The Biology of Who We Are

Last Tuesday, Dr. Morbius posted an entry with link to an article in the Daily Kos by Rei that was a kind of FAQ about trans and some intersex issues. Rei has followed that post with a fascinating article called Beyond Male and Female: The Biology of Who We Are. The post is about how almost all sex-related organs have a cross-sex equivalent. It shows what happens during differentiation (in the womb), how it relates to transsexual women and men, and how often anomalies in these organs occur naturally.

I still take all assertions about the etiology of transsexualism with a healthy dose of skepticism, but the rest of this article is really interesting, as well as very straightforward and not at all sensationalist.

Thanks to Penelope of Penny's Story, who brought he link to my attention. And thanks to Zoe of A.E. Brain whose link Penny shared.

A spectrum of color

Antonia D'orsay, a.k.a. Dyssonance, and several other writers have started something ambitious. Actually, Dyss started it a year ago, but recently it was relaunched in its current format. It's called The Spectrum Cafe, an all-trans news and comment blog. The writers of TSC are hoping to create a Pam's House Blend or Bilerico Project for trans issues. With Dyssonance at the helm, you can be sure this blog won't pull any punches, and it's bound to be thought-provoking.

Check out the most recent post (as of this writing) from Emelye Waldherr called ...really a man.

A Very, Very Tired Conversation

Ms. Shandy gives us an excellent retelling of a harrowing bathroom experience while presenting not as her target gender but while in "guy-mode." It's a great example of what one can expect when they transition and haven't gone to living full time.
Give it a read and please don't forget to leave a comment.

Read "Revisiting a Very, Very Tired Conversation" HERE.

The Doc Is In

Our own Dr. Morbius writes a very interesting and compelling blog today called "Identities."  Thinking through her post at length, I've decided not to give any opinion for the sake of only directing you there to form your own.

What are you waiting for?

It's My Life

A fellow blogger recently shared a link to friend's blog.  This woman is a truck driver who is trying to give up long haul driving to work for companies that offer local driving in her area.  In her most recent post "The Unraveling," Julie shares how she applied for a position with a company but was told that she was denied employment...not based on her qualifications but because of her gender identity.   She was told that because she is still pre-op that she must obey male dress code standards.  How would you feel if you were told to cut your hair and wear attire opposite of how you identify, even if you've already begun transition and have legally changed your name and gender marker? 

Head on over to "It's My Life" and show your support for Julie. 

Fresh face

I'm a terrible T-Central contributor. I'm not very good at searching out new blogs, but sometimes I get lucky and they come to me. That's what happened when Sophie commented on a blog entry I just wrote, which led me to Mental Boonies, her new blog started only this month. She writes with intelligence and wit, a dash of irreverence, and a spiritual angle that many will find appealing. That's not usually me, but her Note to God entry really moved me. And I have to admit, she cited a good quote from C. S. Lewis. Say hi to the new girl on the block!

Common Teri's Commentary

Ever since I began my first steps to transition, my friend Teri had a blog on Yahoo 360 where she would write her unadulterated thoughts about transition, life, and the new challenges of living as a woman.  She left the blog world for a few months recently but has returned with a new blog and new input.  Her most recent posts already prove she's back in true form sharing her heart and chronicling her life in a real and sensitive way.  

Please head over to her site and become a follower.  It's definitely worth it!

http://commontericommentary.blogspot.com/

Stillettos and Sneakers: Alexandra Billings

Alexandra Billings is a phenomenal and beautiful actress, singer, and writer. She will be playing an important role in the trans-related short film "Stealth" (view the PR HERE).

In her personal blog at Live Journal (read it HERE) Alexandra frequently shares some of the more intense moments of her life. Many of her real life stories will have you at times laughing and crying almost at the same time. Her main website is HERE.

The Girl Can Run!

I stumbled onto an interesting blog this evening. Jennifer McCreath is a transsexual marathon runner, and apparently she's been chronicling her runs in a blog for some time now. According to her blog's byline:

I am a 35 yr old transwoman marathon runner from Newfoundland, Canada. I use running as a way to raise societal education and awareness about the issues of transsexualism. This blog focuses on my running and on my life in general as a transsexual.

Pretty cool stuff if you ask me. Give her site a look! http://jennifermccreath.blogspot.com/

A Daydreamer Among Us

Over on Wordpress, I stumbled upon Adrienne Morgan Leigh's blog (READ IT HERE or navigate to http://daydreamer37.wordpress.com/ ). Adrienne seems ready to continue the chronicles of her transition, and I appreciate anyone willing to share another simple yet incredibly personal journey with the rest of the world.

Head on over the Adrienne's blog and decide for yourself. She's also been added to the T-Central list below in case you miss a blog or two!

Love the Skin You're In

Over on TransCanada, Veronique writes what I think is the best summation of how a great majority of trans friends I know, including myself, feel about being T. If only my blogs were as succinct and well written! Head on over by clicking HERE.

Are you "Another Whiney T-Girl?"

Jamie has a blog. Jamie speaks her mind. Jamie doesn't care if you agree or disagree with her. She is who she is. Heck, some of the things she writes might even infuriate you. Inversely, you may think she gets it right most of the time.

Whatever opinion you may have about her blogs, you just GOTTA read this one. That is, if you are willing to put aside the fact that her blog is called "Not Another Whiney T-girl Blog". If you're perfectly alright with that, then read her latest. It was certainly worth the PRICE OF ADMISSION. (click HERE). Don't say I didn't warn you, though. (For the record, I may not agree with everything she says, but I can't resist reading anyway! Her professional photographs are freaking awesome to boot!)

Good luck at work there, Jamie!

Video Bloggers of Bloggerville Unite!

So another jumps into the waters of video weblogging, huh? This time it's our own temptress from down under (and I ain't talking about Australia!) Shinigami Liz. Then again, she's only HALF-demonness according to her ;)

But I'll let you go check out here blog (click HERE) and watch for yourself! Not bad not bad girlie, keep em coming!

So what the heckage does Shinigami mean anyhow?

Jaye's Trans Blog and the Subject of Detransitioning

Over on Wednesday, February 25th's post at Jaye's Trans Blog, Jaye highlights two links, the first a story in USA Today about L.A. Times Sportswriter Mike Penner. Mike's story became famous when he transitioned to become Christine Daniels in 2007 but detransitioned back to Mike late last year. The second article discusses a British tycoon who also transitioned to female, then detransitioned back to male while arguing that living as a woman was a negative experience.

The topic and publicity of detransitioning seems to also catch the news media's attention, and keywords like "detransition" and "Christine Daniels" frequently pop up in my own listing in Google Analytics.

Jaye is a relatively new blogger, but she's been consistently writing about her thoughts as she processes her own feelings. Check out her blog, follow her along, and let her know what you think! (READ IT HERE).

Calie's Chronicles

I don't often get to follow some blogs as closely as I'd like, but find myself making more of a concerted effort to follow Calie of Calie's Chronicles (READ HER BLOG HERE). (Plus, she's a friend of Rebecca's ;) )
Her many experiences and thoughts were so similar to my own, and she expresses her emotions very clearly. Her latest blog "Letting the Shields Down" hits the mark when she explains

I guess what I am trying to say is that I can feel like the real "me" just by being with someone who accepts me and understands me which allows me to release the shields that are almost always up.

Have you ever felt like that? When I first began making friends with accepting attitudes towards my T-ness, I quickly felt the need for makeup and dress much less significant. Nowadays I'm quite comfortable wearing a blouse and jeans, but there was a time when even that just wasn't quite enough.

Until someone friendly enough came along allowing me to let my shields down.

From Lori Anne to LoriAnne's World

Okay, that's not a photo of my twin and me, but I bet it made you look!

I did, however, just finish reading about the "week of incomparable lows and stratospheric highs" that my friend of same name and similar life LoriAnne experienced. LoriAnne continues to write about life in transition, this time as she is about to step into the corporate world as her true self. Her writing style is another that I eagerly covet, her ability to accurately express the ranging emotions of the highs and lows in our transtion rollercoaster ride.

Follow along and give her your best wishes as she takes yet another major hurdle within the next two weeks! You can read her blog (HERE).

Aren't We All Out of Our Minds?

I don't always stick to Blogger to find interesting writers who have a story to tell. A lot of good writers can be found on Wordpress and LiveJournal, and I still have a few friends who never abandoned the nearly abandoned Yahoo 360.

One of those friends, Leslie Ann, still posts there for now, but she's also begun to post her crazed thoughts over on Blogger at my request. (Okay, I'll admit it, I'm lazy, and I like reading blogs on my mobile Google Reader in addition to here at T-Central. I can't reliably add 360 blogs to it.)

Leslie Ann, in my opinion, writes from the deep reserves of a passionate spirit longing to find her center in being transgender. What's more, she is one of many who may not or don't pursue transition, something we don't see many people willing to write and blog about. I think those who choose that path also deserve to be heard, and if you'd like to know what that's like, please check out Leslie's site and follow along with her. I know I'll be following closely. Very closely. That girl's out of her mind.
(Really, really, I don't think she's all that crazy.)

Teri, Debbie, Dee, and Allison

Today over on CommonTeri's blog, Teri opens up about her successful day performing at the recent Fresno talent show and the positive review she received from online Gay Fresno. Her point is that we should interact with the world and let them see our talents so that they come to know us for who we are.

Over on Debbie's Life, she ventures into the realm of podcasting as she prepares to travel for her own surgery. I haven't had a chance to give it a full listen, but give Deb your support as she documents one of the biggest moments in her life. She's got a great voice too! As Lucy heals from her own surgery, we wish you luck Debbie!

Dee of Dee's Tales continues to write about the vivid emotions she experiences about the necessity of blogging to help sort through her many thoughts. I like Dee's writing a lot, I think you will too.

And last but certainly not least, I found a new friend in the gorgeous Allison Mackenzie. After reading her most recent blogs, I found myself going back reading her previous writings, and I was hooked. Allison has done a marvelous job chronicling the highs and lows of transition, and I think her wordpress journal is as good as it gets. She faces FFS (pun intended) within a couple of weeks. Her page says "Just another Wordpress blog," but there's much more to it than that.

Too much to read and too little time to do it in. Toodles!

Blogs of the Day, Version 1.0

Beginning today, Renee and I will be giving brief reviews of recent blog postings from others that you may have missed. While it will certainly only scratch the surface, we hope to highlight interesting stories and life events here at the top of the T-Central page.

Over on Teresa's Treasures, today was the day she got her name changed...woo hoo! Go T.E.R.E.S.A! That's just a name FULL of "awesome sauce!" (as Jayna and Mila put it).

Kathryn of Kathryn's Journey met with HR and has a date set for her to go full time at work...stay tuned to hear how that goes. Results from coming out at work still vary from person to person. I have a feeling Kathryn will do just fine, after having followed her blog for a while. Go girl!

And Veronique over on TransCanada discusses what life is like to be happy. She also includes a video at the bottom. If you haven't followed her blog yet, you're missing a wonderful writer who shares her heart and soul.

Finally, Stephanie posts in her own blog about coming to terms with the big "Why," and decides that "I'm a happy girl, not an angry shadow. That's all that matters."

I like that reasoning. I like it a lot.

112 PERSONAL BLOGS...Sheez

112 personal blogs here. Whew! Lots to read. While I may not have enough time to comment on nearly as many as I'd like, I do read a LOT.
All because I'm still learning... a LOT.

Now get back to reading!