Is It Coincidence or Is The World Changing?

[Debglam]

Picture two college kids meeting at a party for the first time. They hit it off and leave the party to chat and get some coffee. The lovely, brilliant, and amazing young woman (I'm a little biased) asks the young man to "tell me something interesting about yourself." His reply. . .

"My father is transsexual and she transitioned a few years ago."

Yeah, you can't make this stuff up! This is a far cry from thinking I was the only trans* person in the world at one time.

Have a great Friday.

(Two posts after being gone several months. Ok, see you in another seven!)

EDIT: I'm referring to my daughter above.

[Promethea]

The world is changing, nature is taking care of overpopulation by making all of us trans.

Nah, I think it´s both. The world is changing, the prejudice against trans people has reduced significantly, thus a lot of us that wouldn´t have transitioned for fear of being marginalized now feel that they can do it. But it is still a huge coincidence! There aren´t that many of us as to make that a very probable event.

So, when will you see him again?

Or... I just realized a huge problem... you´d have TWO mother in laws!!!

[AllieSF]

I went to a play last Sunday with my Grand daughter to watch her BFF act in the Fall high school play. After the play while in the lobby congratulating everyone on a job well done, the BFF said she had pronoun problems when she picked someone from another school as an innocent victim to participate in part of the act. The pronoun problems were due to the fact that the audience volunteer is a recent FtM transitioner. The BFF felt so bad and all I could offer was that it happens top the best of them (us ... hiddenly, me included!). Yes, thank God there are youth to replace us adults. Youth with better attitudes and a lot more information and tolerance for human diversity.

[Jorja]

Yes, the world is changing. In part, that is a good thing. However, it will cause a whole new set of challenging problems to be ironed out. There are many things about the old world that I will miss. One I will not be missing anytime soon is the attitude of society towards transgendered people. One day in the near future we will move up from being outcasts of society to just being hated. Hey,we got to start somewhere. And Prometha, you will be surprised at just how many of us there really are.

[Debglam]

Sorry, I was a little too cryptic. I was referring to one of my lovely daughters! That she would randomly meet someone who also has a trans* parent is kind of mind boggling! To add to that, my other daughter's best friend is genderqueer! We are everywhere it seems!

[PretzelGirl]

We may not be that common, but there are many of us. After I told my daughter I was transitioning, she went to call one of her best friends to talk. The best friend started the talk with "you won't believe this but my daughter is transgender". They contacted me and we have been down the path together ever since.

[kimdl93]

Yeah things are changing. Of course it helped that you raised a great Kid!

[Nicole Erin]

One I will not be missing anytime soon is the attitude of society towards transgendered people. One day in the near future we will move up from being outcasts of society to just being hated. Hey,we got to start somewhere.

Not sure where you are going with that. There will always be haters but for most of us full timers and yourself, we pretty much just lead normal lives.

Things are getting better in regards to people's attitude towards GLBT. My experience is that it just isn't a big deal. I probably have 100 or so conversations on any given work day and I would be hard pressed to remember when it had anything to do with me being TG. And get this - no I am not stealth and not even THAT convincing. No one cares. It just isn't a thing.

[Angela Campbell]

I agree, either they don't notice or they just don't care. Although I guess it depends where you are. It seems some towns are better than others.

But yes the world has changed, I very much doubt I could have transitioned 20 years ago.

[Launa]

The world is changing alright I see it in the younger generations all around me but not everyone is changing along with the changing times. Another 30 years and we'll see it get much better I'm sure.

[Suzanne F]

My 17 year old daughter texted me a picture of a beautiful girl in a great dress the other day. It was her male friends first night out dressed. She looked so happy and great by the way! There was no apparent shame! I think thingsbarengetting much better. This was in Louisville, Ky by the way!
Suzanne

[Contessa]

Yes nice to know that the next wave of trans folk are stepping up. I wish I could be right up there with them. You know in the trenches getting dirty. Oh I am.

[Promethea]

Sorry, I was a little too cryptic. I was referring to one of my lovely daughters! That she would randomly meet someone who also has a trans* parent is kind of mind boggling! To add to that, my other daughter's best friend is genderqueer! We are everywhere it seems!

Oh, from your profile picture I thought you could be in college, take that compliment, haha!

And of course we're eveywhere, haven't you heard of the gay agenda? I'll need to have a talk with your regional supervisor, conversions are quite slow in that area, and now I can see why. :P

Now, if it works out, those family meetings are going to be very interesting!

[Kimberly Kael]

The world is changing only in that people are finally able to be open about who they are. I'm sure that from a nice, safe hetero centric viewpoint it's a little disconcerting but for the rest of us it's long overdue. When I was coming out to people it wasn't all that uncommon to hear about a former spouse, a close relative, or a coworker who had transitioned. I'd say about one person in fifty had a story to tell along those lines and I suspect it's only getting more common.

Most recently it was reconnecting with a woman who had been my mentor at my first real job out of college. As it happened her daughter had come out as transgender in the past few years so we had a lot to talk about! My former mentor was very supportive, active in PFLAG in their town and even started a regular meeting for parents of transgender children. I was very proud of her reaction and look forward to reconnecting when I'm back in that part of the world again.

[traci_k]

Yes and thank goodness they are. Told one of the other scout leaders that I was planning on transitioning and he started telling me about someone he met at a high school reunion and he wished me the best. It ain't perfect yet, but it's getting better.

[Cindi Johnson]

Well, I hate to pee on the party, but...

In many countries you will be imprisoned or worse (sometimes MUCH worse) for crossdressing. Try it in Saudi Arabia, or Dubai, or Pakistan, or even Indonesia. Not for your liking, these mostly sandy areas of the Islamic faith? Well, then, head west to Africa, where, in most countries, you'll be severely beaten first (or MUCH worse) and only then imprisoned. They're just more Moslems, you say? No, you'll also run the risk of the death penalty in Christian Uganda (thanks in large part to involvement by American fundamentalist Christian groups who fought so hard FOR the GLBT death penalty in that country). Ditto, sans the death penalty, in most of the other Christian and animist countries of that continent.

But wait, you may be thinking, these are all warm countries. Surely we are free in the colder latitudes? Well, girls, Russia is as cold as Minnesota, but LGBTs walk there on thin ice. And even that ice has further thawed during the past few years. And, of course, all the "stan" countries of the former Soviet Union are not really vacation destinations for us, are they?

And here in the land of the free, home of the brave? Yes, in most states and cities, we are mostly free. In some, we are harassed. But many of us who come from black, hispanic, or poor backgrounds are discriminated against and suffer homelessness and unemployment and imprisonment as a result (read "Transparent" for some insight on this). Plus, I might add, elections of late have not smiled upon the LGBT community.

So, yes, things are arguably better for us worldwide, but only marginally. Luckily, many western countries, as well as most of Latin America, accept or at least tolerate us. And the really big countries, China and India, seem to be a bit less anti-LGBT. But our gains are always at risk of backsliding. We must actively promote our cause. Be visible; go out in public and be proud to be trans! When others use our legislatures to deny us the right even to pee (yes, only in America!!!) we need to speak out.

Cindi Johnson

in this world
we walk on the roof of hell
gazing at the flowers

[Nicole Erin]

A lot of those countries where you can be persecuted for being GLBT are not very developed countries and people tend to lack rights anyways. A lot of them are also places where bad-mouthing about the govt will get you the death penalty. Unlike in the USA where you see and hear stuff almost daily putting down our president.

Though it is not talked about much, but at my job they know I am TS. I am not at any risk of being fired for it. I wonder what my situation would have looked like in the 80's even?
If you are known to be TS and can STILL get a legitimate, legal and alright, boring job today, I say that is a huge step forward. Isn't that what life is about? Work a soul crushing job so you are still broke all the time? Just another day of human existence.

[CONSUELO]

i have been to Indonesia several times and come across CD prostitutes in Jakarta. I'm sure the tolerance goes up and down there but I saw no evidence of them being persecuted.

i have found that both here in the US and in the UK there is a great tolerance for cross dressers. The gap between these two countries and places such as Saudi Arabia, where even now women are not allowed to drive for example, is huge. While we always crave that little bit extra we should not forget that we are extremely lucky to have been born into liberal democracies such as ours.

[Debglam]

Oh, from your profile picture I thought you could be in college, take that compliment, haha!

And of course we're eveywhere, haven't you heard of the gay agenda? I'll need to have a talk with your regional supervisor, conversions are quite slow in that area, and now I can see why. :P

Now, if it works out, those family meetings are going to be very interesting!

I do take it as a compliment! Thanks hon!

I chuckle when I picture potential family get-together's! Thanksgiving, weddings (is there a rule for how many mothers of the bride there can be? ), etc.

Thanks for your comments everyone.

I know things aren't perfect, even in this country outside of my own Northern California, but most of the kids I run into take gender and sexual orientation differences as just another thing. Makes me very optimistic!

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!
Debby

[Veronica_Jean]

I think that many things have been changing. Even when I transitioned the younger people where I work cold not understand why I felt it was a big deal.

There are still many hurdles to cross over before it is as well accepted as it needs to become, but with the youth starting out with so much more understanding and compassion it is just a matter of time.

Veronica