the term "passing."

I will never forget Stana from Femulate answering a reader who said she couldn't pass with a full explanation of how to do it in a car...hilarious!

Going stealth I guess is the ultimate purge of your male persona.

What would Jerry say?

Pink Miniskirt Part II

Received a couple of key comments on Connie's guest post. One from Shelle:
(excerpt)" As you point out,everyone has their own agenda,For me it has always been to not be noticed anymore than any other woman on earth I have no desire what so ever to be noticed as Trans,I don't view myself in that light,I'm a Woman and always have been even though I didn't for most of my life understand how it came to be."

Shelle, I would guess another version of "stealth" is when you can remove the transgender part of trans woman from your name or self perceptions all together?

And, here is a follow up from Connie:  Hmmm....I never mentioned the color of the fuzzy mini skirt, yet you knew it was pink....

"This is Seattle. There are trans women of all kinds all over the place. I don't actually know many, myself, but it doesn't take a highly-developed trans-dar in order to spot them. A few will say hello to me, in the spirit of "sisterhood", but most of them are so into their thing that they are either oblivious to what's going on around them or they think that talking to another trans woman in public will out them. The latter group is, of course, made up of the stealth ones; the first, mostly cross dressers, I think. There is one who is rather attractive, although she over-does it with her cinched waist and silicone booty. "

It has been just very recently I have began to develop a potential circle of trans/CD acquaintances. I am still learning the Cincinnati area and the fact there are very definite organizations for both groups. As I look back on my cross dressing days, I would not want to hang out in jeans and flats with a bunch of boring trans women.

The "bottom" or "booty" line is, to each their own and  we must stick together for the greater good! 

Guest Post-Fuzzy Pink Miniskirt

From Connie: "

De-transitioning is just an extension of gender dysphoria. It's kind of like the ultimate purge. Of course, most of us know that it really doesn't work in the long run.

Yesterday, while working out on the street all day (no, I did not say "working the street"), I counted no less than a dozen trans women. Most of them were asking to be stared at. I used to actually be embarrassed by these trans folk, knowing that we have some kernel of "truth" in common. Now, I just don't care, because they are taking the focus off of me and making me look good by comparison. They can do what they want with their lives, anyway. We all have our own realities and our own "normal". I believe the frequency of stares we get has diminished quite a bit lately, as more of "us" are showing ourselves to the world. It's like tattoos or bright pink hair - people just don't care anymore. Still, that 6'4" transwoman wearing a fishnet body stocking and fuzzy miniskirt gave cause for a second look, if not a stare"

I need to get out more, I don't think I know a dozen trans women and no I won't lend you my fuzzy miniskirt!

**If you would like to be a guest blogger here, don't be shy!!!!Let me know.

Transgender Teen Fiction Themes

From USA Today:

In May, Meredith Russo’s literary debut arrived in the world, one of countless first novels published every year in search of readers. But Russo’s If I Was Your Girl  — the story of a transgender teenage girl named Amanda who is in love with a boy named Grant — had deep personal resonance.

“I wanted to write the story I needed myself” as a teenager, says Russo, 29, a trans woman inChattanooga, Tenn., who remembers growing up with only negative cultural messages about trans people. “I wanted to create a power fantasy for trans kids.”


There are many more titles, follow the link for more.

If You Are Going to Stare

In a follow up post to my last one...let's move forward to Saturday morning when we were grocery shopping. Normally anymore I don't get much push back from the public from whatever I do. Except Saturday when some pregnant "arse hat" of a women kept doing the side stare at me.

You know, the one who won't look you directly in the eye but can't keep her eyes off you otherwise. I was in a good mood Saturday so I didn't do my usual spin move and catch her at mid glance. Maybe she will teach her kid to not be rude when he or she is born. Oh wait, what if she has a transgender child , will she stare sideways at her/he?

Finally this weekend I saw a couple totally unrelated (to me) posts on FB from so called trans peeps who "couldn't take it any longer" and were contemplating "de-transitioning."

To each their own of course and I know as well as anyone how difficult a Mtf gender transition is but I would be damned if I would anyone take a slice of my life and send me back to where I was.

It's My Life and YOU Can't Have It!

I have a real busy weekend to go over with you kids which is one of the reasons I missed a couple days blogging.

Friday evening Liz and I rushed to our Tarot card reading class for the second time. I have little to no knowledge of the cards and am always petrified about getting embarrassed in a class...specifically when the instructor keeps screwing up my pronouns, which I hate.

Of course I told her I did (hate the he word) and she turned the tables back on me not in an unpleasant way during a trial reading I was doing. The person I was reading for was anticipating a relationship problem and the cards (not me) said use caution. If you believe in Tarot or not is not the basis of this post...the instructor came around and said what would I say if she (instructor) was my sister and I said be very careful. What went unsaid between the three of us was our perception of the high percentage of men who can't be trusted.

At that point she said my dual gendered past was exactly what would make me such an intuitive reader and that is why sometimes she can't get up off the  "he" word with me.



In a quiet moment with her, I will have to explain my thoughts on gender fluidity and aura and maybe we can start all over. Because I don't think necessarily tossing out 50 plus years in the male world is a bad thing. Plus she is a lesbian and I am transgender which often (I have found) is the hardest bridge to cross.

So she can have a sliver of my life to knaw on but in the next post I have a couple others that won't.

Manchester's Transgender Beauty School

Based on Sackville Street in the city's Gay Village, Born UK is an all-encompassing service – from voice training to relationship advice - designed to better the lives of the city’s transgender people. Eyebrow reshaping also plays its part in the process and that’s where wax-specialist Sam Marshall comes in: “I remember seeing Jaimie for the first time and thinking 'Wow she's pretty, who is she?' 

Sam says she’s been enamoured by trans women ever since a part-time trans woman volunteered for a live male waxing tutorial. "Michelle would turn up to the male waxing tutorials as Steve, go in the toilets get changed and come out as Michelle.

For more, go here.

The "Born" Team Trans Women Grace and Kate

Don't Jump into the Deep End Until You Can Swim

Most likely one of the top questions I get is-when/why did I decide to go full time.

At once it is the simplest and most complex answer I give.

First of all, I had to feel comfortable. For me that alone took years. Then that answer leads to another-how did I begin the process of feeling comfortable?

I was in the position to take the process rather slow once I got out of the heels and hose in the mall mode I was in. I give my deceased wife credit for that after she began to call me "pretty,pretty mirror princess."

I began to eat/drink at restaurants and go to safe rather civilized places like book stores etc. What I realized I was slowly building confidence to see if I wanted to live a feminine existence at all and was I indeed transgender and not a cross dresser.

To me the so called "deep end" came when I started HRT. I began the estrogen therapy and almost immediately began to feel the changes, mostly emotional. Plus I gained a group of friends who went a long way in bringing out the woman I am today.

Two in particular pushed me off the gender cliff I was on and into the deep end.

Now, I am so fortunate to call a whole group friends and they were the ones who taught me how to swim more than I can say. I guess in my case it took a village to build a transgender woman.

Back to the advice? I really don't have any (sigh) except to try the world out and be ready for a few bumps and bruises on the way. There isn't a right or wrong way to be transgender.