She was flailing her cane...

[Rogina B]

She was flailing her cane in an attempt to fend me off but I had her firmly by her bra strap and I was pushing her out the front door and into the busy apartment house parking lot ! No more hiding,Julie Guam was going out for a burger at the local "sports bar".. That was a few years ago. Now,Julie,at 92,is grateful for the push I gave her. I have often repeated to her that "no one looks at an old lady"..or "looks like a duck,must be a duck"..And Julie has found that to be true. Her spinal injuries from WW2 have now taken over her life and she has trouble with her balance at times,so she stays at home now. The people around her know her "as the old lady in apt 2"..The maintenance people,her part time cleaner/helper/shopper,all think of her as female.. Sad that it took her so long to reach this point,but for "just a crossdresser" she has done ok and just finished the "80 somethingth " blog that she writes to extend TG knowledge from her book about a closeted crosdresser's life. Perhaps Julie will comment to this post,but I just want to say that acceptance is always possible.

[Stephanie47]

OK, I'm going to ask for the obvious. Do you have a link to anything she writes on the Internet? Just as an observation I'd venture a guess there are some who would ignore her if she was 'outed' as a closeted crossdresser. I wonder what their reaction would be if she also wore a WWII Veteran baseball cap? Just wondering.

[Rogina B]

"Never Climbed His Mountain" is the name of the book and the 80 odd blogs are an update to information on the trans world..medical,psychological,etc. She feels that she "came out" with the publishing of the book,but by my feelings, being "out" means that your local butcher,baker, and candlestick maker all know you as you,no fiction involved. So,getting her to go "out" was a different fear that she had to overcome at 85 years old !

[Teresa]

Rogina,
I'm glad your intervention proved a positive step for Julie, so now she can relate her experiences and share them with others .

One question , do you think intervening in all cases would be a good thing , I believe a CDer should experience it to get a complete picture of how they feel and what their CDing really means to them. OK does that beg the question , is it healthy for a CDer to remain in the closet ? OK I'm seeing it from my personal point of view and I have no regrets at all.

It reminds me of a story from being in business and talking to a lovely lady at a Chamber of Trade dinner dance, she ran a very successful Butcher's
shop with her husband , we were complaining about difficult customers and she said that everyone should attempt to run their own business for a time to find out what it's like to be on the receiving end . I had no regrets running my own business but it was an eye opener and I have no regrets admitting I'm TG and going out in the World but it is also an eyeopener .

[Jaylyn]

The first thing I'd do would do is to shake her hand and say a thank you for her service in WWII. My dad taught me about respect for those that serve our country wether male or female. To me they are real heroes and real people. Being a real person doesn't hide what they are or feel inside. A veteran should be respected just as we should respect anyone's gender, wether male, female, TG and all the rest. I would love to read her blog as we should look to those who've laid out the groundwork for us in every way to have the rights we have. She sounds like a very interesting person. Thanks for sharing this with us Rogina.

[Lana Mae]

Rogina, thanks for sharing! That is probably the only way you would have gotten her out the door! She sounds like a fascinating person! Hugs Lana Mae

[Tracii G]

I have been a fan of Julie for quite a while and we have exchanged PM's a time or two.
She has an amazing sense of humor and I love everything about her.

[Laura912]

It is wonderful to hear Julie is doing well. Your opening sentences really got my attention, however.

[Rogina B]

Laura,It is difficult to draw attention to a "real life" thread..

[Tracii G]

I see what you did there Ro and I agree.

[Ineke Vashon]

Regina - Is Julie's blog available online, without necessarily buying the book?

Ineke

[Beverley Sims]

Rogina,
I thank you for the update on Julie.

I always reply to her threads when I see them.

None for a long time.

[Rogina B]

Regina - Is Julie's blog available online, without necessarily buying the book?

Ineke

I will ask her how to get on to it. She has just written her final blog... I feel sad that she passed so many years in the closet and I tell her so. Julie tells me that her life wouldn't have been the same one she lived. Kind of what goes with "looking back"..

[Vikky]

Hi Folks
Just found the blog at:
http://neverclimbedhismountain.com/
and plan to take a longer look when I have time.
Vikky

[Sarasometimes]

RoginaB,
Great story and a beautiful and clever way of presenting it! I think you may have similar talent as Julie, as a writer!? I will follow that link that Vikky posted.

Much Thanks

[Julie Gaum]

Thank you all! Thank you. To be up to date:I'm still working on my last Blog - #78. Due to nasty physical problems that keep raising their ugly heads, I'm only able to write up to an hour a day. As a result #78, that will have probably four parts to it because it's so wordy, is taking longer than expected. Then again you've met people that insist on getting in the last word in any conversation? Well, that's what I'm doing to myself. Happy that I still live independently for I've yet to hear of any assisted living centers for CDs. That will be a quandary sooner or later.
Okay. To find out more of my sordid history the easiest two places would be through my website that links to the Blog series (www.neverclimbedhismountain.com) as well as most recent national awards and whatever, or go to Google: then Amazon to "Amazon Books". then put in the title - "Never Climbed His Mountain-Second Edition". From there you will find the soft cover and Kindle info. One can borrow the eBook for free or buy it for $2.99 (What's half the price of Free?). Just Googling will also get you there but takes longer. I hope I have answered your questions,
A tip of my hat to the moderators at this Forum who have allowed me to verify that this body is not cold yet. And a special thanks to Rog for getting me out and about. By the way, in my blogs I do give credits to the Forum for they have provided a wealth of information that have been sorted out and filtered to present facts, theories and some that are just plain personal hunches but are wide of the mark. There now, you know how wordy an old lady can be.
Julie

[Sallee]

I look forward to readingyour blog and the book You sound like you have had a very interesting life and still are. Thats great I feel the nameof the game is try to having fun in almost all the things you do. Thank you - Sallee

[Ineke Vashon]

I lost track of your book and blog information for some time. Glad to have found it again. I can now read the entire blog (just read #77) and send for your book. At 84 I am not far behind you, and a late bloomer - no, just late in acknowledging my CD interests.

I may email you because I'd like to refresh the knowledge that, a long time ago, we seem to have, indirectly, "met before."

My best wishes,

Ineke

[Rhonda Jean]

I just spent the past half hour or so scanning through bits of Julie's blog. I'll read every word of it as time allows. This is a treasure! A fascinating, unique, and unabridged perspective that you just can't get anywhere else on the planet. Julie is lovely in every sense of the word. Do not miss this!