Topics

By Way of Introduction	Pretty much exactly what you are thinking.
Working It? Ignore It.	Why a quickly cancelled ‘Bosom Buddies’ knock off was not worth paying attention to.
Embrace the Awkward	My New Year resolution to do so and examples why this is necessary.
Batgirl	Personal account of a very young trans experience and how I learned that was not OK.
Rooms	I muse about the fact I used to dream of secret rooms but no longer do since I came out to myself.
Under the Radar	Work story where I learn that a former colleague has been outed as trans and it freaks me out.
Gallows	During a huge layoff at work, I wonder if I’m on the list since I’m out to HR already and kicking myself for it.
Ball Busting	I attempt to get cutesy in making some exaggerated comparisons between men and women.
Mean in Spirit	Some griping about the Michigan Women’s Music Festival and the strict policy on “womyn born womyn” only – i.e. no trans allowed.
Common Language	An attempt to work out some philosophical bullshit.
Review of ‘She’s Not There’	My long-ass tribute to Jennifer Finney Boylan’s epic autobiography regarding her gender transition.
Mirror Mirror	My first terrifying understanding that I’m trans at age 12.
Tranny and Other Buttons	Attempting to take back the word ‘tranny’ and a caution not to put shiny red buttons on our foreheads for people to push.
GENDA Agenda	I explain why Gender Expression Equality legislation is absolutely necessary.
Family Guy	I blather on about that Family Guy episode where Quagmire’s dad transition in like a half hour and sleeps with Brian the dog.
Creationists… Ugh, Seriously	I am annoyed by creationists as they tend to be the same people who like to call us “abominations”.
Oh, The Things I Used to Do	A recounting of my pre-transion exploits in shopping and dressing and how silly it all seems now.
Sanskaras	I compare the trans experience to notion put forward by Meher Baba and Sufism Reoriented of the unwinding of experiences.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show	Uh, Dr Frank. I think that explains it all.
Early Out	The time 10 years ago when another transsexual outed me to myself and I couldn’t handle it.
Shiny Artifacts of the Past	Why denial of one’s pre-transition past is bullshit.
Hormonapalloza	The effects of 5 months of hormones on my body.
I Hate “Transsexual”	My beef with the word ‘transsexual’ because I think it gives people the wrong idea.
Comment Replies to Transsexual	Too many comments from the previous post leaves me no choice to make them a post in themselves, CNN style.
The GSA is AOK!	Lots of love thrown to the Girl Scouts for accepting a young trans girl into their ranks.
They Took Me to Tootsie	Recounting my first trans movie experience and how uncomfortable it made me.
Would It Be Wrong?	Philosophical parody of the notion of publicly campaigning for the other side in Lady Gaga attire to piss off their conservative base.
Third Gender Pronouns	My inability to master ‘zim’, ‘zir’ and the like.
Male Taint	Lashing out against any residual maleness I might have.
The Tao of Moobs	I have a hissy fit about my ex’s aunt referring to my budding breasts as “moobs” (male boobs). Ugh!
Male Privilege	I’m beginning to recognize the inherent advantages of being male, not that there is anything to be done about it.
Wooly Bully	My solution to bullying is the introduction of excruciating week long corporate style web based sexual harassment training.
I Think They Think I’m Gay	I suspect my co-workers suspect me of being gay and why I’m all right with that.
The Wrong Kind of Woman	Why I think it’s lame to pretend a loss of male learned skills after transition due to the notion that “it’s not feminine”.
Here’s Where The Story Ends	I dissect an awesome Sunday’s song because I find personal meaning in the lyrics that have nothing to do with the song.
Hormonapalloza Two-za	My second installment on HRT and the effects.
Baldy Sour, Or Why I Wear a Wig	The agony of early onset male pattern baldness and how much it truly sucks as a woman.
Love in the Comments Section	Another hissy fit, this time about the trolls who comments on every trans story featured on CNN.com
Crossdressors Equal Under the Rainbow	A message to my sister transsexuals to stop giving the CD’s such a hard time as we all fall under the great Trans* Umbrella
I Used to Sit In a Cage	Another tale of growing up trans and my penchant for sitting in a large rabbit cage by choice.
A Game of You	My college years discover of the first trans comic book character.
They Burned My Face Off With Lasers	A fun, fun time experiencing beard removal using laser treatment. No, not so fun. Not so fun at all.
Advice Needed Please	My plea to the readership regarding my eventual coming out at work. Now overcome by events, but thanks everyone!
I’m Not the Easter Bunny	My Easter post comparing the trans experience to someone being born in an Easter Bunny costume and what they will do to look “normal”.
To Pass or Not To Pass	Living with achieving the maximum degree of pass-ability and still falling way short.
Yeah, This Isn’t a Hobby	A hissy fit response to my ex’s other aunt giving me the business at a family event and asking why I can’t “do this on my own time”.
Dawn of the Day	My first public daylight outing as myself at the 2011 Buffalo Pride fest. Oh, and zombies.
If I Were Mechanical Michelle	Another tiresome analogy of mine comparing the trans experience to the Task Manager function on PCs.
Somebody That I Used to Know	The popular Gotye song spins me up about the people who dropped me completely after coming out to them.
Chameleon Karma	Why trans folks are fiendishly hard to detect before they are ready to come out.
Wee Drop O Courage	Thoughts on getting snippy when someone calls us brave.
My Big Gay Roommate	When my college roommate came out and how much the proximity to my own thing freaked me out and gave me a blushing problem.
Fit to Be Tied	A rant on how much the women’s health and fitness magazines suck compared to the male versions.
The Issue of Men	My need to clarify a misimpression some may have gotten from earlier posts that led them to believe I hate men.
Don’t Call Me Bitch	Objections to the word ‘bitch’ used against woman as a method to demean them.
My Name is Michelle, Dammit	How I came to think of my feminine side as ‘Michelle’ back in college and more on trans name choosing.
Condition of Transition	A defense of those who understand themselves to be transsexual, but are unable to deal with transition and opt out.
Rites of Passage	My suggestion that we might have some celebrated milestones in our transition is met with stunning silence.
Seriously, What Is She Waiting For?	My annoyance with the story ‘When I’m an Old Woman, I Shall Wear Purple’. Really though, WTF is she waiting for?
Blushing Bride of PRIDE	The necessity of adopting positive terms like ‘Pride’ to describe our situation, even though it makes no sense on the surface.
Pardon Me, You in the Red Scunci, Little Help Please?	An appeal to cisgender women to help a sister out who never had a girlhood and was socialized male.
The Unawareness of Cissexism	Why we shouldn’t necessarily get all pissy pants right away when someone is cis-sexist because they probably don’t know better.
Troublesome Teeth	I ruminate on my mortal fear of the dentist.
The Night I Was Caught	My college roommate found me asleep all dressed up and my zany scheme to concoct a bullshit cover story that sticks.
Pride Protestors	Those creepy people who make hand painted signs and protest the Pride Parade for some reason.
We and They	A rant about in-group mentality.
Toucha, Toucha, Touchy!	Why it does us no good whatsoever to have super thin skins about our trans-ness.
So a Transwoman Walks Into a Therapists Office	My first appointment with my gender specialist a year prior, cleverly titled to suggest a joke. It kind of was.
Yes Already, I’m Going to Talk About the Bathroom Issue	I think that covers it. I talk about the “Bathroom Issue”. I’m sure it’s super original compared to the billion other posts on the same.
Swinging In the Wind	Word is out at work that there is a tranny in the building. But who? BTW, half the employees were reading my blog by this point.
It’s Not Me, It’s Jesus Who Is Pissed at You	Fun folks who hide behind their god as the real reason they have no tolerance.
Welcome To The Trans-Lantern Corp	The necessity of being fearless in transition and an unlikely comparison to Green Lantern; chosen for his ability to overcome great fear.
How To Tell If Your Man Is Really A Woman	Cosmo style article for those who want to know if hubby is in her panty drawer, or worse, has his own.
But What About the Children?	A crack at people who accuse us of doing wrong by our kids by transitioning and why this is bullshit.
Yeah, Androgynous Is Not The Same	Answering the question, “would you need to transition if we lived in a genderless society?” To save you time, the answer is yes.
10 Reasons Middle Age Transition Doesn’t Suck	My first attempt at a humorous Top 10 type list.
Seriously, Don’t Call Me Crazy	Why being transgender is not a mental illness or currently categorized as one. I aimed this at work, just in case.
Sunday Night Outing (Not the Good Kind)	I assume I have been outed when I get a cryptic text from my employee. As it turns out, I was a week early on that.
The Transgendered and the Ex-Amish	I compare the trans experience to Amish folk who have left their community and how we will forever be in-between.
Independence Day	My cheeky 4th of July post about the freedom of realizing exactly who you are or something.
10 Lessons Learned in Transition	Another Top 10 type list, still humorous, but also an attempt to start making amends.
The Spirit of ’09	I ruminate on the last year I ever felt I might really be male.
The Most Interesting Man in the World	The dubious joy of having everyone’s attention. Inspired by the popular dude in the Dos Equis commercials whom I mercilessly pan.
So, It Looks Like They Found My Blog	I receive a Sunday night email from an employee who begins, “well, the cat is out of the bag”.
Transgendered (No, I Didn’t Make That Up)	A hissy defense of some inconsequential semantics.
The Unbearable Lightness of Being	On being full time at work and everywhere else. Bye bye male-mode and spring that brings to my step.
10 Missed and Not Missed About Male Mode	Yet another attempt at a humorous Top 10 list comparing pre-transition life to full time womanhood.
Phase Shift	I get all engineery on all of y’alls asses and compare the mental shift we experience to some electrical malarkey.
Just a Few Minor Adjustments	The struggle to get ready every damn morning now and other discoveries about transitioned life.
14 Going On 40	The painfully embarrassing task of attempting to act one’s age when denied the teenage experience. I still want Sparkle Sketchers BTW.
Ticking of the Clock	The moments of feeling about the ability to bear life before reality checks in a nanosecond later.
Paradigm Shift	The disparity between our own gender shift and the delay that occurs while everyone else gets used to it.
Publicly Speaking	The grand question of whether or not we should take every opportunity to educate the world on trans and the risks.
What’s In a Name Anyway	The great fun I had making multiple trips to the County Clerk’s office to change my name.
Was It Something I Said?	After being called ‘sir’ for the 100th time after identifying myself as Michelle, I finally go for vocal therapy.
The Future Is So Dark, I’m a Fool To Wear Shades	I have absolutely zero concept of the future and what it may have in store now that I have transitioned.
They Are All Going to Laugh At You	Oh, it’s so true, but our best hope for survival is laughing with them before they can laugh at us.
I Was Summer Scum	I spent my college years summers as a garbage man. How feminine is that?
Shade the Changing Woman	I recall a comic book where the character ends up in a female body and the reaction I had, followed by my repressing it completely.
Legitimate Rape	A tirade against old white men who feel entitled and compelled to both speak and adjudicate things they know nothing about.
Tranny Chasers	A look at those folks who have a fetish for members of the trans community.
An Idiot Abroad and the Lady Boys	When hilarious Karl Pilkington visits Thailand, he visits the lady boys and gets a makeover.
Somebody That I Used to Know Redux	I revisit the issue after someone who dropped me completely contacts my ex to say he can’t forgive me.
Sister’s in the Wading Pool	A tribute to my spiritual sister Becky Kent, who writes the awesome ‘I Hate Roller Coasters’ blog.
The Michelle Kosilek Case… Is This Good?	Mixed feeling about a convicted murderer who is granted state funded SRS surgery.
Gorilla Jaw and Other Fun With Electrolysis	My first visit to James, the master electrologist and how my face swelled up to twice it’s normal size.
Unique and the Grouchy Old Fool	When old grump Bill O’Reilly attacks Glee’s own Unique, Michelle rides to the rescue.
Different For Girls	Review of the movie of the same title. First I’ve seen with a trans woman as the protagonists love interest!
Trans-Friendly… Yeah, What Is That?	Exploring whether designating a place as “trans-friendly” or not is even relevant.
10 Easy Steps To No Bake Gender Transition	Another insufferable Top 10 list in a humorous attempt to boil birth to transition down to 10 easy steps.
CSA Does Not Make You Gay (or Trans)!	Sick and tired of the old wives tale that childhood molestation turns one gay or transgender, I take my thumpin’ stick out.
Buffalo Bill (Not a Football Post)	I take issue with the shittiest “trans” portrayal on film since, or even before, Rocky Horror – Buffalo Bill in Silence of the Lambs
Autumn Nesting	My least divisive post ever. Just like it sounds.
Reparative Therapy… Seriously	Taking on those who insist on believing that a wacky set of treatments can “cure” someone of being gay, like there is something wrong with it.
Other From Another Mother	Wherein I ramble on about labels and get pissy about people thinking gay and trans are the same thing.
Body Dysmorphia is a Real Drag	If you are bemoaning the fact that you have a fat ass, try being born with balls and experiencing male puberty.
The Great Deceiver	Pretending to be male for so many years causes a ton of bad feeling that are justified, but suck anyway.
Trans Disclosure – Everyone Likes Surprises, Right?	Why it might be a good idea to let the gentlemen with all the tattoos who is taking you home know you are packing a surprise.
7 Symptoms of Post Traumatic Guy Syndrome	Weary of Top 10 lists, I manage to crank out 3 less this time about the residual effects of once living male.
That Isn’t Her Real Hair You Know	When my 5 year old discloses the status of my hair or other things everyone is politely ignoring.
Review: The Collection From Topside Press	Topside sent me an advance copy of their all trans compendium of short stories and dutifully review it, even though they rejected my entries.
Confessions of a Formerly Male Miss Smarty-pants	Karma comes by and smacks me on the ass about my former male boorishness.
Halloween Dreams	My obligatory holiday post in which I ruminate on how awesome Halloween was in my pre-transition youth.
Flipper-Flopper, Just Can’t Stop Her	A co-worker alternates between ‘Mike’ and ‘Michelle’ during a daylong customer meeting and why there is nothing to be done about it.
7 Thoughts on We as a People	Still unable to muster 10, I give 7 reasons why the November election is about national character instead of the economy.
Yes, Ugh, I Was a ‘Maxim Man’	How I learned what being a man meant by reading Maxim and how utterly stupid that was.
Transgender Veterans? Well, Since You Asked	I learn there are way too many holidays this time a year as I throw up something vaguely trans and veteran related.
Hedwig and the Angry Inch Weird Title, Right?	Weird review of a weird trans related movie. Yes, the “angry inch” is exactly what you think.
RadFem and the Anti-Transgender Agenda	Apparently there is a “feminist” group focused on trans for some reason. I take a crack at them, then follow up on their front porch. Jerks.
Transgender Day of Remembrance Speech	Since I had to miss my local TDoR ceremony for work, I put up the speech I planned to give.
Thanksgiving, Michellelianna Style	Another fricking holiday! I use this time to first bitch about it, then fire off a list of people I’m thankful for.
So, What Are You Supposed to Be, Anyway?	I’m embarrassed to admit I still often wonder if someone is supposed to be a guy or girl, and out myself for some reason.
The Colleen Francis Affair	A highly divisive post wherein I castigate a sister trans for wantonly exposing her penis in the presence of small children.
The Path	Walking my secret path (a real path, not an allegory), I ruminate on where I was the last few times I was there.
Airman Michellelianna Reports as Ordered	The experience of being in Air Force basic training as a closeted trans woman. No, it didn’t make a man of me.
I’m Now the Party Planning Committee for Some Reason	My boss resigns and after 11 year of being asked to do nothing, I’m now n charge of all the arrangements. That didn’t take long.
Fight Club on Estrogen	I revisit an old favorite movie now as a trans woman on hormones. Totally, totally different experience.
A Word on that ‘Cross in the Closet’ Guy	An evangelical pretends to be gay for a year to open his mind and gets a lot of shit for it by the LGBT community for some reason.
Trans Rights and Civil Rights Are Not the Same Thing – Revised	Includes my original post and updated position on the differences between trans rights and the 60’s era Civil Rights Movement.
This Picture is a Diversion	In the wake of the Sandy Hook shootings, I blast gun advocates attempting to shift the blame to school prayer.
I Was One of the Joe’s Boys	The experience of being trans and being sent to an all boys high school and how I survived.
Call Me Miss Non-Anonymous	After 4 decades of being immediately forgotten, getting used to people remembering me, like everywhere.
I Guess It’s Like Doomsday Again or Something	Posted the day the Mayan Calendar thingie ended and some thoughts on all this ‘end of the world’ hullaballoo.
The Faux Pas of Misgendered Wrath	Why we needn’t automatically get all pissy pants whenever someone misgenders us and why to ignore they are trying to be mean.
Merry Xmas and Happy Festivus	Dear lord with the holiday’s already! My half-assed attempt at making this Festivus a real thing by changing most of it.
Transamerica	A review of the best trans movie I have seen to date.
New Year’s Resolutions I’ll Regret Tomorrow	In my last holiday post of the year, I set some goals to make 2013 the year of doing hard to impossible things. Damn me now anyhow for that.
How You Wear It	After spending half the day not realizing I’ve been mooning everyone, I throw a hissy fit about how women’s clothing is designed.
Weird Symptomology of Trans*	Graduation from Top 10 Lists to polls, I outline some of my more regrettable weird conditions and wonder if they are a trans thing.
Online Deception: Catfish Dani	Exploring ‘catfishing’ (using false identity online) and how I hope it worked for a young trans man.
Gender Identity and “The Surgery”	Every stop and wonder why some trans folk are perfectly OK with their birth genitalia? Yeah, me too.
Halfway Through The First Year	Wherein I reflect on the first 6 months of my ‘real life test’ and such. It’s going super by the way.
9 Reasons Transgender Isn’t a Choice	A humorous look at why no one, sane or completely out to lunch, would ever consider gender transition but for a last resort.
Trans Etiquette, So What’s That Look Like Anyway?	So you spot what you think might be another trans person at the Piggly Wiggly. Is there any right way of moseying over and saying ‘hi’?
Yes Please, May We Have Another? My Take on the Guardian Kerfluffle	Why fringe rants about transgender people, when brought into the mainstream media, are actually good for us.
Well, It Finally Happened	A recent trip to Wal-Mart to buy lava lamp bulbs results in a strangely flattering exchange I have no idea what to make of.
Going Tribal	Is there really a ‘Clan Trans’, or is the whole notion of ‘us and them’ completely unworkable?
Gay in the BSA? How About Trans Boys?	My personal experience in the BSA and some questions why it may not be a good idea for anyone, including trans boys.
Spousal Abuse. When We Aren’t the Only Ones Who Have to Come Out	Sure coming out can be a big load of suck for us, but we often forget that spouses, families, and friends are also faced with the task of having to explain this.
Thanks for the Provocation, But I’m Good	After someone attempted to use my own words to further their anti-trans agenda, I conclude they are of a meaningless minority and decline to engage further as a waste of my time.
A Bout of Baron Von Funkhausen	Seriously, what is with these mood swings and periods of angst-y depression I keep getting every month?
Trannier Than Thou	Why meaningless and completely subjective competition in the trans community is not doing us any favors.
Puberty for Trans Folks	First puberty kind of horrific, so we did what we had to in order to survive it. Second puberty rocks!
And You Thought Telling Them You No Longer Went To Church Was Hard	Some thoughts about the best ways to come out to friends and family, followed by a silly list of some really super bad ways.
For Shame, ‘Shameless’!	One of my favorite shows introduces a trans girl, and they ruin it by pulling the whole ‘he’ bit along with the schtick about mama really wanting a girl. Ugh!
The Terror, Or What Trans Folk Call Life Before Transition	Almost all of us describe our pre-transition past as terrifying. So why is that anyway? Some thoughts.
10 Fun Little Ways To Avoid Transition	Trying to procrastinate on being yourself? Some ideas for you to keep things rolling until you finally give up and do it.