The DonnaBlog

Today is July 2 and I am recently back from my run.  After my run, I stopped by the Episcopal Church near my home for a few quiet moments.

One concept that has somehow gotten drowned out in recent days and weeks came through loud and clear this afternoon.  In a word: Simplify.

Towards that end I have made several decisions.  When I got back from my run I deactivated my Facebook account.  My thanks to my 1,200+ friends there for their support and kindness.  It’s just that in a simplified world it provides too much noise.

Another decision I’ve made is that this will be the last entry in the DonnaBlog for a while.  I’ve been at it faithfully for since 2004 and the fact of the matter is that it’s a significant drain on time and energy.  I’m tired.  That’s not to say it’s going away.  It is to say, however, that when it remerges it will be different.

I expect to be available through email as I always have.  And I’ll be active doing things as I always have.  Just quieter.

Thank you to everyone who has allowed my life to be part of their day for these last 5 years.  It’s nice to have friends you never even realized you had.  Please continue to drop by from time to time as I expect to continue video blogging, providing general announcements, and other things here.  It’s just that, for now, it’s time to take a breather for a while.

I took the dogs for a walk to the high school near the house yesterday afternoon.  All the athletic fields were filled with throngs of people.  The baseball diamonds were full.  There was some sort of girls lacrosse camp going on because there were 50 or more girls doing drills and scrimmaging.  All 5 tennis courts were full.  And, small groups of people were running around the track.  One thing about this area is that the summers are mild and people love to get outdoors and enjoy it.

Needless to say, I doubt that the parks in Arizona are experiencing similar use at this moment.  One friend called to say the temperature there was 112 earlier in the week.  Ugh.

I’m neck deep in packing, cleaning, logistics, planning and mentally preparing for this trip.  The thing that’s providing extra weight for me right now – well, one of the things – is that it involves my son and the dogs.  Getting them on their feet before I move on to other priorities is a heavy burden on me right now and I’m doing my best to handle it.

Some watched the video blog that I posted yesterday and mentioned that I looked tired.  That’s not surprising because I AM tired in lots of ways.  The thing I don’t think I’ve explained here is that I’m going through a transition process in my life where nearly Everything is changing.  Where I live.  My career.  My finances.  My priorities.  In a very real way – my sense of self is changing as well as I’ve never felt more vulnerable and emotional than I do now.  There are far more questions than answers right now so the uncertainty of it all is a little overwhelming sometimes.  My gender transition was certainly a trauma to me and it introduced an entire new set of realities into my life.  What is happening now is a close second.

That’s not to say it’s a bad thing.  Much of my life over the past few years have been spent learning to let go of things and to shed roles and obligations that I’ve outgrown, or no longer fit for one reason or another.  I think that being self-aware enough to realize these things is second only to having the ability to actually let go of them.  And, after all is said and done, the key elements of it all – as they are in so many things in life – are Hope and Trust.  Together they are candles that allow people to close their eyes and jump.

That all probably sounds like a bunch of goggldy-gook but that’s the place I’m at.  The future is full of unknowns – as it is for all of us – yet the landscape is changing under my feet.  As you might imagine that takes a certain amount of emotional, physical, and spiritual energy.  And stress.  So – I’m a bit drained at the moment.  One second my stomach is in my throat at the thought of it all and another I’m calm.

It seems as though some perceive me as this never-ending pot of energy ready to carry the world on her shoulders.  If you’ve met me you’ll know that’s not me at all.  I get tired.  I feel.  I need my rest.  But at the same time I’m passionate, emotional, and resolute once I’ve come to believe.  Well – I believe.

We’ll hit the road at midday tomorrow.  My son needs to pick up his paycheck and cash it.  I’ve mapped out a route where we’ll drive 650 miles (to Terre Haute, IN) tomorrow, 930 miles (to Amarillo TX) on Saturday, and the final 700 miles on Sunday.  I hope the weather is nicer than it is here today – rainy and foggy – but we’ll just see how it goes.  And I’m hopeful that July 4 traffic is light traffic.  People have been wishing me a good Holiday weekend and it takes me a minute to realize exactly what holiday they’re talking about.  It’s such a non-event for me this year it’s not even funny.

That’s enough babbling for one morning.  I’m going for one last run along the canal.  The rain seems to have subsided for a while so we’ll see how it goes.  It’s a 5.5 mile loop and provides more than enough time to escape into the place in my mind where I go when I run.  It’s therapeutic, and it’ll get me ready for 3 days in a car, a week of moving, and the general continuing upheaval of life.  What keeps me going?  A number of things.  Most of all, though, is that I believe.

I generally handle stress pretty well.  Lord knows, there have been times when it has moved itself in and become a constant companion so you either need to learn to live with it or struggle.  I don’t know if you ever really get used to the feeling of a brick sitting in the pit of your stomach but that’s just part of being human.

One of the casualties of stress is sleep.  I fell asleep ok at midnight but was awake at 4:11am and was restless from then till I finally got up to take the pups out at 6:30.

I’ve got so many things going on right now, most important of which is to find a place for my son and dogs at least for the short term.  We’re scheduled to leave here the day after tomorrow and, truthfully, we’ve got a few options but none of them are ideal or even close to it.  There’s lots to do between now and then, my son is stressed, I’m stressed – it’s quite the combination.

I did a Video Blog entry yesterday.  Here it is:

Thanks to my friend Angie for taking me to dinner last night and for being such a good friend.  I am truly blessed to have friends like her in my life.

Speaking of friends, I just loaded some of the photos from the memory card in my camera into my computer.  I realize it has been a while since I’ve published a photo and I don’t have many recent ones, but here’s a shot from a recent trip to Phoenix.  It includes Dr. Becky, Margaux, and other friends.

Donna and Friends

Another week begins.

I’m enjoying what I can best describe as a “down” day.  Lord knows I need one (or two, or three). So far I’ve done 2 loads of laundry, replaced that battery in my car, run 5 miles along the canal, given both dogs a bath, filled out a rental app for a townhouse in Scottsdale, taken some photos of things I want to sell on Craigslist, and paid some bills.  And, it’s only 2pm.  I realize that probably doesn’t sound like there’s much “down” about it but I’m enjoying sitting at my iMac just chilling at the moment.  I think I sense a nap in my future.

As for me – it’s soup for dinner.  The road trip with Elizabeth and the kids was a significant bump in my healthy lifestyle.  I’ve had more chicken fingers over the last month than in the rest of my entire life combined, and although I’ll admit to actually liking a McDonald’s double cheeseburger I’m thinking that having them too often isn’t a good thing.

This past weekend was PRIDE celebrations in several large US cities including San Francisco, NYC, Denver, and Chicago. Yesterday marked the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riot. And this afternoon there was a reception at the White House for “LGBT Leaders” to celebrate Stonewall (or to make up for recent bad press on lack of progress on LGBT issues) where the President spoke. One person who attended has already posted his thoughts and called the President’s speech “unremarkable” but also appreciated that it happened at all.

If you’re planning on attending Southern Comfort in Atlanta this year their “Early Bird” pricing ends tomorrow.  Prices go up on July 1, so now might be a good time to register (Register Here).  I’ll be there –  it’ll be the only conference I attend this year besides the wonderful event in Harrisburg PA last March.

If you ever have any question about why the work of humanizing ourselves is so important all you need to do is go to YouTube on any given day and do a search on “Transgender”.  Sort it by “Most Recent”, and you’ll see all kinds of stuff.  Some of it will inspire you.  Some of it will make you mad.  And some of it will break your heart.  Why?  Because this real life stuff.  This is what makes life so difficult for so many of us.

Here are a couple that were posted in the last day or so:

There is already video from the Trans March in San Francisco this past weekend:

And, if you’ve got some time on your hands here’s an Australian documentary titled “Gender Puzzle”

That’s it for today.  Life goes on.  Now?  Time for my nap.  :)

I flew back to Rochester today after several very busy days in Phoenix.  The main order of business was to look at places to live and, hopefully, secure something before we show up there in the car a week from today.  I saw lots of places and am interested in several – each for a different reason.  I hope to be able to work through all the details early this week in preparation for our Friday launch.

Picture this – me, my 23-year old son, our 2 dogs, and my son’s clothes all driving 2,400 miles across America in a smallish Scion without a trunk.  It’s going to be “interesting”, to say the least.  Between now and then there are lots of details to take care of, logistics to manage, loose ends to tie, and planning to do.  I told my son tonight that I’m feeling a little stressed by it all and that he needs to understand that.  He does.

As I type this the dogs are asleep near my feet.  The house is more than half empty and I hope it gets even  more so by the end of the week.  Andy has done a good job of keeping the refrigerator fairly empty so there won’t be too much extra food. I just updated my iPhone to OS 3.0 without any problems.  And, I’m tired.

I do want to mention something tonight that might be of interest to other transwomen.

One “issue” that rarely gets mentioned, but I’d wager is a full-blown epidemic, is the gradual apathy that can easily overtake post-op MTF women with regards to Dilation.  I’m sure many of us remember those first weeks after SRS when it seemed that days were sent either getting ready to dilate, actually dilating, or cleaning up from it.  It can get painful, tedious, and generally un-fun really fast.  Still, though, there are many reasons that it’s important regardless of the “equipment” of your sexual partners or whether you plan to be sexual at all.

I mention this because I’m one of those whose dilations gradually got further and further apart – first it’s every week, then every couple of weeks, then maybe once a month, then…..well, lots of time can pass.  Life gets busy and one day you just realize that it’s been a while since you’ve dilated.  At some point it’s easy to figure – what’s the point?  You’ve lost so much width and depth it’s easy to just give up.

There are several reasons that’s not healthy, and I recently had a discussion with Dr. Meltzer about the topic.  If someone were to pursue surgical options it’s almost like having SRS all over again except that they’d need to find other skin to graft (hips) since the scrotal skin is gone.  There are, thankfully, other options.

Linda from Dr. Meltzer’s office mentioned a set of flexible dilators that they’ve been experimenting with that seems to be helping those who have fallen off the wagon, so to speak, get back into things.  The first is only the size of a pinkie (length is 2.5 inches, circumference is 2″).  The next is a little bigger (3 inches long, 2.5″ circum).  The biggest is fairly impressive.  There are 6 of them in all.

One benefit is that since they’re smaller and flexible you can put one in overnight.  I am personally testing them (for medical purposes only, of course) so I’ll provide some feedback when I have something to share.  What I will say, however, is that the overnight thing is ok with the smaller ones but with the mid-sized ones it’s – how do I say this? – distracting to the point that falling asleep may not be the first thing on your mind.

If you’re interested in specifics feel free to write to me and I’ll send you a URL to see them. The good thing about ordering from Dr. Meltzer’s office is that you can order them individually based on your needs.

Anyway – that’s probably more than some want to hear but that’s my community service for tonight.  :)

It’s Friday.  A week ago at this time I was traveling from DC to Philadelphia and the past few days have included stays in Charleston, Denver, and Phoenix.  Next week at this time my son and I will be loading ourselves and the dogs into his car for a road trip from Rochester back to Arizona.  Lots to do before now and then.

It’s funny how days come and go with very little to differentiate them when you don’t have a job.  When I get up in the morning it takes a few seconds to think about what day it is – not that it has any real bearing on things but because we tend to like some sort of structure in our lives and mine doesn’t really have much right now.  The next 3 weeks or so are pretty well planned out, though – more out of necessity to make sure everything gets done than a need for structure. 

Last year at this time I was deep into PRIDE.  Denver Pridefest is this weekend and the mother-of-all-Prides, in San Francisco, is teed up as well.  I wish I could participate but the various moving parts of my life right now make that impossible. 

Last year when in was in SF I met some guys who were in the process of making a movie.  I just got an email from them indicating that they’ve loaded their trailer online.  It’s titled “Disappearing into Normality” and is worth watching (see it here).  There’s a brief clip of a keynote session that Jamison and I did at the Transgender Leadership Summit last year on it (video review of last year’s Summit here).  Congratulations to Justin and Ali on this accomplishment - I’m looking forward to seeing the entire thing.

On the political front there was news that the Senate would try to attach the hate crimes bill to the Defense Appropriations Act – which would essentially kill it.  Action alerts went out to members of all the various lists to contact their Senators to prevent this.  Here are details from Huffington Post:

Urgent! Save Hate Crimes Bill Now!!

I just got a phone call from a well placed source on Capital Hill that confirmed that the hate crimes bill currently before the Senate will be added to the Defense Authorization Bill. Remember how well that worked out for us last time?

Congressmembers can use our lives to bargain for bombs and defense spending instead of simply affirming our dignity as human beings worthy of safety from persecution and violence if hate crimes are added to the defense authorization.

You need to call your Senator now and ask them to save the hate crimes bill from certain death! If it’s added to the defense authorization bill it will be the death of hate crimes this year.

You can look up your Senator’s direct phone number here or call (202) 224-3121 and tell them to save the hate crimes bill.

As for ENDA, NCTE has posted an 18-page “ENDA Toolkit” that people can use to advocate for this important legislation (see it here).

On the home front, my job today and tomorrow is to find a place for my son and my furniture to live when we arrive back here next weekend.  That’s one of the main reasons for this visit to Phoenix and to be perfectly honest, I’m a little stressed about it.  I’ve got a list of rentals to look at today so keep your fingers crossed. 

Update 11:45am PT:  I can’t let this week close without reflecting on the fact that pop mega-star Michael Jackson died yesterday.  He was only 50 years old.   I watched events as they unfolded yesterday afternoon in almost disbelief – sort of like the evening of OJ’s now infamous slow-speed chase, or Princess Diana’s fatal car crash.  Some people seem larger than life, but we’re surrounded by reminders that two experiences that ALL of us will share, now matter who we are, are birth and death.  It’s what happens between those two events that counts.

It’s a shame that Michael will be remembered by many for his oddities and quirkiness – he was so much more than that.  We were the same age so I remember him as a talented kid in the 60’s, as a superstar in the 80’s, and as larger than life in the early 90’s.  I’ve seen him perform twice – in 1984 with his brothers at a sold-out Rich Stadium in Buffalo on the Victory tour, and again almost ten years later as the halftime performer for Super-Bowl XXVII in the Rose Bowl. 

I, for one, am sad that he is gone.  I realize that there are others who couldn’t care less – I am not one of those.  He’s one of the people who has defined my generation and, if anything, his untimely passing is a reminder to others to live life to the fullest while we can.  That’s exactly what I’m doing, and I plan to continue.

Reactions to yesterday’s introduction of a fully-inclusive ENDA continue.  There are other places to go that provide broader coverage than I will.  There are, however, a couple of things I’d like to share this morning.

There’s an article in the Washington Blade about yesterday’s press conference about the introduction of the bill.  One sentence that I think is a big deal but doesn’t seem to be getting much attention yet is about upcoming hearings to support the bill.

At Wednesday’s news conference, Frank said Andrews, who chairs a subcommittee of the House Education & Labor Committee, which has jurisdiction over ENDA, has promised to hold a hearing on ENDA. Frank said the hearing would most likely occur in July.

He said that while the election of Barack Obama as president and the election of more Democrats to Congress in 2008 improved the chances for passing ENDA this year, obstacles still exist and LGBT activists need to continue to step up their lobbying for the bill.

“I know there’s been some concern,” Frank quipped, “because it is, after all, five whole months in which Barack Obama has not abolished prejudice.”

Frank said he’s certain a “solid majority” exists in the House for passing ENDA this year on the basis of sexual orientation protection. He said a House hearing last year on anti-trans discrimination helped build support for a non-discrimination bill with a gender identity provision.

Read the entire article here.

I don’t think any of us can afford to under-estimate the value of these kinds of things.  Opportunities to share trans workplace stories and trans lives at this level are new, and are critical to demonstrating the unpleasant realities that so many of us face.  I, for one, look forward to these hearings as a critical component of the “education” process.

I’ve gotten a couple of emails reminding me that discrimination agains transpeople won’t end even if ENDA passes.  I don’t thing anyone would argue that, the same as discrimination and prejudice against African Americans didn’t end with the passage of the Civil Rights bill over 40 years ago.  These are culture shifts and it takes time for that to happen.  However, codifying into law that transgender people are as worthy as anyone else to get and keep a job has significant symbolic and real value that needs to be respected.  Just as the fact that dropping the T from ENDA last time was a significant statement about legitimacy and value – so too is the fact that we’re all in this together this time around.

I’m waiting for responses from a variety of people who are active and visible in LGBT advocacy and blogging circles who publicly endorsed the non-inclusive ENDA last time, and went so far as to attack the trans community as a whiny, needy, fringe that hadn’t paid its dues yet.  I’m wondering if these last 18+ months have changed their perceptions, or if they’re still feeling the same way. 

Lord knows that those opposing ENDA are already pulling out all the stops.  Here’s a recent video from YouTube:

While all this is going on, the Senate held a hearing this morning about Hate Crimes.  The big news there is that US Atty General Eric Holder spoke supporting the legislation.  From CNN:

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder stepped up his call for the passage of federal hate crimes legislation Thursday, arguing that the federal government needs to address a rising tide of criminal activity fueled by bias and bigotry.

Holder made his remarks during testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is considering the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act.

The bill would allow the Justice Department to provide assistance to state and local authorities in the prosecution of hate crimes while also expanding federal protection against hate crimes to cover disability, gender and sexual orientation.

“Hate crimes victimize not only individuals but entire communities,” Holder said.

“Perpetrators of hate crimes seek to deny the humanity that we all share, regardless of the color of our skin, the God to whom we pray or the person who we choose to love. …,” he said. “The time is now to provide justice to victims of bias-motivated violence and to redouble our efforts to protect our communities from violence based on bigotry and prejudice.”

See the entire article here

Again – big big stuff.  Will this legislation end Hate Crimes against LGBT people?  Of course not.  But it’s a step in the right direction.

For those of us who grew up in the 60’s and 70’s or before and struggled to find any mention whatsoever of this mysterious “feeling” we had in mainstream press or the news – each day is a constant reminder of how far we’ve come.  To go from feeling totally alone and isolated to seeing our stories discussed at the highest levels of this country is testament to the hard work and dedication it takes to humanize and legitimize.  The work we’re all doing today will shape the lives of future generations and I can’t think of a more noble cause.  Any “revolution” involves churn but I can only hope that the internal churn of 2007 is the source of unity and solidarity today.  Our mission is clear, our cause is noble, and our motivations are pure.  This is truly a time to take a moment to appreciate who and what we are, the historic opportunities at hand, and to dedicate ourselves to a better future for all of us.

Here we go again.  Only this time, we’re already farther than we were last time.  This is different.

ENDA has been re-introduced in the House of Representatives.  It is fully-inclusive.  If passed by both Houses there is a president in office who has pledged to sign it.  As I say – this is different.

If the 2007 struggle over ENDA was getting ready for prime time – now IS prime time.  There will be many more words written about this over the next several months.

Barney Frank held a press conference to introduce it today (read about it here).  His words expressed optimism that the fully-inclusive bill will pass sometime this year.  However, he also reiterated the need for LGBT people to do their part in making this happen.  It won’t happen by itself. 

Tonight NCTE held a conference call to review current events and strategies moving forward.  I did not attend, but there’s already a good synopsis of what happened online for anyone who missed it (read it here).

In the meantime, news has surfaced that President Obama is working to protect transgender employees of the federal government.  From a NY Times story:

Lawyers for President Obama are quietly drafting first-of-their kind guidelines barring workplace discrimination against transgender federal employees, officials said Tuesday.

The guidelines will be in an updated federal handbook for managers and supervisors to be distributed and posted online in the next couple of months, and they could also be included in other materials for managers. They will list transgender people — those who identify their gender differently from the information on their birth certificates — as among several groups protected by antidiscrimination laws.

Though transgender men and women are not believed to make up more than a fraction of a percent of the federal work force, their inclusion in the discrimination guidelines is seen as a breakthrough by transgender and gay rights advocates.

Read the entire story here

As far as I’m concerned, this is a big big deal.  I, for one, haven’t jumped on the “Obama Has Forsaken LGBT People” bandwagon and believe he’s doing his best given the many other priorities on his plate.  He had my support early on in the election and, if anything, my confidence in him has increased. 

It seems difficult for non-T people to get that ENDA to transpeople is like marriage to gays and lesbians.  Lord knows enough emotional energy has already been spent on it to last a lifetime – yet, here we go again.  I have believed for a long time that the rancor of 2007 will eventually be seen as a positive thing as nobody wants to revisit that.  Yet, I don’t think any of us have any illusions that it’s not impossible to end up back there again.  So I hope each and every person will play a part in making this happen. 

I went to church this morning and the priest was talking about “True Self” and “False Self”.  He explained that a “True Self” is the person you know yourself to be, deep down, while the “False Self” is the person that you portray to others for any number of reasons.  Anyway, this resonated with me so I did a quick Google on it afterwards.  One site has a number of characteristics of both types of self (see it here), and there are others.  I share it here simply because I found in interesting.

On a last note for tonight – I just wish that Congress people would do some of the same sightseeing that Elizabeth and I and the kids did as we start down this parth with ENDA.  Inside the Lincoln memorial alone there are photos and words from a time gone by when discrimination and prejudice were not only tolerated, but they were codified into law.  When we look back on those days with a more recent understanding of Civil Rights and Equality it’s hard not to wonder how things could have been that way, but they were.  Often brutally so. 

It’s time for the lawmakers in this country to realize that they’re being asked to single out specific groups as not worthy of non-discrimination protections.  This is their opportunity to raise the bar on fairness and equality, or to leave it at it’s current position.  I can’t think of a more important legacy to leave this country, and I think it’s important that the people who’s votes will either pass or kill this important decision need to be able to see it in the context of similar decisions that have come before. 

During our recent visit to DC we visited the National Archives and saw for ourselves the founding documents upon which this country is based.  The Declaration of Independence.  The Constitution.  The Bill of Rights.  These are documents for which generations have risked their lives defending.  I can’t see how anyone can stand before these hallowed documents and not see the clarity of the decision at hand.  Somehow, the phrase “Liberty and Justice for All” needs to truly mean All of us, not simply some of us.

I sometimes tell people that life is all about Plan B.  It concerns me when people seem so stuck on a plan of action they haven’t taken the time to identify alternatives just in case things don’t work as you thought they would.

This trip to Denver is a good example of Plan B.  The delays last night just kept coming thanks to rainy weather in Atlanta.  When they announced that the pilot had identified a hydraulic fluid leak in one of the wings it was time to put Plan B into action.  They re-booked me on a flight leaving Charleston at 6am thru Detroit that would get me to Denver an hour before I was supposed to talk downtown.

Elizabeth came back to the airport and took me home.  We got some sleep before the 3am alarm.  Got dressed and ready and to the airport on time.  Flight to Detroit was delayed but made my connection (barely!).  Arrived in Denver on schedule but didn’t have time to wait for my luggage so I bailed on it and hoped it would still be there when I got back.  A friend (thanks Karen!) picked me up at the curb, drove me downtown, parked, and we arrived with a few minutes to spare.  Now THAT’S a Plan B.

So – here I sit in the Denver airport waiting for my flight to Phoenix.  I’m tired and need a nap, but I’ve got a couple of hours to wait yet before boarding.  Sigh.

ENDA hasn’t been introduced yet but the HATE has already started.  The Traditional Values Coalition published an article by their Executive Director titled “It’s Baaaaackkk: ENDA“.  Or, here’s another one. I can’t tell you how much I look forward to seeing these people cry in their soup.  It’s just starting.

A few weeks ago I mentioned a concept that I have been considering for quite some time.  I truly believe that we need to leverage some of the more recent distribution methods for sharing information that is traditionally provided only in formal conferences.  It is unfortunate that all this important “stuff” is limited to only the handfull of people who happen to be in the room, and that some sort of iConference that could engage these same experts and could preserve their workshops for an extended period of time is the next step.

The first of these workshops will be Trans Newbie 101 – Finding and Choosing a Supportive Therapist.  I have engaged will-known Philadelphia therapist Michele Angello, PhD to spend an hour reviewing what to look for in a therapist, how to engage one, therapy styles, therapy for family members, non-traditional therapy options, current trends, and other topics of interest.  And, she’ll be taking questions.  Michele has appeared on Dr. Phil, the Tyra Banks Show, Larry King Live, and will be appearing in an upcoming 20/20 segment on July 7.  Her work with youth and families is particularly noteworth and I’m sure her information will be interesting and insightful.  I’m tentatively planning this for Wednesday, July 8 but will confirm in the next day or two with specifics.  Stay tuned.

Subsequent workshops will include topics ranging from hair removal to hormones to sexual response to coming out in the workplace.  This has tremendous potential and I’m hopeful others find it valuable.

That’s it for now.  I need to wander down to my gate.  This time-zone change stuff is a killer for a few days….I’m already feeling it.  Zzzzzz……

Update 11:11PM PT:  A strong late afternoon thunderstorm in Denver turned that airport into a madhouse shorly after my last entry.  Some flights coming in were diverted to other cities meaning their outbound flights were delayed by several hours.  The good news is that my flight was only delayed by a half hour.

As I type this it’s a few minutes after 11 and I’m ready for bed.  I’ve been up for 23 hours and am very tired.  I’m glad to have a few “down” days ahead of me to catch up on things.  I need it.

It has been several days since my last post.  This is the longest I’ve gone between posts in a long, long time.  That’s due more to lack of opportunity than anything else.

As I write this I’m in the Charleston airport waiting to get on a delayed flight to Atlanta to catch my connection to Denver.  I really need for this to work tonight so I’m a little concerned that my connection time went from 90 minutes to 30 minutes – assuming that there are no more delays.  I’m already dealing with separation anxiety from Elizabeth and family and am fighting a painful ache deep inside.  I hate having to go, especially after the wonderful time we’ve had together.

Our trip took us from Charleston to DC to Philadelphia to Rochester, NY to Niagara Falls to Princeton NJ to Philadelphia to DC to North Carlina and finally back home.  We fit what feels like an entire summer of sightseeing and driving into just over two weeks, and when we pulled into the driveway at 2:30am late Saturday/early Sunday I think we were all glad to be home. 

The only real hiccup in the trip was our decision to abort the visit to NYC because of the heavy rains and fog – we’ll have to do it another time.  Other than that – things went surprisingly smoothly all the way around.

Of course, the world “out there” continued to turn while we were on the road so I’m spending a little time catching up on events. 

I received an email from NCTE this evening indicating that ENDA will be introduced in the House again on Wednesday.

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) is being introduced on Wednesday in the House of Representatives. This is the time to pull out all of the stops and take action to educate Congress about how vital this legislation is to our community. We’ll send you more info as it unfolds.

You can also follow us on Twitter at MaraKeisling and TransEquality, on Facebook and on our blog.

They’ve also scheduled a call for Wednesday evening to discuss it all.

Conference Call
Wednesday, June 24
8 pm ET, 7pm CT, 6 pm MT, 5 pm PT
 
Join us on Wednesday, June 24 for a conference call to get all of the up to the minute details about the introduction of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. The call is free and open to everyone. There will be a lot of information to cover.

Although the call is free you’ll need to register ahead of time to attend.  Here’s the link.

Speaking of NCTE, there was an blog posting on Pam’s House Blend about some recent comments that Mara had made recently, as well as her own detailed explanation.  (read it here).  The thing I found most interesting in her comments last week is the contention that “An estimated one-quarter to one-half percent of the American population is transsexual” (see story here).  I’ve done workshops with her where she goes out of her way to stress in very strong terms to avoid using statistics when discussing transgender people.  Anyway, I found that interesting.

Another story that came across my inbox was the apparent hoax regarding the horrific murder of a trans-woman.  This story was printed in some pretty prominent places and it amazes me that nobody seemed to have any facts.  Anyway, I’m glad it proved to be NOT true.

Speaking of NOT true,  here’s an Op/Ed about the Hate Crimes bill that has passed the House and is waiting for introduction in the Senate (read Child Molester’s Dream Come True).  Some snippets:

Two recent government actions, one legislative and one judicial, have called into question our society’s willingness to protect its youngest and most vulnerable members.

A hate crimes bill (H.R. 1913 and S. 909), dubbed by critics the “Pedophile Protection Act,” has already passed the House and is up for vote in the Senate. The bill earned its unofficial name when Democrats rejected an amendment to exclude pedophiles from legal protection. No doubt this legislation serves as a precursor to onerous hate speech legislation in the future.

On the judicial front, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled in a divorce case that two minor children must be forced to mingle against their will with their homosexual father’s “gay” and lesbian friends during visitation.

Stefanowicz sees a dire future if hate crime laws are strengthened, stating, “With hate crime federally implemented, soon Human Rights Commissions – the likes of what we have in Canada – will hold tribunals in every state, prosecuting those who speak against the sin of homosexuality or mention any health dangers associated with homosexuality. … In Canada, it is a 100% conviction rate.”

Do hate crime laws really protect children? No. They protect adults perpetrating acts of indecency on minors.

Hate crime laws are a child molester’s dream come true.  

We can expect this kind of hateful noise to increase a hundred fold as ENDA moves.  Get ready.

As for me, these next few weeks look to be just as busy as the last few have been.  It will involved tripts to Denver, Phoenix, Rochester and Dallas, as well as packing and a cross country roadtrip from upstate NY to Arizona.  Then, I need to get back to Charleston.  When Elizabeth is there – that’s home.