Amiyah Scott

Amiyah Scott is a transgender actress, model, and dancer. She is best known for her role as Cotton on the Fox drama Star.

Teddy Quinlivan

Michelle was kind enough to respond to the post concerning the first transgender Sports Illustrated swimsuit model by reminding me of the time Chanel hired it's first transgender model back in 2019. Her name is Teddy Quinlivan 

 At the time, she remarked:

The model and activist has announced she is the first openly transgender model to be tapped by Chanel Beauty for an advertising campaign. Quinlivan shared the news on her Instagram account, posting a video and image from the campaign along with a heartfelt quote on the significance of this role.

She then went on to detail the familiar pain most transgender people go through growing up:

“I find I don’t cry anymore when things are sad, but isn’t it interesting when we shed tears in moments of triumph?” she wrote. “This was one of those triumphant cry moments for me. My whole life has been a fight. From being bullied at school consistently, kids threatening to kill me and going into graphic detail how they were going to do it, my own father beating me and calling me a f–got, to receiving industry blowback after speaking publicly about being sexually assaulted on the job.…This was a victory that made all of that s–t worth it.”

Thanks Michelle!

How Did I Get Here?

This morning I made a very quick socially distanced safe trip to the attorney to drop off paperwork. To do it, I wore a simple white tank top, jeans and tennis shoes. No big deal and the only makeup I wore was eye makeup since the mask covered the remainder of my face.

As i drove the short distance to the office, I thought back to the early days of my feminine development as a transgender woman and wondered if I ever had any idea I would ever get this far. I even have another mammogram coming up in early August which I consider a feminine right of passage.

On occasion too, I get so desperate for new blog posts, I have been known to journey back through the old dusty Cyrsti's Condo blog posts for ideas. What I discovered was I was far more interested in the outward impression I was making as a transgender woman than my inner self. Probably much of that has to do with me having a strong partnership with Liz in public. I can't begin to tell how many times I have benefited when Liz has called me "she" or "her" to strangers. 

Of course I owe the acceptance of others to even begin to get to the plateau I have achieved today. My daughter led the way in opening her in laws acceptance of me. Leading the way to replace the family I lost when my brother rejected me.

And then there were Kim and Nikki who I parted with heavily early in my coming out transgender days  who introduced to the lesbian lifestyle and how eventually they led me to my partner Liz. I also learned I didn't need a man to validate me as a woman.

The trip this morning was very brief as I wrote, so all too soon I was back home and writing this blog post. I think I figured out how I got here...somewhat.

Can It Get any Weirder?

Just when I thought I had heard it all about politics, one of my least all time favorites Caitlyn Jenner has resurfaced and wants to be Kanye West's vice presidential candidate. This comes from LGBTQ Nation.com:  

"If you thought Kanye West’s quixotic attempt to be elected president couldn’t get any weirder, Caitlyn Jenner would like you to hold her beer.

In a quick conversation with a TMZ reporter, the transgender Olympian and reality TV star said she has texted Kanye to ask if she could be his running mate.

Jenner was supportive of Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, even going as far as sporting a Trump MAGA hat after he was elected. She has has since soured on Trump – calling him “the worst” for transgender people – but hasn’t stopped being a Republican.

“Are you gonna vote for Kanye now that he’s running,” the reporter asked Jenner as she strolled out of an LA Starbucks.

“Well, I texted him and asked if I could be his VP,” she replied.

“Oh, that’s genius,” the reporter exclaimed.

“Yes, I know,” she replied. “What a combination.”

“Are you gonna do it?” he asked.

“We’ll see,” she said."

Maybe the hormones have gotten to Jenner!

The Alzheimer LGBTQ Meeting

As I previously wrote here in Cyrsti's Condo, Monday I virtually attended a LGBTQ Alzheimer Association meeting. It's all part of my continuing effort to learn more what  I am possibly facing in the years ahead as a transgender woman. 

It turned out the moderator is the person I knew previously from the other Rainbow elderly group I am part of. He did a great job of explaining to the others what the difference between (among other things) a transgender person and a drag queen is as he compared Laverne Cox to RuPaul. I learned several things I wasn't sure of including where the "cis" term came from. It originates from a Latin term according to the moderator. 

More importantly, I learned I wasn't alone in being paranoiac about my future, especially if I follow down my Fathers footsteps into dementia. The Alzheimer Association has taken LGBTQ survey's which found a majority of people taking the survey fear for their basic rights when and if they have to go into an assisted living facility. 

On the positive side, there were several attendees who were relatively new to the LGBTQ community. Hopefully, they gained quite a bit of knowledge towards understanding the fears we have.

Laverne Cox

Negative!

Finally, after eight long days, my partner's 22 year old son who lives with us, test for the Covid 19 virus came back. Fortunately, it was negative. Unfortunately, he works at a casino and goes right back to work tomorrow. 

Now at least, I can get all get all my requested blood labs completed at the Dayton, Ohio Veterans' Administration. 

Thanks to all of you who checked in to send encouragement! 

Words to Live By

Cyrsti's Condo Quote of the Day:

Transgender Pennsylvania Star

From Philadelphia Today along with a heads up from Bobbie:

Every time Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine (above) appears on television with Governor Tom Wolf to talk about coronavirus in the state, Philly Mag gets a surge of internet traffic to articles we published more than five years ago. Those articles focused on the fact that Levine is the highest-ranking transgender official in Pennsylvania and one of a small number of transgender people serving in elected or appointed offices nationwide.

As Pennsylvania Health Secretary, Levine oversees the 1,300-employee Pennsylvania Department of Health and its battle against the coronavirus in Pennsylvania. In that role, she reports directly to Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf. She is also a professor of pediatrics and psychiatry at Penn State College of Medicine.

Levine previously told the Washington Post that being a person who is transgender has not been an issue, “with very few exceptions.” Levine has been open about her personal life. She has an old photo hanging in her office showing her when she was a married man named Richard, standing with her family. Levine is now divorced, and her children are grown.

There is more to her story of course. To read it, go here.

Transgender Model

Along the way, the Project Runway television show has featured a transgender model, as well as a few I wasn't sure of. The "out" model's name is "Mimi Tao' from Thailand.  For an interview, go here.