Transgender Congress Woman?

From Newsweek:

"In 2017, the U.S. elected its first ever openly transgender woman to the Virginia State House. In 2018, it might elect its first out transgender woman to Congress—Alexandra Chandler.

“I recognize that I would be a first, and I will say it is a humbling responsibility that I take very seriously both as a candidate and if elected that I would be a first,” Chandler, who's running for office in Massachusetts, told Newsweek.

Chandler was one of the military’s top intelligence analysts. She spent the past five years leading a team of analysts charged with combating arms smuggling and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. She’s the mother of two children, and a wife.

She also was born biologically male and raised by her family as a boy. She transitioned from living as a man to living as a woman while she was working at the Defense Department."

Wouldn't her election be great!

For more, go here.

No Trip for India

It didn't take long for Paula Goodwin (from the UK) to comment on the Cyrsti's Condo post concerning India Willoughby appearing on the UK version of "Celebrity Big Brother". Here is the comment:

Paula GoodwinJanuary 3, 2018 at 1:50 PM

"Thanks, but no thanks. This is a terrible show, playing to the lowest common denominator with the participants only being out for a bit of self promotion. India is our Caitlyn Jenner, a high profile Trans Woman who by her very presence helps to normalise the concept, but actually is not that popular amongst the community for some of her thoughtless comments."

Plus:

Transgender model Talulah-Eve Brown was rumored to be part of the Celebrity Big Brother line up, but dropped out after hearing her transgender rival India Willoughby was also set to take part.

And all this time, I thought we (the U.S.) had the corner on all the transgender drama!

Thanks Paula!

Home from the Doctor

I needed to take Liz's son to the doctor this morning, so I had to get up a bit early and make myself presentable. Fortunately anymore, the process doesn't take too long. Most times, just around 15 min to a half hour.

It's still really cold around here, so I had to bundle up in boots, jeans, sweater and heavy knitted scarf.

Not that I had much doubt, everything went as planned and Junior's visit did too.

Now, I have to schedule another mammogram. Since my maternal grand mother passed away from breast cancer, the VA is rather fanatical about scheduling me one every year. The good thing is, every year I seem to have more "mass" to scan. The bad thing is, where I go, is for some reason chilly in the place. It would seem like, the center would try to keep it warmer.

Overall though, I view a mammogram as a necessary hassle of my transgender transition. If I had my choice, I wouldn't do it, but I sure wouldn't want the alternative. 

Cyrsti's Condo "Thought of the Day"

"Just because you didn't see it, or hear it, does not mean it's not happening."

Jessie

There is Hope

After I received this Cyrsti's Condo comment from Paula Goodwin I got to thinking (scary):

Paula GoodwinJanuary 3, 2018 at 8:49 AM

"To miss quote Shakespeare it often appears from this side of the pond that "all in the house of the States is rotten. It is really good to hear that there are still positive things going on in the land that elects gun touting thugs se pests and bigots on purely partisan grounds. I will try to renew faith in "The Land of the Free"

To be truthful Paula, it is sometimes difficult to maintain the faith around here. Usually though, about that time, something comes along to restore my faith.

Even though IQ-45 (t-rump) is quickly trying to infiltrate the court system with anti-LGBT judges, the pro transgender forces now have a financed and experienced legal force of our own. Not to mention the political gains we mentioned in a recent Cyrsti's Condo post.

Most importantly though, are the pro LGBT leanings of the younger generation. If you put all the bullying news behind us, the future should be bright. If left unattended, the younger generation doesn't seem to see gender as specifically as we did.

As far as Congress and issues such as gun control go, I agree, the system is rotten to the core. Hopefully, those of us screaming in the vacuum will prevail.

The "Land of the Free" has been sliding for quite awhile now, with the proper care and people working within the system, it can again.

Doing It Right in the UK!

From the "Pink News":

"Transgender newsreader India Willoughby is joining an all-female Celebrity Big Brother house – alongside ultra-conservative Ann Widdecombe.

Before and after "India Willoughby"

The pair are both signed up to appear on the Channel 5 reality show, which launches tonight. "

She (India) made a return to the airwaves in 2016 as a woman – and has since become a prominent columnist, as well as a panellist on Loose Women.

The transgender journalist and presenter will be walking on eggshells in the house, as joining her will be former Tory MP Ann Widdecombe.

Widdecombe is a lifelong critic of LGBT rights, who recently spoke out against Prime Minister Theresa May for vowing to support transgender rights at the PinkNews Awards.

Responding to the PM’s speech, Widdecombe said: “I think this is very very bad news for a lot of confused young people and if I were the Prime Minister I would think rather long and hard about this.”

To my knowledge, the American version of the show has ever only accepted one openly transgender woman onto their show.

Should be interesting! I am sure Paula Goodwin (from the UK) may tune in!

Nothing Happens in a Vacuum

2017 marked a huge year for transgender candidate's nationwide. Most of those victories just didn't happen in a vacuum.

Here is more from The Advocate:

"In the wake of the 2016 elections — and subsequent attacks on transgender rights — a group of pioneering trans activists decided that getting more trans candidates on the ballot would be more impactful than checking one off. Together they formed the Trans United Fund, the first and only national political advocacy group focused on empowering trans and gender expansive people. Its Breakthrough Fund is the first bipartisan transgender political action committee (PAC) and was designed to help a handful of key political candidates by providing funding or other resources — sometimes both.

In the 2017 elections, TUF won big: Virginia’s Danica Roem became the first transgender woman in the United States to win a seat in a state legislature, and two trans candidates were elected to the Minneapolis City Council. Andrea Jenkins became the first out trans black woman, and Phillipe Cunningham became the first out trans black man elected to public office.

If it weren’t for the money TUF raised, the connections and resources it provided, or the voter mobilization it spearheaded, it’s quite likely these trans candidates would not have won"

For more, go here.

And So We Meet Again

For some reason, my schizophrenic cat wants to help me write this post. After biting me last night she can't seem to get enough of me. Not unlike a few of the friends I have had in my life. Not the ones I am referring to in this post.

I didn't have much choice in coming out to my close friends. I never had many, what I considered close friends but what I did have up and died on me in a two year span. It took that aspect out of my Mtf transgender transition reality.

To this day, I only have one friend who knows of my trans life and supports me. She just happens to live some distance away and we don't see each other much. The last time I met her and a couple of her grand-kids, they were all really nice. I could have been meeting them as my old male self other than the person I am today.

Plus, with kids, they always seem to be more accepting.

So, as 2018 begins I count my long time friend as one of my transgender blessings.

I have always wondered how it would have been to have been able to come out to my deceased male friends. Of course, it's nice to think they would have accepted me, but then again, I will never know. I do think the process would have been way more uncomfortable for me, than them. Maybe then though, they would have understood why I "disappeared" on occasion as I secretly was learning to live life as a transgender woman.

I am sure too, as I started HRT, there would have been very little chance they wouldn't have noticed the obvious and subtle changes going on with me.

Like so many things in my lives, I will never really know the answer.

New Years' "Stuff"

It should be fairly quiet in the LGBT-transgender world early in the year, unless the Cheeto (IQ-45) decides to try to single the trans community out for no specific reason except to cover his own problems.

After all, his ban on transgender troops in the military was summarily dismissed in the courts. What a great way to end the year!

Other than that, Caitlyn Jenner is heard/read, released her book. As you Cyrsti's Condo regulars know, I'm not one of her fans and even after reading reviews of her book, I don't plan on jumping on the Jenner bandwagon anytime soon. Plus, not all have resolved Jenner from her alleged continue support of tRump, like:

Ashlee Marie Preston, who became the first trans magazine editor-in-chief earlier this year, ripped into Jenner for her allegedly ongoing backing of Trump despite his decision to ban trans people from the military.  Now  following the sudden resignation of California assemblyman Sebastian Ridley-Thomas, Preston has said she will run for the District 54 seat.

Preston (left) and Jenner

I'm sure my views won't hurt her (Jenner's) feelings one way or another but I am not so sure how easy it is for a tiger to change her Republican stripes.






Personally, my goals for 2018 mainly revolve around exercise and eating healthier. Some of us aren't getting any younger :).