Five Things To Know About The Transgender Community

I will admit I don’t know a lot about transgender people; I will admit I often didn’t “get” it. But I’ve listened and I’ve learned and I’ve met some transgender folks along the way through this here blog thing; check out The Camouflaged Man, for example, for a little lesson in transgender and learn how everything from pronouns to shoes to haircuts and clothing and sexual attraction, same-sex or otherwise, become an issue.

I’ve also listened to, and watched, Chaz Bono’s journey, and the one point he made that always stuck with me is that gender is not between your legs, it’s between your ears. A certain set of genitalia does not necessarily mean that’s your gender.

And of course, we’ve all watched, and heard, the discourse on the T-word; I used to think it was okay, but now I’ve learned that many in the transgender community find it offensive so it’s scrubbed from my vocabulary. My thoughts? If the community to whom you are referring, the transgender community, the Black community, the gay community, find certain words — the T-word, the N-word, the F-word — offensive,. Then you don’t use them. Case closed, for me.

But I saw this quick little post on LGBTQ Nation, and figured maybe it might help to understand what it means to be transgendered for those of us who aren’t, those of us who are, and those of us who aren’t sure …

Here are five things to know about transgender America:

#1 WHO YOU ARE v WHOM YOU LOVE

Sexual orientation and gender identity are not the same thing. Sexual orientation refers to a person’s physical and emotional attractions to another person. Gender identity is a person’s strongly felt sense of being female, male or perhaps neither.

That’s why transgender rights advocates are pushing for nondiscrimination laws that cover both sexual orientation [gay, lesbian or bisexual] and gender identity [transgender]. Some transgender people also identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual.

#2 WATCH YOUR WORDS

Terminology is constantly evolving. Words once tossed around casually are now considered offensive. A recent campaign pushed TV show “RuPaul’s Drag Race” to stop using the words “tranny” and “she-male.” [Drag queens, such as RuPaul, are not usually considered transgender because their act is based on performance, not innate identity.]

“Sex change” has fallen out of polite use for the medical treatments that some, but not all, transgender people undergo to bring their bodies into alignment with their identities. Until recently, “sex reassignment” was the favored alternative, but it is giving way to “gender reassignment” and “gender confirmation.”

#3 MANNERS MATTER

Katie Couric was called out in January after she pressed model Carmen Carrera for details about her gender transition and “private parts.” Such questions are considered rude and intrusive.

As Washington Post etiquette columnist Steven Petrow has noted, “It wouldn’t be appropriate to ask a non-transgender person about the appearance or status of their genitalia, so it isn’t appropriate to ask a transgender person that question either.” Asking transgender people what their names were before they transitioned is similarly considered ill-mannered, as is failing to make an effort to use the pronouns they prefer.

#4 BY THE NUMBERS

Transgender people make up 0.3 percent of the U.S. adult population, according to estimates by The Williams Institute, a think tank at UCLA. In a 2011 survey by the Public Religion Research Institute, 11 percent of respondents reported having a close friend or relative who was transgender, compared with 58 percent who had a close relationship with someone who was gay or lesbian.

And transgender people, especially women, remain vulnerable to violence. Out of the 18 bias-related killings of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people documented by the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs last year, 13 victims were transgender women.

#5 “T” TIME

“Orange is the New Black” co-star Laverne Cox’s made history this month with her debut as the first transgender person to appear on the cover of Time magazine. But several other people who identify as transgender have been in the limelight because of affiliations with other Time cover subjects.

During his boyhood in Indonesia, Obama’s nanny was a transgender woman who told The Associated Press two years ago that she did not dress as a woman around her young charge but that he “did see me trying on his mother’s lipstick, sometimes.”

When he was president, George W. Bush hosted a White House reunion for his former Yale classmates, including a transgender woman who had lived as a man when Bush knew her. Another guest told reporters that the president grabbed the classmate’s hand and exclaimed fondly, “Now you’ve come back as yourself.”

So, there you have it. Just a few rules, a few questions answered, but hey, if it makes the dialogue more clear, and makes the road to understanding a little easier to navigate, then it’s a good thing, right?

Random Musings

Michele Bachmann told FauxNews that she'd pick either Donald Trump or Rick Santorum to be her VP.
I don't know which is funnier, her choices, or the fact that she thinks she'll be president.


Sherman Frederick is a columnist, and a bit of a douchenozzle.

It seems that Sherm got his granny pants into a twist after listening to President Obama's weekly address, called: “On Thanksgiving, Grateful for the Men and Women Who Defend Our Country.”

Obama had the audacity to refer to Thanksgiving as a "celebration of community." You know, like the Pilgrims and the Native Americans, all those years ago, in a celebration of community, ALLEGEDLY shared a meal.

Holy Rollin' Douche Sherman Frederick says that "Somebody ought to remind Obama (and his speechwriter) that when Americans sit down around a meal today and give thanks, they give thanks to God."

Not everybody Sherman. Not everybody.

And that's what Obama meant. Asshat.

I like some news that makes me smile.

Chaz Bono has asked his girlfriend, Jennifer Elia, to marry him, and she said 'Yes.'

Congratulations and best wishes to the happy couple.


Horses could soon be butchered in the United States for human consumption after Congress quietly lifted a 5-year-old ban on funding horse meat inspections.
To that i say, Neighhhhhhhhhhhh.


Check Nigeria off my list of places to get married.

The Senate there voted this week to pass the bill mandating that gay couples who marry will be sent to prison, and anyone who helps them, even as a witness, gets prison time too.

It's not clear if the bill would then go to Nigeria's House of Representatives or to President Goodluck Jonathan for his approval, but.......seriously Nigeria.

Knock it off.


Hey Herman Cain?
My watch says fifteen past the hour.
Times up. You've been a laugh riot, but, let's all address the elephant in the room.
You won't be president.
Move along now.


From the bookshelf.
I have this habit of reading two, and sometimes three, books at a time. Now, they have to be very different types of books so i don't get confused. I mean, I don't read a pair of Stephen Kings....that would be weird.
Book One: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. It's the story of a woman who died from cancer in 1951, and doctors removed some of her cancerous cells--without her permission or knowledge--and those cells have never died.
Her cells, the HeLa cells, have been used in all sorts of experiments--they've even been to the Moon!--and made millions of dollars and created a new industry. And her family never knew.
It's not just a story of medicine and cells and science, because, well, that ain't my bag, but it's also the story of racism in this country, then and now, and how one small, what some in the medical field might consider minor, procedure, changed the life of a family, and changed the world.
Good stuff.
Book Two: Carrie Fisher's Shockaholic. It tells the story of her addiction to drugs, her thoughts of suicide, and her choice at using electro-convulsive therapy--AKA shock therapy--to feel better.
Heavy stuff, indeed, but if anyone can make sense of it all, and give you a giggle, a snort, and, at times, even a belly laugh, it's Carrie Fisher.
She makes light of the dark like no one else.


Dexter.
Loving it.
That's all.

I Didn't Say It........

Chaz Bono, after being voted off DWTS:
"I took so much away from this. This was an amazing journey that really pushed me and showed me that I could do so much more than I ever thought I could. I came on this show because I wanted to show America a different kind of man. If there was somebody like me on TV when I was growing up, my whole life would have been different. And so I dedicated everything I did to all the people out there like me and especially to kids and teens who are struggling. You can have a wonderful, great life and be successful and happy."


And how can anyone think that's wrong?
We have all kinds of folks on TV with whom we can identify, so it was nice to see a transgendered person simply being themselves and being happy and joyful, and, well, not a really good dancer.
But that's okay.
His message wasn't dance.
His message is acceptance, and that's much more important than a rumba or a tango any day.

Kellan Lutz, on being Christian and pro-gay: 
“I was raised in a Christian family, and I’m a Christian, but the only commandment that I really live by is “Love your neighbor as yourself.” It doesn’t matter who a person is or what they’re into, you just show them love. If they’re happy, be happy for them. Be a believer, have faith in something, but no one’s right or wrong. Just be a good person. If we were all just one loving world, stuff would be so much easier.”


Hot. sexy, smart.
What's not to love.
Of course, i imagine there are all sorts of "Christians" out there who say Kellan Lutz isn't a real Christian because he understands the principal of God is love.
Not the principal of God Hates Fags.

Rick Santorum, pledging to defund all federal contraception programs, basically making it clear he will never be president:
"One of the things I will talk about, that no president has talked about before, is I think the dangers of contraception in this country. It’s not okay. It’s a license to do things in a sexual realm that is counter to how things are supposed to be. [Sex] is supposed to be within marriage. It’s supposed to be for purposes that are yes, conjugal…but also procreative. That’s the perfect way that a sexual union should happen. This is special and it needs to be seen as special."


So, no birth control?
Everyone who marries, whether they choose to or not, should be faced with the possibility that they will have a child at some point.
And people who, for whatever reason, cannot have a child? Are they not as marred as anyone else?
Frothy, Frothy, Frothy. You became more of an asshat every time you open your mouth.

James Amos, Marine Commandant General, who once expressed opposition to the DADT repeal, now welcomes gays and their partners to the Marine Ball:
"I’m fine with it. I’m fine with it. I expect it to happen, I expect it to happen across the Marine Corps. And I mean, that’s part of the repeal of Don’t Ask, Dont’ Tell. I mean, that’s part of it. You can’t go half way. You can’t say we’re going to repeal it and you now can become public, but I’m going to restrict your behavior. We’re not going to do business that way."


This is how the military should work.
There are rules and regulations and you follow them unconditionally.
And if, at some point, those rules and regulations change, then you change, too, and follow the new policies as strictly as you did the old.

Jon Stewart, on the silence and unwillingness of the GOP to give any credit to the Obama administration for its handling of Libya:
"Is there no Republican that can be gracious and statesmanlike in this situation? We removed a dictator in six months losing no American soldiers, spending, like, a billion dollars rather than a trillion dollars, and engendering what appears to be good will to people who now have a story of their own Independence to tell. Anybody want to give credit? What the f**k is wrong with you people?"


I hate to keep beating the racism drum, but this just sacks to me of racism.
I cannot imagine that, if this were a white president,, in the same situation, the GOP wouldn't at least grudgingly offer some sort of praise or congratulations.
It's like when Osama bin Laden was taken down and all those GOP wingnutted asshatted morons said Bush deserved the credit.
It just smacks of racism to me.

Rick Perry, on how he's just having fun being a Birther:
“I’m really not worried about the president’s birth certificate. It’s fun to poke at him a little bit, and say, how about, ‘Let’s see your grades and your birth certificate.’”


It's 'fun' to turn our attention away from the issues. to turn our attention away from the fact that Rick Perry is an idiot, and focus on some tired old question that has been answered again and again.
And again.
Perry simply brings this up to pander to the lowest form of the Teabaggers, and to shine a light away from his own inadequacies as a politician.

Mo'Nique, Academy Award-winning actress, on marriage equality:
“I believe since we’ve all been given free will, let’s use our will to let others be free. Gay and lesbian couples, they believe in commitment, family and love. If you don’t believe me, did you happen to notice that all that’s being asked for is the right to be married, which ironically promotes commitment, family and love? Join me and support marriage equality. It’s the right thing to do.”


All that's being asked for is the right to marry. 
There ain't nothing wrong there.

Don't Mess With Mama Bear, Especially If It's Mama Cher

forgive the commercial.......

Oh, There's Outrage All Right, But It's MY Outrage!

In the spirit of fairness, I don't watch 'Dancing With The Stars'. Well, in the real spirit of fairness, I did catch some YouTubes of Kate Gosselin clod-hopping across the dance floor, but I don't watch the actual show. Could be because they call them 'stars' and they aren't stars at all.

Two words: Bristol Palin. In her case, the show should have been called 'Dancing With The Daughter's Of Failed Politicians and Media Whores' though that title might have proven a bit unwieldy.

So, there's always been controversy over who gets on the show. Are they stars or media whores? Athletes or wannabes? But now, with this next round of DWTS there is some new fuel to the controversy fire because Chaz Bono will be dancing.

Is Chaz a 'star'? Well, maybe not in the vein of his mother [Cher, for the one or two of you who live under a rock] or even his father [Sony Bono, entertainer-turned-politician for the two or three of you living under a neighboring stone]. But he is a published author, he was a media spokesperson, and he has been the subject of a documentary on his decision to transgender from female-to-male.

So, there is some 'star' in there. At least more star than ego-maniacal behemoth Nancy Grace who will also appear this season. But it's only the addition of Bono to the cast that is yielding a vehement reaction from some folks, and it getting ugly out there.

There have been all sorts of messages on the DWTS message boards--and who knew there was such a place?--about idiotic things like, who will be his partner? I put 'his' in italics because, ladies and gentlemen, Chaz Bono is a man, so naturally he'll be dancing with a woman. True, Chaz was born Chastity, but things change, and so do some people's gender when they recognize that they were born differently and opt to correct it.

So, Chaz is a man. Get over it. Deal with it. Move the fuck on from it.

Here's how this show apparently works: the 'stars' come on and are paired with a professional dancer and then each week they dance. The judges comment and then the public gets to vote on who stays. So, really, it's just a popularity contest.

But know this, Chaz Bono should not be voted for or against because of his gender reassignment surgery. He should be kicked off or kept on because he danced well enough, or poorly enough. This isn't a show about accepting transgendered men and women, it's a reality-pop-pop-fizz-fizz dance show.

If you don't accept transgendered people, or think the whole subject icky, then don't watch, and stay locked inside your bigoted, judgemental head for the rest of your bigoted, judgemental life. The show isn't an ad for or against gender reassignment It is neither a public welcoming of transgendered people, nor some sort of kangaroo court for the public to judge transgendered people. It's a reality-pop-pop-fizz-fizz dance show.

So, let's see how dimwitted and narrow-minded and asshatted and fucktarded people can be; here are some of those messages to ABC, and the DWTS message boards:

"HUGE HUGE fan of this show since season two and eagerly await each season to get my dancing/entertainment 'fix'!! But when I heard that Chaz Bono was going to be on, I was sick. Not that I have anything personally again her/him, I just don't want that lifestyle choice continually flaunted in the media esp ABC."

First things first, asshat. it isn't him/her. It's him. Chaz Bono is a man. Deal with it. Secondly, it isn't a lifestyle choice, it's a life choice to finally be able to breathe in your own body because you can now accept your gender and not fight against. Grow the fuck up.

"Chaz Bono How low can this show sink. Well you have certainly addressed the gay commuity [sic]. Guess this will not be a family show any longer!!!! Lost my family!"

Boo-freaking-hoo. You don't like gay folks or transgendered folks. Then stay inside, because we're here, we're queer, we're transgendered, and we're on TV.

"YOUR choice to bring Chaz Bono into the mix goes too far. I am not about to risk the potential for on screen dialogue about sex changes and gender confusion while my 7 and 9 year old are watching. If you want the "anything goes" hippy culture, then soon that is all you will get. You've lost us. In case any of you are wondering ... no, we are NOT tolerant. We are not tolerant to allow any and all influences to come unfiltered into our home and especially to our children. This is truly a sad farewell."

So, um, rather than have an open honest discussion about gender, gender identity, and reassignment, you'll just close the door to the show. Hmmm, I wonder how that will go over with you kids? Too bad you won't take the opportunity to have a conversation so maybe your children won't be as close-minded as their parents.

"Chaz will have to dance with one of the girls because she/he says she/he is a man but chromesomes [sic] say different no matter how many surgeries you have."

And no matter how many times you speak, you'll always be a delusional fucktard. But, other than me and, I know, countless other--and I may just watch this season and vote until my fingers bleed for Chaz if he proves a good dancer--he has another someone on his side.

Cher. Mom and original diva. After all these anonymous commenters plagued message boards mocking Chaz's selection for DWTS, Cher took to Twitter.

"Chaz is being viciously attacked on blogs and message boards about being on DWTS! This is still America right? It took guts to it. I support him no matter what he chooses to do...It took courage to do DWTS! Thank God Chaz has an unlimited supply."

True, Chaz is a helluva lot stronger than these morons. I think he gets that from his mother. But then Cher got pissed--and don't mess with a pissed off diva: 

"Mothers don't stop getting angry with stupid bigots who f--- with their children!"

Mothers should know better, and best. While some mothers are not accepting or understanding, and maybe don't want their children to be themselves and be happy, most mothers are that way. They were, in fact, born that way.

So, for all the naysayers, and all the supporters, what does Chaz have to say about all the ruckus?.

"At this point I want people to know that transgender people are just like everyone else. We're not people to be afraid of or misunderstood. I would love to get that message across."

'Nuff said.

ABC receives complaints about Chaz Bono's addition to 'DWTS'

I Didn't Say It....

.....or at least Blogger wouldn't let me.......until now! 

Actor, or wacktor, Stephen Baldwin, on LGBT rights....or religion....or marriage equality.....or the constitution....or something:

"For society, and a majority of our society, to be asked by a very small minority to change its ways — and everybody can interpret that for themselves; that can be constitutional, that can be by law, that can be by faith — the homosexual community wants to go and start its own churches and get married, they’re free to do that. And I don’t see that being unreasonable to say, why should people who believe this in a big way that’s been around for a long time turn around and alter what they feel is their sensibility just because those folks feel like, ‘We’re not being treated equal.'"

Apparently, unless Stephen Baldwin has a script to read, everything he says is gibberish.

Barney Frank, on Uganda's 'Kill The Gays' bill:

“I’m disturbed by the news that Uganda is considering going ahead with a measure that denies the humanity of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people....I was pleased when the Financial Services Committee overwhelmingly, in a bipartisan way, voted in favor of my amendment urging the Secretary of the Treasury to oppose any financial assistance from multilateral development institutions to countries that persecute people on the basis of their sexual orientation, gender identity or religious beliefs. In the discussion of the amendment I offered, I specifically mentioned the deeply troubling case of Uganda, which is now considering legislation to legally deprive people of these basic human rights....If the bill before the Ugandan parliament becomes law, it must be the policy of the United States government to oppose any aid to Uganda from the World Bank, the African Development Bank, or any other international financial institution of which we are a member.”

Bravo, Barney.
For us, or any nation, to lend money or support to a country that legislates, legalizes, or justifies murder, for any reason, much less based on someones supposed sexual orientation, is in defensible.
If Uganda wants to go ahead with this criminal action, then they should go ahead alone.

Chaz Bono, on acceptance of being transgender:

“Until I really accepted this about myself and got over any of my own transphobia that I had, I really felt like I wouldn’t be accepted. I thought I would ruin my life. I thought it was, ‘Be yourself but become a pariah and put your family through hell,’ or, ‘Don’t be yourself and live a horribly uncomfortable existence where everybody relates to you in a way that’s not you.’"

I am fascinated by transgendered people, and how they struggle for acceptance from the world, their families, and even themselves.
So many people, and I include some gay folks, too, believe that being a gay man means that you want to be a woman. We don't don't. And lesbians don't wish to be men.
But then you read parts of Chaz Bono's story, about growing up attracted to women, believing 'she' was a lesbian, until 'she' recognized that 'she' was actually a 'he'.
And he was a straight man attracted to women.
Chaz Bono was never a lesbian. He was always a straight man trapped in the wrong gender. How wonderful for him that he can now be truly himself.

Alice Hoagland, mother of openly gay rugby player and 9/11 hero Mark Bingham, on the death of Osama bin Laden:

"I am going to miss my son every day of my life but this, the death of Osama bin Laden, seems to be perfect closure for the foul and evil deeds that that man has committed. Bill Clinton made a real effort to root out Osama bin Laden. George W. Bush promised the American public that we will not rest until we have Osama bin Laden in our control, and then Barack Obama was able to make good the promises and efforts of his two predecessors. I'm very grateful to all three men for their strength and their persistence in this project."

As I have said for the past week or so, the death of bin Laden has given closure to those people most personally affected by 9/11. And Alice Hoagland is right to thank Clinton, Bush, and Obama. All three worked to get bin Laden, and all three deserve a piece of the credit.

Exodus International's head homo Alan Chambers, on Google's airing of an It Gets Better ad during Glee:

"Children all over the world, including my two children are fans of Toy Story and to see a character like that [Woody] endorsing something that at this point children have no need to know about, it’s disappointing. For organizations like Exodus International, which has thousands of men and women like me who have lived a gay life, it obviously didn’t get better living a gay life for them."

It didn't get better for you, Alan, because you chose to go back in the closet and denounce who you are; these ads tell children, and adults, that it's okay to be gay, and to be open and honest, and expect openness and honesty in return.

Former President Bill Clinton, on marriage equality in New York:

"Our nation's permanent mission is to form a ‘more perfect union’ - deepening the meaning of freedom, broadening the reach of opportunity, strengthening the bonds of community. That mission has inspired and empowered us to extend rights to people previously denied them. Every time we have done that, it has strengthened our nation. Now we should do it again, in New York, with marriage equality. For more than a century, our Statue of Liberty has welcomed all kinds of people from all over the world yearning to be free. In the 21st century, I believe New York's welcome must include marriage equality."

It's long past time when all Americans are treated equally under the law.
Long.Past.Time.


Representative Michele "Crazy Eyes" Bachmann, on how the Holocaust is just like raising taxes on the rich:

"Expecting me to bear a fair share of my civic responsibility is like gassing me to death. We are seeing eclipsed in front of our eyes a similar death and a similar taking away. It is this disenfranchisement that I think we have to answer to. The question comes down to this: what will you say to that next generation about what you did to make sure that wouldn't be their fate?"

We might say that we turned things around so that taxation is fair and equitable.
The more you make, the more you pay. We might also say, You're welcome. we were happy to take that burden off of you.
But we would never compare the rich being taxed to six million people being put to death.
That would be stupid.

Chelsea Clinton, on marriage equality:

"As a New Yorker who not that long ago got married to her best friend, I certainly believe that all my friends should have the right to marry their best friends. And I certainly believe that those of us who are straight cannot expect our gay friends to do this on our own. And I certainly expect my straight friends to help us achieve that for all New Yorkers, for all Americans, and for the children that Mark and I expect to have one day..."

Like father, like daughter,
The LGBT cannot move forward without the help and support of the straight community, and it's nice to see Chelsea Clinton ask that of her straight friends.
No one is equal until we are all equal.


Judith Light, longtime advocate for the LGBT community, and the HIV/AIDS community, on LGBT youth:

"It's very important to me that young people, who are struggling with their sexuality, and trying to understand what it's like to live in a world that can be, at it's worst, cruel, and at best, dismissive, that they know and they understand that they are appreciated and loved and valued and respected and honored."

Judith Light has long bee n a supporter of all things LGBT.
To paraphrase an old Barbara Mandrell tune, 'She was gay friendly when gay friendly wasn't cool'.

Becoming Chaz

I was watching Oprah yesterday. I know. Me? Oprah? Oil? Water? But her guest was Chaz Bono, who was discussing his book, "Transition", and the documentary, Becoming Chaz, which airs tonight on OWN at 9 PM.

See, I am fascinated by what it means to be transgendered. I always have been. I can relate to the struggle to be accepted for who you are, but the struggle to physically alter your body to be your true self is especially difficult. And so many people, even people who you think would know better, believe that gay people wish to be that other gender. Gay men want to be women, and lesbians want to be men. I've actually had co-workers, when I've discussed this issue, ask me if I ever wanted to be a girl. 

And, well, that would be a No. But that's me.

Still, I do see how they can jump to this conclusion. As Chaz said, when he was Chastity, a young girl, heading into puberty, she began to feel attracted to women, so, naturally she assumed she was a lesbian. And she had a public coming out.

But that wasn't the end. She still wasn't happy. There was still something missing. And through therapy, she learned that she was really he; born in the wrong body. And it's quite clear, based on the footage of the documentary, and the interview yesterday, that Chaz is so much happier, more himself, now that he has transitioned.

Like I said, I understand the struggle to come out as gay. That's hard. But to come out and declare that you were born the wrong gender, takes far more courage. People, these days, are more understanding of gay, but transgendered people still have to fight to be understood.

Anyway, if you get OWN, Becoming Chaz airs tonight, at 9 PM Eastern. It really is must-see TV.

Chaz Bono On Gender Reassignment

I don't know Chaz Bono, never met him, but I can say that I am quite proud of him, and anyone, who realizes that perhaps a mistake has been made, and that years of living in a body that didn't feel 'right' can be changed. I cannot imagine what it must be like to live in a body that you don't believe is yours; it must make you question every single thing about yourself. So, I'm glad he's talking about this. It shouldn't be taboo. I wish him well.


On making the decision to undergo surgery:
"It wasn't a sudden decision. I've been doing therapy for a long time. It’s a long process going back almost a decade. I got clean and sober in 2004 and I couldn't have done this before that. I always felt like the male from the time I was a child. There wasn't much feminine about me. I believe that gender is something between your ears not between your legs…It was just a long process of being comfortable enough to do something about it. I was turning 40 and I thought it's now or never. I want to still feel vibrant and be able to enjoy my life in a male body and not wait until I am an old man."

On taking male hormones and "top surgery":
"I started in March. It lowered my voice. Fat redistributes, muscle growth, hair growth, sex drive increases. It doesn't change anything mentally and emotionally. [I'm] still not anywhere near what I will look like but really for the first time I am feeling much more comfortable with how I look physically. Most people call it top surgery. The construction of the male chest from a female chest. When I went through puberty and started to grow breasts, it was very uncomfortable and emotional."

On the changing process:
"I will be changing for about 4 to 5 years in total but I'll be on testosterone for the rest of my life. The nice thing about this process is it is slow. I am literally going through puberty. I shave about once a week now. It kind of started to come in just like peach fuzz. I always wanted to shave. It is a very natural process. For my birthday I got a lot of shaving stuff."

On why he's going public with his personal decision:
"[I'm] trying to use my life experience to educate people. I feel more like myself more than I ever felt. I feel happier and more confident. I used to live most of my life in my head because I was so uncomfortable in my body. The most important thing about this for me is that my outsides are finally starting to match my insides. I feel like I'm living in my body for the first time and it feels really good."

Since Everyone Asked......

"She is embarking on a difficult journey, but one that I will support. I respect the courage it takes to go through this transition in the glare of public scrutiny. Although I may not understand, I will strive to be understanding. The one thing that will never change is my abiding love for my child."

Cher, in a statement about Chaz's decision to undergo gender reassignment surgery.

Quick Bites

The Old Media Whore is back!

Madonna wins the right to adopt again.

Right on schedule.

Divorce? Check.

Affair with ball player? Check.

Affair with new boy-toy? Check.

Adopt a child from Africa? Check.

What's she gonna do now for publicity?

________________________________

Carrie Prejean gets fired as Miss California.

Good.

Bye.

Sarah Palin doesn't like Hollywood/New York entertainer-type people using her children to get press.

That's what she uses them for.

Begone witch, before someone drops a house on you!

Chastity Bono has begun transitioning to the male gender and will now be known as Chaz.

Good for him.

We should all be allowed to be our authentic selves.