Get Cooking

If you have ever watched the Food Network on television, they have a show which is called the "Worst Cooks in America." This season, the show has featured a first...a transgender woman contestant. Domaine Javier is the trans woman and she is an actor, writer and nurse. She holds seven college degrees, so it's no wonder she hasn't had time to learn how to cook.She was also the first trans woman to crowned a homecoming queen in the US in 2010. For more, go here.

A New Acceptance

It's been Ohio hot around here. Heat index highs daily have registered over 100 degrees (F) for a week now. To make matters worse, our air conditioner in the house doesn't work. Due to these conditions, I have decided to pursue my "natural" look more completely. 

Of course, it is easy because I don't go anywhere to speak of since I am staying home to be safe. On occasion though, I do have to go out. This morning was an example. My partner Liz had an emergency prescription she needed picked up at the pharmacy.  Since I wasn't doing anything else important, I volunteered to go get it for her. 

For the first time I can remember I just went as I was and used the drive through. I just pulled my hair back and went for it. I was wearing sleeveless tank top, jeans and tennis shoes. Of course, as I did it it wasn't such a big deal because all I did was go through a drive thru. 

But after I returned home, I began to think of all those years I had to try to get dressed up to even consider going out. I guess I should give ll my thanks to the effects of hormone replacement therapy. It has taken me to a point past androgyny and all the way to being feminine enough to get by with out much work.

This new acceptance of who I am has come just in time for a hot summer!

Another Huge Anniversary

Coming up very soon in August will be the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th amendment to the constitution known as the right to vote for American women. To put the whole struggle into perspective, the movement started all the way back in 1848 and the campaign was not easy.

Vintage Flapper" Cross dresser

Disagreements over strategy threatened to cripple the movement more than once, I can imagine! I was watching the History Channel and they were running a promo for the anniversary which said one rally drew 5000 women and 100,000 men. I can imagine the turmoil which the whole subject may have caused in my household. I am seventy years old and my Dad's mother was plenty old enough to be involved in the process. My family was very patriarchal dominated so I wonder what my Grand-dad thought too. Of course I will never find out. My parents would have been too young to experience much of the 20's and they have been deceased now for years.

I'm sure if times were equal, not all women back in the day probably agreed on acquiring the right to vote anyhow. It's like today when you would think no self respecting woman would support "Benedict Donald" and even more so a transgender woman. I won't go into why, because this didn't set out to be a political post. Plus, transgender women are notorious for not agreeing on anything.  

It's hard for me to believe I am but two generations away from women taking the right to vote. Just think, five years ago when I changed my gender markers to female I was busy appreciating the move. What I should have been doing was remembering all the women who came before me who did all the work! 

It's something for me to remember as we approach the anniversary.

Jewish Changes

Over the recent years, I have had the opportunity to be accepted into one branch of the Jewish religion. I have not converted but my daughter has. I believe the temple she and her family belongs too is part of the Reform Jewish movement. I have always appreciated the complete acceptance I received. From Southern Florida comes another example of transgender acceptance from one branch of the Jewish religion:

Samantha Zerin (above) headed home from a Yiddish class she had taught as part of her synagogue’s adult education program on the evening of Dec. 19 and knew her life was about to change. That evening, the 775 families at Temple Emanu-El would be getting a message that she knew would surprise some of the people she had gotten to know since joining the community 3 1/2 years earlier.

“Over the past several years, Sam has been exploring Sam’s gender identity,” read a message sent to the congregation from Samantha and her wife, Rachel. “This has been a journey for both of us, full of introspection, learning, and growth. Through this journey, we have come to realize that, although Sam was raised as a boy, she is in fact a woman, and she is ready to begin living her life publicly as such.”

There is much more to Samantha's story you can read here.  The article is called "Coming out as transgender when you are married to a rabbi. Becoming a Rebbetzin.

While we are on the subject of being Jewish, my grandson's Bar Mitzvah turned out to be a virtual affair for Liz and I. She (Liz) wasn't feeling well and since we are living in a virus hot spot in Ohio,  we decided not to go. Fortunately, Liz later felt better. 

So we are home being safe and always wear masks when we go out.

Stay Safe

This "Independence Day" may not be the time to be independent and throw caution to the wind. After all, the virus is taking the toll on us all. Especially if you live in the United States where some people think it is against their personal rights to even consider wearing a mask. I feel sorry for the health care workers who have to take care of all those selfish people. However, I am not going to take up blog space with a rant today. 

So I will leave you with this. Without protest, change never comes.

A Decade Ago

I am not one to remember dates well. For some reason, I remembered this one. 

In 2010, on the Fourth of July weekend, I officially closed what was left of my restaurant and prepared for an uncertain future. Bush's recession had gutted and ravaged the small to medium sized Rust Belt town I lived in. 

Through the haze and uncertainty of losing my wife and three close friends to death a couple years before, I was lost. Ironically (or not so ironically) the only part of my life which was not a mess was the feminine portion. It wasn't so far before all of this I had made a decision to pursue hormone replacement therapy through the Veterans Administration. I was already under their healthcare and for the VA to provide me HRT would be a relatively simple process. 

The only part of my future I knew for sure was I wanted to be a transgender woman. I knew too, I only had a fairly short couple of years to work before I could take my early Social Security and retire without coming out on a job. 

So, the 4th of July ten years ago was truly the beginning of a new Independence Day for me! 

Pride Month is Over

It has been a very quiet month this year concerning Pride activities. In an usual year there are at least six "celebrations" in the Cincinnati-Dayton Ohio metro area. Due to the virus concerns this year, all were cancelled. Then of course, there are the continuing Black Lives Matter marches to consider.

Regardless of the lack of parades and parties, it should be time to stop and consider what Pride stands for anyhow. Many forget the original "Stonewall" riots a half century ago which started the whole LGBTQ movement and typically many of the gay and lesbian members of the community forget it was transgender women of color who were out front spearheading the movement. Once again, the transgender members were moved to the back of the line. 

Ironically, many trans people don't seem to care. My theory is it is because many gay men and garish drag queens have essentially "hi-jacked" the experience. I felt if I saw one more drag queen leading a Pride parade, I was going to run and hide. After all, what did it mean to me.

Then things began to change (around here at least). Slowly but surely, I began to see more and more transgender people at Pride and even a trans woman as a parade leader a couple years ago. All of a sudden the whole process meant more to me. I even think my new board membership on a primarily gay and lesbian board was because they were seeking more transgender input.

The recent supreme court decision backing trans health care is yet another reason to be proud of who we are and proud of the legal organizations who support us.

Even if you are still in the closet, it is time for you to join the rest of us and feel good about who we are. 

Pride month is over but the feelings don't have to be. 

  

Cyrsti's Condo "Thought of the Day"

Shakina Nayfack

Shakina Nayfact is an American actress and transgender activist. She is most known for her series regular role as Lola, a "trans-truther" on Hulu's television program "Difficult People." She was on the second and third seasons and also worked as a writing consultant.