The Big News and Other Things That Are Going On

Is it hot or is it just another one of those flashes again? I'm not sure if staying home is any cooler than going to the Pride Parade today. That's right, I am staying home for the first time in almost 18 years of going to Seattle Pride. My downfall? I started building a new website on Saturday morning and I finally finished it this afternoon ."It's ALIVE!!!!" But there is more to do still. I will probably have to expand it in the near future when money allows, it looks like I will need more space for the things that I plan on doing to it. But for a short time I will continue to update both of the blog sites along with the new website.
On other news fronts, I am still pursuing the identification issue. I will be talking to a spokesperson from the Department of Health in Washington DC sometime this week about the variance in policies and laws. I also plan on trying to get in touch with someone here in the Washington State Department of Health to ask the same questions of them.
I was reading the newspaper (Tacoma News Tribune) on Friday and there an article on page A4 about Transgendered makes US History: The story is about Congress holding its first hearings on discrimination against transgender workers. The article is well written and fairly balanced about the issue. BUT, as usual, there are those that are opposed to any kind of protections for us, much less our very existence. Of all the logic that they have to show for why it should not be allowed was based on religious beliefs and that "forcing" the idea as a valid concept was "like forcing an Orthodox Jew to eat pork", the article also said that "employers would have difficulty in enforcing dress codes and assuring privacy". The quote that this "attorney" used that really got me upset was that "gender identity was totally subjective, who could challenge any male who says he wants to use the women's restroom?" It is hard to believe anyone who is educated in today's' society can be so utterly out of touch with reality. But then again, Dori Monson often says some pretty outrageous things on his talk show about transgenders whenever the topic comes up and there are times that I even agree with him on many other issues except for this one.
The thing is that just getting to the point of having hearings in Congress is further that many of us Transgenders ever expected to see in our own lifetimes. Now if we can just have something positive come out of this opportunity, like job, medical and housing protections, maybe like getting the laws to match nationwide so we can feel safe to move about or even travel around the country just like regular people can and do.
I know that this is going to go against my philosophy of everyone is entitled to their opinion, but sometimes when a duck quacks, it is a duck. So, As to the idiots (I'm not sorry for calling them that) who can't see past their genital shortcomings, get a life.
I could care less about what the other women in the restroom are doing or even what is going on as long as it doesn't threaten my life and I can go potty. If but, by some off the wall chance that some "man" does go in there and does something harmful or illegal, under any kind of guise, there are laws that can be used to deal with the situation. Throw his sick butt in prison like any other criminal, but don't punish transgenders with this kind of crap logic just because you can't cope with people who are different from you. Remember I said that this would sound contradictory to my everyone has an opinion philosophy, but I also said that I was ok with that until they threaten my survival, these hearings are at a federal level, Washington State has such laws that do protect my right to exist and now they are working to make those laws work for us nationally, but these people are trying to prevent that from happening and that threatens my existence as a transgendered person. And as an American who has the right to choose my own destiny I will not allow bigots and the closed minded or the misinformed to deny me the same opportunities and rights to exist that anyone else has.
I got the best surprise on Friday night. I friend that I hadn't seen in quite a while
(I have to digress for a minute, When I met this lady for the first time there was just something about her that told me she was very cool with people just being themselves. So I walked up to her an introduced myself as the "resident fag", I thought she was going to choke to death she was laughing so hard, from that day on she called me Aunt Stevie and she has always treated me with respect and kindness).( And I have to send a huge shout of THANKS to my BFF CariBear for telling her to stop by to see me).
Anyway, she showed up just as I got off work. She walked around the corner and I just about threw everything I had in the air so I could give her a hug. It was funny, here I was, arms full, and so damned excited at seeing her again. I was dancing around like a little girl who just got told that she was going to get her first pony. By the time I was able to put everything down she was laughing so hard it hurt. Hmmmm seems to be a pattern here, but oh well, so be it.
We talked for an hour after work, the surprise of my transition and amazement at my progress were just two of the things that we talked about, and she kept saying how happy for me she was, but the support and acceptance that she has always shown me speaks of the type of person that I've known her to be all along.
She asked how it had been going at work as far as others and their acceptance of Stephanie, I honestly told her that is was very surprising at how well it has gone. I told her how there had been some very minor things that happened but overall it has gone pretty good. She asked me, So what happens when something does happen? How do you handle it? I told as I usually do, Her reaction was great. The look of "oh crap", was priceless. I told her about a lady that walked by me and rolled her eyes and tried to suppress a smirk and I told her about whispering to the lady "Its ok, I scare me too" it left her standing there beet red. But, the next time I saw her she waved hello to me.
Then, we started to talk about my writing, again she was surprised because she knows that I am a advocate when it comes to LGBT issues, but didn't have a clue that I could put two words together much less actually write something down. JUST KIDDING! But she was surprised and very proud that I have come this far along in my new life in such a short time.
So, You know who you are, just don't be a stranger and answer your phone once in awhile.
Copyright Stephanie Snowden 2008
All Rights Reserved