Isha's First Flight - Success!

[Katey888]

Well done! No stroppy, over-enthusiastic ticket-takers and bureaucrats... Good news!

Shame about the old folks - a bit rude of them and a bit surprising for locals... just goes to prove that old adage about when you 'assume' something... you handled them well.

But I was so hoping you'd get taken to one side and asked to prove your 'gender identity... it would have been really cool to be able to say to one of the TSA folk: "Let's go somewhere private and I'll show you my persoal gender marker - it's a permanent fixture I keep close by me at all times...."



Katey x

[Marcelle]

Hi Katey . . . LOL but I think that would likely end bad

Hugs

Isha

[Judith96a]

Well done Isha. It sounds like you had a blast, despite the one incident of rudeness. It never ceases to amaze me how people jump to unwarranted conclusions about all sorts of situations. Sometimes I think that what "they" accuse "you" of says more about "them " than about "you.
Thanks to you we now know more about crossing Canada en femme!

[Samantha B L]

Isha,Good for you. I think if people look at the truth TG/TS/CD people aren't trying to get out of stuff like the military and hard work. I can't speak for Canada because I don't live there. But down here it seems like there are quite a few LGBT/TG/TS/CD people who keep trying to get into the American armed forces. That's not cowardly shirking if you ask me. Americans in the forum might be interested to know that a prominent and outspoken US senator in the 1820s was a completely out of the closet CD. She died just previously to the invention of daguerrotype photography,but there are paintings,drawings,excerpts from speeches and news reports from those days. Furthermore,one of Teddy Roosevelt's roughriders was a lifelong veteran crossdresser. She was at San Juan Hill. I don't mean to condescend to people in the forum who don't come from the USA. They have stpries they could tell about their own countries. My point is dressing is not something people resort to to get out of the military and laborious jobs. It doesn't happen that way. On a lighter not I liked Clinger on MASH. I was a little disappointed to find out he was straight

[Renee Elise]

Hi Isha, thanks for sharing such an inspiring post with us. You looked very cute in the outfits you chose to fly. Some people are just rude anyway regardless of how we're dressed!

[Bree Wagner]

Isha,

I'm so happy for you that it went so well. Even better, I'm so thrilled about the way you handled yourself (with class, as always) with the couple. Not much more to add that hasn't already been said.

-Bree

[bridget thronton]

Well done isha- ever upward

[PaulaQ]

But I was so hoping you'd get taken to one side and asked to prove your 'gender identity... it would have been really cool to be able to say to one of the TSA folk: "Let's go somewhere private and I'll show you my persoal gender marker - it's a permanent fixture I keep close by me at all times...."

Oh honey, one of the things that keeps me going is the knowledge that the particular gender marker in question is not a permanent feature! :O

@Isha - congrats on the successful flight! I'm glad they are pretty reasonable in Canada. I've heard horror stories about the TSA here in the US - they seem to take particular delight in bothering a transman friend of mine. He's even had to show them his "personal gender markers" once. (The TSA dudes didn't expect that, and were pretty shocked when he lifted his shirt and binder and just let things flop out!)

[TinaZ]

I say this with 100 percent sincerity: you are my hero! Or, more correctly, heroine.

[Persephone]

Congratulations, Isha, on your journey! Another personal milestone!

Thank you for your military service to all of us, regardless of where we live. And thank you for your wonderful handling of the couple. You are really one terrific lady!

Hugs,
Persephone.

[Amanda M]

Great story Isha! Now, fess up. What is more scary -catching bullets with your teeth or flying pretty?

[Dorit]

Just to show that all is not roses out there yet here is a link to a recent incident at Dallas-Fort Worth airport. The negative reaction from the one couple to Isha was nothing compared to the rage this guy went into because of someone in line he thought was gay! http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/1...n_6051654.html

[donnalee]

Wow! A 12 hour flight; when you do something, you really do it, don't you?
The rude couple are just more proof that *ssholes come in all shapes, sizes, ages, races, professed beliefs and genders. Luckily, they are inherently self limiting; a penchant for borrowing trouble is a decidedly unhealthy practice.
Thank you for your service and this account, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

[Kate Simmons]

Nice you got to fly as Isha my friend. Myself, I have nothing left to prove really.

[stacycoral]

Isha, good for you girl standing up for your rights, it sounds like in general everything was good for you, and from one vet to another, thank you for your service, hugs girlfriend.

[Marcelle]

Hi all,

Again thanks for your many kind comments.

Great story Isha! Now, fess up. What is more scary -catching bullets with your teeth or flying pretty?

Hi Amanda. I am going to say "yes" . . . much scarier.

Just to show that all is not roses out there yet here is a link to a recent incident at Dallas-Fort Worth airport.

Hi Devorah. Very true and I think it is a thing to remember when out and about that it only takes one irate person to make for a very bad moment. However, the one thing I found interesting about this video is the quick reaction of the man in the cowboy hat to stand up to this jerk and how quickly others came to the victim's rescue. That says more about the kindness of strangers than the stupid ramblings of one sad individual. Still, a very good lesson to remember . . . never take a good experience as an indication of world wide acceptance and always be aware of your situation when out.

Hugs all

Isha

[Eringirl]

Hey Isha! Thank god it all went well. Must admit, I was worried about you the entire week.

Well done on all fronts! You looked great. Definitely held up longer than I would have. 12 hours, and it would not have been pretty at all on me!! As others have said, you handled yourself extremely well with the "objectors". Always a class act. I think Isha needs a little pampering as a reward.

Hope you are feeling better soon.

Nice to have you back.



Erin

[Jaylyn]

Ok you younger un matured darlings. Lol hey your talking about my generation now. I don't apologize for the old lady saying what she said. Although she may have been rude in the way she said it, you have to remember its because of those older ones we have this freedom to express ourselves. She may have had a brother that died in a war or remembers the terrors of the conflicts that Canada has helped the US in. I remember many of them. I also think we have to be a little forgiving of the old ones as they grew up in a whole different time. And now that I am getting to that stage in my life also I think more of the way times used to be. I'm sorry the old ones said anything Isha, and I hoped they learned from the incident. Folks the elderly are what made us so please remember this when we call them names. Odds are you will be old one day and then you'll see what I mean. I myself would not have said anything but winked and said you looked nice Isha but I am like you and enjoy dressing. Let's be polite to every one especially us older folks. By the way Isha sounds like a great trip except for the incident on the plane. I'm not talking to you Isha in my rant I love the part about and try to be civil. Sometimes us old farts forget the worlds a changing and being an older one it's harder to accept some things.

[Marcelle]

Hi Jaylyn,

No issues on your observations and you are quite right. I normally like to cut "older folks" a lot of slack due to the generational thing much the same way I cut teenagers a lot of slack due to their own hormones and lack of life experience. If the glaring had ceased once I first engaged . . . I would have gone back to my paper and coffee. In this instance the comment hit way to close to home and it was drawing a lot of unwanted bystander curiosity so I wanted to shut it down before it go out of control and ignoring it would only make it seem like I was ashamed of who I am.

My voice never raised above an octave of calm and I took this as an opportunity to educate the couple on the fact that just because I am TG doesn't mean that they have the right to make assumptions about my personal life. Age and wisdom sometimes do not always go hand in hand and while I am sure they have suffered much in life, it does not provide a carte blanche to be outwardly rude to people.

Hugs

Isha

[Bria]

Isha, I'm glad to hear that your long trip didn't involve any of the proof of identity problems that you thought might occur. Your confrontation with the old farts was handled very correctly and is a lesson to all of us that we should not judge the book by its cover, but also to remember how easy it is to do that. We all probably do that almost every time we see someone that we perceive as a homeless person, for example, yet we also know that many homeless are educated, have served in the military, etc.

It is much too common these days for politicians and religious groups to that an absolutist position about something which doesn't reflect reality. My soapbox and 2 cents all in one!

Isha, thanks for your pioneering efforts on behalf of all of us on this forum.

Hugs, Bria

[Danitgirl1]

Way to go Isha! I would have been tempted to pull out my military ID and use my best parade ground voice on them... But I guess that us why you are e real deal (major in the army) and I am a civilian! :-)
Anyway as always you are an inspiration...

[LeslieSD]

That's great. I am so admiring to your courage and not backing down at the critical moment. Thank you for speaking up for all of us. Some people are just too ignorant from their own narrow mindness.

By the way, you dress very tastefully. Lovely outfit.

[Leslie Langford]

Isha, you do realize that this poor woman was scarred for life by all those episodes of M.A.S.H. that she watched in her youth, and in which Cpl. Klinger was featured prominently..?

[Marcelle]

Leslie,

LOL . . . I never thought of it that way.

Hugs

Isha

[lexivanderpump]

Isha,
You are a courageous girl. I dont think I could do what you did. I'm proud of you also for standing up for yourself to that rude couple. I am so glad your experience overall was pleasant.

TBS, maybe the laws are different in Canada, but public transportation(i.e. flying, or riding and driving) is not a right. I understand what you were trying to express, but flying is not a right.

I admire your courage!

Love,
Lexi V.