My Bittersweet Sex/Gender Court Ruling: The San Diego Court Appearance

[Shana A]

My Bittersweet Sex/Gender Court Ruling: The San Diego Court Appearance
By: Autumn Sandeen Tuesday May 22, 2012 5:54 pm    

http://pamshouseblend.firedoglake.com/2012/05/22/my-bittersweet-sexgender-court-ruling-the-san-diego-court-appearance/

Today on May 22, 2012, I woke up here in my home state of California being only able to marry those who are legally female. When I go to bed this evening, I'll only be able to legally marry males. That's because this morning I went to the San Diego Courthouse under the rules created under 2011′s AB 433, I legally changed my sex — or as California refers to it, legally changed my gender — from male to female. So, who I'll be able to marry changed from female to male as my legal gender changed from male to female. Remember — Prop 8 limited marriage in California to one man and one woman, and I'm no longer legally male as of today.

Documentation is the only thing that changed between when I woke up and when I go to bed today. And, of course, my legal change of gender isn't recognized across many state lines — If I married someone in Texas, Kansas, Tennessee, or Florida, I would only be able to marry women because these states don't recognize what happened today in that San Diego, California, courtroom. Again, because these states only recognize marriages between one man and one woman...well since these states still consider me male I'd only be allowed to marry females in those states.

[Shana A]

The Bittersweet "Change Of Gender" Court Ruling: It Came With Cyberbulling
By: Autumn Sandeen Thursday May 24, 2012 1:33 pm    

http://pamshouseblend.firedoglake.com/2012/05/24/the-bittersweet-change-of-gender-court-ruling-it-came-with-cyberbulling/

This is the second part of three parts on referring to what California calls my legal change of gender.

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For me, it's not clear whether or not I should be sharing the story I'm going to share in this post. However, I want my peer trans people to know what can happen to trans people when they share their personal stories online — the level of hate speech, and sometimes even hate action, one can experience in sharing one's own personal transition story.

I still hold that it's best when more of us trans people are out of the closet. That's because as we become personally known to more members of society we become more accepted in society — just look at how lesbian, gay, and bisexual civil rights have progressed since the Stonewall Uprising. Their visibility, especially to their friends, families, and coworkers, has moved society towards greater acceptance.

But what's good for a community isn't necessarily good for an individual.

[Shana A]

The Bittersweet "Change Of Gender" Court Ruling: It Came With Even More Cyberharassment
By: Autumn Sandeen Wednesday July 11, 2012 7:00 am    

http://pamshouseblend.firedoglake.com/2012/07/11/the-bittersweet-change-of-gender-court-ruling-it-came-with-even-more-cyberharassment/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

So from that personal perspective on civil rights, on being out and proud as trans, and on the costs sometimes exacted for being out and sharing one's own personal narrative of trans experience, let me tell a personal story of cyberbulling/cyberharassment resulting from me telling a part of my transition story.

In the Pam's House Blend post What Genital Reconstruction Surgery And When, I initiated a conversation about what surgery I was planning to have as an affirmation of my gender identity, along with an explanation as to why I wasn't having the surgery that's usually associated with the term sex reassignment surgery. Most of the blenders who commented in the comment threads got the joy I was feeling and congratulated me; some, as I mentioned in part two of this series, considered the bilateral orchiectomy I was having as insufficient.