She Just Knew...

It is Memorial Day 2014. Time to remember those who served our country in our history's most memorable battles. While you guys are doing that, I'll enjoy a bowl of Grape Nuts as I FINALLY can get started on another blog to post for my fans out there...all three of them! Maybe there is more than that, but they don't stay long enough to even send me a nice commentary or something creative. Whatever works for the weary-headed. 

Let me tell you folks what's been going on here, besides nothing. Seriously. I got to get in touch with my sister Annette in Minnesota. May 10th was her 52nd birthday, and she and her accountant hubby Jerry just recently celebrated 23 years of marriage this month as well. How quaint, right? Anyhoo, I tried a few times calling her on her birthday to no avail. I left a couple of messages to let her know I called. Where was this broad? She was actually in Virginia, attending my cousin's commencement from Hampton University. Another graduate of a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in the family! Fuck it. You may attend an HBCU if you wish, but I have never been sold on "the darker the college, the sweeter the knowledge" motif. I'm getting off track here. I finally did reach Annette on a Tuesday night around 8:00. At the same time, i was about to book my pal Gary's July escapade to Albuquerque, so he had to wait. (I did eventually book his trip, sans waiting until a storm passed by for a better signal on my laptop.) She did tell me she did browse by facebook and just happened to see my video of me singing Oh Happy Day in church on the anniversary of our mom's passing. Yeah, she saw me break down when I mentioned it to the congregation. She told me that God has forgiven me for my verbal mishap on her dying bed in 1979. I felt good about that.

It was that next moment I was a bit hesitant to her about. since Annette was not a social media person, she didn't get a chance to read about the posting about my transition to being Kayleah full-time. So I went ahead and told her, "Sis, I am transgendered". I didn't think the response was so prompt. She actually KNEW I was leaning towards this. "You knew?", I asked. She actually did. Allow me to flash back to 2002. I was back at my dad's house in Milwaukee, and Mariah was staying with me (for all the wrong reasons) when Annette came by the house. Of course, my sis met the person who I was living with and chatted for a moment. I had my camcorder record a few moments with her feeding my father in the kitchen. It was nice to see this, even though Dad and I never had as close of a relationship. Annette had guessed where I was heading in my life when she saw Mariah up close. Maybe my sister knew Mariah was not like any regular girls she's ever seen. Add to the point of me raiding eldest sister Charlotte's makeup and you can solve the mystery here. 

Annette respected my decision to change my gender. I am a grown person and I have the right to do whatever I like. Now she knows at least ONE transgendered person! She is a devoted Christian, mind you, so she has not been familiar with the LGBT crowd, let alone how gay friendly the greater Minneapolis area is. We got to taking about Michael Sam's on-camera kiss with his boyfriend when he was drafted by the St. Louis Rams, and for Bible-happy Annette, it was a bit of a turn-off. Her opinion. I know she's not used to what goes on in the on-going battle for TG respectability. She does work with her hubby's accounting firm! Pretty near white-collar, conservative-like. She didn't even hear about the case of CeCe McDonald, the Minnesota transwoman of color who fought some extreme racist homophobes, attacking one of them fatally in self-defense. CeCe would spend 19 months in a men's prison for her ordeal. Thankfully, she is a free woman now. This for a person who knew of a few gays & lesbians in the area. Fellow transwoman of color Laverne Cox (Sophia of Orange is the New Black on Netflix) is doing a documentary film on CeCe's ordeal. 

My sister can be thought of as one of the many people in this country who need to be informed about transpeople like myself. Why do they think we are close to being inhumane to others? I heard of Rochester, NY is planning on giving those TG city employees benefits that include funding for even getting the gender reassignment surgery. WOW!! Then I was informed of some local radio hosts who were against this with a vengeance. Over the Rochester airwaves these hosts called transpeople "nut jobs" and referred to a lower-voiced woman who asked them not to insult the TG community "sir". Top that crap off with an obvious choice of song:  Dude Looks Like A Lady by Aerosmith. (Fallon Fox knows about this. After the storm about her gender issues came out, the opponent in her first match in the aftermath came into the ring playing this song. Typical assholes! We're friends on facebook, btw!) Then I read that station abruptly fired those two jerks the next day. Harsh yes, it may have been, but the hosts were warned about being so cruel to the LGBT community in northern New York.  Never mind bawling over free speech! It may be a right in this country, but they failed to remember this phrase: loose lips sink ships! That is SO true...right, Paula Deen & Donald Sterling?

I got to tell her if you want to learn more about LGBT, you should see where the local branch of PFLAG National (formerly Parent & Friends of Lesbians and Gays) is located. That way she can talk to those with relatives/friends that are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered and get to understand them better. I am with the one here that just happens to meet at my church, Spring Creek United Church of Christ. I can't speak for the rest of my family, but it is nice to see someone from my family accept me for the person I have longed to become. My family is having their annual reunion back home in August. They may have since forgotten me leaving for Illinois in the middle of the night in 1999, though seeing me now as a woman may turn more heads than what's cooking on the grill. Can you say, "Guess WHAT's Returning for Dinner?" It won't be Sidney Poitier! 

We are about a month away from the annual Chicago Pride parade. Going through the city's famed Boystown area, the 3-mile parade route is one of the country's renowned LGBT parades. And I am going this year!! A dream come true, yes. A chance to promote Hutchins World Travel? HELL YES!!! My ass is still nervous, though. My biz cards & magnets are ready. I am going to need a comfortable outfit just in case yours truly has to walk the ENTIRE three-mile walk to Lincoln Park on Lake Michigan on the city's Magnificent Mile...or so they say. Gotta try NOT being an introvert here. Many potential clients to arouse interest. Should I wear the hairpiece I wore on Easter, the one I haven't worn in ages or the lone black-haired specimen? Hmmm. Still plenty of time to change my mind! 

Keep your comments coming on to this site. If there is enough response, I shall post them in a future blog. So what are you waiting for?