Ball and Chain, Janis.

I don't want to take over someone else's thread with these thoughts and this ties into my zen and trans thing....   I had a email with a young Gen Z friend today who came over to my house one afternoon a few weeks ago.  We had a nice time playing music together and then had a good talk and have been doing occasional texting since then.  It asked this morning:   how long have you been trans or out or however you define it?   My answer was this:   Well, my trans thing has been linear.  I've been thinking the last few days that I have no concept of being any other way than I am now in the moment.  I suppose I was hanging on to a masculine look this last decade until I couldn't do it anymore and then when Cynthia died in 2019, I started experimenting with how to bring this more feminine style out of me.  My partner Patty had a coming out event (just the two of us) for me back in 2014 or perhaps the year before.  I kept the idea of coming out as trans buried most of my life because I thought it would be a bad medical outcome.  I probably still believe that, but being older with certainly less time to live, it isn't as big an issue as when I was young.   There is this issue that perhaps people project me as being gay or they just don't understand me.  I'm identifying with being an authentic zen guru now.  I've been doing formal, sit in half lotus meditation for most of my life.  I only briefly had two other people do that with me back in 1999.  I don't get this culture over in America and I keep on hoping the younger generation will latch onto something better, but it always seems to slide back into some bar culture scene.

I think all the anti-trans legislation, particularly on the state level, tends to drive a few trans folks away from the Republican Party.  Even on the federal level they are trying to eliminate my care from the VA.  So, I'm supposed to help them? I might be crazy, but I'm not stupid.

So far things are going well with them.

None of that is a justification for any restriction.    As long as trans candidates continue to support leftist big government ideas, they will never gain support from people like me. Being transgender alone is not enough of a political platform, nor do I consider transgender Democrats to be good news.   I would love to have some trans folks running as Independent or Libertarian candidates, or even as Republicans. It can happen.  It is way past time for it to happen, so that we can defeat the "Trans = Democrat" illusion, which I believe is the source of most opposition to our existence.

Living authentically as both masculine and feminine sounds amazing! It's inspiring to see your confidence. I'm still figuring out my own presentation, it definitive is going to be an androgynous look, hopefully hrt is the charm for me. I am so happy that you achieved your target of the androgynous look.      Hahaha, keeping my fingers crossed, but first I need to shed a few pounds and get into the routine of consistently working out everyday and just my I  can share your experience. I have a long way to go.    Totally agree about the sense of identity. About bi gender I first learned about it when I found this forums. I saw some members identify with this identity. I took a high level dive, just skimming through it to be honest, but definitely will delve deeper into it when I have the time.      Awesome, it seems you know your true self very well.      Thank you so much, Mirrabooka.

The case was settled to allow this very thing. Something always triggers laws, there was a perceived harm (of the individual that had their shirt called into question), and the court settled that the school has the right to disallow that kind of speech.   As for the antisemitic abuse you're getting. It's abuse, plain and simple. It's targeted and intended to harass. Is the message outright threatening? No, but the intent is to harm. I am really sorry you have to deal with it. I wish people were smarter and better.

Thank you so much, Delcina.

Thank you so much, and it's nice to meet you too, Heather. 

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey joined lawmakers and members of the LGBTQ community Wednesday to mark Pride Month. Healey, America’s first lesbian governor, oversaw the raising of the Pride flag on the Statehouse lawn. The ceremony also marked the 20th anniversary of the legalization of same-sex marriage in Massachusetts, the first state to allow the unions.  https://apnews.com/article/boston-pride-maura-healey-samesex-marriage-5c92c5e215849f83b12cf98ad5716e21

It's about representation, plain and simple. And it is important. There is power in representation. People with voices not often heard also bring new things to the table, which is also super important. America is not old, white, and male, but that's historically what our government has been.

I've had 2 siblings die of ALS.  I still consider this an option.

The stock market seems a little weird to me too.  I actually have some stock that I kinda inherited, and a small 401K. I've done my best to stay out of debt, and that has paid off.  I may live "poor" but I own this shack, and my only "debts" are my monthly bills.  It is very freeing.

I don't know what to say. I'm not jewish, but I have jewish family members. I guess people can always find somebody to hate on.

Yes, exactly Heather. It took help from therapists, my Buddhist community, and also the LGBT+ community to have the right attitude and get better. Hugs back. —Davie

More than 40% of transgender adults in the US have attempted suicide. Most gun deaths are suicides.

Well, my life is changing over here and it feels like I'm waiting to be assigned to a new duty station.  As an older person who is quite accomplished, I'm just happy about standing my ground on what I'm doing professionally.   Tomorrow is my last day of wired internet.  I wired up the whole house with CAT6.  I have multiple buildings on the property.  The wires were just so fabulous!  I loved them and I have gotten quite good at terminating the wires with normal ends.  Once the internet goes down, I'll use my prepaid Verizon phone that I pay $31.65/month for with 5GB of data a month to connect my desktop computer to the internet mostly so that I can interact on this forum.  Well, I read some wikipedia information too, check my email and such.  I've never been a fan of video, but I think pictures and the cameras in these phones are fabulous.  Every time I've taken a picture lately I just think back to how it was in the 90's and I'm simply amazed.  My phone battery still lasts over a week because I don't use any apps on it and that keeps me from using the screen much.   Not sure how long the electricity will last here either.  I've got a decent stash of beans, lentils and rice here, so I'm sure I could last a couple months without electricity.  I can always fill my one gallon propane tank for cooking fuel.  I just walk it down to the gas station.  It costs a little under $4 to fill and I filled it twice last year.  I think I've already filled it twice this year though.  I've been using it more with the wok burner.  Love that thing, but I'm questioning how good the metal of the wok is for my health.  I see more sense in the 8 quart stock pots with lids that I cook curries in.  That curry process is amazingly efficient on fuel and water.   Well, I literally do not even have $4 right now, so filling the tank my be a problem.  It went empty the other day.  It's become a lesson in learning how to not worry about the insecurity of it all.  I've got everything I need to have a good day today.  I have good theoretical NET worth because I have done a decent job at working over the years and built up equity in my house.  I read a lot of financial blogs and I strongly disapprove of the stock market and trying to make money off of interest.  To me, that is just a total scam, although I do see the nature of the problem of people needing some kind of retirement and personally do not like the idea of my children taking care of me even though I do not have any children or essentially any living relatives at all.  It just makes much more sense to me to own my home in retirement and do what I can to pay the utilities and buy food.  You know, a mixture of social security and some light work in society or something.   Anyway.  I feel much better posting stuff like this here than on those financial sites.  I like it when the financial people start talking about frugal things, but then hate it when they talk about investments.  I'm certainly taking a gamble with my retirement here by selling my house, but it'll all work out for the best.  People tend to think it's insanity but I see it as an investment in myself and that has always worked well for me.  As long as I'm using my money to keep doing engaging work, whether it pays or not, I should be OK in the future and have enough to survive on.     hehe, quoting myself.  I'm kind of introverted!!  The idea here is that I don't see it totally as a scam.  This interest thing forces people to work and if that is what we need, that is a way to do it.   Sorry, everything tends to get a political angle on it.   Have a nice day.... Hugs, Lydia

Absolutely the centre would have the right to enact policy to prevent harassment. Just like the school has a right to enforce a dress code upon the premises without "targeting" one single individual. We had policies like that in school when I was a child. Certain printed shirts were found offensive to some, so the dress code was adapted to reflect, "no printed shirts allowed." 

It's swim season... new coverup in one of my favorite colours 💋