My Ducks Lined Up : Finally, things begin to happen

Why is it called procrastination when it's one of the most anti-social things people can do?

After much delay, trips back and forth between cities at my own expense, and schools not hiring for the new year until the middle of August, I finally have both a new job and apartment in Taipei.  (I began my job and apartment search in March.)  I begin moving this week.

Now I just have to deal with my own procrastination, not getting started on packing and cleaning until today.  Joy, joy, joy.

I've been looking forward to this for a year.  I couldn't find a new employer a year ago, which prevented me from moving to Taipei and accessing the transgender clinic.  They only work Monday to Friday, and commutting simply wasn't possible, not even with the High Speed Rail (THSR).  Living in Taipei means the clock now starts on the road to medical transition.

Pain Sucks: If only Ranma 1/2 were real life....

Oh, how I hate going to the doctor.  Some treatments and procedures are necessary on the road to transitioning, but that doesn't make them any less pleasant.

This weekend I received another round of laser hair removal.  Every zap on the face hurts, and it smells like my flesh is burning as the doctor does it.

Pain is one thing, but I hate the pills he gave me even more.  I have never done illegal drugs of any sort, and I avoid anything like painkillers for the same reason: they affect my ability to think.  It feels like I'm looking through cotton, and in talking I feel like I'm drunk (which I also rarely do).  I'm not a control freak, but I really hate not being able to think clearly.

Predators Target: Rightwing christian fanatics are enabling and encouraging cisgender rapists

In the US, all known cases of sexual assault against women and children in public bathrooms have been perpetrated by cisgender heterosexual men.  Police departments across the US report not a single instance of transgender women assaulting anyone in bathrooms anywhere.

Breitbart's ignorant attempts to smear transgender women backfired when they showed that twnety five cases of sexual assault were by cisgender men.  In their typical incompetence, not-so-Breitbart did the exact opposite of what they intended, and showed that transgender women pose no danger to anyone.

Since straight men are the danger, why are christians and various rightwing groups repeating the lie of "man in a dress raping women"?  Why are christians encouraging sexual predators to enter women's washrooms at Target stores (and elsewhere) and endangering women?

Right-Wing Anti-LGBT Activists Are Sending Men Into Target Bathrooms to 'Test' the Store

Do you know how many reports of transgender people assaulting others in bathrooms there have been? The grand tally stands at none, a number also expressed as zero, zip, nil, nada. Yet several jurisdictions and states—North Carolina most notoriously—have passed “bathroom bills,” and a number of others have pending legislation targeting trans people and restroom access. In response to the ginned-up scaremongering at the heart of these laws, Target issued a message stating it “welcome[s] transgender team members and guests to use the restroom or fitting room facility that corresponds with their gender identity.” Now, anti-LGBT activists have appointed themselves restroom guardians, and have been going into bathrooms in the company’s stores to "test" the store's vigilance.

Among the greatest ironies of this story is that these bigots claim they’re trying to protect women from trans people, but they’re overwhelmingly men. In other words, a bunch of dudes, in the misguided name of “safety,” are invading women’s rooms. As if having a random guy in the bathroom while you go isn’t a bajillion times worse, more invasive, and something far closer to harassment than having a trans woman in the stall next to you. It’s utterly ridiculous.

Money Talks: Tennessee kills its bigoted anti-trans law...for now

US state of Tennessee republican Susan Lynn has withdrawn her hateful anti-trans bathroom law, but not out of any sense of decency.  (She obviously doesn't have any, since she was the one who presented it.)  She withdrew it because her personal bigotry will cost Tennessee US$1.2 billion in school funding, something she would not be able to explain to taxpayers.

Tennessee Lawmaker Kills Anti-Trans Bathroom Bill, Leaving North Carolina All Alone

On Monday, Tennessee Republican Rep. Susan Lynn announced that she will pull her anti-trans bathroom bill, at least until next year.

[...]

In a defensive [read: indefensible] press conference, Lynn insisted that she was not responding to the widespread outrage her bill had provoked among major corporations and businesses, as well as from trans students and LGBTQ advocates. Instead, she seemed concerned by the attorney general’s (correct) assertion that the measure would cost the state $1.2 billion in federal education funding, since federal law prohibits public schools from engaging in gender identity discrimination. 

The last part of this story is interesting. 

Gov. Bill Haslam, a Republican, had also implied that he might veto the bill, noting that he wasn’t “hearing about problems” relating to trans bathroom use.

Is Haslam admitting to reality?  Police across the US have recorded ZERO instances of "transgender predators in bathrooms", though they have recorded countless instances of transgender people being harassed by cisgenders.  If there were even a single instance of transgender people harassing others, the rightwing media would have pounced on it and repeated it incessantly.

Or did Haslam realize what happened in Uganda would happen to his state?  For those who don't remember or don't know, Uganda attempted to put forward a "kill the gays" law which legalized murder.  It was only withdrawn when foreign donors threatened to withhold millions of dollars in foreign aid to the country.

Maybe Susan Lynn should be appointed ambassador to Uganda and sent their permanently.  I'm sure she would be very happy to live in such a christian-dominated nation.

Toilet Stall: What is the rightwing obsession with trans people and bathrooms?

I would really like the republiclowns who write these anti-transgender hate laws to answer some simple questions about trying to criminalize transgender people in bathrooms.

1) Many transgender women (myself included) are heterosexual and attracted to men.  How are we a "threat to women and girls" in a women's washroom?

2) Many transgender men are heterosexual and attracted to women.  How are they a "threat to men and boys" in a men's washroom?

3) How are lesbian transgender women a "threat" in women's washrooms while cisgender lesbian women are not?

4) How are gay transgender men a "threat" in men's washrooms while cisgender gay men are not?

5) re: 3 and 4, Is it the rightwing's intent to first criminalize and ostracize transgender people to later justify re-targeting cisgender gay and lesbian people for discrimination and hate in society?

Considering that there is not a single instance in the US of transgender women preying on women and girls in toilets (and none of trans men doing it either), one really has to question the motivation of those who want these laws. 

And considering the history or "family values" republicans who have affairs and rape children (e.g. Robert Bentley, Jack Ryan, Mark Foley, Mark Sanford, Newt Gingrich, Rudy Giuliani, Dennis Hastert, Scott Desjarlais, David Vitter, Chris Lee, Michael Duvall, Carly Fiorina, John Ensign, Vito Fossella, David Petraeus, Bill Young, etc., ad nauseum), the motivation is most likely misdirection.  The easiest way to avoid mention of their own actions is to pander to hateful bigots who are predisposed to believing lies.

I Laughed: A funny story from the other night....

I was out for an evening of drinks with a few friends in the local Couchsurfing group where I live.  They are a great group, completely accepting and respecting me as a transgender woman.  But what made me laugh was something I said shocked the cisgender women.  Then they started laughing.

We were talking about finding shoes that fit.  I wear a Euro45/US14 women's shoe, which is almost impossible to find here, and some of the ciswomen here are also fairly tall (over 170cm) and have the same problem.  We also ended up talking about heels, and they asked how I got used to walking in them.  I told them about some basic things I learnt that works well.

First thing to do is turn the pelvis so the rear points out more.  Then move the shoulders back, but don't stick out the chest.  The women nodded and agreed that was fairly normal posture.

I said that the next thing to do is walk heel to toe. Walk with the big toe (or even two toes) behind the other foot, as all women do.  The slight crossover adds a hip swing that women do naturally. 

Every one of them stood wide eyed, looking at me.  Then they started walking around and watching their own feet for the first time in their lives, never noticing that nearly every single one of them do that.  It was a hilarious moment, and we all got a laugh out of it.

We Exist: International Transgender Day of Visibility

Thursday March 31st is International Transgender Day of Visibility, a day for transgender people to celebrate our existence and say the fight for equal treatment isn't over yet.  Not when thousands of people have been murdered and governments and courts consent to the murders by silence and insufficient prosecution.

The right to marry isn't enough.  In many so-called "advanced countries", people can be denied recognition of their gender because they have not had genital surgery (Canada), because they have not been sterilized and denied the right to have children (France, Italy, Denmark, Finland, Switzerland), because they are denied the ability to change gender on birth records which are required for obtaining legal documents (USA).  And in less enlightened countries, it's much bleaker - murder, imprisonment, assault and other crimes are everyday occurrences.


Legal Aspects Of Transgenderism

Transgender Rights Map, 2014 (from Transgender Europe)


Governments predicate "policy" on requiring genital surgery before recognition.  This contradicts the medical profession (i.e. educated people who know the medical issues) who require transgender people live as their desired gender for years before hormones or surgery are approved.  Denial of basic rights and protections enables discrimination in employment and housing, which forces most transgender people into poverty, unable to get all but the most poorly paid jobs.  Such policy is either incompetently or intentionally written to drive people into poverty and make it impossible for them to transition.

Human rights are for humans, but governments have declared transgender people as "not human" and undeserving of the same protections as others simply because we do not fit the narrow and narrowminded gender binary.  Denying rights and legal protections to anyone is legalized discrimination, be it race, religion, ability or disability, sexual orientation, cisgender or transgender.

GLAAD: International Transgender Day Visibility

Transstudent (on facebook)

Transgender Europe

International Transgender Day Visibility (from Equality Michigan)


Pride Calgary's day of events, 2016

wearefamilymagazine.co.uk: International Transgender Day Of Visibility

Transgender Michigan

Pride Source