Tuesday, July 31, 2007

I Did It! Well Kind Of.

As most of you know I have been very nervous about going to certain places, like the car dealer last week. Well I had got go to a home improvement store to get some electrical supplies for the cottage and I was just dreading the idea, but last night I did go and as usual there was no problems. I did go in the evening just before closing because I figure there would be less people there, I was right there were only a dozen or so of shoppers and there were no tradesmen. You know the type; “T” shirts, old jean, tool belts and the top of their boots untied, right out of “Home Improvements”. They are the ones who I most fear.
However, I just couldn’t bring myself to ask for help in finding what I needed to put in a through the wall an outlet outdoors, so put off that fear until another day. I know eventually I will get it and I will someday go shopping during the day. I will conquer my fears one by one.

Monday, July 30, 2007

Manic Monday

Manic Monday; July 30, 2007

Quick! Off the top of your head list 4 words to describe you today, just as you are right now. (It could be thinking, feeling, looking, etc.- use your imagination.)
Newspaper
Mail
Errands
Groceries
Amended 7/31/07: I guess these four words best describe me because being retired my world is slowly turning into a routine. Get up in the morning trudge out to get the paper and read in over breakfast, then write checks for any bills I have to pay, get the mail and run errands in the afternoon or get groceries. I try to break up the routine by going out to lunch we friends or helping out a various non-profits organizations.

If you had an extra hour in your day today what would you do?
Oh, I have no idea; now that I am retired I really do not need an extra hour.

When is the last time you got lost and what happened?
The last time I felt lost was I was in Washington DC this spring. The building were so tall I couldn’t see the sun so I had no idea which direction the HRC offices were and which direction we had to go to get there when we got out of the subway. For me it was weird because I have a very good sense of direction and the subway confused my sense of direction and not seeing the sun for a reference made it hard to sense which direction we were going.

Sunday, July 29, 2007

A Couple of Things

First there is a really good article that I would recommend in Curve On-line magazine that I am reading.

The other thing is I haven’t gotten use to having doors held open and men letting me in line before them. I went to one of those convenience stores yesterday, after I pumped my gas I went inside to pay and buy some milk and a guy opened the door and held it for me. (It wasn’t like he held the door as he walked and I was following him, he actually stepped ahead of me an opened the door and stood aside.) Then later I went to get in line to pay and he stepped aside and let me go ahead of him. (Yes, I did thank him on both occasion.). It felt nice that he did that but at the same tine I felt he didn’t have to do that, I could have opened the door or waited in line a little bit longer.

Patrick’s Weekender

Patrick’s Weekender: Saturday Six - Episode 171

1. If you could forever save one kind of animal, besides human beings, from extinction, which would you choose and why?
A Loon, because it is a wild and crazy bird.


2. If you could make a pet out of a wild animal (and could guarantee that it wouldn’t go “wild,” which would you choose and why
?
A Leopard, so that I could walk down the street in my stiletto heel boots with her.

3. Have you ever believed in the concept of “guardian angels” or “spirit animals”? Which of the two do you think are more likely to be real?

No, I do not believe in any sprit aminals.

4. READER’S CHOICE QUESTION #97 from Otowi: Take the quiz: What is your spirit animal?

Your Score: The Wolf


Here's your results! Your spirit animal has a Nobility ranking of 12 out of 18.




Your spirit animal is the wolf. It is a ferocious companion, and a loyal friend. It is both a respectable and noble creature; to have this spirit animal says good things about you, and that you are starting to figure things out. Wolves are pretty rare spirit animals.

***Wondering how this animal was chosen for you? These questions were carefully thought out to see how important you hold certain virtues such as: humanism, self-knowledge, rationalism, the love of freedom and other somewhat Hellenic ideals. Some of the questions were very subtle. Your score was then matched with an animal of corresponding nobility. However, you shouldn't think this was a right/wrong sort of test, but more of an idealistic values test. It's ok to not hold these values, you'll just get an animal spirit of lower stature if you do!***



Link: The What is Your Spirit Animal Test written by FindingEros on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test


5. How accurately does your spirit animal’s description fit your personality?
I liked the idea of the Wolf and the fact that: “You scored higher than 99% on Nobility”. Ops… I think I just lost some points.

6. If you could make a pet out of your spirit animal, would you want it?
Yeah, I think so, it is somewhat like a dog.

What Kind of Dating Diva Are You?

You are a Romantic Date

Your dating philosophy?
"Date to fall in love"
You prefer your dates to lead you down a romantic path
If there's no soulmate connection, you're just wasting your time

Guys Women to look for:
Guys Women serious about love, who say they're ready for marriage
Search for guys looking to "settle down" or "meet my match"
Because if a Guys Woman's just playing the field, he won't give yout the romance you crave



Now change Guy to Woman and they got it right. (Just because I am a Transwoman doesn't automatically mean I am attracted to men.)

Saturday, July 28, 2007

If Today is the Twenty Club Picnic, It Must Be Raining

Well it seems every time the Twenty Club has their annual picnic at Stratton Brook State Park it rains and this year was no exception. It poured and it poured at first there were only four of us when I got there at around 1:00 but a number of the members attended the Memorial Service for Dr. Petit’s family. Eventually when that got out, we had nine members show up along with a family and their son whom they believe is transgender.
There was a time when if you came out to your family, you were thrown out on the street. That is slowly changing, not that it still does not happen, but more families are standing by their children. Love wins out. They were asking where they could get more support, where are the psychologists who treat GID (Gender Identity Dysphoria), what can they do to help him, etc. There is hope for the next generation.
Also today, I had my hair colored to the color of my wig this morning; I washed that grey right out of my hair! Interesting experience and also smelly. A friend’s wife has a hair salon in Hartford where I normally had my hair cut but this morning I decided to try and have it colored, I had no idea what to expect, it was kind of like washing my hair with a paint brush. It has a very strong ammonia that I can still smell faintly still ten hours later.

Friday, July 27, 2007

Create a Connection

Photo Thursday: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder




I took this photo (The size photograph just doesn't come through on the blog uses, it is a lot nicer on Picasa Web Alblum), well actually three photos, last year up on Cape Cod MA. The photo is of Race Point Light house, the lighting was just right and the only thing I could wish for is clouds. I think that would have made the picture even better, I could have added them with Photoshop but I think that is cheating.
I liked to photograph because I feel it brings to life the feeling of the vast bareness of the salt marshes and the dunes and the solitude of the lighthouse.

#######

On another topic; I went up to UConn (University of Connecticut) main campus in Storrs today with a friend and we went to see the Alpine Views: Alexandre Calame and the Swiss Landscape exhibit at the William Benton Museum of Art.
I never knew that they had a museum there on campus and I was quite impressed with the exhibits and I particularly liked Calame “Torrents” series of waterfalls in the Alps. But looking at the paintings a question came to mind, the contrast on the darker areas was very low making it impossible to make out the details in the shadow areas. My question is; did he do it on purpose to draw the eye into the center of the painting or did the painting lose the contrast over time, maybe because of smoke or aging of the oil paints? Was I looking at the actual colors when it was painted or like the Sistine Chapel is it covered with the smoke and dust of the ages? However; the beauty and the technique of the artist still came through and I enjoyed the exhibits.

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Laney`s Original Inkblot Test

Laney`s Original Inkblot Test

Outcome C - The Scientist.

Based on the descriptions you chose, you have quite a unique mind. You are creative, introverted, and find it hard to meet new people. You are constantly looking for new methods and ideas, and find excitement in learning.

Personality Test Results

Click Here to Take This Quiz

quiz
Quizzes and Personality Tests



The results struck a little too close to home for me.

Create a Connection

Getting to Know You Day: Advice

1) When you were growing up, who was the "wisest" person you were close to? How did you know they knew what they were talking about?
It was so long ago that it is lost in the haze of time but when I was little I would have to say my father, I thought that he was the wisest person. As I grew up I listened to the advice of Mr. Downer, science teacher and I guess I listened because he was a teacher.

2) Did you ever have a relative/friend give unsolicited advice that perhaps at the time it was given, were resentful, but later came to find out they were right?
Once again it is lost in the haze of time, but I cannot remember anything that stands out.

3) Have you ever regretted not taking someone's advice?

Not that I remember, but I had many regrets for not following my heart.

4) What words of wisdom would you give to someone trying to find their way in the world? What words did you hear that helped you find your way?
My words of wisdom to the next generation who are trying to find their way is to go into a field that cannot be exported over seas. Like the trades (construction, plumbing & electrical), medical, police and fire. I think we are going to become a nation of service jobs everything else is going to be exported overseas, even corporate executives. Why do you need to have the corporate headquarters here, when Bahrain can do just as good and it is cheaper.
My other bit of advice is to start saving as soon as you get out of school. Start an IRA, 401(k) or what ever tax free saving plan you can have. No one is going to look out for yourself except you.

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back.

TWO STEPS FORWARD

New HRC Report Shows Major Increase in Basic Workplace Protections for Gay, Transgender Employees

Among Fortune 500 Companies, Transgender Protections Quadruple Since 2003;
Nearly 90 Percent Protect Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Employees


WASHINGTON– The number of Fortune 500 companies that ban workplace discrimination for transgender Americans has risen 60 percent since Jan. 2006 and has quadrupled since 2003, according to the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s “State of the Workplace for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Americans 2006-2007,” released today. The report also showed steady growth in the number of employers offering domestic partner benefits over the last year.

“It took the gay civil rights movement nearly two decades to see the growth that the transgender community has seen in the last five years in terms of workplace protections,” said HRC Foundation President Joe Solmonese. “Fortune 500 companies are moving decisively to protect the entire GLBT community from workplace discrimination and it is time for our nation’s laws to catch up.”

Since Jan. 2006, the number of Fortune 500 companies that include gender identity in their non-discrimination policies went from 78 to 125. In 2003, only eight companies had such policies. Employers across industries have added protections for transgender workers. In the aerospace and defense industries, Honeywell, Northrop Grumman and Boeing followed Raytheon’s 2005 announcement that it will protect transgender employees from discrimination. Other companies that expanded their non-discrimination policies include Internet giants Google and Yahoo!; supermarket giants Safeway and Costco; pharmaceutical firms Merck, Eli Lilly and DuPont; and Marriott, Hilton and Starwood among hotels…..

…..“This is a clear indication that successful, mainstream American businesses can do well while also doing the right thing for their transgender employees,” said Daryl Herrschaft, director of the HRC Foundation’s Workplace Project.


For the full report in PDF click here.

ONE STEP BACK

World's largest retailer stops donating to gay-rights organizations. Fortune's Marc Gunther reports.


FORTUNE Magazine
By Marc Gunther, Fortune senior writer
June 22 2007: 11:52 AM EDT

NEW YORK (FORTUNE) -- Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, has decided to curb its support of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) organizations after conservative Christian groups threatened a boycott, and after some of its own employees expressed disapproval.

The move comes a year after Wal-Mart (Charts, Fortune 500) had put on a gay-friendly smile. The company joined the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. It sponsored the annual convention of Out & Equal, a group that promotes gay rights in the workplace, and sold gay-themed jewelry in stores.

Harry Potter Mania

I want to say I’m sorry to the mother who walked by me when I was buying “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows”. I went to a Target store to buy the new Harry Potter novel, as I was walking to the check-out counter she walked by me with her two kids and older of the two spied the book. I heard him cry out; “Mommy, they have Harry Potter! Can we buy it?” Then both the kids were pleading “Mommy we want to get Harry Potter!” and their pleads faded off as I continued walking away.
I’m so sorry!

Life Goes On

I have to take my car in for the 10,000 mile service, I dread going to the dealer. Too much testosterone, I can just imagine how fast the word will go trough the shop that there is a trannie in their midst.

Appended 1:05pm:

Once again my worrying was for nothing; everyone was courteous and called me Diana. The bad thing that happened was they found a nail in sidewall of one of my tires. Chug Ching $$$$

Monday, July 23, 2007

Sometimes Evil Strikes Close to Home.

Sometimes evil strikes close to home. Today in Cheshire CT a horrible crime was done on a doctor, his wife and two beautiful daughters. The kindest, gentlest, compassionate and understanding doctor I have ever known. He was always there to listen; he never hurried you through the office visit.
I remember one time I was his last patient of the day and he had a student from UConn Medical School there. He sent him in to do a work-up on me, the student was from Columbia and was a little fluster with having a transsexual patient but was trying so hard to be polite and keep the pronouns correct. When Dr. Petit came in and asked him what he learned, the student recited everything that he had found out from me. After he went through his findings Dr Petit said, “And?” He said some more things that he thought of and Dr Petit said, “And?” By this time the student was getting a little nervous trying to figure out what he forgot to ask and Dr Petit said, “Did you notice that she is a transsexuals?” and the students nodded his head realizing that he had not stated the obvious. The three of us then sat and talked for about a half hour about transsexualism.
Tonight he lies in a hospital in Stable condition, but his wife and two daughters were killed. I ask all of to pray for him and his family tonight.

Manic Monday

Manic Monday: Monday, July 23, 2007

Have you planned your funeral and/or written your will?

Oh! What a fun topic ;-)
No I have not planned my funeral, why bother, it’s not my problem; I will be dead.
But I have written my Will and also a Living Will, plus a Power of Attorney.

Do you carry an umbrella when rain is forecast or do you just risk it?
I keep one in my car and carry it if it looks threatening.

How bad is the traffic in your town? Does it bother you or do you take it as it comes?
Living is a small town in the suburbs the traffic isn’t bad, but I do avoid I-84 through the city, especially during the rush hour; too many left hand exits and entrances.

Sunday, July 22, 2007

I was at a Campout this Weekend in Vermont

One of the support groups that I am a member of had a campout at a house of one of the members up in Vermont this weekend. She has a house on several acres out in the country in southern Vermont and is surrounded by forest. There were about twenty-five members there a long with about four or five spouses. The weather was beautiful, we couldn’t ask for better weather.
As with all campouts there were large quantities of food and booze. For some, I think, too much booze but at least no one was going anywhere. She has an above ground pool that I stayed in most of the day playing “keep the beach ball in the air”.
That night we had a big bonfire that we all sat around eating s’mores and singing. A friend always has her guitar with her and she lead the singing a companied by a couple of drums and tambourine. As we sat around the fire in the cool Vermont night I got the feeling of being apart of a tribe/community. These are my people, my friends. It was a very primal feeling.
I turned in just after midnight and when I awoke and fell back to sleep around 3:30, I still heard voices coming from around the bonfire. The next day I was back in the pool and was playing “keep the beach ball in the air” again.
Of course I brought my camera and here is some of the photographs that I took…





Saturday Six - Episode 170

Saturday Six - Episode 170

1. Think about your best friend in high school: how long has it been since you’ve seen him?
Six months ago at a party at my house with my high school friends.

2. Think of the last time you saw more than one of your high school classmates together at the same time: how did you happen to run into each other?

See answer to question #1

3. How many of your teachers do you think you would love to visit in person after all the years since you graduated, just to talk about having them as a teacher and catch up: one or two, three to five, five to ten, or more than ten?
I don’t know, it has been over forty years since I was in high school and I really don’t think any of them would remember me after all those years.

4. Take the quiz: Could you pass high school?

You Passed High School with an A

You have the brains of a high school graduate... at least!


5. What was the best lunch food your high school served?

Wow, I can’t even remember what the cafeteria looked like let alone what I ate there.

6. Did you participate in any extra-curricular activities in high school, like sports, band, etc? If so, how many?

Just one, Science Club (Did you expect something else?)

Friday, July 20, 2007

Friday Fiver

Friday Fiver: I'll always be there when you wake

1. Tea or coffee?
Tea

2. Do you speak your mind?
It depends on the circumstances. I weigh what I hope to get out of it by speaking my mind vs. what might the adverse reactions might be, like getting fired or a punch in the face or losing a friendship that I enjoy.

3. What is your escape?
Photography and reading.

4. When is the last time you cried?

Days ago.

5. What are your bedtime rituals?
I do not have a ritual other than plopping bed on the bed and falling asleep.

I Have Been Away for the Last Couple of Days

I have been up at the cottage putting in the wiring for a new washer and dryer for the cottage. One of the annoyances with the cottage is that there are never any sheets or towels no matter how many we buy. We all take them home after we used them to wash and don’t bring them back until we came up there again, hence the chronic shortage. So hopefully this will solve the problem.

Today I am helping out at a GLBT Youth organization in the afternoon for the first time; I would like to help them at least once a week. Hopefully I will like working there. I have helped out there before but that was with the conference that they have each year and also I helped them with outreach at various colleges in the state.

Then this weekend I am going to a party up in Vermont. The party is at a uniTy members house and we are all camping out over night. I imagine that it will be an all night party so I am pitching my tent far, far away from the main building because I know I will not make it pass midnight.

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Tuesday Twosome

Tuesday Twosome: What you didn’t know about me…


Two nicknames that friends and family call me:
My brother calls me “D” and a friend call me Di

Two items of clothing I would never get rid of:

I am not really that attached to any two pieces of clothing.

Two movies that I can watch over and over again:
I will cheat and say Harry Potter movies and the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Two people that have influenced me the most:

I will cheat again and say my parents and my brother.

Two goals/dreams I hope to fulfill in my lifetime:
My first choice is a dream is to see the Anti-Discrimination laws passed to include Gender Identity and Expression on both a national and state levels. My second choice is a goal, to get my Master degree.

Monday, July 16, 2007

A Picture is worth a 1000 Words

My brother sent me these....

Ops.... Did you forget something?



I didn't mean it!


A sad little kitty


Now that's something I would do...

AMA Passes Comprehensive Gender Identity Policies.

We are slowly making progress for Transgender Rights
This article is from the Windy City Times

AMA Adopts Trans-Inclusive Nondiscrimination Policy
by Bob Roehr
2007-07-04
The American Medical Association ( AMA ) amended its nondiscrimination policies to include transgender persons at the annual meeting of the AMA House of Delegates in Chicago, which ended on June 27.

The comprehensive change in policy affects all aspects of the functioning of the AMA, including relations with patients, employment issues and insurance coverage. It also will affect accreditation of medical schools.

The report recommending the changes noted that “Transgender individuals face complex medical, psychological, and social issues. Within the health care system issues of discrimination and unique access barriers to important medical and social support services can occur.” This can lead to perceived and real discrimination against those individuals.

In another blog I read that the
AMA opposes the denial of health insurance on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

So there hope that some day that the treatment for Gender Identity Dysphoria will be covered by insurance.

Sunday, July 15, 2007

A Mixed Weekend

I just got back from the weekend at the cottage with some friends. On Saturday the weather was fantastic no humidity, sunny and high temperature was around 75F. most of us went in for a swim and we also paddled around the lake in kayaks and a canoe. I got a slight sunburn from being out in the sun all day even with a suntan lotion of SPF 45. Today in the morning I went kayaking and then thunder storms moved in during the afternoon with hail and high winds. We lost power at the cottage just before we were leaving and they had a road closed due to the downed power line.
I think we probably each gained ten pounds from my cooking: Saturday morning I made blueberry pancake, for dinner I cooked a pork tenderloin on the grill, rice pilaf and a salad ( lettuce, walnuts, cranberries, apple, Gorgonzola cheese and raspberry vignette) and this morning we had omelets with onion, peppers, ham, cheese and tomatoes.




When I got home I checked the mail and my new credit card was there and I looked at the card and saw they also changed my last name. Aggh! So I called them up and told them they should not have changed my last name only my first name but the operator had a hard time believing that I was Diana and she transferred me to security. After talking to him, I think I got him to understand, I had to tell him that I am trans, so I shall see if I get a new card or not or if the put a hold on my card. When I called them up last week, I talked to someone who had a heavy Indian accent and he had a hard time understanding me and I had a hard time understanding him.

Friday, July 13, 2007

Friday Fiver

Friday Fiver: Here Fishy Fishy

1. Have you ever gone fishing?
Yes, I use to be an avid fisherman. But then I had a change of heart, even though I caught and released the fish, I just couldn’t bring myself to continue torturing the fish just for sport.
I am not against fishing, but it is not "my cup of tea" now.

2. Do you have an aquarium?
No, maybe someday. But it seems like a lot of work and it would be a pain in the neck if I go on a long trip.

3. Do you eat fish?
Yes, my favorite is Stuffed Sole with a crab (or lobster) meat stuffing.

4. Have you ever seen Finding Nemo?
No. I saw part of it with my niece’s and nephew’s kids and I think I would like it.

5. What do you think of Sushi?
YUCK! Raw fish! :-(

Thursday, July 12, 2007

A Favor to Ask.

As most of you know I am active in Human Rights legislation, mainly GLBT civil rights. Since I have come out of the closet I have seen the effects of Transphobia and Homophobia first hand. I have seen a batter woman come to the support group and tell how she was beating while she was working and she was the one arrested for Disturbing the Peace by the police (Since then the State Attorney office dropped the charges and arrest warrants were issued for the others. However they have fled the state and are now being returned to the state for prosecution.).
As many of you know I went to Washington DC in May to lobby for the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act (L.L.E.H.C.P.A.) well it is now up for a vote in the Senate and I urge you to contact your senator and let them know that you are in favor of this bill. Help stop the Hate!

* * * * *

Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act


Important Facts about HR 1592 and S 1105

Why is this bill necessary?

Every act of violence is tragic and harmful, but not all crime is motivated by hate. Hate crimes occur when the perpetrator chooses the victim because of who the victim is or appears to be. These crimes are typically more violent and brutal, often involving attempts to dehumanize and ridicule the attacked individual. The violent murders of individuals like Brandon Teena and Gwen Araujo not only terrorize their friends and family, but the transgender community as a whole. The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act (L.L.E.H.C.P.A.) is absolutely necessary to ensure safety and provide protection to all minority groups.


Existing Federal and State Legislation:


Existing hate crimes laws protect individuals because of their race, color, religion, and national origin. The federal legislation also requires that the crime must have occurred while the victim was attempting to carry out a federally protected activity (voting, going to school, etc.). Forty-five states and the District of Columbia have passed hate crimes legislation—only Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, South Carolina and Wyoming have no relevant statutes—but each state's legislation is different. While all of the forty-five state statues cover race, religion, and ethnicity, only thirty-two of the states cover sexual orientation, thirty-two cover disability, and twenty-eight cover gender. Only eleven cover gender identity.

NCTE's work on federal hate crimes legislation:

Federal hate crimes legislation is one of NCTE's top priorities. We help to co-write the actual legislation. We continue to win the support of Congress members through activities such as our annual Transgender Lobby Day. NCTE provides training to local activists on how to best educate members of Congress on transgender issues, and we provide the most up-to-date information on legislative activities.

What does this bill resolve?

This federal hate crimes legislation would add "gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and disability" to the protected class list. Additionally, this legislation would negate the requirement that the attacked individual has to be attempting to carry out a federally protected activity, such as voting, in order to be covered. The act would also amend the Hate Crimes Statistics Act by adding gender and gender identity thereby requiring the Federal Bureau of Investigation record and document the frequency, location and type of hate-motivated violence against trans people.

What does this legislation do and what is its impact?

The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act would:

* Extend existing federal protections to include "gender identity, sexual orientation, gender and disability,"
* Allow the Justice Department to assist in hate crime investigations at the local level when local law enforcement is unable or unwilling to fully address these crimes,
* Mandate that the FBI begin tracking hate crimes based on actual or perceived gender identity,
* Remove limitations that narrowly define hate crimes to violence committed while a person is accessing a federally protected activity, such as voting.

Who supports this legislation?

The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act is supported by 26 state Attorneys General and over 280 national law enforcement, professional, education, civil rights, religious, and civic organizations including: President George H.W. Bush's Attorney General Dick Thornburgh; National Sheriffs' Association; International Association of Chiefs of Police; U.S. Conference of Mayors; Presbyterian Church; Episcopal Church; and the Parent's Network on Disabilities.


* * * * *

To help you contact your senator here is a link to help you. Here is a sample letter that you can cut and paste in to the form:

* * * * *

As a citizen and voter I urge you to vote in favor of the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act (L.L.E.H.C.P.A.) as it was passed by the House and is now it is up for vote in the Senate.
The bill would:

1. Extend existing federal protections to include “gender identity, sexual orientation, gender and disability”
2. Allow the Justice Department to assist in hate crime investigations at the local level when local law enforcement is unable or unwilling to fully address these crimes
3. Mandate that the FBI begin tracking hate crimes based on actual or perceived gender identity
4. Remove limitations that narrowly define hate crimes to violence committed while a person is accessing a federally protected activity, such as voting.

The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act is supported by 26 state Attorneys General and over 280 national law enforcement, professional, education, civil rights, religious, and civic organizations including: President George H.W. Bush's Attorney General Dick Thornburgh; National Sheriffs' Association; International Association of Chiefs of Police; U.S. Conference of Mayors; Presbyterian Church; Episcopal Church; and the Parent's Network on Disabilities.

The bill does NOT prohibit “Free Speech” but only violent acts such as what was done to Matthew Shepard and Teena Brandon

Please vote in favor of this bill and help stop the Hate.

* * * * *

Please help us end the hate and discrimination and contact your senator now, thank you.

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Create a Connection

Getting to Know You Day


I lost touch with the outdoors. When I was little we had a horse farm and vineyard on one side and on the other side a dairy farm. The back yard was all woods for miles and we play all day in the woods and at the ol’ swimming hole.

When I went away to college we use to go backpacking up in the Adirondack Park in New York State. The longest backpacking trip was a 25 mile two day hike with a 65 pound backpack. In 1974 the summer that I graduated from college we went out to the Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado where we hiked up the Continental Divide and camped out at 10,000 on the divide.



This is an old faded photograph of a friend on that trip as we hike along the Continental Divide.

My most memorable backpacking trip was when I was still in college and we went camping in the Adirondack’s Schroon Lake region to Pharaoh Lake. We were camping on the shore of the lake one night, we saw the Northern Lights as we laid on a flat granite rock on in the edge of the lake. It was fantastic! We had a front row seat with no street lights for ten or more miles. We stayed up all night watching them and a friend who turned in early didn’t believe us. He wouldn’t come out of the tent and when we got back to Rochester the front page headline said “First Time in Twenty-five Years Northern Lights Seen from Rochester!” he was mad at us because we didn’t drag him out of the tent.

Now I just take day walks for an hour or two, but I am hopelessly out of shape and now that I am retired I have to work on getting back in shape. But my love for nature has carried over to preserving the environment; I have a contemporary Cape that is passive solar and I drive a Prius.

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Well If You Have to Do It, I Guess You Can

I just changed my name on my auto and home insurance, they were taken back at first not knowing how to make the change but they recovered and the change was easily made. But the asked what the gender marker was on my driver license was? When I told them female they said that they had to change it on the policy also and if that alright with me? I said, “Well if you got to do it, than it is OK with me.” YEAH! I thought I was stuck until my birth certificate was changed.
But I chickened out asking them if that meant my car insurance would drop ;-) Oh well, I guess I just have to see if it drops.

Tuesday Twosome

Filed Under Tuesday Twosome: To meme or not to meme…


1. How many memes do you do weekly and what are they?
About four or five memes a week and they are: “Manic Monday”, “Getting to Know You !”, “Friday Fiver”, “Patrick’s Place Weekender” and “By the Way Sunday” (Hopefully she will be back in the fall.)

2. How do you find new memes and do you share them with other internet bloggers?
I find them through other blogger’s blogs, just as I found yours from Cat’s “Sweet Memes”. I always put a link back to the original meme, I think that is only fair.
As a footnote, only one blogger blocked my URL because he thought my blog contained objectionable material.

3. What are the two main reasons you do memes?
It is fun and it creates connections.

4. If you can recall, what are the two funniest meme questions you have ever answered?
No one answer stands out from the hundreds and hundreds of answers.

5. Do other peoples’ answers influence your answers and your thoughts of that person?
I try not to read the answers before I answer, but sometimes they do affect my answers.

Monday, July 09, 2007

Manic Monday

Manic Monday

What is your most despised household chore?
All of them, but the worst is filing the clutter of tax records. You know the ones; they say “Keep this for tax purposes.” They just keep piling up.

Pick out the most important item in your wallet/purse and tell why it's important to you.
Hmm… It is a toss-up of my car keys, driver license or my ATM card, but I think my car keys are the most important. Without them I would not need my driver license.

What was your first car? What was your favorite car when you were young?
The first car that I drove was a ’61 Corvair Monza white convertible with a red interior. My favorite car when I was young was my brother’s MGB that he foolishly gracefully let me drive when he went off to college.

Friday, July 06, 2007

A Project of Love

One of things that I have put off and put off is to scan all of my father photographs and scrapbook from his military days. But now that I am retired I hope that I can find the time to chronicle what I know of his military service.

I know that he entered the Army Reserve some time after he graduated from RPI in 1933 and later he transferred to the National Guard. He was in the 242nd Coastal Artillery unit.
Here are a couple of newspaper photos of the unit training on Fisher Island at Ft Wright (circa 1939/1940)




My father is on the right in both pictures.


I hope to keep up this labor of love until I have all of their photos and memorabilia is scanned and burned on a DVD so I can pass it along to their great grandchildren.

Friday Fiver

Friday Fiver

With dead poets and drum machines

1. What do you do?

Nothing! I retired last month, but before that I was a supervisor of an electronic test department.

2. What makes you pay attention?
Hmm… good question. I had to think about it for awhile.
There are so many thing that make sit up and take notice, but the number one thing that I pay attention to is money.

3. What's your inspiration?
I think my inspiration for why I do what I do is the injustice against people who are different. I have seen too much discrimination and I want to help stop it.

4. Do you believe in magic?

Nope!

5. What is your favorite subject to write about?
My favorite subject to write about is me and all things trans.

Wednesday, July 04, 2007

What’s the difference?

What’s the difference between being gay and being trans. There is one major difference beside the fact that one is about sexual orientation and the other is about gender, it’s transitioning. A gay or lesbian doesn’t have to go around telling everyone that they are gay. They do not have to go up to their banker and tell them that they are gay and please change all my records. They do not need a court order. They do not have to spend days having their legal documents change and putting up with clerks who have never made changes like that before. They do not have to put up with the clerks huddling trying to figure out what forms that they need as they keep on glancing over at you. They do not have to spend days driving around the state getting their paperwork changed.
They do not have to stand on a soapbox and say “Hey world look at me; ‘I’m trans!’”

Create a Connection

Getting to Know You Day; Where are You?

Deb's questions:

It's a summer holiday and you've been invited to a big family-and-friends potluck celebration. What would you bring? (Feel free to share the recipe if it's super-good!)


I would like to bring the potato salad and the recipe is my mother’s…

* 6 Medium boiling potatoes (2 lbs)
* 1 1/2 Cups mayonnaise
* 1/4 cup Sweet Relish
* 1/4 cup Sugar
* 1 Small onion

It is the sweet relish and the sugar that makes it special.

Once you're there at this imaginary holiday party, how would you spend most of your time?
Talking to friends and relatives, and also helping out.

the person in charge of music is taking requests. What song would you like to hear? Would you get up and dance to it or just sit back and listen?
We usual do not play music at family gatherings

They're having fireworks! Would you enjoy them or endure them? Would you help set them off or sit back and watch?
In my younger life I use to like to shot them off, but now, I just watch. One time I helped out a professional pyrotechnics person set up the display and I got to sit right by the control panel.

It's getting late and the party is breaking up. Would you be one of the first to leave, or the last person the host is pushing out the door, or somewhere in between?
It depends on where the party is and if I have to drive any distance to get back home. It also depends on when is it breaking up, 9:00, 10:00, 11:00 or later. If it is around 9:00 and I don’t have to drive a good distance, I will stay around to help clean-up.

Holly's Questions:

Being as Canada and the US have such close birthdays (July 1 for Canada) here's a couple questions for you
1) What is your most memorable birthday? Tell us what you remember, your feelings, why it stands out in your mind.

When I was little my mother always use to make Lobster Newberg on my birthday and
my brother the year my father died inviting me up to their condo in Maine on my birthday and they surprised me with Lobster Newberg.

2) What is the best gift you've received for your birthday?
I don’t know, it has been many years since I got a real present (Other than clothes.) for my birthday.

3) How do you celebrate July 4 or July 1?
Normally with a party, but for some reason this year everyone was busy. Maybe next year I will have a party.

4) What do you value most about where you live? What do you do to show your appreciation? If you've never thought about it, what could you do to show your appreciation?
Living in a “Blue State”; in many other states my transition might have been a lot harder or deadlier.
I do volunteer work to help make the next generation’s lives of trans-youth easier.

Tuesday, July 03, 2007

Paperwork, Paperwork!

I stood in line for ninety minutes at the Department of Motor Vehicles to get my driver license changed and then another hour to get my registration and title on my car changed and it was worth it. When I was telling the nursing home administrator where my aunt lives she said I was the first person whom she met that smiled when they said they had to wait for two and half hours at the DMV. My license, car title and car registration all say Diana Royce and my license has an “F” for sex. YEAH!!!

I also had my paperwork changed at two banks and my pharmacy (two hours total time for the three.) So I spent my day waiting and waiting and waiting. Now Thursday I am going to tackle the town hall for voter registration, property deed and taxes and also the water department; that should eat up most of the day. And then on to the utilities on Friday.

Lucky I'm retired.

Monday, July 02, 2007

The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same.

I found this on another blog (Not That Different) that I read and I thought that it was worth sharing.

Each generation has to learn from their own lessons, some time the cost is great. As we are now learning in Iraq and the Middle East and as Bush should have learned at college.
This is an interview with Goering by an intelligence officer and psychologist, during the Nuremberg trials.

We got around to the subject of war again and I said that, contrary to his attitude, I did not think that the common people are very thankful for leaders who bring them war and destruction.

"Why, of course, the people don't want war," Goering shrugged. "Why would some poor slob on a farm want to risk his life in a war when the best that he can get out of it is to come back to his farm in one piece. Naturally, the common people don't want war; neither in Russia nor in England nor in America, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy or a fascist dictatorship or a Parliament or a Communist dictatorship."

"There is one difference," I pointed out. "In a democracy the people have some say in the matter through their elected representatives, and in the United States only Congress can declare wars."

"Oh, that is all well and good, but, voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country."

Sunday, July 01, 2007

West Village [NYC] Restaurant Ejects Lesbian Customer After Gay Pride March

Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund Calls for Immediate Action; Plans Monday, July 2 Press Conference

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund (TLDEF) expressed outrage today after a West Village restaurant threw out a lesbian customer for appearing too masculine shortly after the city's annual Gay Pride march.

Khadijah Farmer patronized the Caliente Cab Company restaurant on Seventh Avenue South, in the heart of New York City's historically-gay Greenwich Village, on June 24. While she was using the women's restroom, a male bouncer came in and began to pound on the door of the stall she was using. The bouncer insisted Farmer was a man and refused to accept her identification as proof she is a woman. The bouncer proceeded to eject Farmer from the bathroom and threw her, her girlfriend, and the rest of their party out of the restaurant.

"I was thrown out of the restaurant because of who I am and how I look," Farmer said. "It was humiliating. No one should be subject to that type of discrimination."

TLDEF executive director Michael Silverman represents Farmer.

"Discrimination against transgender people, or gay men and lesbians who do not conform to gender norms, has no place in New York City," Silverman added. "We've demanded that Caliente Cab Company take steps to address this discrimination immediately to ensure that it does not happen again."

TLDEF has demanded that Caliente Cab Company:
• adopt and enforce a policy barring discrimination in its restaurants on the basis of gender identity and expression, and sexual orientation;
• train its staff to comply with this policy and all applicable laws protecting the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender customers in public accommodations such as Caliente Cab Company; and
• compensate Farmer for the violation of her civil rights.

The New York City Human Rights Law prohibits discrimination in public accommodations on the basis of gender - including appearance, behavior, and expression - and sexual orientation. Similarly, the New York State Human Rights Law prohibits discrimination in public accommodations on the basis of sex and sexual orientation.

Patrick’s Weekender

Saturday Six - Episode 167

1. How seriously have you considered a purchase of the new iPhone?
Not at all! How can you look up a date on your appointment calendar and talk on the phone at the same time?

2. Have you ever camped out to purchase something?
No, I consider it silly. I was at the mall Friday and there was a line at the Apple store and as I walked by I heard the kid in the front of the line say that he was there since Thursday – come on folks, get a life!

3. What is the most important piece of jewelry you have ever purchased?
Nothing yet, but now that I have my ears pieced, watch out!

4. Take the quiz: What gem stone are you?

Your Gemstone is Topaz

Comforting, considerate, and stable.
You are down to earth and grounded.


5. What is your birthstone?
Opal

6. Are you more likely to own an article of jewelry with the quiz result, your birthstone, or neither?
I rather have Topaz than Opal, who wants a gemstone that if it dries out is worthless.