C'mon Get Happy!

We all have particular things we do, watch, eat, whatever that makes us happy. Things we run to when the dark clouds start to loom. Here's some things that make me happy. Never hurts to share my joy :)

Kris.











My puppy Gonzo.

Family.














Painting.

The Beatles.

Paul and Linda McCartney

Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job!

Living Arts of Tulsa New Genre Fest

PLEASE come and check this out...its going to be amazing!
http://www.livingarts.org/newgenre2011/ng18.html

My Best Friend

All my life, I dreamed of having a close girlfriend (maybe because I thought it was the normal thing to have). Since I had social problems, I really didn't have a satisfying relationship with a friend. I had my cousin Amy, but she went down a path that I didn't want to follow. I had my friend Amanda, but we weren't really as close was I would have liked.
I wanted someone I could tell anything to without being judged. That "girlfriend" factor. Someone to be buddies with and that you wanna do everything with. I found that in Kris. Kris is the first person I have ever been this close to. She is the person that I was waiting for, my close girlfriend.
It is Kris's nature to tease me because I can be pretty weird or stupid sometimes, but it never really hurts me like the weird looks some of my "friends" used to give me when I had an "aspurger" moment.
I also have a good friend named Emma. I'm actually closer to her than I have been to any other outside of marriage or family.
I think having friends is important, especially to someone like me. For everyone, it validates that you are a worth-while person. I used to get very depressed because I didn't have any friends about five years back. Now, I have many! It really feels great. I hope I keep most of these friendships going to a lifetime. Even if I don't, I will always have Kris, my close buddy, my partner in crime, my best girlfriend.

Jesus is a Jerk

I think he has a sense of humor...if he doesn't, I will be sorely disappointed...

The Road To Transgender Equality is Long. Help Shorten It

by Nathan Tabak · February 08, 2011

There’s no denying that the past decade has seen great strides forward in LGBT rights. We can now marry in five states, plus the District of Columbia.  Gay men and lesbians will soon be able to serve openly in the military. We have more visibility in the broader culture than ever before.  And more cities and municipalities have adopted non-discrimination policies that protect us from being fired simply for who we are.
But not all LGBT people have benefited from these advances. And thanks to the work of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the National Center for Transgender Equality, there’s new evidence that the “T” has seen the least progress of the other three letters of that oft-used acronym. “Injustice At Every Turn,” shows just how far transgender people remain from full equality.

The survey’s findings -- based on responses from 6,450 transgender and gender-nonconforming participants -- generally don’t make for uplifting reading.  Trans people, when compared to the general population, are twice as likely to be unemployed, four times as likely to live in extreme poverty, four times as likely to be HIV-positive, and perhaps most appallingly, over 25 times as likely to have attempted suicide. And for transgender people of color, especially African Americans, most of the differences are even greater.

Yet the transgender experience in America, though undoubtedly difficult and even tragic for many, is far too complex to be reduced to a series of grim statistics.  Just take a look at the stories of a few transgender individuals.

Jane Ireland, a transgender woman from Tulsa, OK, has faced her own set of challenges. She was fired from her IT job after coming out as transgender. Later, Jane lost her job as a waiter at the local Hilton when Texas-based managers would not allow her to work while presenting herself as female, on the grounds that she was hired as a man.  As if this wasn’t enough, Jane was also rejected by her church: her own ministry chose not to renew her ministerial license, forcing her to resign after nearly a decade of service.
Ja’briel Walthour, an African-American transgender woman from Hinesville, GA, hasn’t had an easy life.  The challenges of transitioning from male to female were only compounded by the rejection she faced from her church and her Bible Belt community, and she considered suicide.  She told the Associated Press: “I felt there was not an ounce of compassion or empathy for individuals who may be displaying atypical gender roles… I got into a place where I wanted to just not be here anymore.”
Yet like other transgender Americans, Jane and Ja’briel haven’t let their experiences with adversity define their lives: they have shown remarkable strength in overcoming it.  Jane has successfully worked as a fine dining waitress for nearly a year, at a job where her managers and the rest of the staff respect both her performance and her identity as a woman, and maintains a close relationship with her family.  Ja’briel has found work as a school bus driver and currently plans to pursue a degree in social work.
Thus, the story told by “Injustice at Every Turn” is not just about the discrimination endured by transgender Americans -- it’s about their ability to overcome it.  Over three-quarters of the survey’s respondents reported being more comfortable and performing better at work after transitioning, despite the harassment most experienced.  And while nearly one-fifth of respondents have been denied homes or apartments because of being trans, 94 percent of those respondents have been able to find homes.
A great deal remains to be done -– not just in winning transgender equality from straight people, but also in convincing many LGB allies of the importance of trans issues, something which I can attest remains a major problem. But all of us, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and straight, can learn much from the courage of transgender Americans, as we work toward a world where no one can be denied things as fundamental as housing, health care, and employment based solely on their identity.
And anyone, no matter what our own identity is, can make a stand in support of equality. Pledge to end discrimination against transgender people today.

Note: Renna Communications has handled PR for "Injustice at Every Turn."

Photo credit: EndTransDiscrimination.org

For Today I am a Boy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transgender_musicians

Living In Stealth

Here is some info from the Donna Rose website about living in stealth:
http://www.donnarose.com/Stealth.htm

Personally, I think that it would be better to be an advocate for other people that are going through the same thing you did, but then again, I am not a transsexual. I cannot say that I would not want to be stealth. I understand that a huge point of changing your sex is to leave the other person behind and become your true self. Who's to stay that I wouldn't want to have anything to do with the fact that I was the opposite gender?
For those on both sides of the fence, stealth and not, I believe it would take a lot of courage. On one hand, it takes a lot to leave everything behind and build a new life. On the other, it takes bravery to continue to, in some situations, let it be known that you are a transsexual person. I know of some lovely people who have gone through this process and continue to help others that are going through it and those who have just started.
Of course, being a transsexual does not define who you are as a person. Unfortunately, society puts labels on people and it is hard for others to see passed that label. But, whatever your choice is, you have to prepare for what's ahead.
I admire all of you for your courage and wish you all very much happiness in the future.
-Mery ^_^

Spread the Word About My Etsy Store!!!

Check out my Etsy store! I've got necklaces, shirts, cards, invitations, and lots more. I have included my first Transgender Awareness T-shirt as well. Here is a link to my store:

Lady Madonna's Ends Meet on Etsy.com 

and here is a link to the Transgender shirt:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/67395215/transgender-awareness-shirt