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Now it's time to turn towards being more out at work - I just ordered a blazer and a couple of pairs of women's dress pants from Kohl's :)

Dear Michele, That's so courageous, generous, and probably thankless for you to do. I simply cannot imagine standing up for myself in that environment. Thankyouthankyouthankyou. It's people like you that are paving the way for people like me. Maybe some day I'll learn from your courage that I can be so courageous too. Hugs, Emma

Dear Christie, Sounds like you had a very nice weekend... being yourself, which is freakin' great, girl! I agree that as much as I have femme role models (I don't have nearly enough fingers and toes to count them) I need to just be, and want to be, me. We are what we are, and we're beautiful. Hugs, Emma

Michele, So that was so great of you to step in, both in the case of the individual and by proposing a broader "resolution"! That clearly took some courage, and I have to say I'd think it could be hard to be in a situation like that which would generate anger but still keep your head in the game and make a rational proposal. I hope it all goes well! xoxo Christie

Hi Emma, It sounds like your sister at the meeting has some of the same qualities I see in others of her generation. Specifically, the idea that because it was hard for them then it should be hard for you. I should expect she had to spend a lot of her life being someone else, pretending. Finally, when she knew who she was, she probably had to spend a very long time explaining it. Justifying it. She may even feel like being transgender is almost a 'club', for which the price of admission is soul-searching, justification and suffering. Anyone who has not done those things is not really transgender and needs to shape up or find somewhere else to sling their hook. Naturally she's mistaken, and whilst I can only sympathise with her for whatever hardships have given her a flint-like edge you are well within your rights to feel hurt. She hurt you and must take responsibility for that. There is no admission cost, there is no minimum level of suffering or pain one must go through. Being transsexual is as much a part of us as the sheen on our eyes or the subdermal scattering of our skin. There's an old joke that goes something like this: Q: "How many transsexuals does it take to change a light bulb?" A: "One. But only after they have first lived in the dark for at least two years and have the agreement of two psychiatrists that the bulb is, indeed, blown." The lengths we have to go to 'prove' who we are can have bad effects on people. They must take responsibility for inflicting that down on to others. You don't have to prove anything, however. There is no timescale, no measure and no schedule except your own. I'm sure the shirt and ballet shoes looked very nice and suited you well. Personally I found the first time I wore a long skirt to be almost like breathing freedom. Kaylee.

Hey Warren, Best of luck getting your top surgery classified as a medical necessity... I really hope it works out for you! (And good luck with getting your medication issues worked out too.) But, um, "falling off a cliff"? Whoa. That's... intense. I'm glad you're still here to tell the tale. And hey, we already know the answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything. It's just the *question* that's giving us a spot of trouble. Best wishes to you... and watch out for those robots from the future. Especially if they look like 1980s Schwarzenegger. 1990s Schwarzenegger should be OK though. Just don't confuse the two! :lol:

Interesting - one of my wolf tattoos, on my leg, is a wolf drawn around the Cherokee word for wolf (My friend dre it). Sorry to hear about losing your father at such a young age, that has to be really difficult

That sounds like a great idea for a tattoo! I have 4 tattoos already, I want another but i'm waiting until i'm done with laser hair removal. Mine are all wolf themed

I will not be gone for good but will need time to devote to my work as we are (here we go) transitioning to a different programming language at work. One of my things is to self-train and by visiting here (which I have been doing often) I get off track. I am going to first try only visiting here no more than once or twice a day to see how that goes.

Oh Emma, you definitely need to find and watch Futurama! It's one of the greatest all-time animated series, and (in my opinion) Bender was the best part of it!

Hi Everyone, Thank you so much for such heartfelt and supportive comments. Sigh. I'm very lucky to have found you and to be part of this group. I love you all. I don't want to sound silly, but... Remember when Sally Field was accepting her award and said, "I guess you really do like me!" I feel like that now, thank you. (She is so sweet, I've always loved her. When she played The Flying Nun I was about ten years old and yeah, I wanted to be a nun too.) Yes, there is always someone like Pamela in every group. We all know that, we've all experienced it. I was just so surprised and caught off guard. And sure, allowing oneself to be off guard should be normal in a support group. I think that's the main point that I need to take away from this episode. It's okay to be myself and be vulnerable. But there are wolves in sheep's clothing everywhere we go and we need to watch out for them and try to be prepared. I hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday! Hopefully my new top/shirt will be ready to pick up at REI today. :-) Emma