Introduction: Who is this, anyway?

Hi, everybody. I'm Michelle Rose, a TG woman from Portland, Oregon and this is what I think and here's why.

Just kidding, I think. My SO, Marilyn the Sprite, thinks I should use that title for a public access cable show and maybe I will, one of these days. I will say that I am one terribly opinionated individual but I do my best to respect everybody else's opinions, even if I utterly disagree. That quote from Voltaire comes to mind but I won't repeat it 'cuz I'm sure everybody knows it.

I've been formally 'in transition' since December of '07, meaning that I'm on the HT protocol (estrogen, progesterone and finisteride) and also; I'm presenting as a woman more and more often every day, every way. Briefly: it's grand and scary and wonderful and my only regret is that I didn't do this earlier in my life. Better late than never and that's a philosophy I heartily subscribe to, believe me!

I have a lot on my plate these days and transition is only one of the many things before me. I'm a musician and I'm shopping for a local band that will accept a transgendered keyboard player as something other than a 'novelty' act. I'm heading back to school this fall to finish my English degree, come hell or high water AND I'm volunteering at Multnomah Cable Access (now known as MetroEast) and--hopefully--will soon begin training in camera operation, audio tech (I have an advantage there, I think) and floor direction.

Life is a banquet. I intend to pig out, big time.

I may say a few things that some of you may find politically incorrect or offensive. I sure hope not. No, no racist or bigoted comments or unpleasant sneers at anyone in particular. (With the possible exception of the Republican Party's leadership!) I will be self-editing this blog as much as possible to avoid pissing anyone off, but I fully expect disagreement and a bit of controversy now and then. Again: my intent is not to step on toes, point fingers or call names on anyone. That's been done to me far too often and I think I have learned some valuable lessons about posting on other message boards and commenting on other's blogs. Let me be perfectly clear:

I BELIEVE IN UNITY AND SOLIDARITY AMONG ALL PEOPLE.

Was that clear enough? No? Okay, one of the reasons I decided to do this was the tremendously fragmented state of affairs I've observed among transgendered folk; the exclusionary mind-set I see on a daily basis among people who want to exclude or marginalize their own kind. It saddens me, sickens me and yes, enrages me on occasion.

It's wrong, folks. Especially among people who should know better because they themselves have been excluded. It's dis-empowering for both the marginalized and those who would do that to others. It's a waste of resources. It's emotionally traumatizing to people who need help and direction. It's stupid and stupidity used to have its own reward, i.e.; removal from the survival sweepstakes but, regrettably, that's no longer the case. It's counterproductive, counterrevolutionary and anti-human.

And when it comes to the human race, in toto, I'm an unashamed chauvanist. No apologies: I'm four-square in favor of saving everybody, even those that don't deserve it.

(Even Curious George, aka the Pretender. That poor schmuck...)

So: there's my thesis sentence or statement, more or less in a nutshell. Some of you may roll your eyes and think that I'm a freakin' Pollyanna or that I'm utterly out of touch with reality. Maybe so. But I've been on the receiving end of the crap this society hands out to those that don't fit or conform for so long now, I'll be doubly-damned if I'll play that game and make someone else feel bad just so I can feel good.

Not me. Not this trans woman.

This is not to say that I won't get positively medieval on someone or a group of people I think are acting horribly. There are a lot of targets out there and I'm going to try to avoid the easy ones, like the Religious Right or the sick monsters who harm or kill trans folk. But every now and then, something will pop up on my radar screen and I'm darn sure gonna lock and load, you betcha. I have often been accused of having a 'poison pen' or being a fast gun with an insult or cutting remark. Guilty as charged. But remember:

The pen may be mightier than the sword but God fights on the side of the biggest guns.

And with that cheerfully mixed metaphor, I'll sign off for the evening. Good night and good luck.

Michelle