Decidedly Obscure Human Complaints.

I just went on a vacation to San Diego with my adorable family. I can barely recall the last time we went on a vacation together. I was so young. Now that my brother and I are old enough to pitch in, we decided that we could afford a road trip to California. And it was a LOT of much-needed fun. Sunshine and humidity and ocean n' beaches n' cruiser bicycles galore! A couple of things that immediately stuck out to me: Aside from everything mentioned above: people experiencing homelessness were everywhere, in clear sight; sleeping along sidewalks or in established camps. To my surprise, police didn't seem to punish or bother them - and no one else seemed to be harassing them, either. And they weren't hidden or pushed out or shipped off. In Utah, this isn't the case. Everything and anything is done to keep people experiencing homelessness out of sight. For example, at the shelter right next door to apartments I used to live in the city literally built a fenced-in ...

Last night my brother and I watched a documentary called Southern Comfort. It's about the last year of Robert Eads' life, a transsexual man living in Georgia who died from ovarian cancer in 1999. He was refused treatment by dozens of doctors in and around Atlanta. And when he started transitioning he was counseled that he wouldn't need to undergo a hysterectomy and oophorectomy . It was a sad but inspiring documentary. It was pretty clear that he'd died because of discrimination and due to the majority of doctors (especially in the south) not knowing the first thing about transgender health. A few months after he was expected to die, he wore a suit and went with his friends and trans partner (who was caring for him in his final year) to speak at the Southern Comfort Conference (a trans conference). In his memory, the conference now has the Robert Eads Health Project , '"determined that no transgender person should needlessly suffer or die due to a lac...

I met with an academic advisor a few days ago to see if there's any realistic, feasible way I'll be able to go back to school. Once upon a time, even setting foot into a college classroom sounded impossible to me. Especially after dropping out of high school in 1999. I don't recall being encouraged to apply for college. Instead, I was introduced on a weekly basis to army recruiters. Who, in turn, could get us into this foreign world of "college". After dropping out and with few options, I did visit with a recruiter. I was on the verge of signing up, but had just recently decided to go vegan. And I doubted that boot camp would be the most vegan-friendly place. And then George W. Bush became President in 2000. I eventually did find my way to Salt Lake Community College and through harassing anyone and everyone who made eye contact with me, I figured out how to get a high school diploma from an alternative high school. And then how to sign up for loans and clas...

My poor friend's mother. I've met her numerous times. And every time has been positive. My friend has been living with her, after he was spontaneously laid off some time ago. But I haven't been there since starting hormone therapy. Until yesterday. He and I went by his place and, as I had done in the past, I walked in with him and said hi to his mom. She was in the front room, talking on the phone. My friend didn't introduce me. I'd met her a million times. So we both darted downstairs to his bedroom. After I had used the restroom, my friend was no longer downstairs - so I wandered upstairs looking for him. His mom was still on the phone, but was unusually attentive to me, asking if I wanted to take a seat or something to drink. Maybe attentive isn't the best descriptor. Rather, she didn't seem to want me running amok in the basement or walking around her house looking for my friend. Which would make sense if I was a stranger - but she knows me. I...

Lately I've been getting all amped up about everything pOp and trans. Particularly a hip-hop trans performer named Harvey Katz, also known as "Athens Boys Choir", and a Katastrophe (Rocco Kayiatos) - who is featured in a documentary called Pick up the Mic: The (R)evolution of Queer Hip Hop that premiered at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival. I haven't seen it yet, but I will. Katastrophe on a show called Built From Skratch . Tranny Got Pack from Athens Boys Choir (live): More transgender musicians!

I've been obsessed lately with freelance web design and looking for an affordable health insurance plan. Unemployment and not having health insurance isn't fun, but at least it's an opportunity to try my hand at being self-employed. I bought a domain name, web hosting, and a book called  Freelancing for Dummies . Throughout September, I've spent most of my time making websites and making business cards. And putting my poor 16 year old cat, Evilbunny , in costumes: I honestly have no idea why he's such a grumpy old thing. I really, really don't. Lesbian Club  There's one lesbian club in Utah presently. It's great, but it isn't enough. Other venues have attempted to reel in lesbians on and off, but none have been successful. Then a couple of weeks ago a local club decided to start a "lesbian night". Prior to starting hormone therapy, I was mostly read as a "lesbian" socially. And I've always felt a sense of commu...