Well, tonight was my first meeting with the local transgender group here in Louisville and I am happy I went. It was a small gathering, 20 or so people, if I had to guess and I was the only trans person there that wasn't born male, so that was pretty interesting. There were people younger than me and people who most definitely get the AARP discount, so it was a really diverse group, age wise. It started with everyone introducing themselves and then we had a guest speaker.
Our guest speaker was Dawn Wilson, whom I used to wait on and talk to at length when I worked at Borders! She spoke to us about getting involved with the fairness campaign (
www.fairness.org) in Kentucky to get a state law passed for transgender rights since we have a governor who WILL sign it!! So at some point, I'll be getting involved with them licking envelopes or something to get the word out. She went over some of the things she has gone through (getting fired and then blacklisted by employers in Louisville) and how a law can change those things. She went over some of the problems with getting a law passed (all the speakers that state congressmen deal with are from Louisville/Lexington/Cincinatti area and not their districts, etc.).
I was REALLY nervous when I first got there. I was the youngest person when I first got there and I was the only non mtf person there as well. Also, I got there early and everyone who was there were regulars, so it was a little intimidating at first. But once the meeting started, I relaxed a lot and I enjoyed myself and learned quite a bit (somebody doesn't keep up with current events very well...).
Also,
Dawn knows about us androgynes!!! I introduced myself as a male identified androgyne and she shook her head like she knew what I was talking about, I got really excited. So I talked to her afterword (mostly about anime and then we moved on
) and asked her if she knew about androgynes and she did! She said that it took her a little bit to understand it, but she eventually did. She also told me about an anime that deals with it called 'Simoun'...people have to pick there gender and some can't...well, that's a bad summary, but that's the gist. It also turns out that she used to live in the house I live in now (random) and she lives pretty close now. So I'm sure I'll see her around and I'm looking forward to getting more involved.
So I know that's a crappy update, but it was my first meeting! There was a lot of information to take in. I do recommend getting involved if you can. Just being around people who understand and who call me "Jaimey"...that made me happy. Although there was a person there named "Jessica" and it took me a few times to realize they weren't talking to me. heh. I'm pretty psyched right now, so it's hard for me to calm down and write.
So there it is. I hope you all aren't disappointed by my inability to write about real life. I could write stories all day long, ask me to write a personal narrative and it might be the worst thing you've ever read. heh.
