More Fuel to the HRC Fire

A critical report from the Washington Blade on the method used by the HRC for their survey…

Conducted for HRC by Knowledge Networks, the survey shows most respondents believe national gay groups should support ENDA despite its lack of protections for transgender workers “because it helps gay, lesbian and bisexual workers and is a step toward transgender employment rights.”

According to survey excerpts, about 68 percent of respondents chose that scripted statement among three offered lines to best represent their “point of view.”

Meanwhile a poll by Hunter College found that...

When asked about the proposed federal law making it illegal to discriminate against lesbians, gays, and bisexuals in employment, LGBs (by a margin of 60 to 37 percent) said that those seeking to pass the law were wrong to remove protections for transgendered people in order to get the votes necessary for passage in Congress.

The Hunter College Poll was funded by a grant from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. Sole control over the design of the study’s questionnaire and analysis of the data were maintained by the study’s investigators. The survey was conducted among those who identified themselves as lesbian, gay or bisexual to Knowledge Networks, which recruits its nationally representative sample of respondents by telephone and administers surveys to them via the Internet. The survey has a margin of error of plus-or-minus 4 percentage points.

But wait a minute! Two polls conducted by the HRC that results are totally opposite?

Here is some more excerpts from the Washington Blade…

“I don’t know based upon this response that you could say how the community — the gay, lesbian, bisexual community — feels about the legislation,” Stahura said. “I don’t think those questions give you that answer.”

Christopher Barron, a Washington political consultant Log Cabin’s former political director, who is gay and does survey interpretation, agreed. He said the methodology, which he described as “bizarre,” might not allow the results to be projected nationally.

“It may be that it’s completely and totally sound,” he said. “But there’s nothing there that tells us that it is, so you can’t assume it’s a nationally representative sample.”

Luna told the Blade this week that the survey is nationally representative.

Barron and Stahura, who reviewed a two-page memorandum and three data sets prepared by Knowledge Networks and provided to the Blade, also noted they could not determine whether the survey is scientific.

Both experts said that lingering question would preclude them from using the survey’s findings in their work.

“I would not approve it for publication,” Stahura said. “I think with the ‘becauses,’ you’re really pushing people toward particular responses in this instance.”

Safe and Sound on Long Island

Right now I am on Long Island for a four day conference. I drove three other people down here to the conference and I took the Bridgeport Port Jefferson ferry. Every one turned green except me, I had a blast. Watching them undock and head out into the Sound, watching all the other ships pass by. When they asked how long it will take to cross the Sound, I said that you can see the port where we were heading. They looked out the window to where I was pointed, they moaned as the horizon bobbed up and down. Oh well, I guess I will be driving home on Sunday through New York.

One disappointment was you could not take any pictures on the deck for security reasons, only of the inside of the cabin. I do not think that you want to see the hot dog counter and a picture of my green friends; although they were an interesting shade of green.

The conference is on organizing grassroots actions and is sponsored by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. It was off to a good start last night with the opening ceremony and a workshop problem. There are a number of trans-people here and that I should be able to network with.

This and That

My aunt is so sweet! Yesterday I was visiting her at the nursing home when a new nurse came in and asked, “Is this your daughter?” We both replied at the same time; my aunt saying “nephew” and I said “niece”. You just have to love her. :-)

Also, last night was the support group meeting and a few of us went out to dinner at the Goldroc Diner. While we were there someone walked by the booth and waved; I was busy talking to my friends and just noticed him at the last second so I never got a good look at him. I think it was an engineer from where I use to work, if it was, I would like to thank him for his support.

Off to Long Island for the New York Power Summit

I am leaving this afternoon to go to the New York Power Summit; the hotel has WiFi so I should be able to post from there. It is going to be a very busy schedule for the next four days: Thursday 7 – 9 PM, Friday and Saturday 9 – 6 PM and Sunday 9 – 3 PM.
Hopefully I will have some photo of the ferry trip over to the island and it will not be too rough (I do not want to get off the boat looking like Elphaba from Wicked.)

CNN News

There was a news story on CNN about an assault at a McDonald’s in Memphis Tennessee, why did an assault make national news? There must a dozen assaults at restaurants across the country each day, so why was this covered?

It was because the assault was done by "drag queen" and “transvestite”, do you think the story would have been covered by CNN if they were not involved? Did that make the story worthy of the national news? Or was it to do more with transphobia or heterosexism?

I found this story totally derogatory; the story had air time just for its sensationalism at the expense of a minority. I found this story on the same level as racist, sexist, ethnic and religious bigotry.

What do you think lead up to the assault? Do you think that they did it just for the ”hell of it” deciding to beat up the employees because they were bored? Or was there provocation? In the video the reporter said an argument started at the drive-thru window; were there any trans-baiting comments involved? It should be interesting to see the surveillance video on what precipitated the incident.

Donna Rose and Jamison Green Resign from HRC Business Council

The last two transgender members resign from the HRC Business Council. Donna Rose resigned from the HRC Board of Directors last month, she was the only transgendered member of the Board.

http://tg-news.org/pdfs/BCResignations_DonnaJamison.pdf

…Recent HRC policy decisions - to actively support a version of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) that excludes our transgender brothers and sisters as well as gender-variant lesbian, gay, and bisexual people - have placed us in an untenable position. On November 8, the day after the ENDA vote in the House of Representatives, we requested an opportunity to meet personally with HRC President Joe Solmonese to share our concerns and to discuss HRC's strategy for addressing recent legislative shortcomings before making a decision to stay or go. As the only transgender representatives on the Business Council our community expects us to have some influence, or at least to receive the courtesy of a consultation. Almost 3 weeks have passed since that request and we have heard nothing in response. This lack of response speaks volumes, so we feel compelled to take this stand today.
We are announcing our resignations from the HRC Business Council, effective immediately. Considering recent broken promises, the lack of credibility that HRC has with the transgender community at large, and HRC's apparent lack of commitment to healing the breach it has caused, we find it impossible to maintain an effective working relationship with the organization….

Transgender Day of Remembrance Photos and Speech

Here are some of the photos from the Transgender Day of Remembrance.

The first photo is us marching to the state Capital building. We are right in front of the Bushnell Theater when this picture was taken.

This photo was taken at the MCC Chapel as I was reading my speech.

Here is a link to a short (30seconds) video clip from the Ten O’clock news.

And this is my speech that I gave that night….

All of us here tonight are activists. We are activists because we took the time come here tonight to remember those who were murder this year by showing that we care.
There are other ways in which we can show that we care and one of the ways we can show it is by helping others. We have all in one way or another come “Out of the Closet” and we remember what it was like when we for the first time told others that “I am Trans”. We can share that knowledge to help others who are trying to come out. We can be there for them if they need a shoulder to cry on or in sharing their joy. Those of us who have gone out in public can be there for our brother and sisters by offering a hand to guide them and lead the way.
We are a rich diverse group and we can use that diversity in helping others. Some of us have struggled with our families; some of us have fought to keep our jobs, and some of us have fought to stay alive. We can use that knowledge to help others who face the same battles to help guide them.
We do not have to be out there on the frontlines banging our drums; we can help in other way. The theme for tonight is Love Transcends and it does, it can build bridges. It can build a bridge between those who are a just starting out on their journey and those who have progressed further along on their own journey.
One way we can help is by volunteering. We have heard Robin talk about True Colors and their mentoring program. They also have a conference every year for GLBT Youth and they always need mentors and volunteers to help them at the conference. There is the Hartford Gay and Lesbian Health Collective and also the Suicide Prevention Hotline. There are so many places out there where we can help and share our knowledge and love.
I know that I have found that volunteering has been both rewarding and enriching. Knowing that in some small way I have helped out others has given purpose to my life. One of the greatest moments in my life was when I was standing in line for our reservations at City Steam and a woman came up to me and said; “You probably do not remember me. But you spoke in my class at University of Hartford and because of what you said that night I was able to help my client when she came out as transgendered.” Can you imagine what it felt like to hear those words?
Volunteering is so easy to do, all you have to do is pick up the phone and call, just say “What can I do to help?” and by doing that you can affect generations to come, just by that one simple act.

Manic Monday

Manic Monday for November 26, 2007

Which personality trait has gotten you into the most trouble?
I talk before I think and afterward I feel I want to hit my head and go DUH!
Like at Thanksgiving I was talking to my sister-in-law’s sister-in-law about how much I hatred the vegetarian food at the facilitator training last month then I remembered that she is a vegetarian and she was making a vegetarian stuffing…. DUH!

If you had to gain 10 pounds what would you eat to gain the weight?
I am trying to lose forty pounds, not gain it! But if I had to gain ten pounds I would eat lobster and have New England clam chowder.

How is your private self different from your public self?
It uses to be way different, but now the two are a lot closer. The difference is that I am less confident in private.

Just Another Visit by the State Police

Oh hum, it was just another visit by the state police at ten o’clock at night.
It seems that my garage door didn’t go all the way down and the light was flashing so a state cop on his way home stopped by to report it to me. At least I wasn’t in my nightgown and he did call me “Miss.” Well I guess at least one neighbor now knows that I am trans.

Argh...

I hate it when the garage door does that! In cold weather the safety device settings changes and as a result the garage door opens. The last time it did it, it was three in the morning when the doorbell rang and it was the police to tell me my garage light was blink..

People Magazine

Up at the cottage this Thanksgiving there was an ample supply of People magazines thanks to my niece and my nephew’s wife. I was reading an article in the November 19th issue and was very surprised to find a serious article on Gays and Lesbians.
So I thought I would share it with you, this is from the writer’s web-site….

Mary Lou has completed her book entitled THE SLOW MIRACLE OF TRANSFORMATION. The following story highlights a small part of Mary Lou's pilgrimage.

I used to think that the only way to relate to gays was to confront them. I had no use for them. I didn't understand them, and I was judgmental and arrogant. And then one day our lives were changed forever.

It was about 5:15 p.m. on December 8, 1988. I had just walked into the house from work with the mail in my hand. There was a letter from my daughter, Anna. I opened it with the pleasure of anticipation that a mom feels when she hears from her daughter who is away at college. Her letter was dated December 4, 1988. She told me that lots had happened in her life with regard to her sexuality. She said she had fought long and hard to be comfortable and now she was. She said she was comfortable with women.

She went on to say she loved me and hoped I wouldn't try to change her. She said she loved God and knew He loved her.

On December 20, 1988, I answered her letter and told her I was devastated by what she had written. Please allow me to quote one paragraph from my letter to Anna:

“Undoubtedly the most difficult part of your letter was the gay thing. I will never accept that in you. I feel it’s a terrible waste, besides being spiritually and morally wrong. For a reason I don’t quite fathom, I have a harder time dealing with that issues than almost anything in the world. I do and will continue to love you, but I will always hate that and will pray every day that you will change your mind and attitude”

Almost a year later, August 13, 1989, I was taking Anna back to the airport to go back to college after she played the piano for her cousin's wedding. I told her that IF she ever decided she wanted to get her act together, she was welcome to come home.

What followed were more than 8 stormy years, at best. We had a few good times, but not many.

In mid-August 1996, I received a letter from Anna. She basically said she wanted nothing more to do with me. She said that I was her mother biologically only, that I had stolen her childhood from her, and that I had done colossal damage to her soul with my shaming words. She did not want me in her life, not then, maybe not ever. She told me she did not want to, and did not have to forgive me.

I sought advice from a counselor, several friends and family members. To a person, all said the same thing: You must respect Anna's wishes and give her the space she needs. And that's what I did.

I keep wondering what would have happened if, after receiving her letter, I had grabbed my toothbrush, credit card and car keys, driven the 550 miles to where she was living and told her that I loved her no matter what. I didn't do that. The worst part is that I'll never be able to do that.

On February 28, 1997 at 10:00 p.m., I received a phone call from my ex-husband and Anna's Dad. At about 4:00 p.m. that afternoon, Anna had been found hanging from the bar in her closet. She had been dead for 15 hours. It was ruled a suicide by the coroner -- no autopsy, no note, no nothing -- but days, weeks, months and years of pain and anguish.

I have heard it said that when a loved one dies of suicide, there is a sense of utter failure. I can identify with that. I did not love her unconditionally, even though I knew 1 Corinthians 13 well. Among other things it says, Love is patient...and kind; Love is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs...It always protects, always hopes, always perseveres.

Throughout these years, since Anna's death, I have done a lot of soul searching to figure out just what part I played in Anna's death. I have wrestled with who I am and how I treated my own flesh and blood.

No matter what else happens in my life, I will always acknowledge the pain and tragedy of Anna's suicide. However, her death has also brought me face-to-face with the untruth I have been taught throughout my life by the church. My transformation has occurred through a wonderful gift given to me by God: getting to know, understand, and love GLBTA (Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals, Transgenders, and Allies). I am now proud to call myself an ally and am honored to count these children of God amongst my closest and dearest friends. This new awareness has been supported through intense study of biblical passages, as well as continued dialogue with individuals on both sides of the issue.

Recently, I went to the curio cabinet that holds Anna's pictures and dolphin collection. I said to her, "I will never again treat a gay person the way I treated you. That's a promise!"

After reading this, I hope you will take this message to heart. In keeping with this promise, my husband, Bob and I are reaching out to all of our new friends. We pray that you will contact us and share your journey. Let us all remember that we are here to support and nourish one another, as Christ does us.

-- Mary Lou

TEACH Ministries
8 Apple Tree Circle
North Little Rock, AR 72118

Please do not let it be a tragic ending to get you to see the way to love and acceptance of your children.

Saturday Six - Episode 188

Patrick'a Weekender: Saturday Six - Episode 188

1. As a general rule, are you more stressed or less stressed during the holiday season?
More stressed, trying to get everything coordinated with the extended family is not an easy thing to do.

2. Do you tend to be happier or sad during the holiday season?
Both, it is a rollercoaster ride, with it highs and lows.

3. How much shopping did you do on the day after Thanksgiving?
- 0 –

4. Take the quiz: What color is your brain?

Your Brain is Blue

Of all the brain types, yours is the most mellow. You tend to be in a meditative state most of the time. You don't try to think away your troubles. Your thoughts are realistic, fresh, and honest. You truly see things as how they are. You tend to spend a lot of time thinking about your friends, your surroundings, and your life.

What Color Is Your Brain?

5. When it comes to Christmas gifts, how organized are you in terms of gift ideas and choosing the right ones for the right recipients?
Not very, we usually past a Christmas list around.

6. What was the most inaccurate part of the answer you received to the brain color quiz?
“You don't try to think away your troubles.” That is totally opposite of what I think, if anyone reads this blog regularly you will know that I am a worrier

Thanksgiving

Whew! It over and now I get to relax.
I got home last night after a long chaotic day with four kids and ten adults all crammed into the cottage. It was bitter cold outside keeping the kids inside, but the guys did hike up to the top of the mountain (A mountain by New England standards: elv.= 2740 about a 1000ft. raise from the lake.) on Saturday. With way too much food (but that is what Thanksgiving is all about.), catching up on family lives, with the dogs come out of nowhere when some food lands on the floor and the kids running around with their hide and seek games, peeking out from under the table
I did have a good time, it was nice to be with the family and I managed to keep my weight gain down to two pounds.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I hope you all have a nice and safe Thanksgiving and please take a little time to remember those who do not have a family to go home to. I am one of the lucky ones whose family accepts me.
All the planning has come together and we are all going to be up at the cottage this holiday.

Lefties

I have always been interested in the brain for obvious reasons and being left handed had leaded me to wonder why about ten percent of the people are left handed. No one has yet to explain why a person is left handed just like no one has ever explained why a person is trans. Are you born left handed or is it something that we learn; is it nature or nurture?
There was an article in the Hartford Courant yesterday about the latest thinking on the causes of left-handedness.

The brains of left-handed people develop more freely in utero, they say, allowing the organization to stray more from the standard design.

[…]

Other scientists are examining how LRRTM1 and other genes might tie left-handedness loosely with all sorts of characteristics. Various studies have found weak but statistically significant associations between left-handedness and schizophrenia, autism and even homosexuality.

[…]

There is some evidence, he says, that mixed-handers have a wider connecting pathway — called the corpus callosum — between the right and left hemispheres. Having a wider connection seems to make it harder to do more than one thing at a time — playing a different rhythm with each hand, for example.

The brain works in mysterious ways that we are just barely starting to understand.

Two years ago during the True Colors Conference (a GLBT youth conference), I was getting signatures for a petition for the Anti-discrimination Coalition and I noticed that a many of signers were left handed. I do not know the actual percentage but I do know that it made an impression on me at the time that there were so many lefties.
I am not saying that there is any links between being gender variant and left handedness but it does raise an interesting question.

Transgender Day of Remembrance: Who We Remember…

Nakia Ladelle Baker
Location: Nashville, Tennessee
Cause of Death: Blunt force trauma to the head
Date of Death: January 7, 2007

Ruby Rodriguez
Location: San Francisco, California
Cause of Death: She had been strangled and was found naked in the street.
Date of Death: March 16, 2007

Erica Keel
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Cause of Death: A car repeatedly struck her
Date of Death: March 23, 2007

Bret T. Turner
Location: Madison, Wisconsin
Cause of Death: Multiple stab wounds
Date of Death: April 2, 2007

Victoria Arellano
Location: San Pedro, California
Cause of Death: Denied necessary medications to treat HIV-related side effects.
Date of Death: July 20, 2007

Oscar Mosqueda
Location: Daytona Beach, Florida
Cause of Death: Shot to death
Date of Death: July 29, 2007

Maribelle Reyes
Location: Houston, Texas
Cause of Death: AIDS; Reyes was turned away from several treatment centers due to her transgender status.
Date of Death: August 30, 2007

This year Congress passed a Federal Hate Crime bill that includes Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, but President Bush is expected to veto the bill.

I found this on a friend’s blog: Femulate

Julia Serano: There’s Something About “Deception”

Tomorrow, Tuesday, November 20th will be the 9th Annual Transgender Day of Remembrance, which memorializes those who are killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. Trans people are often targeted for violence because their gender presentation, appearance and/or anatomy falls outside the norms of what is considered acceptable for a woman or man. A large percentage of trans people who are killed are prostitutes, and their murders often go unreported or underreported due to the public presumption that those engaged in sex work are not deserving of attention or somehow had it coming to them.

Some trans people are killed as the result of being denied medical services specifically because of their trans status, for example, Tyra Hunter, a transsexual woman who died in 1995 after being in a car accident. EMTs who arrived on the scene stopped providing her with medical care—and instead laughed and made slurs at her—upon discovering that she had male genitals.

Much of the violence that is directed at trans people is predicated on the myth of deception. For example, straight men who become attracted to trans women sometimes erupt into homophobic/transphobic rage and violence upon discovering that the woman in question was born male. Perhaps the most well known of such cases is that of Gwen Araujo, who was bludgeoned to death by a four men, two of whom she had been sexually intimate with. Despite the fact that the men plotted her murder a week in advance, defense lawyers insisted that the murder was merely manslaughter because the defendants were victims of Gwen’s “sexual deceit.”

[...]

I found this on another friend’s blog: In Shel's Corner - Bloggery and Stuff

Wicked was Wicked!

I went to see the Tony Award winning musical Wicked at the Bushnell last night and it was excellent. We first went out to dinner at the Olive Garden in Manchester and then we to the Bushnell.

If you do not know what the play is about there is a good synopsis on Wikipedia, but I saw the play through a slightly different lens. Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, I saw more as a victim of discrimination because she is different from everyone else (She is green) and is shunned because of her difference. At school everyone makes fun of her and because of her defense of the animals puts her at odd with the head mistress of the school and of the Wizard of Oz. She then becomes an outcast and persecuted. At the end when Dorothy threw the water on Elphaba, as she was melting, I was crying.

I would highly recommend seeing the play. But then I am prejudiced, I love the theater and any play to me is a good play. I just find it amazing how the actors can memorize their lines and I love the sets from the simple sets, Doubts to the high production sets in Wicked.

Manic Monday

Manic Monday for November 19, 2007

What is your least favorite day of the week and why?
When I was working it was Mondays because you had the whole week ahead of you. But now that I am retired one day is just like the next.

What's the best way to end the day?
Coming home from a night out on the town with friends.

Which animal would you have left out of the ark?
The skunks, I think the answer is obvious.

Desmond Tutu - Part II

Last month I wrote about Desmond Tutu, the former Archbishop of Cape Town and a Nobel Peace Price winner, and I just found this update on a friends blog, she posted this BBC article on her blog….

Tutu Chides Church for Gay Stance

South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu has criticised the Anglican Church and its leadership for its attitudes towards homosexuality.

In an interview with BBC Radio 4, he said the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, had failed to demonstrate that God is "welcoming".

[…]

Criticising Dr Williams, he said: "Why doesn't he demonstrate a particular attribute of God's which is that God is a welcoming God."

'Extraordinarily homophobic'

Archbishop Tutu referred to the debate about whether Gene Robinson, who is openly gay, could serve as the bishop of New Hampshire.

He said the Anglican Church had seemed "extraordinarily homophobic" in its handling of the issue, and that he had felt "saddened" and "ashamed" of his church at the time.

[…]

In the interview, Archbishop Tutu also rebuked religious conservatives who said homosexuality was a choice.

By the Way Sunday

~I'm Late, I'm Late~

By the way...

Are you generally early or late?
Late, I try to be on time but it always seems to be I get there late.

Are you concerned with being on time?
Yes, as I said I try to there on time. Read the posting below about “All Dressed Up”, I got there on time but to the wrong place.

If you are chronically late, do you believe it's the result of poor planning or choosing to be late?
Mostly I am running around getting last minute things. Also traffic is hard to judge sometimes. Sometimes it takes only twenty minutes to get to Hartford and other times it can take forty-five minutes.

When others are late, does it bother you?
No, I think there is a saying about stones and living in glass houses

Do you have any tips for being on time?
Yes, leave earlier.

All Dressed Up and No Where to Go!

I had a speaking engagement this morning at a church down in the Southwestern part of the state and I after I drove all the way down there I could not find the church. It turned out the address that she had at the bottom of the email was her home address and the contact information was also her home phone number. So when I got there it was her house and not the church and when I called the number I could hear the phone ringing in the house. I then tried the cell phone number and the phone went to voice mail, so I went into town and asked around if anyone knew where the church was located and had no luck. I came back home after driving around down there. I drove a total 170 miles and three hours driving. Grrr….
I did find the address when I got home it was on a program guide that she made and it was in fine print on the cover. No where in the emails that went back and forth was there any address other than hers.

At least I am going out tonight to dinner and see the play Wicked at the Bushnell.

"Which Superhero are you?"

Your results:
You are Superman

Superman 70% Spider-Man 55% Wonder Woman 47% Iron Man 45% Supergirl 42% Green Lantern 40% Robin 37% Hulk 35% Catwoman 25% The Flash 25% Batman 25%

You are mild-mannered, good, strong and you love to help others.

Click here to take the Superhero Personality Quiz

2007 - Transgender Day of Remembrance

Every year around this time we remember all those who were killed because they were transgender. There are memorial services that are going to be held all around the world. To find a service near you check out this list, it is only a partial list of cities. If your city is not on the list try Googling your city using your city name and “Transgender Day of Remembrance” in quotes.
Here in Connecticut we are holding our ceremony on Tuesday November 20th, but other cities are hold their this weekend. The Connecticut program is…

Connecticut's 6th Annual Transgender Day of Remembrance
“Love Tran-scends: The Importance of Allies”

(6:00pm) Meet at First Presbyterian Church and march to Stairs of State Capitol for Candlelight Vigil

Speakers……….

Memorial………..Names of those we remember

(7:00pm) Proceed to Metropolitan Community Church for program “Love Tran-scends: The Importance of Allies”

(7:30pm) Welcoming…..

Song……………MCC Gospel Choir

Speakers………….

Memorial………..Names of those we remember

Songs…………..MCC Gospel Choir and Eve – “They Won’t Accept Us”

(8:30) Closing and Reception


You can come to either or both of the ceremonies. At the Capital there will be speeches and also a reading of a proclamation by member of the Hartford City Council. It will be more public then the MCC Chapel.

Off On Another Great Adventure. – Part 2

I just got an email from the Power Summit; I am not too keen on some of the workshops they have listed. One of the workshops that we have to do is go door to door to talk to people about “Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act” (GENDA) and the other workshop is on phone banks. I have had enough of phone banks when I worked for the Lamont campaign, long enough to know that I do not want to do that again and I don’t even want to think about going door to door.
According to the instructions; we have to come up with a list of 50 names to call on Thursday night. I do not know 50 people who I could list or if I would want to impose on them. You all know how I hate to tag somebody with memes; well it is even more pronounced with phoning. I hate to call someone unannounced, I would much rather email them. My cell phone is also pay as you take at a rate of 30 cents a minute and if each is three minutes that will be $45, no thanks.
As for going door to door, I can just see them now when a 6ft tranny is knocking at heir door, yeah right!
I still think it will be good to go to the conference; I might go door to door but no way am I going to call.

I was Up At the Cottage the Last Couple of Days

I was finishing up some wiring at the cottage yesterday and today. I ran into a couple of problems that had to be fixed before Thanksgiving. While we were up there it snowed all day but it did not accumulate, however on the way home I could see that all the tops of the mountains were covered with snow above a certain elevation. It kind of looked like someone picked them up a dipped the tops in confectionery sugar.

When I was coming up the stairs I heard my brother talking to his wife and he used my name and the correct pronoun, YES! In the past I only heard him use “D” not Diana, so this was a big milestone.

The HRC Tries to Mend the Bridges

I found this on TransGriot blog. She has a letter from the HRC that tries to explain why they felt that they had to throw us to the wolves. The letter was sent from the HRC’s Religion and Faith Program to a pastor in Atlanta GA. and also she has the reply from the pastor.
The pastor said….

Dear Harry,

Nice try with this letter, but it does not wash.

The transgender are real flesh and blood people and are not HRC's bargaining chip.

[…]

This is not Animal farm where "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal then others"!

[…]

If the hypocrites in congress didn't want transgender people in the bill, then they should have been forced to make an amendment to take it out from the floor...not have HRC bargaining and agreeing that a part of our community was expendable and could simply way for another day.

By removing Transgender people from the bill y'all sent a clear message to everyone concerned that the transgender community is some how not on equal footing with the rest of the community.

Read the her entire blog entry, the garbage that the HRC is trying to push to justify their dumping us is really amazing, make sure you have your boots on it is piled high in S**t.

Yahoo Email Problems

Is anyone else having problems with Yahoo email? I have not been able to access it consistently since last night. It has only been working sporadically all morning and it is very frustrating to see that you have mail but not be able to read it.

Off On Another Great Adventure.

In two weeks I will be going down to Nassau County on Long Island in New York for a four day training workshop on activism giving by the “National Gay and Lesbian Task Force” I was invited to the “New York Power Summit Grassroots Organizing Training for the LGBT Communities and Our Allies”.....

“The Task Force’s Power Summit is an intensive action-oriented training designed to provide activists with the concrete skills, tactics, and strategies they need to get lawmakers on our side, talk with the public about the issues facing the LGBT community and, most importantly, build grassroots organizations and coalitions that will win critical rights and protections for the LGBT community.”

I looking forward to it, the last one I attended was great and I learned a lot and made a number of network contacts. I am going with two other CTAC Board members plus someone from “Loves Makes A Family”. I am planning on taking the Bridgeport – Port Jefferson ferry to avoid driving through New York City. I can just sit back enjoy trip and take a lot of photos from the ferry.

Tagged

I was tagged by Kwizgiver from “what if this is as good as it gets?”

Here are the rules...

1. Link to the person that tagged you, and post the rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself.
3. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs.
4. Let each person know that they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

OK, I will modify the rules a little. I will not tag you but you are all welcome to play along, just leave a comment with a link to your blog.

Without further ado….

1. I have no idea what color are my eyes. I what ever you say my color of my eyes, I will say OK
2. I am left handed. I broke my right hand when I was about 6 -8 months old.
3. When I took swimming lesson my mother use to bribe me with candy bars because the water was SOoo cold.
4. Back in my college days I was a hippie. Studying like crazy during the week and dropping out on weekends.
5. Also back in my college days one of my nick names was “Einstein” because of all the other hippies I hung out with on the weekends.
6. Since I am on a roll with my college days, I use to go backpacking carrying a 65 pound pack on 25 mile hikes on a weekend.
7. The first play I went to was when I was in 12th grade, we went to see “As You Like It” and I loved it. But the next play I went to was forty years latter; it was the play “Headwig”. In-between was my lost years where I did nothing but sit around at home, since then I have been to about a dozen play and the latest will be Sunday evening; “Wicked” at the Bushnell.

Manic Monday

Manic Monday for November 12, 2007

What family traditions or customs would you most like to see preserved?
I do not know, I don’t think we have any unique family traditions, except making plans that are overly complicated.

What do you feel is the least sexy part of the body?
Your brain and your imagination.
Duh!... That what I get for answering before my morning coffee. Now you know why I have a hard time with tests, my mind jumps over those unimportant words like "least".
The least sexy part I would also have to say the feet.

What keeps you awake at night? Why? (This could be worries, recurring thoughts, pain or any other distraction. Read into this any way you wish.)
School: exams, term papers, homework, etc. Some times I wonder is it all worth it, all the anxiety and sleepless nights.

A Walk in the Woods

I went walking at Session Woods Wildlife Management Area in Burlington today with a friend; it was about a three mile walk with some hills but not that hard of a walk. I had heard about the forest in my photography class and decided it might be worth a visit.

These are the photos from around the pond and of the lookout tower...

By The Way Sunday

~Reality or Not~

By the way...

Do you watch reality TV shows?
No, never. It just does not interest me.

If so, which is your favorite?
--

If not, what is it that you dislike about reality TV?
It seems so phony and exhibitionist

Fan or not, which reality TV series would you absolutely refuse to watch?
All of them, but especially the one about kids. Why don't you just read “The Lord of the Flies”

In light of the writer's strike, there has been talk of more reality TV to fill the void. Will you watch yet more reality TV or will you settle for reruns?
I will take the low tech approach, I will read.

Saturday Six - Episode 186

Patrick’s Place Saturday Six - Episode 186

1. Considering your political views now versus seven years ago, do you think they have changed or remained the same?
No they have not changed; I have always been a liberal

2. Should a president be allowed to run for a third term?
NO! We would end up with a dynasty or a “Ruler for Life”. Look what happens in Congress, once a Senator or Representative are elective it is also most impossible for them to get elected out of office. People are just lazy and will vote for someone just because they did in the past.

3. Do you think a president would be able to accomplish more if he could only be elected to a single term?
That is hard to say, look what happens with a “Lame Duck President” they tend to lose power or they push through bad legislation.

4. Take the quiz: Which political group most agrees with you?


LIBERALS usually embrace freedom of choice in personal matters, but tend to support significant government control of the economy. They generally support a government-funded "safety net" o help the disadvantaged, and advocate strict regulation of business. Liberals tend to favor environmental regulations, defend civil liberties and free expression, support government action to promote equality, and tolerate diverse lifestyles.

Your PERSONAL issues Score is 70%.
Your ECONOMIC issues Score is 20%.

How People Have Scored:
Centrist 33.57 %
Right (Conservative) 8.88 %
Libertarian 32.71 %
Left (Liberal) 16.95 %
Statist (Big Government) 7.89 %

Surprise!Surprise! Who would have ever thought that I was a Liberal.

5. Can you imagine ever running for office?
No. I do not think I want that much craziness in my life.

6. Let’s suppose that you were a candidate, and that you found some real dirt that no one else knew about your opponent. If that candidate started a negative campaign against you, how tempted would you be to use that information?
I would like to think I would take the high ground and not use it, but I think it would depend on the circumstance. I think if you opponent was campaigning on an anti-homosexual platform and I found out that he was Gay (Not that that would happen in real life.) I might use it. Or if he was running on an anti-corruption platform and I found out he was taking kickback I probability would use. But I would make sure it was true.

Doubt

Last night I went to see “Doubt” at the Theater Works in Hartford with another friend. The play was excellent and it brought back some memories from my parochial school days. We had to use ink pens and not ball point pens, so therefore my hand went across the wet ink because I am left handed. The nuns use to whack my knuckles with a ruler for smudging the ink. That was the theme of one of the skits in the play last night.
The theater is literally a hole in the wall, you go in this doorway and down a flight of stairs to basement and the the theater which must have a capacity of about only two hundred, and it’s a very intimate theater. My friend got two free tickets so he invited me to go with him and I was glad we went.

Tonight I am going to a fundraiser dinner for the Hartford Gay and Lesbian Health Collective. I am going with three other friends; it is a semi-formal dinner and the biggest event for the GLBT community with mayor of Hartford hosting it. I understand there will be over four hundred people there.

Bear at the Stonewall Center at UMass at Amherst

Last night I went up to the University of Massachusetts at Amherst with Peterson to hear a workshop by the author S. Bear Bergman “Butch Is A Noun”. The workshop was on the use of gender in writing, time was short so too much wasn’t covered in the workshop. Ze had us write a paragraph using a gender neutral name like Chris or Terri and in the place of the pronouns him/her and he/she use, hir for him or her and ze for he or she. We then had to guess. Part of what one of the students wrote: “ze met hir friend at the ice cream shop” and there was a discussion on what gender could you infer from that and why.
For the length of time that ze had, I think ze got hir point across rather well.

What We Learned

As a trans-person, I am glad that ENDA (H.R. 3568) passed. It is a big step forward the vote was 235 – 184, but I am very disappointed it was not the gender inclusive bill. The Connecticut delegation all voted in favor of the bill: Larson, Courtney, DeLauro, Shays and Murphy.

Looking at the political facts makes it very obvious why gender was dropped from the bill.

Fact #1 – Gay and lesbians makes up about 5 – 10 percent of the general population.
Fact #2 – Transgender persons makes about 5 – 10 percent of the population also, but I feel that those who are politically active and are lobbying for the bill is probability a tenth of that number (0.5 – 1.0 percent)
Fact #3 – We are coming up to an election year.
Fact #4 – The Democrats are looking for the GLBT vote and needed a victory.

Given those facts it is easy to see why we were thrown overboard. The Democrats wanted a win that they could brag about it in the election; they had a choice pass a non-inclusive ENDA or not pass the inclusive ENDA. So they threw us overboard. They can now hold up all the Democrats that voted for the bill and say see we are in favor of GLBT rights. If they had the gender inclusive bill there would be some Democrats who would have voted against the bill and the Democrats would have had egg on their face.
I do not feel this was the right track that they should have risen above politics and taken the high road; instead of politic as usual.

What did we learn from this?

1. We learned who are friends are and who are our enemies.
2. We learned which Representatives have a problem with gender identity and we can work to educate them.
3. We learned what our opponents arguments are against the bill and plan a defense against it.

What does really, really gets me mad is the behavior of the HRC and Joe Solmonese.

• In March 2000 the HRC added Gender to its Mission Statement.
• In May I was down in Washington DC at the HRC offices and they said that they would only back a gender inclusive ENDA
• At the Southern Comfort Conference on September 14, Joe Solmonese said the same thing.
• The end of September after Barney Franks introduces a non-inclusive ENDA; the HRC said they would remain neutral on the bill. That they would neither support the bill nor opposing the bill and they would not score the Representatives if they voted on the bill.
• Last week they said that they will only support the bill and oppose any amendments. That they will score the Representatives who voted against the bill.
• That they had a secret poll done in October 26 that they did not make it public until November 6th. The poll asked: "This proposal would make it illegal to fire gay, lesbian and bisexual workers because of their sexual orientation. This proposal does not include people who are transgender. Would you favor or oppose this proposal moving forward?”

How can anyone ever trust the HRC or Joe Solmonese again?

Never in My Lifetime

I am sitting here and shivers are running up my spine, right now on CSPAN they are debating ENDA and the Baldwin amendment in the House of Representatives. I never thought that in my lifetime that I would hear them debate gender identity, to hear representative stand up defense of us.
Right now they are in a procedure debate on the rules

A Little of This and That

I had my final exam in my Research I class. I studied all weekend and Monday, I made flash cards out of 3X4 cards and by the time I left for the exam I had them down pat. I could answer all of them either the definition or the word and could explain all the strong and weak point, what type of survey was best for what they of research. I took two Advil PM to get a good night sleep. But when I took the test, I was lucky that I got my name right. I just froze and had a mental block; it was so frustrating which made it even worst. I just get so stressed out that I am being to question if I can stand that much stress for the next four years. The number of antacids and Advil PM’s that I take goes up the closer I get to an exam.

# # #

Yesterday for the first time I voted as Diana, it was kind of neat. This year Connecticut is using those new optical card readers, I don’t know but I still like those old mechanical voting machine, it just gave me a solid feeling of pulling the leveler and hearing all those gears turn, knowing that your vote was recorder. Sliding your ballot into a slot just doesn’t give me a warm and fuzzy feeling, how do you know that your ballot was actually read. For all you know you just fed your ballot into a shredder.

# # #

Last week I bought one of those precooked chicken at the supermarket and this morning I threw it into the crock pot to make barley chicken soup. I figure it was a good time to make chicken soup, the weather is turning cooler and a nice cup of hot chicken soup would be nice a cold winter days. I will get about seven or eight cups of soup out of it to freeze. I added carrots, celery, onions, a little bit of garlic, basil, parsley and barley, and then I let it slow cock all day.

# # #

The photograph is my backyard that I took last week just before the rains and wind from the remains of hurricane Noel came by. It was a lousy year for the foliage, the weather was too warm and dry, when the leaves did start to change the remnants of Noel knocked what color there was off the trees.

It Get Worst.

It is now time to start talking about a Boycott of HRC. Talk about Flip Flops: in September Joe Solmonese says at the Southern Comfort Conference in Atlanta that the HRC will only back a gender inclusive ENDA, then at the end of September he says they will remain neutral and not endorse the non-inclusive ENDA and now turns around and says that they will support the non-inclusive ENDA.
I urge all those who read my blog and have in the past donated to the HRC to donate instead to another organization that supports the gender inclusive ENDA. The organization that I like is NGLTF, they have done a lot to help us here in Connecticut with our legislation.

Here is a letter that HRC co-signed that was just sent to the House of Repsentatives

Leadership Conference on Civil Rights
1629 K Street, NW
10th Floor
Washington, D.C. 20006
Phone: 202-466-3311
Fax: 202-466-3435
www.civilrights.org
November 6, 2007
Dear Representative:
We, the undersigned organizations, write to express our support for H.R. 3685, the
“Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2007” (ENDA). ENDA would prevent most employers from firing, refusing to hire, or denying a promotion to any worker on the basis of sexual orientation. In doing so, this legislation represents a major step forward in the advancement of civil rights protections for all Americans, and would bring federal law closer in line with highly-successful policies that already exist in a number of states and corporate environments.
Arriving at a position in support of H.R. 3685 has been extraordinarily difficult for our organizations. As you may know, earlier this year, Congress introduced – with our enthusiastic support – H.R. 2015, a bill that would prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of not only sexual orientation, but also gender identity. Out of concern that
Congress as a whole may not yet have the political will to pass the fully-inclusive version of ENDA, the House leadership reluctantly decided to pursue a narrower bill, one that would advance protections for gay, lesbian, and bisexual employees, but would not include employees whose gender identity leaves them especially vulnerable to employment discrimination.
We continue to believe that H.R. 2015 is a far better approach. While it is beyond dispute that H.R. 3685 would improve protections for employees who might otherwise face unjust discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, it is also beyond dispute that transgender employees are particularly in need of those protections. They face far more pervasive and severe bias in the workplace and society as a whole. While transgender employees may in some cases be protected under Title VII, they otherwise have little relief under existing state laws, municipal ordinances, or private employment policies. As civil rights organizations, however, we are no strangers to painful compromise in the quest for equal protection of the law for all Americans. From the Civil Rights Act of
1957 through the almost-passed District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act of 2007, legislative progress in the area of civil and human rights has almost always been incremental in nature. With each significant step toward progress, the civil rights community has also faced difficult and sometimes even agonizing tradeoffs. We have always recognized, however, that each legislative breakthrough has paved the way for additional progress in the future. With respect to ENDA, we take the same view.
While we are greatly disappointed that the current version of ENDA is not fully inclusive, our sense of frustration in this case is directed at those who would clearly prefer to see no one from the gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender community protected at all. We know the decision to pursue a narrower strategy was a very difficult one, and we appreciate the steadfast efforts of our Congressional allies over the years to advance the rights of all Americans – even when they are forced at times to make progress that is measured by inches rather than yards.
As such, we urge you to support the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, and to oppose any floor amendments or motions that would undermine its protections. If you have any questions, or need any further information please feel free to contact LCCR Vice President and Director of Public Policy Nancy Zirkin at (202) 263-2880 or Rob Randhava, LCCR Counsel, at 202-466- 6058. Thank you for your consideration of our views.

Sincerely,
American Federation of State, County, Municipal Employees
Human Rights Campaign
Leadership Conference on Civil Rights
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
National Education Association
National Employment Lawyers Association
Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism

More Backstabbing by the HRC

You may remember that I wrote about the HRC back in September about their so called neutral position statement where the HRC would not oppose or endorse Barney Frank’s bill HR3685 that is the non-gender ENDA bill. Well, I found this on “Pam’s House Blend” blog site. The HRC had this up on their web-site until it was found by the transadovcate.com and then the HRC took it down.

So not only did they go back on their original promise to only support a gender inclusive ENDA but also the promise they make at the end of September where they said they would back the gender exclusive bill.

Dear [Decision Maker],

As your constituent, and a Human Rights Campaign Supporter, I'm writing you to share my strong support for HR 3685, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, legislation that protects GLBT Americans against discrimination in the workplace.

(Edit Letter Below)
I know you share my belief in the right of all American workers to be judged by their qualifications, and their job performance - not by the color of their skin, the name of their religion, or the country of their birth.

But, in 31 states, it's still legal to fire someone because they're gay - and in 39 states, it's legal to fire someone for being transgender.

In a country founded upon the principle of equal opportunity, it's time to put an end to this injustice. Corporate America has already taken significant steps toward this goal, with almost 90% of Fortune 500 Companies now including sexual orientation in their non-discrimination policies.

Please support equal employment rights for all Americans.

Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your address]

Can anyone ever trust anything that the HRC says from now on?

Manic Monday

Manic Monday for November 5, 2007

Describe yourself in one word:
Caring

What is your favorite kitchen utensil and why?
Crock Pot, because it is so versatile and it fills the house with these great smells.
Looking at some of the other posts, I realized that a crock pot is not a utensil. So therefore I would say in its place a whisk because it is so useful to me, I use it just ab lout for every meal

What is the one thing that frightens you the most about growing old?
How will the nursing home deal with someone who is gender variant?

A Little Sad. - Outed at My Former Place of Employment

I just found out that where I use to work that they found out about my transition and I am a little sad about what I heard. I was told that I am the hot topic there right mow. I was wondering why I was getting so many hits (They really like my TV News interview from my trip to Washington DC) from that area of the state, well now I know.
About six or eight weeks ago I saw in the keywords used in search engines that my full name was listed, I was a little concerned but then earlier I had told a friend that you can find my blog by searching using my name. I thought it was her (I have since found out it wasn’t) so I dismissed any concerns about it. Well yesterday I got an email telling me that someone (They didn’t tell me who.) at work found my blog and passed the link around.

I am not mad only a little sad that after almost thirty years working with them that the person who did the search of my name and passed the information along to everyone. I do not know why they felt they had to tell everyone; was it out of a feeling of superiority or was it the feeling of knowing something that nobody else knew or was it out of spite; I do not know or care to know who did find the connection. I am just disappointed that for whatever reason that they felt they had to tell everyone. I just want to know what I ever did to you that you felt that you had to “Out” me like this.

But maybe something good will come out of this, maybe some manager will read this and review their diversity statement. The company diversity policy does not cover gender identity or expression; this might be a good time for a revision. Since I was only months away from transitioning at work what would the company have done? Would I have been fired? Would they have accepted me with open arms? I was not the first, an engineer from the company left there about fifteen years ago to transition and I will probability not be the last one either.

I want each of you from work who read this to look at the PC you have on your desk and the PLC’s that you are working with and to remember the book that most of you read in college

"Introduction to VLSI Systems" or, as it became known to a generation of engineering students, "Mead-Conway."

The ground work for the modern microprocessor was laid down by a transsexual, Dr. Lynn Conway.

Oh well, I have a life to live. Se la vivre.

P.S. If any one at work wants to contact me, my email address is diana_57_usXyahoo.com (Replace the X with @)

By The Way Sunday

~State by State~

By the way...

What's the best thing about the state you live in?
It’s a blue state; we are a progressive state and we were the first state in the country to offer “Domestic Partner” without a court order.

What one thing would you like to change about your state?
The Anti-discrimination laws to include gender identity and expression

What do you like about the climate in your state?
The winters are mild along the coast and cool in the northwest mountains in the summer.

What do you not like about the climate in your state?
Nor’easterns; the blinding blizzards that come up the coast in winter.

If you didn't live in your state, which state would you like to live in?
Washington; I liked the Olympic Peninsular.

Name something unique about your state.
We have the highest per capital income in the nation and we are half way between New York and Boston. From my house it is about an hour and a half to either city.

(If you don't live in the "states," you can substitute whatever you like for "state.")

Saturday Six - Episode 185

Patrick Place

1. What was the brand and model (if you remember) of the first computer you remember using?
An AIM65 made by Rockwell. It used a 6502 1Mhz processors with 8K RAM, a forty character LED display, 40 character printer and it use a tape recorder to store programs
My next computer was an Apple II+ with something new called a Disk Operating System (DOS).
Amended....
Before any of them I used a mainframe in college, an IBM 1620 to learn to program in FORTRAN (I think it was version II)

2. What year do you remember using a home computer for the first time?
To learn programing and I was on-line in 1979.

3. Hype aside, which platform do you prefer: Mac or PC?
PC, that was because of work everything there was PC based.

4. Take the quiz: Are you a Mac or PC?

You Are a Mac

You are creative, stylish, and super trendy. You demand the best - even if it costs an arm and a leg.

Are You a Mac or a PC?

5. How fair would you consider the quiz to be based on the responses?
The quiz was too simple and the questions were not computer related.

6. If money were no object, what brand of computer would you most likely purchase?
I will not buy a brand name computer; I would do what I did when I brought all my other computers. Have them custom built for me to my specs. from a store in town. It doesn’t cost any more than a brand name but you can get options that you cannot get from a store brand, like a RAID 1 drives. Now I think I would have a LINUX OS.

Thanksgiving Plans

OK, let see if you can follow this….

• My brother’s brother-in-law [G] and wife [M] are arriving in Boston from California on Tuesday driving up to Maine to be with my sister-in-law [D] and brother.
• My brother, my brother’s brother-in-law [G] and wife [M] are driving up to the cottage on Wednesday
• My sister-in-law [D] is going up to the cottage on Wednesday after work.
• My nephew [C1] and his girl friend [S] are also flying in from California on Tuesday and staying over night in Boston.
• My nephew [N] and his girlfriend [K] are taking the bus up from New York to Boston to stay with his brother and girl friend.
• On Wednesday; my nephews [N] & [C1] and their girlfriends [S] & [K] are driving up to the cottage.
• Also on Wednesday my nephew [C2] and his wife [J] and their three children [A], [E] & [L] drive up to the cottage from Connecticut after my grandniece [A] gets out of school.
• And my sister-in-law [D] is driving to the cottage after work from Maine.

Ok, you got it so far…

• Thursday my brother’s brother-in-law [S] drives up from Boston to the cottage
• Also on Thursday I drive up to the cottage.
• Thursday night my niece [A] and her son [C] drive up from New Jersey after her son has Thanksgiving dinner with his Dad.
• Then on Friday we all sit down for a relaxing Thanksgiving dinner… all 13 adults, 4 children (all six years old and under) and three dogs!
• And then we do it all in reverse.
• My brother’s brother-in-law [S], my brother’s brother-in-law [G] and wife [M] and I are leaving after dinner.
• My nephew [C1] and his girl friend [S] are driving up to Burlington, VT and leave to go back to California on Saturday.
• Everyone else is leaving on Sunday and my nephew [N] and his girlfriend [K] are riding home with my niece [A] and her son [C].

A World Apart

On another forum there is an interesting “just a position” of two threads. One thread was about the military inadvertently recruits gays and the other thread was about the British military conference on GLBT issues in the military.

The USA Today article said the United State military accidentally placed an ad on a Gay Web-site called GLEE and the military official said:

"This is the first I've heard about it," said Maj. Michael Baptista, advertising branch chief for the Army National Guard, which will spend $6.5 million on Internet recruiting this year. "We didn't knowingly advertise on that particular website," which he said does not "meet the moral standards" [I am not even going to go there, that can be the topic on another blog entry.] of the military.

Meanwhile on the other side of the ocean the British military are holding seminars on how to accommodate transsexual military personnel and a seminar on how to recruit gays and lesbian to the Navy.

Tagged

I got this from Cat who was tagged by Kwizgiver

Best place to eat. Tuscany’s in Middletown

Best shopping mall. Westfarms Mall in Farmington, West Hartford and New Britain (it sits on the corner of those three towns,

Famous landmark. The Colt building in Hartford, it’s not fancy but it is well known and visible.

Best tourism attraction. Mystic Aquarium

Best place for kids. Lake Compounce

Popular outdoor activity. Hiking

Breathtaking view. Just a little walk from my backyard

Only found here. The Mark Twain House