Nicole Maines

Transgender activist and actor Nicole Maines knew she was a girl around the age of 3 or 4.

“My case is kind of unique because I have a twin brother (Jonas),” she told Ellen Degeneres during an appearance on “Ellen” in 2018. “So, growing up with him, he was identifying with all these male things and feeling very comfortable in his body, and I wasn’t.”

Maines, the subject of this month’s One Book One Valley community read “Becoming Nicole,” slowing began publicly transitioning in the first grade, and officially presented herself as female in the fifth grade, when she changed her name from Wyatt to Nicole.

Nicole Maines stars as Nia Nal/Dreamer, television's first transgender superhero, in The CW's "Supergirl." Season five premieres Sunday, Oct. 6. 

Fall has Fallen

FINALLY! A break from the record hot streak we have seen around here in late September and early October. Today is supposed to be over twenty two degrees cooler than yesterday. Fashion wise, it will help me decide what I am wearing to our latest paranormal ghost hunt tonight,  With the new chillier temperatures and with spending all night in a very old mansion, I have decided to wear a long sleeved t-shirt Liz bought me out in Colorado while we were on vacation. I will pair the t-shirt with my distressed black jeans. My goal is not to scare the spirits and blend in with what the other cis women in the group will be wearing.

As far as footwear is concerned, I am declaring this to be the last day for my walking boot. So, just in case I end up walking a long way tonight, I will have the boot to help me. I have not experienced any discomfort in a while and can't get anyone at the VA to give me an answer. So it's gone tomorrow unless I get a call today.

The ghost hunt tonight will preclude Liz and I going to the monthly cross dresser-transgender social tonight.

But I have been attending the planning meetings for this years' Transgender Day of Remembrance. It's tough on me because I am still so new to the Cincinnati metro area and have very little knowledge of the resources available. What I am trying to do is line-up several transgender speakers of color. So far I have been able to come up with a maybe from two. Overall it's going to be a quality somber event and we want to feature the fact the greatest percentage of tragic transgender murders take place against persons of color.

The event will take place this year on November 20th. To make a long story short, I am proud to provide whatever assistance I can.

Jazz Jennings

Transgender teenager Jazz Jennings has announced that she will be taking a gap year before attending Harvard in order to 'focus on self-care' after a busy year that has seen her undergoing gender confirmation surgery - while documenting it on her reality TV show. 

The South Florida native, 18, took to the platform to share her personal decision. The TV and YouTube personality said that deciding to take a break wasn't an easy call to make, but ultimately she thought it right to 'refocus and recenter' in order to be the 'strongest version' of herself. 

The I Am Jazz star graduated valedictorian from her high school this summer and was due to start at the Ivy League university this Fall. While she has previously expressed the desire to pursue a career in advocacy, she has not yet revealed what major she is taking. 

It's hard to believe Jazz is only 18! 

Billie Lee

Billie Lee is a transgender woman, activist, and blogger currently living in Los Angeles. You may also recognize Billie from the hit reality show Vanderpump Rules on BravoTV. She continues to work with Buzzfeed and others in the trans community to create videos that aim to educate on trans issues. For more on Billie, go here.

Cyrsti's Condo Thought of the Day

In Response

In response to the Cyrsti's Condo post concerning class reunions and similar events  (I suppose anything requiring you to see people who knew you before your transition.) I received this comment from Connie:

"My high school 50th reunion is taking place as I write this...at home. I only attended the school my senior year, and I didn't really get to know many of my classmates. If I had attended a reunion, it would have been for the school I had gone to before - in another town that I grew up in. Compared to the school I graduated from, with a class of over 600, the other had only 220. I knew almost everybody there, and a coming out, I thought, surely would have had more impact. Their reunion was last week, and, as it turned out, I would have been only one of seven who were in attendance.

Since I didn't waste time and money traveling back to my old school last week, it doesn't make me feel that I'm missing anything tonight, either. In fact, the best reason for not going is that the one high school friend with whom I had kept in touch (and who knows of my transition) sent a text to me a couple of weeks ago that read: "Hey (dead name), lookin' forward to seeing you at the reunion." I can't imagine subjecting myself to the possibility of something like that 600 times over.

But you wanted an enjoyable story. Well, instead of going out tonight, I stayed home to baby sit my 21-month-old granddaughter. She'll always love me for who I am, because she'll only ever know me as that. This is so much more enjoyable!"

What a great way to get a new generation started right!

Reunited?

Going back to the Cyrsti's Condo post concerning levels of acceptance about how much you tell to who concerning your transition, Marcia had this comment:

"My fraternity brothers, all of whom made the trip with me through transition, are now my "college friends." :)"

Wow! Congratulations ! I would be interested to know how it happened Marcia. I can only guess you may have gone to some sort of reunion? As Connie pointed out, it certainly was not a Greek tragedy :).

Reunions are quite the topic. 

To go or not to go usually results in extensive angst. 

I'm old and I just passed my 50th high school reunion two years ago. Actually I didn't pass the reunion, because I  didn't go. I just didn't feel comfortable going because in high school I wasn't close to many people anyhow. I felt I would just be a distraction and had nothing to prove anyway. One of the reasons I admire those who do step out and go to reunions. 

If you have an enjoyable reunion story, I am sure all of us would love to hear it.

Arisce Wanzer

Transgender model Arisce Wanzer:

Ohio Takes Another Baby Step Forward

Finally, Ohio has taken another step to join the rest of the country and allow genders on birth certificates to be changed. By the way, I live in Ohio and my birth certificate is my only remaining form of identification which doesn't state I am female.

Here is the story from the "Associated Press":

 "Four transgender people challenging an Ohio rule preventing people from changing the gender listings on their birth certificates have won their day in court.

U.S. District Court Judge Michael Watson denied the state’s request that the lawsuit filed by the ACLU, Lambda Legal and the ACLU of Ohio be dismissed.

The lawsuit contends the birth certificate rule imposed by the state Department of Health and the Office of Vital Statistics is unconstitutional."

Ohio and Tennessee are the two remaining states not allowing any sort of birth certificate changes.

However to my knowledge many different versions of these changes exist.  For example, I don't know that when and if Ohio's changes take place, will a person have to go through genital realignment surgery to  be able to change their birth certificate or offer proof they are living as their chosen gender.   

That point is of importance to me because I have not had, nor do I plan on having any surgery. 

A federal lawsuit challenging Tennessee’s rule was filed in April. Kansas ended a federal lawsuit there in June, when Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly struck a deal by agreeing to allow gender identity changes on Kansas birth certificates.