With 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.
A heart daughter wrote this today. I couldn’t be more proud.
21 DecNot much of interest to report
27 AugWell, except that I’m now living in Atlanta. My son-in-law got a new job here in Atlanta. He started in July (on my birthday coincidentally) and we all moved here. If you follow along with me at all, you know that I telecommute. My physical location has absolutely nothing to do with my ability to perform my job, as long as I have reliable internet service. I’ve informed my employer about the move. It’s a non-issue to them. So that’s that. Hello Atlanta, goodbye rural Arkansas. Continue reading
Endings and Beginnings
20 MarMy time in Texas has ended. That decision was in large part due to another ending. Back in mid February, an intense nine month love affair came to an end. She said she wanted to remain friends, and I did my best to do just that. It didn’t work out. So I left for “parts unknown”.
Continue reading
Various asides
1 Mar- Roommate and I decided to take the day off from the gym today. We needed the break. Between residual from Monday’s slip and fall, and getting my butt kicked yesterday by the trainer, I definitely need to let the muscles have a day for just rebuilding.
- Have to go to the pharmacies today to get my prescriptions refilled. I’m out of one, and will be out of the other two tomorrow.
- Insomnia is still kicking my ***, but at least the depression is improving. Oh, I haven’t mention the return of my depression here, have I? Yeah, it cam back full force a few weeks ago, and I started St. John’s Wort for it last week. It’s helping a lot.
Been away for a long time
1 FebI know, you thought I didn’t exist any more. I do. I just haven’t felt like blogging in quite a while. There wasn’t really anything I wanted to write about. Well that’s technically not true, but parties involved have asked me to keep the interesting stuff private.
I’m living full-time, socially, as a woman. I’ve been on hormones since July 2011, and all seems to be going well in that area. I still wear a wig since I’m prematurely bald. I’ve got a new lace front human hair wig on order from a wig store down in Houston. I expect to have it later this month. I’m really excited about that!
I moved to a northern suburb in April 2012. I could no longer afford to live alone, and it really wasn’t good for my mental health to be surrounded by all the mementos of my time with Barbara. I gave all of that stuff to my heart-daughter. She promised to just hold it for me against the day I want it back.
I now live with a couple I’ve known for many years, and who accept me unequivocally. We share living expenses, and it’s really working well for me. I still telecommute most of the time, and I’m still not out at work. That is my biggest remaining stressor in my life now.
So, that’s the update from me. I’ll try to find something to share more frequently in the future.
HRT has begun!
28 JulQuoted from a private FB post:
Well, once again I have proven that I worry for nothing more often than not. Doctor appt today was perfect, and I have officially begun my HRT!
https://www.facebook.com/janetannelogan/posts/227552387285904
Well, that was easy
13 Jun
Over the weekend, I discovered that I had a small chunk missing from the sidewall of the passenger side rear tire on my Nissan Sentra SE-R. Seeing as this is a performance car, the integrity of the tires is critical. So what’s my point? Continue reading
A good day today!
19 MayI had reason to go to the US Post Office today, to pick up a signature required package. If you’ve never had to do that, here’s a fact you may not know. Besides presenting the “We tried to deliver” notice, you also must present ID indicating you are the person to whom the item is addressed. Care to guess who the package was addressed to? Continue reading
Of friends, family, weddings, and backboards
25 AprRecently, I attended the wedding (“for all time” hand-fasting actually) of a couple who were more than mere friends. Barbara and I had known them for as many years as we had known each other. We had become close enough that we thought of them as family of choice, beyond mere friendship. Attending their wedding was a really big deal for me, in more ways than one. Continue reading
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.
An Aging Trans Woman 