My Story Part 22 –The Town Tranny

There is a debate in the transgender community over something called the “Town Tranny” or an “Out” transsexual and I could be called a “Town Tranny” because I chose to live to live as a open trans-person. When I go to the grocery store, the hardware store, the post office or to an auto repair shop (and also to the state police officer who investigated the accident) as I did back in 2008 when I was in an accident, I am easily recognized as a trans-person.

There are some trans-persons who believe that you are not really a transsexual if you are not stealth (unidentifiable as a trans-person), that you are a crossdresser living full time as a woman. They believe that a trans-person should transition and then start living their life as a woman or a man. They want to trade one closet for another. It is like the lines from the Star Trek TV series episode “The Best of Both Worlds”, "I am Locutus of Borg. Resistance is futile. Your life as it has been, is over. From this time forward, you will service us," and "You will be assimilated," like many gay men and lesbians, also some trans-people believe that you be able to assimilate back into the general population, that you do not live openly as a trans-person.

This concept is discussed in the blog, “Trans Group Blog”….

Not every transsexual person is capable of going stealth. So, does that mean that s/he should not bother. Perhaps it is better for them to stay in the closet so the rest of us don't get embarrassed by their existence.
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If it were not for these transsexual people willing to step forward, many of us would still be in the dark thinking that we were the only ones. These people that talk to the media, write the books, make the movies, and live daily lives being open about their transsexual history are the ones that are making it easier for the rest of us.

Now days, most people have heard of transsexuals, but only about 20 years ago, nobody had heard of them. There are many historical parallels that can be drawn when comparing transgender people with gays, blacks, and other minorities. Some of us remember how the straight looking gays shunned and put down drag queens, but it was the drag queens, by their being open and out, launched the gay pride movement.

I believe that those of us who are “Out” are the ones who are bring about change and the same is true of the gay and lesbian population, that the ones working for social justice are the one who are willing to stand up and be counted. In the movie “Milk”, Harvey Milk called out for us “to come out of the closet and be counted”, it was true back then and it is true now, to bring about change there must be some willing tot stand up for justice. I am not saying like Milk that we all must come out of the closet, what I am saying is do not criticize those who chose to be out.

The blog goes in to say,

Many late transitioners are never going to achieve stealth, but we can still enjoy being who we are. I get to wear what I want; I get to express my femininity, and I never get treated as a man. I honestly think men just don't see me as the same "species," which is fine with me. So, why the "failure" label, or why make snide remarks that we go around showing our surgery photos. I don't feel like a failure in the least bit, and I have never shown any surgery photos. I have given several talks on transgender 101 for various classes and for several different diversity weeks, and plus I have spoke several times in church. …

I am one of those “late bloomers” and I know I will never pass, I have what I call the “Ten foot” rule, no one can tell that I am trans until they get close and then they can begin to see the clues that I was born with a male body. That knowledge that I never would pass held me back for most of my life and I will not allow that to stop me now. I have learned that for me it is better to be myself then to hide in a closet. You can ask my brother or family and they will tell you that I smile more now, that I am more out going and more relaxed since I transitioned. I use to have two or three panic attacks a year before I transitioned and since I transitioned, now I do not have them anymore.

Do I have any regrets? Yes, I have some, but we all have regrets for everything that we do in life. The question should be instead, “Are you happier now than before I transitioned?” and the answer is yes.