dancing on razor’s edge

Before Dorsey founded Fresh Meat Productions in 2001 there was nothing else like it, and transgender artists often struggled for years in vain attempts to gain recognition and support from traditional art institutions. Fresh Meat was created to overcome those kind of barriers and it’s been extremely successful in doing so, creating an infrastructure to support transgender artists, promoting unique works and gaining visibility through year-round arts programs that explores the transgender experience.

Read the whole story here.

bathrooms and bogus anger

Bob, bathrooms and bogus anger - Opinion

...And, yes, the gender-neutral restrooms provide a gender-safe haven for those among us born with a set of anatomy that doesn't match the gender they live as - whether that's something you accept or not.

No one in those stalls is bothering anyone, nor is the restrooms' existence costing us any money, save the price of a new door sign. The users of the "new" Kent State bathrooms are just looking for a little privacy, whatever their reasoning.

So tell me - why do Bob Dyer and his readers give a damn where we pee?

trans anthem

I have my iPod connected to my car's audio system and I usually listen to it rather than the radio when I am in my car.

I copied most of my CD music collection, over 7,000 songs, to my iPod. Typically, I just copied whole CDs over to my iPod, good songs and bad, familiar songs and songs I have never heard, with the intention of pairing down the collection later. As a result, I occasionally hear a song play on my iPod that I have not heard before. Such is the case this morning.

The unfamiliar song began and I immediately recognized the signature voice of Lou Reed, but I did not recognize the song. After listening to one-third of the song, I restarted the song from its beginning to make sure I was hearing what I thought I heard.

As it turned out, my ears had not deceived me. I was listening to Reed sing about "a slick little girl" performing her daily makeup regime, but the chorus inferred that the girl was transgendered.

Now were comin' out.
Out of our closets.
Out on the streets.
Yeah, were comin' out.

The song is nearly 40 years old, so it is likely that someone has suggested this before, but this song could be the anthem for the transgendered. The song is titled Make Up and here are its lyrics:

Your face when sleeping is sublime,
And then you open up your eyes,
Then comes pancake factor number one,
Eyeliner, rose hips, and lips gloss are such fun,
You're a slick little girl,
You're a slick little girl.

Rouge and coloring incense and ice,
Perfume and kisses, oooo, it's all so nice,
You're a slick little girl,
You're a slick little girl.

Now were comin' out.
Out of our closets.
Out on the streets.
Yeah, were comin' out.

When you're in bed it's so wonderful,
It'd be so nice to fall in love,
When you get dressed, I really get my fill,
People say that it's impossible.

Gowns lovely made out of lace,
And all the things that you do to your face,
You're a slick little girl,
Oh, you're a slick little girl.

Eyeliner, whitener, then color the eyes,
Yellow and green, oh what a surprise,
You're a slick little girl,
Oh, you're such a slick little girl.

Now were comin' out.
Out of our closets,
Out on the streets.
Yes, were comin' out,
Yeah, were comin' out,
Yeah, were comin' out.

how good bills die unnatural deaths

Thank your Republican legislators for killing Connecticut's transgender rights bill.

Read the whole story here.

transgroomer

I heard an advertisement on Sirius OutQ Radio for an interesting product: Mangroomer, "a do-it-yourself electric back shaver."

I can only reach so far with a normal electric or manual shaver and I hate to ask someone to help me shave my back. As a result, I don't often wear tops or dresses that reveal much of my back... at least the parts of my back I cannot reach.

Mangroomer solves the problem with an extendable and adjustable handle that allow you to reach those unreachable places. It only costs $39.99 and I think I am going to order one.

dreams

I dream. We all do, but I seldom remember my dreams. When I awake, poof, they are gone!

All my dreams do not disappear into the ether, however, and I do remember one or two every month or so. And guess what? The dreams I do remember are trans-dreams, i.e., I am crossdressing or preparing to crossdress in the few dreams I remember. I wonder what that says about me?

I recorded two of my more vivid trans-dreams in my old blog and will recount them here for you who missed them. They occurred one week apart.

September 22, 2005 – Last night, I dreamed I was dressed to kill in an evening gown with all the trappings that go along with it. I was at a banquet hall attending a crossdressers' event. As I was fluttering around the room, I found myself near the entrance to the hall as two of my aunts come walking in. One aunt remarked, "Doesn't he make a beautiful woman!" They seemed happy and supportive. More of my relatives showed up soon after, but the details are blurry and I can't remember who else showed up and how they reacted.

September 29, 2005 – I'm crossdressed again and I am at a family gathering at one of my uncle's homes. One of my aunts (the same one who was in my previous dream) remarked that I would look much nicer if I shaved my legs. Soon, she produced a razor and insisted that I shave my legs, which I proceeded to do.

That's all I remember.

Two thoughts regarding these dreams:

1. I believe that this particular aunt always suspected that I crossdressed.

2. I never crossdress without shaving my legs.

a nonmigrating bird

The weather has been fluctuating on a daily basis in these parts lately. One day, it is hot like the summer in late July. Next day, it is cool like spring in early April. It was so cool a few days this week that I was considered turning on the furnace to take the chill out of the air.

I expect that as June progresses, it will become more like summer and less like spring, which means I will be hanging up my wig and heels until the cooler weather returns in September.

I do have two en femme outings planned later this month: the Creative Cocktail Hour at Real Art Ways on the 21st and another outreach at Southern Connecticut State University on the 25th, so I hope the weather is cooperative. I'd prefer cool, but hot is ok as long as it is not humid.

If I was a bird, I could migrate north to cooler climes during the summer and be able to dress en femme all year long. But, I am not a bird, so my annual summer hiatus from emulating a bird is upon me.

conference dedicated to families raising trans-kids

Gender Odyssey Presents Conference Dedicated to Families Raising Gender-Variant Kids

Seattle, WA (PRWEB) June 7, 2007 -- Families with gender variant and transgender children will find a wealth of information and support at Gender Odyssey's first national conference focused specifically on them. The ground-breaking conference will be held Aug. 31 -- Sept. 2, 2007 at the Washington State Trade and Convention Center in Seattle. At this event, families with kids who do not conform to society's traditional gender expectations can connect with each other, while having access to national experts in the field of gender variance.

Read the whole story here or download the press release here.

new Oprah book club pick has transgender protagonist

Go here to read about the 2003 Pulitzer Prize-winning story of a Greek American girl who becomes a teenage boy in 1970s Detroit .

so, who’s that ‘guy’ over there?

I so sympathize with the thoughts expressed in this posting on Donna's Wandering Aloud weblog.

Girlette TransFusion

Click here to see larger version.

what she wrote again

After reading the bad news about Connecticut's transgendered rights legislation, I immediately sent an e-mail to my state representative. I know it is late, but the fat person has not sung yet so there is still a chance to get this bill passed this year.

Here is what I wrote (the names have been changed to protect the crossdresser):

Hello Representative X,

I read in today's Hartford Courant that the transgendered rights legislation (SB-1044) is in trouble. It broke my heart when I read that news.

Please don't let the bill die. There are thousands of transgendered individuals in Connecticut that need the protection afforded by this bill and I urge you to do what you can to rekindle the fire and get this critical civil rights legislation passed in this session.

Thank you for your time.

Staci Hunter

transgender rights bill loses momentum

By Colin Poitras, Hartford Courant

HARTFORD, CT – An effort to give transgender individuals equal protection under the state's anti-discrimination laws got bogged down in debate Monday, leaving the bill's future in doubt with the legislative session scheduled to end at midnight Wednesday.

The proposal had made its way through several legislative committees earlier this year and was approved by the state Senate May 23. But after nearly three hours of House debate Monday afternoon, the bill was set aside, a sign that the legislation is in trouble.

Read the whole sad story here.

most interesting bunny of the human variety

When you search flickr, the search results in two categories: Most Recent and Most Interesting. For example, if you search on "xylophones," you can view the photos of xylophones in the order that they were added to flickr with the newest photos first (Most Recent) or in the order that flickr deems "most interesting."

I have no idea what their criteria is for "most interesting," but I discovered today that one of my photos is now at the top of the list for "most interesting" (in the "playboy bunny" category). That is quite an achievement considering that there are 406 "playboy bunny" photos on flickr and the vast majority are real females.

anti-discrimination law applies to New Jersey transgendered

By Andrea Gurwitt, Herald News

It comes too late to help Carol Barlow, but she certainly could have used it.

Could have invoked it when she got fired.

Could have pointed to it when the job interviewer laughed in her face.

Could have sued after, she says, her boss said, "When you become Carol or whatever the hell you're doing, you're out of there."

Because Carol Barlow used to be Bruce Barlow. And first Bruce, and then Carol, suffered harassment, indignities and discrimination at one job and then another, and still more on innumerable job interviews.

Well, that won't cut it anymore.

Starting June 17, it will be illegal under state law for businesses to discriminate against Carol Barlow and any other transgender person. New Jersey's anti-discrimination law, already one of the most far-reaching in the country, will add "gender identity and expression" to its list of protected categories for employment, housing, public accommodation, credit and business contracts

Read the rest of the story here.

getting unstuck

I take my wife shopping nearly every weekend. Sometimes she shops at Fashion Bug, where I have done some shopping myself in the past en femme. However, when I go in boy mode with my wife, I help my wife find things, but never look for anything for myself.

Today, my wife wanted to go to Fashion Bug to buy jeans, so I drove her to the nearest store. There was a big sale in the store. I have never seen it so busy. Mostly females with a handful of male significant others.

I helped my wife find jeans in her size and while she was trying them on, I began perused the jewelry racks searching for those rare pairs of clip-on earrings. I found four pairs!

Next, I perused the clearance racks of dresses and found a nice dress and sweater set in my size. I continued shopping, but did not find anything else, although I did seriously consider a pair of brown suede high heel pumps.

Anyway, for some reason, I got unstuck today and instead of just hanging around Fashion Bug waiting for my wife to finish shopping, I was completely uninhibited and shopped in boy mode for female wear without a care.

avon calling

I have been an Avon product representative for over ten years. As a result, I see lots of products and purchase some for myself (mostly jewelry and makeup).

Although, I have sold a lot of the miracle skin care products that are supposed to remove wrinkles, I never paid them much mind. However, about a year ago, I received a free sample of a product that was supposed to deal with wrinkles around the eyes. Looking in the mirror at the wrinkles developing around my 55-year-old eyes, I decided to try the free sample.

After a week or so, I noticed that the wrinkles were less noticeable. After a few weeks, I had to examine my eyes closely to find the wrinkles. As a result, I was sold on miracle skin care products.

I began using other skin care products, too. A year later, the wrinkles around my eyes are still there, but they are not as deep as they once were and as a result,they are less noticeable, which is the goal for using this stuff. My skin is also smoother, more supple, and healthier-looking. My makeup goes on easier and looks better.

Here is my daily skin care regime:

• In the morning after shaving, I cleanse my face with an exfoliant (Avon's Sweet Finish).

• After using the exfoliant, I apply an eye cream around my eyes (Avon's Anew Ultimate transforming lift eye cream).

• Next, I apply a moisturizer to the rest of my face and to my neck (Avon's Healthy Boost Skintrition Moisture Lotion).

• Before I go to bed, I cleanse my face with the exfoliant, then I apply a night cream to my whole face and neck (Avon's Ultimate Night transforming lift cream).

I am not pushing Avon products. There may be other products out there that are just as good and maybe better. I am just telling you what I use and the reason I use Avon products is that as an Avon rep, I am very familiar with their product line, can obtain samples easily, and can buy the stuff at a discount.

The proof is in the pudding. Look at my photos. Do I look 56 years old?

Last month, when I was doing outreach at a local university, a woman in the class remarked how good I looked for my age. Immediately, another woman jumped in and said how well I was put together. After that comment, nearly all the women started talking at once, commenting about how nice I looked.

I think that all my hard work has paid off.

can' stand the heat, get out of the wig

Overnight, the humidity rose dramatically. Yesterday, it was around 50%; this morning, it is around 80%.

About 30 minutes ago, I walked the dogs for about one mile along a shaded path and by the end of the walk, the dogs were panting and my T-shirt was soaked.

In my case, this is not good weather for going out en femme. I perspire easily, which is a nice way of saying that "I sweat a lot." Add a wig, foundation makeup, foundation garments, and pantyhose and I will be swimming.

My wig pusher loves me in short wigs and back in February, she convinced me to buy a very short wig . (That's it in the photo above; same style, same color.) I have not worn it out yet, but I hope that since it is shorter than the wigs I normally wear, that it will be more comfortable in the warm, humid weather.

We will see.

bloggapedia

"Congratulations! Your link has been approved on Bloggapedia.com." This news arrived in the morning's e-mail.

FYI, Bloggapedia.com is a directory of weblogs and now, this blog is listed along with 54 other transgendered blogs in their directory. Look in the "Society Blogs" sub-directory for the Transgendered blogs directory or just go directly here.

first transgender officer on KC’s police

By Christine Vendel, The Kansas City Star

KANSAS CITY — One sign of her new life: Jessica tweezes her eyebrows. And every day she takes a handful of hormones as her body adjusts to living as a woman. Her co-workers are slowly getting used to working with a transgender police officer.

Jessica, a Kansas City police officer, is 6 feet tall with a chin dimple, pink manicured fingernails and a birth certificate that says “male.”

But in her mind, Jessica believes she has always been a female.

You can read the rest of the story and view a video here.

By the way, I have one problem with this article, a quotation that reads, "The most generally accepted estimate is that one in 12,000 persons in the United States is transgender..." Isn't that a very low estimate? It seems to me that five percent of the population is the figure usually associated with transgendered estimates.