What I’ve Learned From Letting My Son Dress Up As A Girl For Halloween

A short, but sweet, post from Lori, a wonderful mom and the author of Raising My Rainbow.

What I’ve Learned From Letting My Son Dress Up As A Girl For Halloween includes a link to Youtube videos showing CJ's Halloween costumes over the years.

Rediscovery

Time after time I found myself returning to a single moment, standing in front of a mirror looking at the girl who looked back at me. I knew what I saw was me, the real, true me as I knew myself to be, heart and soul. It was a thrilling, terrifying moment which took away my breath and set my heart to racing. I can only say it was akin to looking into your own eyes and finding your soul reflected there.



Rediscovery is just what it says.  A lovely post from Kira that many should relate to.

My passive aggressive post about being transgender

I started thinking that there is a general feeling in the trans community that all of the lives of anyone who wants to be female are remarkably similar, and yet it’s not the case.

Indeed, it's not the case.  Kate says that many of the stereotypes don't apply to her.  Read, The Strangest Thing About Being Transgender, to find out just what those stereotypes are.

your personal journey of transition

I seem to see two types of individuals who make for the most successful transitions: the older and mature late transitioner who has thought about this a lifetime and is as sure as they are going to be and the very young and persistent transsexual who has been sure since day one.

Interesting comments on your personal journey of transition from Joanna.  She includes a video from a female-to-male transsexual explaining possible biological causes for the transgender condition.

Learning how to speak again

It's a short post on a very important subject.

Voice training.

For MtF's, it's just so important and so difficult.  Read about how Marion is dealing with it and where she puts voice training on her priority list.

Learning how to speak again, is from Marion's blog, Crossing T's and Dotting I's.

The Empty Pouch in My Boxer Briefs

There is a hole in my vocabulary. I rarely talk about my genitals or anyone else’s. I don’t like to use either scientific terms or slang. The words sound foreign to me. Growing up, I pretended there was nothing there, the way male and female dolls are smooth and intact under their clothes.




You know, I have been known to utter almost exactly what Jamie Ray wrote, above.  My close friends know that I hate the "P" word.  There's one big difference, however, between Jamie Ray's pretending nothing's down there and my own: Jamie Ray is FtM.  

It's an interesting perspective from "the other side of the coin", which is featured far too seldom on T-Central.  The Empty Pouch in My Boxer Briefs, is from Jamie Ray's blog, A Boy and Her Dog.

My Husband’s A Woman Now

My Husband’s A Woman Now: A Shared Journey Of Transition And Love by Leslie Fabian, tells the story of a late-in-life transition from the spouse’s point of view. Fabian is in her sixties when her husband David, to whom she has been married for twenty years, finally comes to terms with the fact that he is not “just” a cross-dresser, but actually transgender, and needs to live his life as a woman.

An excellent book review from Adrienne, who refers to herself as a cis-woman married to a trans-woman.

My Husband's A Woman Now, is from Adrienne's blog, Translucidity.

Transphobia

“God made them male and female, Adam and Eve. I know it’s hard, but you can’t change your sex. It’s not God’s will. But I’m glad you’re coming here. I encourage you to keep doing so.”

I read this post and thought.....seriously....are these people really still out there?  Alas, they are, of course.  This ugly statement occurred in a beautiful church, from someone who is presumably not a regular attendee.  Dr. Eleanor Burns answered the transphobic questions she was asked, held her head high, and went on her way with absolutely no thoughts about moving on to another church.  

Please visit Eleanor's blog, A Belated Existence, to read about her experience with Transphobia.

Interview with Abigail Austin (formerly Jan Austen)

I can't share any quotes from this blog post, but it's very worthy of featuring.

This is an interview with Jan Hamilton, now known as Abigail Austen as explained in the interview, a British Soldier who had since transitioned.

Go to Abigail Austen for the interview and Vivienne's commentary.

Anorexic? Nah, Just Gender Dysphoria!

For many, many years Jules told me that she was worried because I appeared to be anorexic to her.Why? 
Well because no matter how much weight I have lost I have never been satisfied and have always told her that maybe I would be happier if I lost a bit more.  This has worried her and minding her concerns I have always tempered my weight loss desires.

I totally get this post from Nadine.  I was accused, by both my wife and people at work, of having an eating disorder.  I didn't.  I least I think I didn't but, like Nadine, I just wasn't (and still am) not happy with many things about my body.

Anorexic? Nah, Just Gender Dysphoria!, is from Nadine's blog, Unordinary Style.

 

"Fear and Loathing" on the Elevator

The point to all this jabber is riding in an elevator as a trans woman just could be the most paranoiac experience I have next to bathrooms.

For reasons unknown to me, many trans folks (including me) have read Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, that Hunter S. Thompson book about two crazy dudes driving to Las Vegas.

The title of Cyrsti's current post made me assume that she must have read the book or seen the move.  It certainly got my attention and I decided it was time for another visit to the Condo.  In this post, Cyrsti talks about "Fear and Loathing" on the Elevator. It's all over at Cyrsti's Transgender Condo.

Estrogen makes you calm and crazy

I am sitting on an emotional swing.  Each day it gets more intense.  Genetic females have had a lot longer than me to come to terms with the rollercoaster of moods but everyone who experiences it has to start somewhere.  I can’t ‘man it out’ anymore, 40 days and 40 nights of HRT and I’m already losing subjective cognition of my testronic existence; slowly the maleness fall from grasp.

Colorful comments on the effects of HRT, gender dysphoria, being a woman and her journey in general are all part of this very interesting post from Amy.  All of ending with this:

This is only the beginning, it has to hurt to get better, this is how we heal.  We show ourselves now in survival so we can prosper when we come to truly thrive.

If you're considering hormone replacement therapy, Amy's description of her experiences is a must read.

Estrogen makes you calm and crazy is from Amy's blog, Don't Make Me Choose.

My Coming Out Story

The problem was though I was never truly happy, I even shaved my hair and grew stubble to try and hide it and be the opposite of what I wanted to be, but the feelings of Gender Dysphoria never goes away no matter how much I try to hide it. If anything they are stronger and keeping everything locked in again became so hard. It has been tearing me up inside and I couldn’t keep going any longer, I needed to let it out again.

It's always interesting to see or hear a coming out story from one of our sisters or brothers.  My own is pretty crazy.  In Danielle's case, she wrote a letter to her family and, for the most part, the results were positive, although one family  member (guess who!) has struggled with it.  The excerpt, above, is from her letter to her family.

My Coming Out Story is from Danielle's blog, Lost in Transition.

How It Is To Be Miss Tobi: I Don’t Feel Like A Woman, I Don’t Feel Like A Man, I Feel Transgender

Linda Coussement is travelling the globe (slowly) asking all people equally: “how is it to be you?” 

Her interviews includes videos that will eventually lead to a documentary.

In the featured post, Linda met Miss Tobi and ended up with a nice interview and equally nice video.  


How It Is To Be Miss Tobi: I Don’t Feel Like A Woman, I Don’t Feel Like A Man, I Feel Transgender is the name of the post.

To find out more about Linda, go here.

Learning to walk

Going back a few years, I remember my first attempts. Learning to walk in heels took ages. Oddly, I didn't seem to mind getting the hours in. I used to Hoover regularly before work, because it would help me keep my balance and the maneuvering around the house, meant I wasn't just walking up and down. Yes, the comedy value of a Queen video wasn't lost on me, either :-)

Walking in heels, learning to apply makeup (please will someone help me???), shopping in enemy territory.....Lynn's been there, done that, bought the (fill in the blank).  Another entertaining post from Lynn Jones which includes an ample dose of that lovely Brit humor.

Learning to walk, is from one of the longest running blogs listed on T-Central, YATGB.

Some more thoughts on acceptance

Each trans person who objects to an admirer will have their own reasons for not liking having them around and I am sure there are almost as many reasons as there are trans people. At the core of the problem, I would argue, is the belief that the admirer is reducing all trans persons to a sexualised and possibly fetishised object. 


While the title may be misleading, since this post has to do with admirers (otherwise known as "tranny-chasers"), it makes sense after you read Daniella's post.  I rarely see a post dealing with this subject and Daniella has some interesting and balanced thoughts on the subject.

Some more thoughts on acceptance is from the blog, Daniella's Ramblings.