tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74658519147551064402024-03-20T02:15:58.384-07:00Raven's WorldRaven Usherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051041786961049492noreply@blogger.comBlogger58125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465851914755106440.post-359748426170436482009-04-01T18:51:00.000-07:002009-04-01T18:54:48.830-07:00Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell… Don’t Do Anything<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhScdfCC5eANOCp5o3U7JK-iSrUO7zgUy2okOmSAr5XZ6-q8JTZLhbDQwcLDMyzEGAVHiPeFKyq2j0Q3RVssYYNwmirLCMq7O8EuejF3t4lgVJcleNktmXr1ZFeewwe9RaIpukuo_FYKA/s1600-h/raven+storm.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319906340071104562" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 193px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhScdfCC5eANOCp5o3U7JK-iSrUO7zgUy2okOmSAr5XZ6-q8JTZLhbDQwcLDMyzEGAVHiPeFKyq2j0Q3RVssYYNwmirLCMq7O8EuejF3t4lgVJcleNktmXr1ZFeewwe9RaIpukuo_FYKA/s320/raven+storm.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><br />Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell… Don’t Do Anything<br />By Raven Usher<br /><br />UCMJ<br />Subchapter X: punitive articles<br />Article 125: sodomy<br /><br />Every couple of years some politician launches a campaign condemning the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. I agree whole heartedly that men and women should be able to serve in the military regardless of their sexual preferences. I also agree that court martialing and discharging soldiers with valuable skills hamstrings the effectiveness of the military.<br /><br />But I also know the history of the US military (being a veteran myself). It makes me giggle to see people who rejoiced in “don’t ask don’t tell” when it was enacted who are now crying for its repeal. Let’s take a trip through history, shall we?<br /><br />There was a time when military officials would actively hunt down men they believed to be gay. They were given dishonorable discharges and their civilian lives were destroyed right along with their military careers. Even worse, men who were drafted and inducted into the military involuntarily were still dishonorably discharged. These were men who knew they were not welcome in the military, got pressed into service and then were summarily destroyed.<br />So someone came up with an idea. “Let’s just pretend we don’t know. They won’t say anything. We won’t say anything. And we’ll all be happy in our ignorance.”<br /><br />It was a simplistic solution. Maybe it was overly simplistic. But you know what? Most of the time it worked. It was shaky at first. There was a surge in enlistments right after it was enacted which made the old timers uncomfortable in the new change knowing there could be one of THEM in the ranks. But eventually things smoothed out and the military was all the better with the new batch of recruits. It was the birth of “don’t ask don’t tell.”<br /><br />It was never a perfect solution. No one ever expected it to be perfect. It was a lot of high ranking people agreeing to ignore article 125 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). Basically the pentagon decided not to enforce a specific law unless they had no choice. UCMJ article 125 reads as such: (a) Any person subject to this chapter who engages in unnatural carnal copulation with another person of the same or opposite sex or with an animal is guilty of sodomy. Penetration , however slight, is sufficient to complete the offense.<br />(b) Any person found guilty of sodomy shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.<br /><br />Technically, every person who ignores the fact that another soldier is gay can be court martialed under articles 81 (conspiracy), 98 (noncompliance with procedural rules) and 134 (general). That is why there are still homosexuals who get discharged. Because someone broke the bargain. They either asked or told. That left the military brass with no choice but to follow through with a court martial.<br /><br />So what will abolishing “don’t ask don’t tell” accomplish? Not a damn thing!<br />There is one, and only one, action that will allow gays to serve openly in the military without fear of court martial procedures. The UCMJ must be amended to revoke article 125. As long as article 125 stays on the books gays in the military will continue to be court martialed when they expose themselves to the open recognition of being gay. It is the law. Worse yet, it is military law!<br /><br />Repealing “don’t ask don’t tell” will only put gays who are serving honorably in the military right now in danger of being court martialed. “Don’t ask don’t tell” is not a lot of protection but it IS some protection. More than that, it is the ONLY protection gays in the military have. Getting rid of it before getting rid of UCMJ article 125 is counter productive and potentially harmful. Not having everyone fit under the umbrella in the rain storm is not a reason to throw out the umbrella.<br /><br />“Don’t ask don’t tell” is only a band aide on a wound that requires stitches. But it is keeping that wound from gaping open, bleeding profusely and getting infected. Am I in favor of gays serving openly in the US military? Yes. Am I in favor of repealing “don’t ask don’t tell”? HELL NO! Let us not cut off the whole hand trying to save a single finger.<br /><br />Blessed Be<br /></div>Raven Usherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051041786961049492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465851914755106440.post-68972280696229609682009-02-13T15:51:00.000-08:002009-02-13T15:53:29.554-08:00Human Rights and Wrongs<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-GIkKclrITK4iuHxw1C0Dvt120Y7IzRjlJTYvsH6o7-y6g9n4XPspf_QZCNJiAiIEBNor2VdthigSK3CEJhye5VP9NYl3BXw0YRBcl1b2E69tTdJB-Gr3G6vVrojmxsfE5nreqiRoyw/s1600-h/round.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302434345180696450" style="WIDTH: 92px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 122px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-GIkKclrITK4iuHxw1C0Dvt120Y7IzRjlJTYvsH6o7-y6g9n4XPspf_QZCNJiAiIEBNor2VdthigSK3CEJhye5VP9NYl3BXw0YRBcl1b2E69tTdJB-Gr3G6vVrojmxsfE5nreqiRoyw/s320/round.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><br />Human Rights and Wrongs<br />By Raven Usher<br /><br />By a margin of one vote the initiative to give sexual preference and gender identity the same legal protections that cover sex, race and religion was denied to the state of Idaho. Yes, this is an obvious blow to equal rights. (Notice I do not say ‘Gay Rights’ or ‘Gender Rights‘, but equal HUMAN rights.) I was upset, although not altogether surprised, by the vote. Then my propensity for playing devil’s advocate flared up. That brought an interesting question to my mind.<br /><br />Now do not go flying off the handle at me when you see the question. I am not anti anything. I am not trying to work against the cause for equality. It is just a question I had to ask myself. And now I am going to ask you was well.<br /><br />What did we actually lose?<br /><br />The initiative would have made it illegal to fire someone because s/he is homosexual or transgender. That should be law everywhere. Firing someone for either of those reasons is cut and dry prejudicial. It is wrong. It should not happen.<br /><br />But this is Idaho. Any employer can fire any employee for any reason. You can wake up in a bad mood because your honey bunny did not give you any the night before and vent your anger and frustration by firing the first person to cross your path. You do not have to give that person any kind of reason. All you have to do is say, “Get out.”<br /><br />If that person decides to try to sue for wrongful termination you can walk into the trial, look the judge in the eye and tell him, “I just felt like being bastard.”<br />And you know what? That is legal.<br /><br />SO… let us suppose for the moment that the initiative had passed. Or let us say that it gets re-introduced next term and this time it passes. What do we win? We get some LGBT protection in the law books in Idaho. We make a couple of headlines. We pat ourselves on the back for all our hard work. We thank those who voted for the initiative and we congratulate every single member of the LGBT community.<br /><br />And tomorrow we show our sympathy for the gay man who gets fired even though he is the top performer in his office. We offer to do what ever we can for the young woman (who just happens to be lesbian) who is the only person laid off from the company.<br /><br />The truth is that as long as Idaho is an “at will” employment state NOBODY is ever going to be secure in their job. It does not matter if we are gay or straight. It does not matter if we conform to sociological norms or step outside lines. If some little-brained self-important moron decides he does not like you there is no protection. None. Nada. Nine. Nothing. Employment laws in Idaho are unfair to every worker. Not just the LGBT’s.<br /><br />Yes, yes, yes I am very upset that we lost this battle. I strongly support the re-introduction of the initiative. It will be a hugely needed moral victory for all the state’s workers when it happens. Sadly though I do not believe I will see it in the years of working I have left in front of me.<br /><br />Blessed be.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div>Raven Usherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051041786961049492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465851914755106440.post-17392454474379954952008-11-03T15:51:00.000-08:002008-11-03T15:55:32.859-08:00… But You Can’t Take the Genes Out of the Tranny<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8BihTkZso1LRXB4H6avoeNh-ugL_YCCZPBBkpYTeqcpZbL1PYIb1P0eeAguYtBD3yJoQyO6SjCh1GLL25cuuRqw15uoLIuzWRQMDLzJZYKR-oL7slvPh_rw4IRM7X0vNrWRfrOoPEKw/s1600-h/pink+triangle.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264584080049512882" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 262px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8BihTkZso1LRXB4H6avoeNh-ugL_YCCZPBBkpYTeqcpZbL1PYIb1P0eeAguYtBD3yJoQyO6SjCh1GLL25cuuRqw15uoLIuzWRQMDLzJZYKR-oL7slvPh_rw4IRM7X0vNrWRfrOoPEKw/s320/pink+triangle.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>… But You Can’t Take the Genes Out of the Tranny<br />By Raven Usher<br /><br />Etiology - The science of assigning causes.<br /><br />What causes transsexuality? People have been arguing over that little drama for decades. There have been all kinds of theories. Some have been sensible. Many have been short sighted. A couple have been down right moronic. Scholars, scientist, doctors and self righteous debunkers have all thrown their opinions into the hat.<br /><br />Chromosome push theory suggested that the introduction of certain proteins during fetal development that cause the fetus to mutate from female to male (all human embryos start their existence as female when they are first fertilized.) is interfered with during the development of the brain and nervous system. So the brain remains female while the body changes to male.<br /><br />Diethylstilbestrol was a powerful synthetic estrogen that was widely used in the from 1938 to 1971. As the LGBT rights movement progressed and transsexuality came under more close scrutiny, the drug was blamed for causing disorders that led to gender dysphoria and other issues.<br /><br />Symbiotic fusion suggested that an abnormally close bond between the mother and child was formed during fetal development. This bond supposedly left a psychological imprint on the child causing him to imitate the mother’s behaviors.<br /><br />Paternal theory blames a lack of significant involvement in the child’s life by the father leaving an insufficient masculine influence on the child’s psyche. It was then suggested that the lack of a masculine role model left child with no choice but to emulate feminine influences.<br /><br />Then of course there are the closed minded right-wingers who insist that transsexualism is pure choice. As if anyone would subject themselves to the hardships of transition if it was not an absolute necessity.<br /><br />None of these theories have ever been proven. That is until now!<br /><br />Geneticists Vincent Harley and Lauren Hare, from Australia’s Prince Henry Institute and Monash University respectively, have identified a genetic link to male to female transsexualism. So as fate would have it, it turns out that genetic theory turns out to be the correct answer.<br /><br />The discovery was made as part of the Human Genome Project. It shows that some male to female transsexuals carry a different form of a gene called an Androgen Receptor (AR). They are a short, repetitive sequence of DNA. Androgen receptors deal with the body’s response to testosterone. In male to female trannies that response is modified by the difference in their AR.<br />It is probable that the “defective” extra-long copies of the AR gene could severely reduce normal testosterone levels. That reduction leads to a more female-like brain. This discovery builds on previous research that has documented some similarities in the brain structure of females and male to female transsexuals.<br /><br />Debunkers of the study, which was released in the journal of Biological Psychiatry, say that it is not accurate enough due to the limited number of subjects involved in the study. 112 male to female transsexual subjects were compared to 258 non-transsexual men. Although no one is attempting to disqualify the study, there is a large call for it to be replicated in order to give the findings a more solid base.<br /><br />Jennifer Graves, head of the Comparative Genomics Research Group at the Australian National University says, “This is still a small sample …. so there is much more to be done.” She also says that she is certain that it will turn out that the RA genes in question will turn out to have an important role in sexuality.<br /><br />Whether or not this specific RA gene is the ultimate cause of transsexuality, speaking as a pre-op tranny, it feels damn good to have some solid evidence towards answering the ever-pesky question, “Why me?”<br /><br />Being able to tell myself that I was born this way goes a LONG way in providing some solace of peace of mind. Being as open as I am about my transsexuality I know that sooner or later I will once again encounter someone who is going to want to argue about the morality of my “lifestyle choice.” It is going to be great having the weapon of a scientific study in my debate arsenal. The little, tenacious, instigator part of me almost wants someone to start the argument so I can beat them down with this new knowledge.<br /><br />But even for those who are more secretive about their transsexual existence and do not crave the adrenalin rush of a head-to-head, hard core debate will be able to draw comfort from this discovery. No matter how much you say you do not care about what other people think, it is always good to feel normal.<br /><br />Blessed Be<br /><br /><br /></div>Raven Usherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051041786961049492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465851914755106440.post-62942413689443329572008-10-06T21:59:00.000-07:002008-10-06T22:03:13.570-07:00Counting the Miles<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjTVctpgK8BpNfCDvxJ3vowdEIkADDoTzN09ifo7kjy9Vhrfvb3Utl8a2X0y3uA5j-MKY1vS0BfjiO32S2qhMGxUVODT1kSCXZqmDr5eLImmkXTT8zsHgC0oBcXQ6Ew1w9Nt1NZp0_5w/s1600-h/raven+penticle.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254272987050720850" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjTVctpgK8BpNfCDvxJ3vowdEIkADDoTzN09ifo7kjy9Vhrfvb3Utl8a2X0y3uA5j-MKY1vS0BfjiO32S2qhMGxUVODT1kSCXZqmDr5eLImmkXTT8zsHgC0oBcXQ6Ew1w9Nt1NZp0_5w/s320/raven+penticle.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Counting the Miles<br />By Raven Usher<br /><br />“A journey of 100 miles begins with a single step.”<br /><br />I have been thinking about mile stones. No, not the rocks that hunters put at the edge of back-wood dirt roads to mark the locations of their favorite places to blast those fuzzy animals who wreak havoc on the wilderness by drinking from streams and nibbling on grass. The monsters!<br /><br />I am talking about those moments in our lives that mark the great changes in our personal evolutions. Moments like coming out. No matter where we stand under the LGBT umbrella the day we come out is a life changing day. No matter how good or bad it went it left us each changed forever.<br /><br />I was on a break after taking a test at my newly embarked upon scholastic endeavor when I got to thinking how far I have come in the course of a single year. Going from suicide watch at Saint Alphonse’s to topping the class in a health care program in thirteen months gives me a quite a boost on the pride meter. It was not long before my mind was recalling high points of my transsexual progression.<br /><br />The mile stones of gender transition are not particularly unique. Other people who are not transgender might have very similar experiences. Body changes happen to everyone at least one point in our lives. Puberty sucks! Using chemicals to induce a second puberty is a bigger bitch than a hockey mom with delusions of grandeur.<br /><br />Starting to take hormones. That was a big one. Even bigger than coming out, I think. It is one thing to declare your desire for something. It is quite another to take the first steps to getting it.<br />The day I first noticed that my breasts were casting a noticeable shadow. I know that may sound silly, but I was high on life for a week afterwards. It was an affirmation of the progress I was making.<br /><br />The same thing goes for the first time I ran and felt my breast bounce. That rocked! Both occasions were milestones in my physical development.<br /><br />The first time a random sales clerk called me “Ma’am”. Yes, many women dread the day they get called “ma’am” instead of “miss” but for a tranny it is a great day for our confidence in projecting our gender expression.<br /><br />Using the “other” public rest room for the first time. That one was nerve wracking. Was anyone watching? Did they know? Could they tell? Yeah, I know it was neurotic. But could you imagine walking in there just to have some strange woman scream?<br /><br />The first time a straight person of the opposite sex hits on you. I took my brother out to a club for his birthday. He was at the bar getting another drink when a guy walked up and desperately tried to get me to go home with him. My brother stood back and watched the entire event. I think it was a mile stone for both of us. It let me know I was fitting into society as a woman. It let him know he really does have a sister.<br /><br />There are more. My mom altering my wedding dress. My dad saying he liked how my hair was styled. It has been eight years since I took that first estrogen pill. It has been quite a ride. (Thank you for letting me share it with you, by the way.)<br /><br />The point is that miles stones are points of strength. They our successes. Embrace them. Treasure them. One day they may remind you too that oblivion does not have to be an option.<br /><br />Blessed Be.<br /><br /></div>Raven Usherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051041786961049492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465851914755106440.post-78151246097680864912008-08-11T16:57:00.000-07:002008-08-11T17:00:03.257-07:00School Daze<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRgwojjxM2YT75PEhkjt_565SuF-t4KU-VjfsGT56vEML5LTkwEwWh3H4HXw2j3tlUOomB9R6EN8UujtU8C8RoUF8M3nRY_t4XkYvNJ1hMAUfETiK0ZV2V1RdUt46acYYmHOHLA2W3tQ/s1600-h/school.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233414152191906946" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRgwojjxM2YT75PEhkjt_565SuF-t4KU-VjfsGT56vEML5LTkwEwWh3H4HXw2j3tlUOomB9R6EN8UujtU8C8RoUF8M3nRY_t4XkYvNJ1hMAUfETiK0ZV2V1RdUt46acYYmHOHLA2W3tQ/s320/school.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><div>School Daze<br />By Raven Usher</div><br /><div><br />One of the biggest worries in being transgendered is being read in public. It is not easy to be read. Passing depends somewhat on how close people look at you. How close people look at you depends a lot on where you are. In some places, like the mall, you are pretty anonymous. Nobody cares who you are as long as you are not holding them up at the register. Other places do not give you that luxury. In some places they look close. Places like… school! (Insert ominous music cord here.)</div><br /><div><br />I use to think that attending a function at the kids’ school was a total ball busting experience. No matter how friendly the teachers are, there is always that underlying feeling that they are trying to equate your influence on your kid. That and being a parent of the only kids in the whole school who have two moms tends to make you a target for attention. And Goddess forbid you do not hold up to the standards of the soccer-mom clique` less rumors and gossip fly behind your back like leaves in the wind of a speeding truck. Pardon me for wearing the “wrong” shorts when I dropped off my kids! Bitches.</div><br /><div><br />But education is super-mega-mondo important. So you have to bite the bullet. Education is not only important for the kids though. It is important for adults as well. That is a much larger caliber bullet to bite.</div><br /><div><br />No where in our lives are we more closely watched and scrutinized than when we are in school. Teachers watch everything we do and listen to everything we say. Other students are in tight proximity and have a close up view of us. Add to that the extra attention you will garner if you are re-entering a school setting during a later stage of life. It is a atmosphere that can overwhelm someone who displaying a post-transitional gender expression. Being read in such a situation is practically a guarantee.</div><br /><div><br />Such is set the stage for a yet another transgender challenge. Ok, enough Shakespearian influence. It is just another place that will test a tranny’s courage and resolve. It is intimidating. I am returning to school (full time status, no less) after twenty-two years. I go to class and sit among a group of people who are ALL young enough to be my children. It is a lot to get use to in such a short amount of time.</div><br /><div><br />Of course I am not the only one who has to get use to something new. Like most trannies I have to take time out from my apprehension to remind myself that I am the novelty, not the school. I am most likely not the only one who has to adjust to an uncomfortable situation. Everyone has been to school. Very few people encounter transgendered individuals.</div><br /><div><br />It is SO easy to forget that I am not an every day, household staple for those around me. When I see people react to me with hesitation and/or confusion it is an easy thing to dive into a reactionary response that craves an opportunity to holler “prejudice” or “discrimination” from a lonely pulpit. But hesitation is not a form of prejudice and confusion does not discriminate.</div><br /><div><br />Going back to school is much more than just a chance for me to gird up my backbone. It is a chance to learn and relearn. To learn a new trade. To relearn that others need to be given a chance to come to a place of comfort with something new. I may not be new to me. But I am new to everyone else at school. Hopefully we can all learn more than we bargained for when we enrolled.</div><br /><div><br />Blessed Be</div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div>Raven Usherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051041786961049492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465851914755106440.post-19614903812776931552008-07-16T22:00:00.000-07:002008-07-16T22:03:08.112-07:00Hercules' Epic Disco Battle<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKrLJj9NzJnmaO6DnQubUc8JFu-euFJY58Qj5dIhPQoD5qFZsXytnsBZM1GFKo4l7B_jj2KlC6SM8klNOEnAk4Z4c2e2dt1jNqc4jzVDf3iMUYUEoqbJQlDZsNUOF-fpZ2NbXrd3EByQ/s1600-h/H&LA.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223843988400870162" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKrLJj9NzJnmaO6DnQubUc8JFu-euFJY58Qj5dIhPQoD5qFZsXytnsBZM1GFKo4l7B_jj2KlC6SM8klNOEnAk4Z4c2e2dt1jNqc4jzVDf3iMUYUEoqbJQlDZsNUOF-fpZ2NbXrd3EByQ/s320/H&LA.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Hercules’ Epic Disco Battle<br />By Raven Usher<br /><br />So… You thought disco was dead, did you? Well not so fast! It seems that disco is seeing a resurgence at the dance clubs and on the air waves. In the front pew of this resurrection is a band named Hercules and Love Affair.<br /><br />With their self-titled debut album Andy Butler, Antony Hegarty and Nomi set out to fuel the fire of the disco revolution using some fast beats and lively rhythms. It is not the pure disco of circa 1975, however. Hercules and Love Affair takes the basic disco philosophy of the unwavering dance beat and use twenty-first century techno sound to bring on a hybrid that certainly can keep a dance floor moving.<br /><br />Usually when I review music I like to get some background on the band. Unfortunately information is woefully missing from Hercules and Love Affair’s web page, myspace page and face book page. All three of these pages have been dedicated to the sole purpose of selling the album and not in promoting the band or the band members. I finally had to dig up interviews from more than a year ago just to find the full names of the band members. I still did not find a last name for Nomi, so I assume she is making a go for Cher’s path to fame.<br /><br />Despite the single moniker Nomi definitely has the best voice of the group and the three songs she takes the lead vocal on are the best tracks on the album. “You Belong”, the new single, which came out on July 7, has the strength to catch and keep the listener’s attention. If disco could make the charts, it would be a top-notch contender. “True False” and “Iris” top out the top three tracks of the album. “True False” is the best dance mix on the album with the most sustainable beat and “Iris” is a softer heart strings plucker that is reminiscent of a late 60’s protest song. A for all three songs.<br /><br />The disco/techno marriage peaks with “Hercules’ Theme.” This song should be the rallying cry for the whole disco revolutionary movement. It has the best representation of the good old-school disco format. The innovation comes in when that old sound is remade in the light of the new techno spirit. B+.<br /><br />There is only a couple of low points in the whole album. First is the song “Blind.” Although it has a good beat and is performed well, it has an eerie, creepy feel that conjures images of Jayme Gumm’s basement in Silence of the Lambs. All it is missing is a six foot tall nut job asking me if I would f*** him. It probably deserves a better grade but I could only bring myself to give it a C-.<br /><br />The bottom of the well is the song “Time Will.” The percussion line is SO techno that it sounds 200% synthetic and it does not mix at all with and of the other music. Who ever mixed the track was either high or drunk or both as is evident in the choppy mismatching of all the components of the song. To top it off the vocals for the piece are a Hollywood cliché of the swaggering vocal lilt of flaming drag queen. This song barely squeaks by passing grade at D-. Some tight harmonies are the only thing that saves this song from getting an F.<br /><br />Overall Hercules and Love Affair’s debut album earns a solid B. It is good dance music that is an easy feet mover. It is strong enough to be entertaining and yet smooth enough at to not intimidate less experienced dancers.<br /><br />You can hear sample tracks and see videos on their web page, <a href="http://herculesandloveaffair.com/us/">http://herculesandloveaffair.com/us/</a>. There are also links there to where you can purchase the album or download individual tracks.<br />Blessed Be<br /><br /></div>Raven Usherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051041786961049492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465851914755106440.post-44240548455674974582008-07-07T21:01:00.000-07:002008-07-12T22:22:11.119-07:00Tension in Memphis<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQKX6b9-jJde_A5NS2t0ouZQKYKy8kiipjVVWAv_ZUsc4cyFtqIWqSHSv9yxr-aKouEp6X-FHQEtgFB4lA6nnmOgiCys_mC6FlBimlQArICpCkLxi5DBSvQZgFKeUvyNaVIDBIUx8SMg/s1600-h/24+liar+face.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222364649206017842" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQKX6b9-jJde_A5NS2t0ouZQKYKy8kiipjVVWAv_ZUsc4cyFtqIWqSHSv9yxr-aKouEp6X-FHQEtgFB4lA6nnmOgiCys_mC6FlBimlQArICpCkLxi5DBSvQZgFKeUvyNaVIDBIUx8SMg/s320/24+liar+face.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><br /><br /><div>Tension in Memphis<br />By Raven Usher<br /><br />An incident in Memphis, TN involving a police officer beating a trans-woman was recently brought to my attention. Here are the facts. Duanna Johnson was arrested on a prostitution charge. She was in the booking area waiting to be processed into jail. That is where officer Bridges McRae struck her several times. The incident was caught on video by the police surveillance cameras.<br /><br />According to Johnson, what started the incident was McRae calling her "faggot" and "he/she" when he asked her to stand up and be fingerprinted. She told him that that was not what her mother named her and that she would not respond to him until he called her by her name. That was when McRae initially came over and began to beat Johnson according to her.<br /><br />The video clearly shows that Johnson is NOT a defenseless victim during the incident. She did not curl up into a ball and endure a beating. She fought back while in a seated position, even kicking at McRae’s knee. She then stands up and attacks McRae after he backs off. Also, refusing to stand and be finger printed regardless of how she was addressed is a serious offence. That alone is enough to make a police officer use physical force to make a suspect do as told.<br /><br />Over the last decade since I came out as transgendered I have seen a lot of trannies do a lot of stupid things. I have seen them put themselves in harms way; by getting intimate with men who do not know they are TG. By exposing themselves to people or groups they know to be hostile towards TG’s. And by attracting unnecessary attention from law enforcement agencies and risking their very lives by facing prison time by breaking the law.<br /><br />Transgendered people have an extra responsibility to their personal safety that average people do not have. We know that we face extra danger just because we are indeed transgendered. It is OUR job to protect ourselves. Anything that puts an average person at risk of violence puts transgendered people at five times that risk. That includes things like breaking the law and getting into confrontations with cops. 99.99% of cops will go out of their way and even risk their lives to help transgendered people the same as they would for anyone else. That .01% idiot should not be used to influence your trust in the police. Unless you are a criminal.<br /><br />The prostitution charges have been dropped since the incident made the news. Johnson’s lawyers claim that there was no just cause for the arrest to begin with and say that is why the charges were dropped. Johnson also states that since she is African-American and towering at a height of 6’5” that she was “profiled” not only as a prostitute but also a potential threat. It seems more likely however that the charges were dropped so that the police department could partially defuse an already ugly incident. This specially seems likely as Johnson’s legal team avoids the subject of Johnson working as a sex worker.<br /><br />There is no way of knowing conclusively at this point if the incident between McRae and Johnson was or was not hate-inspired since there is no audio evidence to support Johnson‘s claim of name calling on McRae‘s part. Johnson surely should not have been struck for anything less striking out first. (Although, using physical force to move her to the finger printing counter would be acceptable.) A police officer, specially one who works in booking, should be above being moved to violence by even the most offensive verbal borage from someone they have in custody.<br /><br />That would not excuse Johnson from some responsibility in the incident. It is way beyond stupid to mouth off to or cop an attitude with the police. An insult or a purposely misused pronoun from an officer is not justification to refuse to obey police commands. Following that up with physically resisting when the officer tries to move you is a very bad thing.<br /><br />Seeing the full length video, not the edited-for-hype-and-ratings version that was initially aired, it does appear that Johnson did in fact resist McRae when he attempted to physically move her. You can clearly see her pushing his hands away when he tried to take her by the upper arm. This would be comparable to resisting arrest and the officer would then be justified in striking the suspect. Johnson’s behavior was totally unjustified as a response to an insult.<br /><br />I am sure of one thing after my own look into the ordeal. In my opinion this was not a hate crime against a trans-person. It was a common conflict between a cop and a suspected criminal. The suspect was being combative and the cop overstepped his bounds. There were bad judgment calls and wrong actions on both of their parts. Yes, officer McRae went to far in hitting Johnson as many times as he did. But Johnson did provoke the incident by resisting the officer and refusing to obey commands.<br /><br />As on-lookers we need to remember that transgendered people do stupid and illegal things just like everyone else. Just because this suspect is black and/or transgendered we should not be too quick to use those details as an excuse to claim wrong doing before we have the proof. Most importantly, let us not over react and scream “hatred” and “prejudice” when there is no due. Keep your wits about you. Be real and truthful. And for the sake of the gods do not add to the hype.<br /><br />Blessed Be<br /><br />See this and previous issues of “Raven’s World” at www.ravenusher.blogspot.com. </div></div>Raven Usherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051041786961049492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465851914755106440.post-14303991573206671802008-06-23T18:21:00.000-07:002008-06-23T18:24:55.900-07:00Healthy Sex Lives<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2J7t23LdrHANI_rUUOwI6OWJy4HoCXc3b1U-HjZSenKWW4bJPqh8hkNy30uTePwGhxbyIDdyxJe0IxVjDM1nw5TTEOgi_6rjb1alLzEwlTz0KlBrDOGXmrne6PpFJZRnEvhMv3pYEog/s1600-h/Ravensparkle.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5215252682803356066" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2J7t23LdrHANI_rUUOwI6OWJy4HoCXc3b1U-HjZSenKWW4bJPqh8hkNy30uTePwGhxbyIDdyxJe0IxVjDM1nw5TTEOgi_6rjb1alLzEwlTz0KlBrDOGXmrne6PpFJZRnEvhMv3pYEog/s320/Ravensparkle.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Healthy Sex Lives<br />By Raven Usher<br /><br />This is not necessarily an exclusively LGBT issue. A bunch of my friends and I got to talking about how much sex you have to have in order to consider it a good sex life. Of course there was the quality above quantity argument. But eventually we all agreed that no matter how great the sex is at the time you are doing it… if you are not getting it often enough you still have a bad sex life. It is the difference between good sex and a good sex life.<br /><br />So that started the ‘how much is good, how little is bad, how much is great, how little sucks’ debate. And what was the time frame that should determine if the frequency of sex is good or bad? With all the things that can happen in life from day to day and week to week, we decided to measure by the year. We also decided to start in the middle with “good”.<br /><br />We all agreed that once a week is good. But then there are those weeks when a couple with a woman involved in it would rather BBQ and eat her partner’s head than let that person touch her. So we figured 52 weeks in the year minus the 12+/- weeks that happen once a month when it just is not happening would be the “good” scale. So if you have sex between 40 and 52 times a year your sex life is “good”.<br /><br />Then we had to figure out how to set the other categories. We decided to stay with the 12 point spread since that is the range in our original “good” category. We started by working down from good, figuring that those are the categories where most men would end up. (Sorry boys but this was a conversation between women.) That gave us 3 categories below good until we got to zero. Then, in the interest of balance, we decided to stick with 3 categories above good as well.<br /><br />We know full well that a LOT of men, particularly straight men, are going to claim to be in the top category. We also know that 99.5% of those men are lying. Believe me when I say it, guys… the girls KNOW when guys are lying about their sexual exploits. So before you try to claim a spot in the top category, remember that we know better!<br /><br />Anyway… here is the sex life scale. It goes by how many times you have sex in a year.<br /><br />0 - 15 = in need of medical help<br />16 - 27 = bad<br />28 - 39 = needs improvement<br />40 - 52 = good<br />53 - 64 = exceeds expectations<br />65 - 76 = great<br />77 and up = porn star<br /><br />(Remember that women know when men lie about sex.)<br /><br />Blessed Be </div>Raven Usherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051041786961049492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465851914755106440.post-1780515956298046212008-05-25T19:16:00.000-07:002008-05-25T19:23:21.299-07:00It Is What It Is & It Ain’t What It Ain’t<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWmryMTqHU_kx-NwFgOUI53YLE9t480DYbcslwV9JRKwO0B1FN-7Wd5DTmQ91o5No_XOpQ-GqRI3ZAMutzA9LtT1wLwTuEIHG7dqD-IUW-Y7yJAk7nu37Izp4QMABJPCpvvF09FG-wNw/s1600-h/06+ravenperch.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5204506430617084706" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWmryMTqHU_kx-NwFgOUI53YLE9t480DYbcslwV9JRKwO0B1FN-7Wd5DTmQ91o5No_XOpQ-GqRI3ZAMutzA9LtT1wLwTuEIHG7dqD-IUW-Y7yJAk7nu37Izp4QMABJPCpvvF09FG-wNw/s320/06+ravenperch.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><br /><br /><div>It Is What It Is & It Ain’t What It Ain’t<br />By Raven Usher<br /></div><br /><br /><div>I am always more than happy to avail myself to any body who has questions or needs advice on any subject under the transgender umbrella. It could be a person who has some unexplored level of gender dysphoria. Or it could be someone who is learning how to cope with a transgendered loved one. Or it could be an experienced TG who just wants a second opinion or needs help locating a resource. What ever the case I am happy to help. That is why my number is listed as a contact down at The Community Center. I am paying forward the help that others gave me.<br /></div><br /><br /><div>Things get tricky with giving advice when it turns out that the person seeking said advice is not truly transgendered. It is a bit of a common misnomer to call any man who puts on feminine attire a tranny. But that is not the case. There are plenty of instances when that clothes do not make the she-male.<br /></div><br /><br /><div>The most well known example of non-transgendered men in women clothing are drag queens. Drag is not a form of transgenderism. It is a performance art. And it is a time honored art at that. The history of drag goes back to when it was considered obscene to have a woman on display on the a stage. This forced men to take women’s roles. A good actor who portrayed a woman was a theatre idol. In today’s world the base intent of drag is in total contradiction to being transgendered. It is drag queens’ intention to be notice. Trannies want to blend in.<br /></div><br /><br /><div>The trickier man in girl’s coverings to deal with is the one who is far more likely to confuse himself as transgendered when he is not. The forced femme sexual fetish. This is actually a form of BDSM called sissifcation (turning a man into a “sissy“). The man’s partner takes control of his life and puts him into a life style that is nearly identical to transgenderism and sometimes even progressing towards elements of transsexualism.<br /></div><br /><br /><div>The man submits his willpower to his partner. He is then made to wear women’s under wear, clothing and to basically take on the gender expression of a woman. Some go as far as to end up living as a woman 24/7 and even having augmentation surgeries. This is where the confusion comes in. They are basically going through all the same procedures as a TG or TS.<br /></div><br /><br /><div>The distinction is very specific and VERY important. The true tranny undergoes these procedures because there is an internal conflict between gender appearance and gender expression. Specifically being one gender being trapped in the body of another. The sexual fetish is undergoing those same procedures to fulfill external desires of physical and emotional pleasure sensations. In a nutshell, they are in it for the fun.<br /></div><br /><br /><div>So when a man calls up and says his wife is turning him into a submissive girl who is expected to do as she is told… there is no advice on transgenderism from any source that is going to do this person any kind of good. He is not transgendered.<br /></div><br /><br /><div>I am not trying to make any kind of good/bad judgment call on either condition. I am just straightening out what is and what is not because I have recently had an encounter with a fetish looking for guidance. Counseling a fetish as if he were a TG would be just as damaging as counseling a TG as a fetish. They are two completely different circumstances requiring two completely different approaches. Unfortunately, I am not much help with the sexual fetish genre`. I just have no advice to give.<br /></div><br /><br /><div>Blessed be<br /></div></div>Raven Usherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051041786961049492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465851914755106440.post-78961697987700551692008-05-08T10:06:00.000-07:002008-05-22T09:11:05.591-07:00All Polls Point North #1 & #2See the rest of Adam & Steve's adventures on their own blog at <a href="http://allpollspointnorth.blogspot.com/">http://allpollspointnorth.blogspot.com/</a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglV8WhNveEhcura7NyTUgebwvM8Cl1ZvGyp_rzQN8WDwKTpd6eZapzbWLuejCH3-KKntF8xrynq0029OwhkemHrNfyt9EUZfYgc8UfGYg2ybz3DlQebEQwwXkjKmRHazgHis5EmyEQHw/s1600-h/02+bathroom+cops.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5198054984760739554" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglV8WhNveEhcura7NyTUgebwvM8Cl1ZvGyp_rzQN8WDwKTpd6eZapzbWLuejCH3-KKntF8xrynq0029OwhkemHrNfyt9EUZfYgc8UfGYg2ybz3DlQebEQwwXkjKmRHazgHis5EmyEQHw/s320/02+bathroom+cops.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtVWhKo3RGqpQFBWxDhZC9uBs3RrfDNTSb2Qdq3NF7iR9RN-OF_cq-hsy7RQgu22_Q3n7SoU0RQoLN-QlVr-N50_LLepHebV2xzHfBW4bPFeYLqgOILLjiNqjNgoHQQHK_4YnGnDLxNA/s1600-h/01+benefits.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5198054795782178514" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtVWhKo3RGqpQFBWxDhZC9uBs3RrfDNTSb2Qdq3NF7iR9RN-OF_cq-hsy7RQgu22_Q3n7SoU0RQoLN-QlVr-N50_LLepHebV2xzHfBW4bPFeYLqgOILLjiNqjNgoHQQHK_4YnGnDLxNA/s320/01+benefits.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div></div></div>Raven Usherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051041786961049492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465851914755106440.post-81585841130803810292008-05-06T17:46:00.000-07:002008-05-06T17:48:52.390-07:00It Happens, Accept It<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRm-poQfQLlJuKelN6tls-Ez2XNi4yTgRyAeRhyDYWLsla-s2OiOZwhFQZZt05aJZPmUWmdKV1fjI7_NlPwkQFD5WKAecsA8BPrW0Qnz9g9z0ZmnSRAdxTon7BNbXbSnBb3Ixnd8z13w/s1600-h/21+spot.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5197431399389363170" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRm-poQfQLlJuKelN6tls-Ez2XNi4yTgRyAeRhyDYWLsla-s2OiOZwhFQZZt05aJZPmUWmdKV1fjI7_NlPwkQFD5WKAecsA8BPrW0Qnz9g9z0ZmnSRAdxTon7BNbXbSnBb3Ixnd8z13w/s320/21+spot.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>It Happens, Accept It<br />By Raven Usher<br /><br />No your eyes do not deceive you. I am back. You may rejoice!<br />Pride is on us once again. It has me thinking about how lucky I have been to have found something so precious in the midst of some serious personal hardship.<br /><br />Acceptance.<br /><br />It is what we want. It is what we need. It is what we strive to achieve (especially during Pride). Acceptance is an elusive little bugger. You never know where it is going to pop up. Sometimes it seems like it has been purposely chased out of areas that should be its natural habitat. Some religious institutions have become notorious in their efforts to chase it from their ranks as if it was a plaque rat. Doctors offices, law enforcement, legal agencies, legislative bodies… all the institutions whose purposes are meant to help us all in our quests for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness keep showing galling examples of how acceptance can be a rare commodity.<br /><br />Then, when you are not expecting it, acceptance pops up like a lone flower from a crack in a barren patch of pavement. It brings a spark of color and light to a place we suspect may be a tad bit inhospitable. It is always a wonderful thing when that suspicion is proven wrong.<br /><br />I found acceptance in a place that has a reputation for unbridled violence among a gang of rough and tumble, high-speed, low-drag women (and a handful of men) who present an image that is down right formidable. The Treasure Valley Roller Girls (TVR) roller derby league.<br /><br />You never know how things are going to go the first time you walk into a new group of people. The prospect of practicing a sport twice a week where one tends to get pretty butched up and the chances of staying dolled up and in passing mode are slim makes one even more timid about diving into the situation. From the first time that I witnessed the roller girls practicing I knew full well, even just standing on the sidelines, that I was going to be read. And I was.<br /><br />And they did not care. They treated me exactly like every other fresh meat (that’s what they call the new girls who haven’t been drafted on to one of the four teams) skater in the league. Not one of them, skaters or referees, ever gave me the slightest reason to feel uncomfortable for even a moment. Although quite a few of them are pretty good at making me feel old with how effectively they skate circles around me.<br /><br />And I am not the only LGBT person who has found that same acceptance among the ranks of the TVR. I am not about to go printing names without people’s permission. Suffice to say that Pride will have its observers at the roller derby.<br /><br />And as coincidence has it, the TVR will be having a bout (a game) against a visiting team from Bend, Oregon at the same time we will be celebrating Pride. The bout will be at the Idaho Expo Center on Friday, June 13th. The doors open at 6pm and the bout starts at 7pm. It would be a great gesture of reciprocal support and acceptance for some of us from the LGBT community took some time during Pride to go down to the Expo and watch some roller derby. That and it is a hell of a good fun. Ticket information is available on the TVR website, <a href="http://www.treasurevalleyrollergirls.net/">http://www.treasurevalleyrollergirls.net/</a>.<br /><br />Blessed Be<br /></div>Raven Usherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051041786961049492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465851914755106440.post-18598810427861022502008-01-11T20:27:00.000-08:002008-01-11T20:32:02.920-08:00Rational.... or Not?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCKJwN9Q9LbLG2MAhAgxKWgGrr-vAEZfZm8J_3iS_YS9ioDxT6PWI31FX3P0LKz8pB6LPSUdrijQt0hGO8pzpRtzN2sB9V5RU1Q0vrxzI-C4nwI1KYY5LRTaAWV6o7a2zXYSr0LrHvHw/s1600-h/ravensworldpic.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154442275330607122" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCKJwN9Q9LbLG2MAhAgxKWgGrr-vAEZfZm8J_3iS_YS9ioDxT6PWI31FX3P0LKz8pB6LPSUdrijQt0hGO8pzpRtzN2sB9V5RU1Q0vrxzI-C4nwI1KYY5LRTaAWV6o7a2zXYSr0LrHvHw/s320/ravensworldpic.JPG" border="0" /></a>Rational… or Not?<br />By Raven Usher<br /><br />Some fears are rational. That makes them useful because they help keep us out of dangerous situations. They keep us from walking on ice that will break below our feet. It keeps us from crossing the street into traffic. They keep us from getting too close to the edge of the cliff. With a healthy level of rational fear (and exercising some common sense) we can stay out of a lot of trouble.<br /><br />Some fears are irrational. They simply do not make sense and if you try you can usually figure out why they are there. Most of them are left-overs from real intense scares from some other time in our lives. Being bit by one dog as a child can leave the grown adult afraid of all dogs. Witnessing someone have an accident can make someone avoid that same activity from then on out.<br /><br />Some of them are given birth by our imagination. A six-year-old could hear a spooky story about the boogie man. Thirty years later there is a adult who can not go to sleep at night if the closet door is open. There is absolutely no danger in the closet. The person knows full well that there is no danger in the closet. But that imaginary fear has been engrained into the subconscious for so long that the impulse to close the closet door before getting into bed simply cannot be ignored.<br /><br />These irrational fears are harmless. They do not have any kind of negative impact on our lives. So someone has a pet cat instead of a dog. The companionship is still there. So someone never goes skydiving. Some people would call that a smart decision. So someone takes three extra steps at night before going to bed. What do you lose for that?<br /><br />What happens when irrational fears DO have a negative impact upon our lives? What if they stop us form being able to accomplish simple, every day tasks? What if they impair our ability to live a healthy life? What if an irrational fear goes so far as to become a verifiable threat to our own lives? Perdition must feel like a picnic after living with that kind of fear.<br /><br />The North American Lexicon of Transgender Terms (http://www.glbpubs.com/lex.html) lists an entry; “Free-Shot Bull’s Eye” defined as “The fear of being a target for anti-transgender or transphobic violence while being without protection from law enforcement agencies.”<br /><br />Rational or irrational? Harmless or negative effect?<br /><br />There are transgendered people who suffer greatly from this fear. It stops them from coming out of the closet. It keeps them from the proper gender expression. It stops them from pursuing transition. In a nutshell, it keeps people from being their true selves. I believe that to be a very serious negative effect. It is like being so afraid of water that you are unable to leave the house if it rains. It is that much of an inhibitor to living a happy, healthy life.<br /><br />Is it an irrational fear? That is harder to say. There certainly have been examples of law enforcement officers falling short of their duties to protect the public when it comes to transgendered individuals. I have seen reports of officers around the country turning a blind eye to the aftermath of violence. I have heard of accounts of officers being rude and abusive. (I do not have knowledge of anything like that happening in Boise specifically.)<br /><br />I have also seen incidents of police men and women going to great lengths to be as sensitive as possible towards tranfolk. I myself have experienced first hand members of the legal profession going out of their way to accommodate my unusual physical circumstance. I have even seen officers be as helpful as possible to TG people on the TV show COPS.<br /><br />That makes me think that the fear of “being without protection from law enforcement agencies” really is an irrational fear. I think we should hold the incidents of maltreatment and/or abuse by police against the individual officers who commit those failures in duty. I have found more examples of sympathetic attitudes from officers than those of hostility or indifference.<br /><br />There are people in this world of whom transgendered individuals should be afraid. Every now and then one of those people will find employment in law enforcement. That should not make us afraid of all law enforcement agencies. And the dereliction of duty by that one cop should not be held as a blight against the agency. Trust the cops. It will save your life.<br />Bad apples do not spoil barrels.<br /><br />Blessed be.Raven Usherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051041786961049492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465851914755106440.post-88118295586803214162007-12-01T21:06:00.000-08:002007-12-01T21:08:10.990-08:00Treasure Valley Roller Girls - Roller Derby<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ZOqf14pY3MRmvkke0pTzY9_vZuU8FamQ5281cHFiDxZPo42amev5NPDGBSTdvwwCYUz6MfD5KTOssIELKY731wiWNa0VzfpITi1wNvDSJcQtMTGcAGpLQ-J6mTc5gNBOg_6tp4N26w/s1600-r/lips.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139237647442042098" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkLw4lgRSdodIGykF86rCiqxMSudcEiZeG8xUuRqYNfujkBb0bGji1kIE_7jG9bvIDe8iRB0k39KxXm0MzW1cOF6sXRUBvm09eDU5blMoiaNVs-WciJyZM9pYBiZwDvxrVD5ZsJQc3AA/s320/lips.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><br />This is just for fun. It's not really news of any kind. And it has nothing to do with transgender issues. I just really enjoy doing it.<br />FYI.... I'm the referee in the pink helmet.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUxMI4XDC8w">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUxMI4XDC8w</a>Raven Usherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051041786961049492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465851914755106440.post-11907494925002962972007-10-14T17:25:00.000-07:002007-11-04T16:34:09.523-08:00Transgender Day of Remembrance<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9FU6IiZHtoYZ_T24y9jgZBRKSb1S3uKjzwKOhDlrgDce2yRNT4oLc3ZT618a9KqeJ8M9tkuX8mTWCH_y7ryVvZf9dJHacoArw_wyH08Ut72wvf9Wtg_x0ziiatGPfXRsGm9og8wHsFg/s1600-h/ravensworldpic.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5121353227050446258" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9FU6IiZHtoYZ_T24y9jgZBRKSb1S3uKjzwKOhDlrgDce2yRNT4oLc3ZT618a9KqeJ8M9tkuX8mTWCH_y7ryVvZf9dJHacoArw_wyH08Ut72wvf9Wtg_x0ziiatGPfXRsGm9og8wHsFg/s320/ravensworldpic.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><p>Transgender Day of Remembrance<br />By Raven Usher<br /><br />Writing about the November 20 Transgender Day of Remembrance has become an annual event for me. Usually, I spend a couple of months ahead of time researching the names and consequences of the year’s fallen. It is one of the reasons why I appear to become saddened as the holiday season approaches. This year I simply did not have the energy or fortitude to do that research.<br /><br />A fairly large part of me feels like I have failed those victims of violence who had their lives taken from them this year. Although justice may not be forth coming for the crimes of their deaths, I always thought that by honoring their memories, as I have done, in some cosmic way it may have helped bring some peace to their souls. It is the same philosophy that keeps the flame burning at the tomb of the unknown soldier; gone but not forgotten. If the memory of their plight helps us stop similar cruelty in the future then maybe, just maybe, there can be some good and useful purpose to their tragic loss.<br /><br />I know that sounds hopelessly optimistic, but hopeless optimism seems to be my greatest driving force these days. Besides, maybe a little hopeless optimism is exactly what we need right now. With a self-hating, denial ripe congressional closet queen who publicly goes back on his word every few days and a self-mutilating tranny convict bringing the worst stereotypes of the LGBT community into the national spotlight for Idaho, optimism could end up being a short supplied precious commodity.<br /><br />As I have said, I did not go through my yearly “dark voyage” for 2007. Usually I trudge through the muck of national news wires, LGBT press lines and the news and message boards of dozens of LGBT organizations. I find names, dates and locations. Then I research the names and search local news from their location. You would be amazed at what can be found if you just spend a couple of days sifting through the electronic garbage. I have even found home addresses and phone numbers of the next of kin.<br /><br />Of course with an average of 13 - 15 Transgendered people being the victims of violence every year that kind of research is time consuming and exhaustive work. Not to mention the mental and emotional tolls one has to pay to be neck deep in that kind of inhumanity for any length of time. The truth is I avoided that research simply because I do not want to spend another week or two in a psychiatric facility again. As much as I want to serve and honor those fallen dead the price was just too high this year. I pray that they and the gods will forgive my selfishness. But I cannot honor them in life if I join them in death.<br /><br />I do have some names. But I have little else. I cannot call out the names of their murderers as I have done in the past. I cannot report on the circumstances of their loss. I do not have the details of their lives before tragedy struck. So I humbly offer what little I do have. Blessings and peace be upon their souls.<br /><br />Nakia Ladelle Baker<br />Cause of Death: Blunt force trauma to the head.</p><p>Keittirat Longnawa<br />Cause of Death: Beaten by 9 Youths who then slit her throat.</p><p>Moira Donaire<br />Cause of Death: Stabbed 5 times by a street vendor.</p><p>Michelle Carrasco “Chela”<br />Cause of Death: She was found in a pit with her face completely disfigured.</p><p>Ruby Rodriguez<br />Cause of Death: She had been strangled and was found naked in the street.</p><p>Erica Keel<br />Cause of Death: A car repeatedly struck her.</p><p>Bret T. Turner<br />Cause of Death: Multiple stab wounds.</p><p>Unidentified Male Clad in Female Attire<br />Cause of Death: Gunshot wounds to the chest and lower back.</p><p>Victoria Arellano<br />Cause of Death: Denied necessary medications to treat HIV-related side effects.</p><p>Oscar Mosqueda<br />Cause of Death: Shot to death.<br /><br />Blessed Be<br /></p>Raven Usherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051041786961049492noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465851914755106440.post-61035672020649477602007-09-16T14:29:00.000-07:002007-09-16T14:31:49.603-07:00To Be or Not To Be... The Answer is the Thing<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim3wMM8O-5NYA9k8u3pbaau3eIUEOcBfG-i0AMUpkk-RaFKEIFLpPriFg7vp4JRvuQoeItqM1WEdkFYN7Q-NhEiNDx-g39ZSYTJm6AwhyphenhyphenPbYkCj3NTQtO0WH4zWHRmguMcCtqzZkfxGA/s1600-h/ravenworld.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5110917755194526610" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim3wMM8O-5NYA9k8u3pbaau3eIUEOcBfG-i0AMUpkk-RaFKEIFLpPriFg7vp4JRvuQoeItqM1WEdkFYN7Q-NhEiNDx-g39ZSYTJm6AwhyphenhyphenPbYkCj3NTQtO0WH4zWHRmguMcCtqzZkfxGA/s320/ravenworld.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>To Be or Not To Be… The Answer is the Thing<br />By Raven Usher<br /><br />To be or not to be? Shakespeare called it “the question”. As I am sure that most of the English speaking world is familiar with these words, I am equally sure that few have ever bothered to contemplate them. A series of six very simple words actually present a very complicated question. Should I be? Or should I not be?<br /><br />Have you ever spent any time thinking about what it means to be? It means existing. It means living and doing all the things that allow you to continue to live. To exist. To be. On the other side of that coin is the more ominous option. To NOT be.<br /><br />Have you ever thought about not being? It is a chilling thought, is it not? Most people do not even want to approach the subject. The truth is that it never occurs to most people to contemplate being until they have an unsettling surprise encounter with the possibility of not being. It could be a car accident. It could be a heart attack. It could be staring down the barrel of a gun (someone else’s or your own).<br /><br />How many of you have already come to the conclusion that you are reading the nonsensical ravings of a crazy suicidal bitch? Well, I have been suicidal and I might just be crazy. But I assure this is not nonsense.<br /><br />You do not just recover from depression. A penicillin shot from your local doc does not clear it up in a few days the way it cleared up the after math of that rendezvous in the dark corner of the park with a stranger. It takes time. That is, if full recovery ever happens at all.<br /><br />To be. To enjoy those things that bring you pleasure. To indulge in the company of those who love you. To sample the delicate tastes and flavors the world has to offer. To stand and face adversity. To endure sorrow. To feel ALL the feelings the human heart is capable off letting out. To balance the joys against the sorrows… the pleasures against the pains. To feel the heat of the sun and the cold of the snow. To feel silk on your chest and gravel under your feet. To sleep. And to wake up.<br /><br />There is so much to consider. It is not an easy accomplishment to think about all those things. The truth is that most of us take it all for granted. We are use to them being there whether we need them or not. So many people scurry through life blissfully unaware of how fragile the whole structure can become. When a person has to consciously take stock of the entire company of his or her life on a daily basis, the sheer act of being becomes a dauntless struggle.<br /><br />Not to be. The great escape. The great surrender. Is it cowardice? NO. It is defeat. It is confusion. It is the end of all the unanswerable question, the unendurable feelings and the total exhaustion of not being able to be. It is the answer to being trapped. It is pure sorrow at it strongest incarnation. It is, in a word, helplessness.<br /><br />Most of us do not know, and hopefully will never know, true helplessness. I think most people think of helplessness in the cute and cuddly context of caring for an infant. But infants are not truly helpless. When an infant is in distress it can communicate the fact to those around the infant with a series of screams and yells. When one reaches the stage of considering not being even that simple survival skill is lost.<br /><br />Depression and suicide runs rampant through the LGBT community. As optimistic as the “fell-gooders” want us all to be, it is not something that one can save oneself from. Have you ever heard the helpless cries of someone near you? Do you even know what to listen for? The helpless can not ask for help. Can you offer it?<br /><br />Blessed be </div>Raven Usherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051041786961049492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465851914755106440.post-11156495605522767812007-07-18T15:30:00.000-07:002007-07-18T15:35:22.818-07:00Trans in Prison<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPv6G_b-a7czQgThqR22CIhJAxUQzgGcpq5ri4Jb7jyfP65kMqMi6ofs2bZXLiUUZczCONXmAYViAJpt7Q_BSBwVl7ZhoQL6Zk7IchSEP6-M-7Hpg9txfpk_mks83OfkM-P4rsbYjlNw/s1600-h/raven.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5088668607339104018" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPv6G_b-a7czQgThqR22CIhJAxUQzgGcpq5ri4Jb7jyfP65kMqMi6ofs2bZXLiUUZczCONXmAYViAJpt7Q_BSBwVl7ZhoQL6Zk7IchSEP6-M-7Hpg9txfpk_mks83OfkM-P4rsbYjlNw/s320/raven.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidZpMnHCBVklERAbznE6kaWRHO7vXk34cmyIpZBbuI3XF5zefKBPQaFw13YOXNoVr2yzWXuytoVdw9CmVKGBTUU3uic0LGQmpap1FXLIO_qU-vW_9VcA_ZFlhQ3cYINXHRtfA9ibu-6Q/s1600-h/ravensignature.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5088668469900150530" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidZpMnHCBVklERAbznE6kaWRHO7vXk34cmyIpZBbuI3XF5zefKBPQaFw13YOXNoVr2yzWXuytoVdw9CmVKGBTUU3uic0LGQmpap1FXLIO_qU-vW_9VcA_ZFlhQ3cYINXHRtfA9ibu-6Q/s320/ravensignature.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>Trans in Prison</strong></span><br />By Raven Usher<br /><br />There is currently a person in the Idaho State correctional facility who claims to be male to female transsexual. About once a year, during the media sweeps, he makes the news because he does something dramatic to get attention. This year he resorted to self mutilation by allegedly cutting out his own testicles.<br /><br />The person has sued the corrections dept. and the state of Idaho a number of times trying to get the taxpayers to pay for hormone therapy (HRT) as a step towards sexual reassignment surgery (SRS). Each time he has failed.<br /><br />Now, as you read the rest of this article remember that I myself am a pre-operative male to female transsexual. I have undergone HRT and have transition to the point where I am living full time as a woman.<br /><br />In order to start HRT (without self medicating with black market medications) one must undergo psychological testing to confirm the level of your gender identity disorder (GID). Only about 10% of transgendered people qualify for those services. And even if you do qualify psychologically, there are a number of other factors that can disqualify you from actually receiving HRT and SRS.<br /><br />One of the biggest disqualifiers is having a history of violent tendencies. True transsexuals are the ultimate pacifists. We just do not get violent. It is not in our nature. We tend to be so passive that most of the time we do not even fight to defend ourselves. It is part of the transsexual psychological make up.<br /><br />I do not know why this person who claims to be transsexual is in prison. But being the child and sibling of police officers, I do know that you do not go to a state correctional facility for over a decade for non-violent crimes. Hormone treatment can react havoc on a person’s emotions. Starting SRS begins a period of emotional unbalance that can take three to six months to work out. If a person already has tendencies towards violence hormones will only intensify it.<br /><br />I also know that a transsexual in a prison environment is all kinds of bad news! Prison society is a microcosm with its own societal rules and norms. The introduction of a transsexual would be so disruptive that it would threaten the working order of the entire prison to its very core. To have a transsexual in prison is to risk a level of unrest that could potentially trigger a violent riot that would endanger ALL the prisoners and the guard staff.<br /><br />Because of these reasons, it is my personal believe that this person is trying to use HRT and SRS to keep himself isolated from other prisoners. It is actually a pretty good scam. But it is the absolute worse example possible for the transgender community. Not just in Idaho but all across the nation.<br /><br />This man, note I said MAN, is not an acceptable candidate for HRT.<br />1) He has a history of violence.<br />DISQUALIFIED!<br />Hormone treatment will make violent people more violent.<br />2) He is in prison.<br />DISQUALIFIED!<br />The introduction of a trans person into a prison environment will put him in immediate danger of becoming a victim of physical violence, rape and murder.<br />According to the Harry Benjamin Standards of Care:<br />3) He does not have the ability to achieve ”the real life experience”.<br />DISQUALIFIED!<br />4) He does not have an long lasting relationship with a gender therapist.<br />DISQUALIFIED!<br /><br />The simple truth of the matter is that this man should not start HRT in his present circumstances being in prison. Maybe when he is released from prison and undergoes regular therapy he will be able to pursue it. But right now, at this time, he should not start taking hormones. And gender activist organizations and individuals need to stop over reacting and screaming “discrimination” without taking the time to look at the overall situation. No good can come from his starting HRT in prison. It will put him in danger. It will put the prison at unnecessary risk. The Idaho State penitentiary and the State is doing the exact right thing by denying hormone treatment to this person at this time.<br /></div></div>Raven Usherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051041786961049492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465851914755106440.post-65925182578187550942007-07-12T15:43:00.000-07:002007-07-12T15:46:04.159-07:00"Red Team, You Have a Patient"<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCdOQXc4BQEjbmATN30Zk2RLrfs0f_U_T5G98ZhlpQfVrd97Tq2AVvFhzNntwq4toRtWDc9JahKyLn3h1KOTCx9MFKVeCraGCFataRi5ydPd1Kwb60OLGZaeNa7z_F_71OJs_QgYDkVA/s1600-h/ravenworld.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086445304633427698" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCdOQXc4BQEjbmATN30Zk2RLrfs0f_U_T5G98ZhlpQfVrd97Tq2AVvFhzNntwq4toRtWDc9JahKyLn3h1KOTCx9MFKVeCraGCFataRi5ydPd1Kwb60OLGZaeNa7z_F_71OJs_QgYDkVA/s320/ravenworld.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><strong>“Red Team, You Have a Patient”</strong><br /><br />By Raven Usher<br /><br />This is not an apology. There is no reason for me to apologize. Yes, it is true that I worried the hell out of my wife and kids. And I made my father, the ex military MP, fight back tears when he looked at me. And I triggered my brother’s EMT/cop protective instincts. And I sent my closest friends into a tizzy of near panic. Still with all this, there is no need for apologies.<br /><br />I have written about it. I have talked about it. I have even lectured about it. I have come to the rescue of others in crisis from it. I have counseled people who have faced it. I have helped others beat it. During the last week in June 2007, it brought me to my knees and I needed others to come to my rescue.<br /><br />At approximately two in the afternoon I left my house on my motorcycle trying to run from something that was not tangible. By eight o’clock that night I had been admitted to the Saint Alphonsus psychiatric center under suicide watch.<br /><br />In February of this year I wrote about the 50% rule. It states that 50% of transsexuals will end up dead by their early 30’s… most by committing suicide. The Harry Benjamin Standards of Care calls it being susceptible to “Emotional lability”. I am nearly forty now and although I have surpassed that focal age group I am still in danger. I have been since October 2006.<br /><br />Dealing with suicidal thoughts and feelings is a possibility that every transgendered person should be knowledgeable about. It may never plague you. If not count yourself lucky. It can hit any of us at any time. Although my own fight against suicide is not directly linked to my being transsexual, my predisposition of susceptibility to depression from being transgendered made it all the easier for outside influences overwhelm me.<br /><br />Of course, anyone can fall victim to suicidal thoughts and feelings. It is not a condition that is particular to transgendered people. But if you are transgendered, and especially if you are on or are considering hormone therapy, you need to be aware that you are at added risk. Despite my current condition, undergoing hormone therapy and pursuing transition was still the best decision of my life. It has been my saving grace.<br /><br />Being a trans person has its risks. Most of those risks do not come from the outside world. We must be vigilant against the possibility hatred, intolerance and violence. But it is more important to be aware of the risks from inside ourselves. Our own physical health and our mental and emotional states can present even more danger than bigots and religious fanatics.<br /><br />It is a scary thing when your brain tries to convince you to end your own life. It is even scarier when you start to listen and move to do what you are being told. The danger got so real for me that it triggered my flight instinct. I ran. Luckily my instincts led me to run to where I could find help. It certainly was not conscious thought that got me to Saint Alphonsus. I do not know how I got there. All I know for certain is that I had been riding aimlessly for over an hour before I managed to take that left turn into their parking lot.<br /><br />The truth is I got very lucky. I avoided doing any physical damage to myself. Unfortunately, not everyone who finds themselves in that position gets lucky. I have every possible safety precaution in place. I have professional help. But still… At this moment I cannot be confident about how long my luck will hold out. Or if I even have any luck left.<br /><br />How lucky are you? Can you rely on your luck to save you? Please do not leave it to luck. Know your level of risk. Talk to someone before it becomes an emergency. There is a way out.<br />Blessed Be<br /><br />24 hour suicide hotline: 1-800-726-0003<br /></div>Raven Usherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051041786961049492noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465851914755106440.post-17459580463014442562007-06-13T08:04:00.000-07:002007-06-13T08:09:49.270-07:00Deadly Secrets<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEZnjg_jz92hZRSSwCHv0LvrFyyYNBfpjFTZmkt6MNyKIL1Ao9gqTWNevhDHefTjtbU_zus3aAANFZX_f6VOUioSxA5Voq_Ajp9u372KsRjCQueJbUlC9tngkBjgij-L7O8FHPNEu1-g/s1600-h/Ravensparkle.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5075565664433746706" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEZnjg_jz92hZRSSwCHv0LvrFyyYNBfpjFTZmkt6MNyKIL1Ao9gqTWNevhDHefTjtbU_zus3aAANFZX_f6VOUioSxA5Voq_Ajp9u372KsRjCQueJbUlC9tngkBjgij-L7O8FHPNEu1-g/s320/Ravensparkle.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Deadly Secrets</span></strong><br />By Raven Usher<br /><br />A good friend of mine made a very big mistake a while ago. It was the kind of mistake that immediately made me ask her if she was OK.<br /><br />She was diving home from a club late at night. On the way, she stopped and picked up a hitch hiker. As stupid as that was, it was not the mistake that made me fear for her safety.<br /><br />Before she dropped him off she had sex with him. As stupid as unprotected sex with a stranger is, that was not what made me fear for her safety.<br /><br />She is a pre-operative male to female transsexual. She had sex with this guy without telling him she has a penis. That is the mistake that made me fear for her very life.<br /><br />The most common reason that transsexuals get hurt and/or killed is because they did not tell the person they were physically intimate with before hand and that person freaked out after discovering the truth. It is a fact of tranny life. Surprising a sexual partner is life threatening. It is the single most dangerous stupid mistake we can make.<br /><br />It is not only dangerous for male to female transsexuals. Female to male trannies face the same danger. The violence that took Brandon Teena’s life was so horrifically tragic that it not only made national headlines but her story also became a successful motion picture.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.blogger.com/redir?src=websearch&requestId=fa99f1be16f28b73&clickedItemRank=2&userQuery=Gwen+Araujo&clickedItemURN=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jaimesite.homestead.com%2Fgwenaraujo.html&title=Gwen+Araujo&moduleId=matchingsites.jsp.M&clickedItemPageRanking=2&clickedItemPage=1&clickedItemDescription=WebResults">Gwen Araujo</a> was bludgeoned to death by a group of men who had not even gotten into her pants. They freaked out after only receiving oral sex from her. To top it off, the attack that took her life happened days after the sexual encounter when the men found out from a third party that Araujo was transgendered.<br /><br />What really makes this kind of violence tragic is that it is 100% preventable. It does not have to happen. With the simple act of putting our personal safety ahead of our physical urges we can keep all that danger at bay. Just do not be stupid. Make sure the person (or people) that you plan to have sex with know about you before hand. Do not surprise them.<br /><br />Have you ever gone to take a drink of what you thought was one thing and gotten something completely different? Maybe you are a coffee drinker and you accidentally got tea in your cup instead. Or maybe what you thought was apple juice turned out to be bourbon. Or maybe the milk was sour and you did not notice until it hit your tongue.<br /><br />The point is that when you expect one thing and get something totally different it is an unpleasant shock. When a horny, excited straight male is expecting something soft and wet and he gets something hard and long… the potential for a violent reaction is practically guaranteed. If tasting tea instead of coffee is enough to make you spit liquid across the table what kind of reaction do you expect to get from a surprise tallywacker?!<br /><br />I am ALWAYS appalled at violence targeted at transgendered people based on the sole reason that they are indeed transgendered. But as upset and heartbroken as I get when I read those news stories, part of me cannot help but be a little angry at the transgendered person who does something so appallingly moronic as surprising a sexual partner with the anatomy of a pre-operative transsexual body. I simply can not say it often enough or loud enough. It is stupid. It is stupid. IT IS STUPID!<br /><br />It is not a political platform. It is not an issue of discrimination. It is simple and basic self preservation! A person who walks through an alligator infested swamp does not have the right to act surprised when a gator clamps down on her leg.<br /><br />Violence is not acceptable. But neither is it acceptable to plunge yourself headlong into a situation that you know for certain will cause you deadly harm. It is OK to be blonde. Just do not be a dumb blonde!<br />Blessed BeRaven Usherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051041786961049492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465851914755106440.post-16426429176443044242007-05-13T19:48:00.000-07:002007-05-13T19:57:14.476-07:00A Day of Counted Sorrows (past issue 10/19/03)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDwUB80QgjlRBte8QF2pyEPqerIlMe9gdl_NlwpVfjj7x_Cqjmaszof6XWmH59gKV0ds_NjqY9BBs8DYZbwde_bWEpGp9GocvkZfm9YvDMkvnDS3l0TYZ8JgpkDgzpsyAbQvCIFrBQAQ/s1600-h/raven.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5064244831650557490" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDwUB80QgjlRBte8QF2pyEPqerIlMe9gdl_NlwpVfjj7x_Cqjmaszof6XWmH59gKV0ds_NjqY9BBs8DYZbwde_bWEpGp9GocvkZfm9YvDMkvnDS3l0TYZ8JgpkDgzpsyAbQvCIFrBQAQ/s320/raven.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5HUlN3ORbEaZVTEbl7_As8zfrEQwLGfo3biP9QOCRbMzTo7SUzorbhjTKkkqi0CJJlfPd5uKu-9d6oF4O5O-sFfL9uwN8h0vmVYEvyArjvOjGCYkpnAxxXoK5ChH3diSp2plxpW8LQA/s1600-h/pink+triangle.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5064244737161276962" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5HUlN3ORbEaZVTEbl7_As8zfrEQwLGfo3biP9QOCRbMzTo7SUzorbhjTKkkqi0CJJlfPd5uKu-9d6oF4O5O-sFfL9uwN8h0vmVYEvyArjvOjGCYkpnAxxXoK5ChH3diSp2plxpW8LQA/s320/pink+triangle.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>A Day of Counted Sorrows </div><div><br />Remembering Our Dead<br /></div><br /><br /><div>10/19/2003</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>“Those who do not remember the past are doomed to repeat it.” --George Santayana</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>I have a question for you all. What do Ze Galhinha, Chandini (aka Nazir), Tamyra Michaels, Georgina Matehaere, Roberta Nizah Morris, Timothy “Cinnamon” Broadus, Nikki Nicholas, Danisha Victoria Principal Williams, Ronald Andrew Brown, Merlinka (Vjeran Miladinovic), Mimi Young, Jessica Mercado, Hendricks Thomas (aka Tanesha Starr), Shelby Tracy Tom, Michael Charles Hurd, Cinnamon (Kendrick) Perry, Nireah Johnson, Selena Alvarez, Bella Evangelista, Emonie Kiera Spaulding and Cassandra “Tula” Do all have in common?</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>Answer: They, along with one other unidentified person, are the twenty-two transgendered people that have been murdered from November 20, 2002 until now.</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>I know what you are wondering. What is the significance of November 20th? November 20th is the “Transgender Day of Remembrance” and 2003 will be its 5th annual observance. The “Remembering Our Dead” project that sponsors the Day of Remembrance tracks and documents the murder of transgendered people all over the world.The Transgender Day of Remembrance was set aside to memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. The event is held in November to honor Rita Hester, whose murder on November 28th, 1998 kicked off the “Remembering Our Dead” web project and a San Francisco candlelight vigil in 1999. </div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>Rita Hester’s murder, like most anti-transgender murder cases, has yet to be solved.Although not every person represented during the Day of Remembrance self-identified as transgendered, that is, as a transsexual, crossdresser, or otherwise gender-variant, each was a victim of violence based on bias against transgendered people. The Transgender Day of Remembrance serves several purposes. It raises public awareness of hate crimes against transgendered people, an action that current media does not perform. </div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>Day of Remembrance publicly mourns and honors the lives of our brothers and sisters who might otherwise be forgotten. Through the vigil, we express love and respect for our people in the face of national indifference and hatred. Day of Remembrance reminds non-transgendered people that we are their sons, daughters, parents, friends and lovers. Day of Remembrance gives our allies a chance to step forward with us and stand in vigil, memorializing those of us who have died by anti-transgender violence.Remembering Our Dead and The Transgender Day of Remembrance are maintained mainly by Gwendolyn Ann Smith through the web site at <a href="http://www.gender.org/remember/day">www.gender.org/remember/day</a>. </div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>The site also contains a list of all the current year’s transgendered fallen and the circumstances surrounding their deaths. A complete list of all those that have been lost going back thirteen years can also be seen at the site.A total of 264 people (207 Domestic, 57 International) have been murdered as of 06/30/03 according to the Remembering Our Dead records. The average number of deaths has been maintaining itself at about 12 per year. That is one a month, folks. </div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>The deadliest year for transgendered people was 2002 with 25 killings, doubling the average. 2003 has a firm hold of second place with a current body count of 22. The top five rounds out with: 2000 - 19, 2001 - 19, 1997 - 18.</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>You may ask yourself why the police do not pay more attention to these specific types of crimes when they occur in such overwhelming numbers. It is simple. Because the police contribute to the body count. It is widely observed that transgendered people fear the police as much as they fear any attacker. There are four deaths on the books that were perpetrated by police officers. This includes Logan Smith who died of septic shock due to a punctured bladder. Police officers kicked Logan in his abdomen and sprayed him with pepper gas after stopping him for “failure to signal a right turn and failure to display a license plate.” Smith had offered no physical resistance. He died later that evening.</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>Other emergency services do not have much better records when dealing with transgendered victims. Paramedics and emergency room workers also drop the ball. Jessica (Gerardo) Castillo suffered a blunt trauma to the head. She received inadequate care from D.C. general hospital, and from the medical team on scene of the accident. Georgina Matehaere managed to get herself to a hospital after being beaten with a baseball bat, but was promptly discharged. She was later returned to the same hospital via ambulance where she died of her injuries. Her last words before she lost consciousness were a plea for peace. </div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>The federal institutions fall short in their responsibilities to protect people as well. Two civilians and one serviceman have been killed by military personnel; one by a military policeman. Pvt. Barry L. Winchell was beaten to death, allegedly by Pvt. Calvin N. Glover, because he was in a relationship with a transgendered woman. He was not transgendered himself.</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>With such atrocities happening at the hands of the very people we enlist to protect us, the first instinct is to look for refuge at home with our families. No such luck. Giuseppe Mandanici was killed by a hit man hired by his father for $700. Richard Goldman was shot and killed by his father, retired state judge Milton Goldman. Diane Delia was shot four times in the head by her husband. An unnamed infant with ambiguous genitalia was killed by a blunt force trauma to the head, as well as strangulation, allegedly by the child's mother, Aruna Kavili. Jamie (James) Jackson was beaten to death in her own doorway. Four of this year’s victims were killed in their own homes. So, no. Home is not any safer than the streets.</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>Some of these crimes are so unspeakably brutal that it boggles the mind that the people who commit them are rarely, if ever, caught. Sometimes they are never even looked for. Dianne Aubert was stabbed in the back 121 times. Tracy Thompson was stabbed 120 times. Raimundo Rocha Alves had 42 stab wounds to the head! Kevin Freeman’s skull was split nearly in half. One of the most horrific murders was Barretta Williams. She was shot 16 times, pistol whipped, tied up with speaker wire, and gagged with a sock taped into her mouth. She was then tortured for several hours, beaten to death, and beheaded by Kenneth Poole and Ralph David Frantzreb. Activist Kristi Independence Kelly died in a plane crash. Suspicion is that she had probably been assassinated by "Dannites" (the covert paramilitary wing of the Mormon Church). </div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>A great majority of attacks on transgendered people are sexually motivated. Homophobia and sexual insecurity drives some assailants to extremes. Larry Venzant, William Battles, Jean (Woodrow) Powell and Randy Loomis were all sexually mutilated before their deaths. Randy was left to die on the street. He never received any medical attention. Barbara (William) Brodie, Steven Wilson and Michelle Lynne O'Hara were all raped and brutalized before they died. Michelle was so traumatized by the rape that she committed suicide shortly afterwards.</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>In the face of such violence, I have been asked many times why I have chosen to make my transition in Idaho, a state with a notorious past reputation of harboring groups that promote intolerance and providing a haven for agents of hate driven violence. I must admit, I do feel rather isolated and exposed at times. Having the little hairs stand up on the back of my neck because of some nameless fear is not unknown to me. Seriously, I do not carry a gun because I am perfectly at ease.</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>But all things told and considered, Idaho statistically qualifies as one of the safer places for people like me despite the lack of laws to protect us. Of the 207 people who were murdered in 89 cities through 33 states across the United States of America since 1990, not one death has happened in Idaho. There is some morbid comfort in that. Maybe that is because we number so few in Idaho that we are not perceived to be quite so threatening. Maybe we hold a niche of an oddity to be gawked at but not touched. Maybe no one believes we really exist here. Or maybe it is just that nobody has gotten around to doing an Idaho transgender in yet. Who knows?</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>What I do know is that these statistics are unacceptable. A transgendered person has been murdered every two weeks for the past two years. Far too few of the killers have been found and brought to justice. Only five of the last year’s twenty-two victims have had the killers identified. I want to live. That is the whole point to what I have done to my body. It is the reason I have risked my family’s unity. It is the underlying current to why I have caused so much disruption to all the lives that are connected to me. </div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>I am suppose to have “the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Will my killer continue to enjoy his life, liberty and happiness after I am dead? If my battered body turns up in a downtown alley, will my family have any hope at all to see justice done? The statistics say, “No.”</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>Blessed Be.</div></div>Raven Usherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051041786961049492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465851914755106440.post-12783061401076924622007-05-11T14:00:00.000-07:002007-05-11T14:04:22.513-07:00To Lipstick or Not to Lipsstick...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJnPkDeZt95QrS1DpSp_msgYvoyHmMci28ej1RB4g_2xD4kI2rVLiuNxW94xhn0Gu9GNdfpUOInEzSx8KoMWe_gBvjSFp3o4HaSllzwtUmqUbB1VRaz7gU5roHK4xIXXJP-3iFSCRE9g/s1600-h/KissLips.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5063411900052909586" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJnPkDeZt95QrS1DpSp_msgYvoyHmMci28ej1RB4g_2xD4kI2rVLiuNxW94xhn0Gu9GNdfpUOInEzSx8KoMWe_gBvjSFp3o4HaSllzwtUmqUbB1VRaz7gU5roHK4xIXXJP-3iFSCRE9g/s320/KissLips.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiehB-U-EnrmDm8VZ5Ysgd4rvFA5U1_w4HDdHcovJmGWQffNzmL0eKWdVdAuqL5BV-pcHk5bi0ln2kgS7vIiX0DomeMPaNeQHRX4vqNs3UBfXV-hhrmohhe4L_NEaStH5F5axagL2uiaA/s1600-h/Ravensparkle.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5063411483441081858" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiehB-U-EnrmDm8VZ5Ysgd4rvFA5U1_w4HDdHcovJmGWQffNzmL0eKWdVdAuqL5BV-pcHk5bi0ln2kgS7vIiX0DomeMPaNeQHRX4vqNs3UBfXV-hhrmohhe4L_NEaStH5F5axagL2uiaA/s320/Ravensparkle.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>To Lipstick or Not to Lipstick…<br />by Raven Usher<br />I had a meeting with my oldest daughter’s principal not too long ago. It was one of those boring chores you are forced to do when you are a parent. I dread school functions. A chorus of third graders singing public domain songs while performing bad choreography on the bleachers is enough to make me want to stick my finger through my eye, back into my brain and swirl it around. I am just not a PTO kind of mom.<br />My fifteen year old is soon to depart to the Midwest to compete in a national high school championship. It ensured that I would have to go talk to school officials. Ick. I had about a fifteen minute discussion with the principal. As I stood to leave he stopped me and said, “I just have to ask. You and Michelle are both Mom?”<br />He was so visibly uncomfortable asking. It was so cute. At that moment the little scene made me giggle and took off the unpleasant edge off of being at the school. Later at home I caught a glimpse of myself in a mirror as I scampered around the house doing me daily chores. No make-up. Hair a mess. Ratty old comfy t-shirt. It was the kind of look on a parent that makes the kids want to be dropped off three blocks from school so their friends do not see their mom.<br />Then I realized that this is how I presented myself to the principal. Completely uncamouflaged. I had adorned myself with none of the trappings of the gender of my heart. I had passed a very close face-to-face scrutiny without any artificial societal markers of gender. In my teenager’s language, that was way kewl!<br />Way back when it felt really great when I passed as a woman for the first time. I was all done up. Twice as much time had been spent preparing for the night out than on the night out itself. It was worth it though.<br />This was so different. It was still very exciting. I do not know why I was so surprised. I have told so many aspiring trannies that their most effective tool is patience. You have to give everything time to work. I have been taking hormones since May of 2000. So it seems my own patience is paying off.<br />As I looked into the mirror, I thought about other people I have talked to recently. Waiters. The car salesman. Other parents. The bank manager. The security guard at the Boise Burn games. All face-to-face contacts. Close scrutiny. And with less and less prep as time goes on.<br />I think I may be starting to do what I have accused so many genetic women of doing. I’m starting to take being female for granted. Bad Raven! Bad, bad Raven!<br />Oh well. If I have to take something for granted I am glad its actually able to be this.<br />Blessed Be</div></div>Raven Usherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051041786961049492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465851914755106440.post-23994911052408476652007-04-15T13:34:00.000-07:002007-04-15T13:35:02.277-07:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwxHpoTakTrbrs9s05wjPdipkDU87wtfVaIEzpVUD8ulVOFUdT143DRxjeLLbnr8yXECe1_jMnXVsS-LQH3yWAMIHZai3-km2_2RBS7P_Ko5tjC23rBRpr0uF0Sc8Jxak247OOeEMJYQ/s1600-h/2greatpic.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053756110952131314" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwxHpoTakTrbrs9s05wjPdipkDU87wtfVaIEzpVUD8ulVOFUdT143DRxjeLLbnr8yXECe1_jMnXVsS-LQH3yWAMIHZai3-km2_2RBS7P_Ko5tjC23rBRpr0uF0Sc8Jxak247OOeEMJYQ/s320/2greatpic.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><br />City of Boise Protects All<br />by Raven Usher</div><br /><div><br />Managing Editor, Diversity Newsmagazine<br />Boise, ID - While Idaho citizens face a ballot on the Nov 2006 election that threatens to write prejudice and discrimination into the Idaho state constitution, civic leaders in Boise took a bold step towards human rights and equality.</div><br /><div><br />On April 26 the Boise City Council, led by Council President MaryAnne Jordan and supported by Mayor Bieter, voted unanimously to add sexual orientation AND gender identity to the city's non-discrimination policy. The vote is the result of a six year campaign to combat discrimination an intolerance. The entire council has pledged their support not only to back this decision but also to stand together and face whatever comes next.</div><br /><div><br />Idaho state Representative Nicole LeFavour and Boise human rights activist Nikki Leonard were instrumental in their work with Council President Jordan in bringing this brave and progressive step towards equal human rights by the City Council to fruition. Idaho LGBT press lines, which were informed of this major development almost immediately after the vote had taken place, showed appreciation and support to the Boise City Council by withholding press releases and news stories to give Council President Jordan the chance to make the first public announcement. This uncommon show of unity between a government body and news organizations is a testament to the dedication to human rights that is being fostered in Idaho's capitol city.</div><br /><div><br />"This is a real cause for celebration," said Representative LeFavour. "It is one of those moments that I have held my breath for."</div><br /><div><br />With a population under 300,000 Boise is a relatively small city. However, the City Council has shown that Boise can stand tall side by side with major metropolitan cities such as New York, Chicago, Miami and Los Angeles in the protection of its citizens. </div><br /><div><br />There is no telling what effect news of the new non-discrimination policy will have on the Nov 2006 election issue that threatens to make same-sex marriage illegal in Idaho. However, such a major step towards equality does shed a ray of hope that the citizens of Idaho will continue the fight against hatred that drove white supremacists out of the state. That same spirit may yet defeat the push that threatens to have state-sponsored hatred to be written into the Idaho constitution.</div><br /><div><br />The state-wide slogan "Idaho is too great for hate!" passed the test of its truth when neo-nazi groups were defeated in Idaho. It is now being put to the test over equal human rights for gay, lesbian and transgendered people. The Boise City Council has stood up to and passed that test. In Nov the nation will see if the rest of Idaho will pass that same test.</div><br /><div></div>Raven Usherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051041786961049492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465851914755106440.post-50466168802812086802007-04-15T13:01:00.000-07:002007-04-15T13:03:46.947-07:00The 80% Rule<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqPkz-0skAKVTvzRVo5q-u9SXESki0j8YjugTGwYmtPEV4M_trgyONBa7hQxAtflWa-ST1ibjUeQX4Ls-xOjSS35aUVqliUhSJvo6_fXG8oBwRVuFb3M439rash88amzcNaX2g_SWzQw/s1600-h/raven.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053747765830675170" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqPkz-0skAKVTvzRVo5q-u9SXESki0j8YjugTGwYmtPEV4M_trgyONBa7hQxAtflWa-ST1ibjUeQX4Ls-xOjSS35aUVqliUhSJvo6_fXG8oBwRVuFb3M439rash88amzcNaX2g_SWzQw/s320/raven.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><p>The 80% Rule<br />by Raven Usher</p><p><br />Going through a Transsexual transition is expensive! I am not speaking of just the cost of sexual reassignment surgery (SRS). [circa $15,000] The whole experience of shelling out money through the ongoing process is like a Master Card commercial gone insane!</p><p><br />Hormones: $100+ per month. Therapist appointments: $90 per visit. Laser hair removal: $50 per hour. Breast augmentation: $2,500. Facial feminization surgery: $5,000. Constantly updating your wardrobe to fit your changing body form: $1,000 - $1,200 per quarter. Completing transsexual transition (if you survive it): priceless.</p><p><br />To add to the stress and complications of paying for it all, there are two major slaps in the face that transsexuals get hit with. The first is that no medical insurance program anywhere in the United States will cover the cost of SRS. Even when a licensed psychiatrist diagnoses the medical condition of gender dysphoria and that the need for transition is medically necessary the insurance companies will not pay their share. Sometimes prescription coverage programs will cover the hormones. But you need to have a medical doctor write the prescription. And then you have to pay for those doctor visits too.</p><p><br />The biggest financial setback is a horrifying statistic. 80% of all transsexuals will lose their jobs when they transition. How is that for discrimination in the workplace?</p><p><br />Finding a new job is not an easy undertaking either. Most trannies are forced to live off savings or other pitiful sources of income until they become passable in their new gender expression. That process takes between one and two years. That is a lot of overhead to pay out when there is little to no cash coming in.</p><p><br />The entire country has anti-discrimination laws that prevent someone from being fired because they are a woman. There are only a handful of laws that protect someone from being fired because they want to become a woman. The city of Boise has added gender expression to its workplace protections for civil services employees. In other words, TG’s who work for a city agency have protection at their jobs. The rest of us are still victim to the oppression of “at will” employment.</p><p><br />It is this workplace discrimination that hinders most TG’s from coming out of the closet. Even more than facing the possible scorn of family and friends, the prospect of being cast out of a long standing and promising career is an intimidating obstacle. It is hard enough to do something that could possibly leave you alone in the world. To face it without a source of income is salt in the wounds.</p><p><br />So why do we do it? Why do we throw ourselves headlong into such a body and soul battering maelstrom? Because the Master Card commercials all end with the same promise… “Completing transsexual transition: priceless!”<br />Blessed Be<br /><br /></p>Raven Usherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051041786961049492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465851914755106440.post-83082761485273925962007-03-25T18:48:00.001-07:002007-03-25T18:51:00.606-07:00The 2% Rule<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJzqjUBoraCTftZQKVjja1ss3llIfeTUBzQr0fjIBnVAfi2L2vY4mHd2PChnxsBMgMa3FKcWgY_Mh45aHL2RrXWCGSIsiG7_Vs4xVOPSUeaulFejSKbgk9VlBDLw1KT0N2Otn_QM1NvQ/s1600-h/Ravensparkle.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5046044507346671522" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJzqjUBoraCTftZQKVjja1ss3llIfeTUBzQr0fjIBnVAfi2L2vY4mHd2PChnxsBMgMa3FKcWgY_Mh45aHL2RrXWCGSIsiG7_Vs4xVOPSUeaulFejSKbgk9VlBDLw1KT0N2Otn_QM1NvQ/s320/Ravensparkle.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><div>The 2% Rule<br />by Raven Usher</div><div><br />Only 2% of marriages that encounter a transsexual transition by one of the partners remains in tact.</div><div><br />OK, so it is more of a statistic than a rule. But that does not change the ominous meaning of it. 2%. That is even lower than the survival rate of straight Christian vanilla marriages.</div><div><br />On the surface the reason for that divorce rate seems kind of obvious. The husband wants to be the wife. (Or vice versa.) How could a marriage possibly survive with two wives? How could any relationship endure that kind of monumental change?</div><div><br />Much like the right-wing anti-gay-marriage movement, the people who ask those type of questions have obviously lost all sight of what marriage is truly suppose to be about. Almost all the marriage vows that you will hear have something along the lines of “for richer, for poorer, for better or for worse” in them. What does that mean? </div><div><br />It means unconditional love. The kind of love that expects the hard times and the poor times. It is the love that realizes that life is like riding the bus… it requires change.</div><div><br />Now granted that a wife being told that her husband wants to be a woman is way out of the realm of even the most liberal definition of “normal.” It still falls under the heading of those marriage vows. Once all the parties involved understand that, once all the difficult adjustments are made, overall life with the couple will get better. When one member of a couple is unhappy the couple is unhappy. To make the couple happy the individuals need to find their paths to happiness and the partners need to find a way to support that path. I am not trying to play down the huge impact that a transsexual transition has on a marriage and a family. The point is that a real marriage can survive anything.</div><div><br />Usually in order to survive a TS change it takes some self-realization on the part of the one not making the change. A wife has to come to know and believe that her husband wanting to become a woman IS NOT a failure in any way on her part. It is not because she was not enough of a woman or a lover. It is not because she is lacking any amount of femininity. It is not because she did not love or give enough.</div><div><br />It is quite the opposite. It is because the wife is such a strong and dependable image of womanhood, that her femininity is so well defined, because she loves and gives of herself so completely. That is why the husband is able to show her the overwhelming amount of trust it takes for him to open his heart and confess the desire that is eating him away from inside. It is why he is able to lay his entire life at her feet and ask her to make a sacrifice worthy of the most sacred martyr.</div><div><br />Only in the unconditional love of a true marriage can such a thing happen. And if only the partners who are asked to make that sacrifice could understand that it is their strength that makes it possible to even consider asking for such support, far more than 2% of those loving and well rooted marriages would survive.</div><div><br />It is not insurmountable. The partnership, the family and the marriage can endure. All you have to do is hold tight to the unconditional love that made it possible for you, as a couple, to reach a place where you can face obstacles together and, in union, overcome that which neither one could conquer alone.</div><div><br />Blessed Be</div><div><br /> </div>Raven Usherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051041786961049492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465851914755106440.post-85991460136284806732007-03-25T18:48:00.000-07:002007-03-25T18:49:06.962-07:00Raven Usherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051041786961049492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465851914755106440.post-20889045811903635542007-03-13T09:58:00.000-07:002007-03-13T10:02:26.154-07:00The 50% Rule<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFYpYE5MlzYPm-gWrQE3bQL2Vo5XjM8sNJOios4dVjvlwW-_mY3vGvjPaS_3wTChCulQV0OROXKnXjmwmbYJed7mCEe5VNAD7toVoL18529YJrHG9BaOonOQztOOT4EKBhRhYLZbs77A/s1600-h/B&W.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5041455271068470434" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFYpYE5MlzYPm-gWrQE3bQL2Vo5XjM8sNJOios4dVjvlwW-_mY3vGvjPaS_3wTChCulQV0OROXKnXjmwmbYJed7mCEe5VNAD7toVoL18529YJrHG9BaOonOQztOOT4EKBhRhYLZbs77A/s320/B&W.jpg" border="0" /></a>The 50% Rule<br />by Raven Usher<br /><br />50% Rule: Statistic that states “50% of all transsexuals will die by their early 30’s. A small number die from violence, disease or other common causes. Most commit suicide.” - The North American Lexicon of Transgender Terms.<br /><br />(available at <a href="http://www.glbpubs.com/lex.html">www.glbpubs.com/lex.html</a>)<br /><br />It’s a scary statistic, isn’t it? Half. That is a lot. Look around you some time and take notice of all the people around you. Now imagine that half of them are gone. Just gone.<br /><br />It can be a difficult thing being part of that group. You never really know to which half you belong. Are you safe? Are you at risk? How can you tell in either case?<br /><br />The reason the so many transsexuals commit suicide is that they fall victim to intense bouts of depression. Just about any tranny can tell you about feeling trapped or oppressed. Even those who survive the 50% rule are still likely to experience depression at some point.<br /><br />To contemplate your own demise can be nerve racking under any circumstance. To consider yourself being the cause of it is beyond description. Even when one listens to someone talk about it is close to impossible for the average person to get the full scope of its impact.<br />People do not just wake up one morning and say to themselves, “I want to die today.”<br /><br />It is a long brutal progression of sorrow and pain. The thoughts creep into the back of the mind like a slow growing weed. Its seeds spreading on a barely audible breeze that whispers the unthinkable in someone’s ear. It keeps growing until the weeds are tangled so tightly around one’s feet that movement is impossible and the whisper becomes a bellowing roar that pounds like war drums in the ear. Step by step it wears away stamina and resistance until finally the last tug of a weed and the last gust of wind brings the whole structure tumbling into oblivion.<br />That moment is when the pills get swallowed, the knife makes its cut, the rope tightens and the gun fires. It is the point of surrender. It is the ultimate expression of sorrow.<br /><br />The truly sad part of the 50% rule is that it does not have to be a rule at all. It can be stopped. The depression can be overcome. The bad thoughts can be stopped.<br /><br />The problem is that by the time someone realizes they need help, they may not be able to seek it out. One of the first casualties of depression is a person’s motivation to do anything. They do not have the willpower left to take part in the things that once brought them happiness much less seek out something new.<br /><br />If you are having persisting feelings of sadness and depression. Please seek help. Talk to someone. Anyone. Stop a random cop on the street and tell him you need help. Call 911. Walk into an ER. There are many people who can and will help you if they only know you need help.<br />If you have someone in your life who is acting strange or out of sorts, transgendered or not, take the time to ask how they are feeling. Find help for them. Do not just let them wallow in their pain. Loved ones not noticing the trouble is one of the gates to suicide.<br />Blessed Be.Raven Usherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051041786961049492noreply@blogger.com0