I’ve been waiting since mid-April for Texas to send me a copy of my birth certificate, so I could get an ID in my new home state. In order to vote, I need an ID, and voting, especially in the upcoming Presidential election, is very important.
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Transgender Day of Remembrance
20 NovToday, November 20th, is the 24th annual Transgender Day of Remembrance1. On this day we remember, and celebrate the lives of, those in our community lost to violence, whether it be external, or self-inflicted.
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EMS Bill
23 FebOver the weekend, I received the bill from the EMS company for my ambulance trip to the emergency room in October. It’s $1916.80. The trip was 4 miles, according to that bill. They charge $30.70 per mile for the actual transport. The rest, $1794, was for “ER Assessment”, whatever that is. I mean, sure, the EMT did check me out at the scene, for like 10 minutes. Is almost $1800 a fair price to pay for that?
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A heart daughter wrote this today. I couldn’t be more proud.
21 DecWith the widespread idiocy in the last few days regarding the LGBT community at large, and specifically the Trans community, let me explain the Trans experience in the most succinct way I know: Your brain, not your body is the seat, source, and home of your identity. If you, as you are now, with all your likes, dislikes, hates, loves, preferences, tastes, and all those things that define you as you, woke up tomorrow with the opposite gender’s genitals, you would be living in the Trans experience. Now, try for just 10 seconds to imagine not only the internal, “This is wrong!” but also having the entire world tell you that you CAN’T (not shouldn’t) but CANNOT be who you are at the very core of your soul. THAT is what it means to be Transgender.
Whether you understand why a transgender person is transgender or not; whether that is a choice you would make or not; whether you are comfortable around them or not; they deserve tolerance, understanding, support, love, and to be championed. No matter who the person was “before transition” they are still, at the core of their being, the same person “after transition”. If you loved them “before” why can’t you love them “after”. A “sister” doesn’t “become a brother”, they always were one, it’s just that you couldn’t SEE that they were a brother and not a sister. Transition is nothing more than making a physical change so that others can see what’s inside. In many ways, transition is on the same level as dying one’s hair, losing weight, having plastic surgery, or any other form of body modification done to make us feel more comfortable in our own skins. Yes, Transition is an extremely difficult process. Yes, it is far more extreme than dying one’s hair, and I have yet to meet a Trans person who didn’t take their choices with every ounce of the gravity that those choices deserve. Until you have personally had to choose between living a lie, dying a truthful suicide, or going through one of the world’s most humiliating processes of change, do not presume to assume that you “know what those people are really after.” I can tell you, from deep, direct, constant contact with not just one, but many Trans people, what they are really after is love, acceptance, and their own truth of identity. None of that should threaten or frighten you. If seeing them around does either of those things to you, that is ignorance, intolerance, and unacceptable. Get over yourself.
PS: This is not directed at anyone I know personally, but rather some things happening in the society.
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Bitter Pill: Why Medical Bills Are Killing Us
21 FebI’m not through this entire article yet. In fact, I’ve only read the first page, and I am already disgusted.
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Interesting question
14 MarYesterday, I stopped to buy gas, as my tank was low, and it’s a good idea to keep your tank full, even if the price is skyrocketing. I completed my purchase, and was busy recording odometer reading, etc in order to compute MPG. Suddenly, someone knocked on my car window, and startled me greatly.
I turned to see who was wanting my attention at a gas station. To my surprise, it was the attendant. Thinking that perhaps there had been some problem with my credit card, I opened the door to inquire as to the issue. To my great surprise, she looked at me, and asked “How many assholes do you run into in a day?” That caught me more than a bit off-guard, so I replied rather succinctly, “Too many.” As I waited for the punchline to what seemed that it must be a joke, she continued, “I hear you! We sisters have to stick together!”
At that point, I mumbled some sort of agreement, and she turned to return to her little booth. I finished recording my statistical data, all the while pondering the exchange. As I began to leave the station, I realized what must have prompted the attendant to approach me. On the rear window of my (new to me) car, I had recently placed an “EQTX” sticker from Equality Texas. That sticker was in the direct line of sight of the attendant’s booth.
If you are in Texas, and you don’t know about Equality Texas, I encourage you to visit their website and support their work any way you can. Even a simple window sticker can make a big difference! Thanks.
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Lupus Advocacy Day 2011
1 MarOriginally posted at DailyKos, but everything I post there gets lost in overload.
Lupus kills. Today was Lupus Advocacy Day 2011. It’s too late for Barbara, but maybe we can save someone else. We need more research. Continue reading
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Police to drop off undocumented immigrants at Congressional Offices? Only in Texas.
24 FebThat’s right. A state legislator in Texas has introduced a bill to instruct law enforcement to turn over custody of undocumented immigrants (“illegal aliens”) to members of Congress. (ht ThinkProgress). Continue reading
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A letter to my “representatives”
18 FebI quote the word representatives, because I am a Progressive Democrat trapped in Texas, in a highly Republican district. These people don’t represent me or my beliefs. Nonetheless, I still take the occasional opportunity to present the minority opinion.
Lately, I’ve been working on a letter in preparation for March 7, designated Lobby Day by Equality Texas (and no doubt other organizations around the country). I’m sending a letter via my pastor, rather than going in person. The reasons are explained in the letter, but likely already self-evident. Continue reading
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Will You Cry for Me, John Boehner?
19 JanTell Speaker Boehner Who He Should be Crying For
Below, share your personal struggle with the healthcare system (anonymously if you prefer) or share other reasons for concern (like how millions will fall into poverty if Congress cuts Medicare) with Speaker Boehner.
Will You Cry for Me, John Boehner?
I shared my story, or is it Barbara’s? Continue reading
Adventures Of An Aging Trans Woman 