Getting “ma’am”ed or “sir”ed can really make a difference in the mood of a day of a trans person! Yesterday, I went to a service call to replace light bulbs on a juke box and as I was opening my tool box to get my work keys, the cute young (female) bartender came around the bar and said to me, “hey juke box guy,….” Ouch! I wasn’t presenting as female at the time (still working on that issue, I present as close to it as I can without augmentation or makeup) but it still bugged the crap out of me! What an ego killer!
Now today, I went to a campground that we provide games to, to work on the plush animal crane. There was a group of girls there, and a boy, all about 8-13 years old, that age group. Anyway, as I was working on the crane, the kids were watching me, and I kept hearing “she” in relation to what I was doing. Now, that was really weird! Again, I wasn’t presenting as female in particular, but I wear a ball cap to cover my receding hairline, I have no visible beard shadow, and I have dark red hair now, to match my wig. Also, I try to practice my voice in public to get used to the sound of it in my own ears. My mini-boobs may have been showing a bit also. I guess, for them, it added up to female. I was interacting with them, I even traded them a couple animals that they had won for other animals that they wanted from inside the crane. All the while, when the kids talked to each other, it was always “she” this or “she” that. I left there feeling kinda weird, it’s the first time that’s happened to me. It was nice, but really weird! And, of course, it really pushed up my desire to properly look the part! I think it’s going to be harder to be patient as I work my way toward full time at work.
Has anyone else run into these kinds of situations in public?
Filed under: Life Experiences, Transgender | Tagged: GID, Life Experiences, transexual, transsexual, workplace | 2 Comments »
TRANScend GENDER 
MSNBC’s ‘Born in the Wrong Body: A Change of Heart’
[Update to the review: Josef has contributed to the discussion forum on the show here. Worth a read. ]
I knew that I wanted to write a post about ‘Born in the Wrong Body: A Change of Heart’ before it even aired, especially so because many of my friends told me they were reluctant or nervous about watching it for themselves. As someone who has not made a gender transition even once (let alone twice, or even three times!) I felt I could view it dispassionately and objectively.
However, after seeing it, I found myself affected in quite unexpected ways. The aspects that I expected to feel negatively about were just not there, and my overall reaction was very mixed – finding both positive and negative emotions rolling together leaving me … somewhat neutral. I have decided simply to write a synopsis of what we were shown, and leave it up to the reader to come to their own conclusions. I’m sure if this spurs you to watch the show, you can find it on YouTube, or coming up in MSNBC’s frequent re-run schedule.
I’m going to use the pronouns that (mostly) match the current gender presentation of the two people shown in the documentary. (If this offends you, I’m sorry – in a case like this, there simply is no “right way”.) Without further ado, here’s what we learn:
It was stressed up front that of all those who transition, only a very, very tiny proportion ever “go back”. In fact, I suspect the two subjects we follow were the only ones who could be identified and were willing to have their stories told. Most similar documentary programs feature three or more subjects to give a wider experience.
Continue reading →
Filed under: Commentary, Transgender | Tagged: detransition, detransitioning, FFS, gay, gender identity, GID, GRS, hormones, hrt, intersex, marriage, msnbc, religion, reparative therapy, srs, standards of care, surgery, television, transexual, Transgender, transition, transitioning, transsexual, tv | 17 Comments »