Pam's House Blend - Recent Comments

You think this guy is STRAIGHT???

QScribe — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 14:55:10 GMT

Talentless, yes, but STRAIGHT??? Sorry, but I have to agree with Alvin's comments above.

One test is not enough and the test itself can be wrong as well....

Gina9223 — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 14:49:26 GMT

Saying that you have a 'normal karyotype' is a bit misleading. It only checks the X's and Y's and not the functionality of the Y's. It takes a battery of tests to determine Intersexuality and even then if any one test is taken of a given type it can be wrong.

I am a chimera. I have not had a karyotype test done because the other tests that they did showed that I have A+ blood but sometimes I have O- white blood cells as well. A 'unified' (yeah, you have to make up names as you go along I guess) person that has a homogenized genotype can ONLY produce one blood type. A chimera MAYBE capable of producing more than one type.

One reason they kept repeating tests wasn't to look at my varying levels of hormones or the effects of my hormone levels on my biology but was actually due to the poor lab standards, quality and unreliable results being experienced by the US Navy medical system in the early 1990's. Only because of a lack of confidence in the reliability of the lab results did my Navy doctor ask for more and more labs eventually building up to a larger picture of being 'a freak of nature'. (I really wish he would have figured the whole thing out before giving me prenatal vitamins "just in case" because that really screwed with me.)

But that's all me....

Autumn, your still a great person and a beautiful lady. Just because you had one test does not mean that you're not Intersexed....

Because there's still Divergent Sexual Development. That's where pharmaceuticals, pesticides, herbicides, manmade pollutants and environmental factors can force the human body into conditions that mimic 'Intersexuality' and do not affect the genome at all.

Spain, 1970's, Introduction of hormone supplements to cattle force feminized adolescent boys aged 12-18. They grew beasts, had softened features, were timid, had delayed puberty or had their puberty completely turned on its head.

There are lots of stories like that if you look around.

Also my rule of thumb is; First impressions and Self impressions are typically correct more often than not. You feel that you have a IS condition you probably do.

Well

Cerberus — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 14:42:33 GMT

According the research that is out there so far, gene expression, especially by hormone in various sectors of the brain cause an imbalance between what your body "is" and the impression of your body in your brain. In short, your brain is an opposite sex from the rest of your body* because of the dance between gene expression, brain evolution**, and brain/body dichotomy. This is no less real and serious than if your genitals or karyotypes had been intersexually divided. Based on general meaningful effects on people, the brain chemistry, sex of the brain is more important than anything in determining what sex you "are".

*Not always true given karyotype imbalances, hormone imbalances in the body, and PMDS, etc...
**This is the evolution of the brain's connections over a lifespan rather than its long view macroevolution over the course of history. THe brain creates, connects and relies on delicate balances of gene expression and hormones and synapses to create all the various aspects of one "you". If something gets hardwired one way but the rest of the body has a different thing going on, boom gender dissonance.

Basically as a scientist, the crux of it is that it is indeed "all in your (physical) head" which isn't the same as it's "all in your mind", because the brain's sex or gender awareness is what the "you" relies on for one's internal sex recognition, karyotypes, even genitalia are quite secondary as they contain no cognitive neurons and have only external interchangable connections with the brain.

So there's little biological only to being a non-intersexed transwoman.

Truth

texasman — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 14:23:34 GMT

Autumn,

Our greatest struggle in the GLBT community is why? I am sorry that this didn't answer more of your questions, but I think you hit the nail on the head when you said, "my truth is my truth." That is all that matters. Sadly the world has not caught up with our truth, but one day I believe they will. Be of great courage and live a life that fully expresses who you are as a woman and a person.

Yah, after they passed the Sheppard/Byrd Hate Crimes Act...

Gina9223 — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 14:18:50 GMT

it seems like the evangelicals are coming out in droves to try to provoke attacks against themselves.

Isn't it pathetic that no one will beat the crap out of them just so they can be martyrs? I'm starting to think that they're jelous of us gettng our asses kicked around.

...maybe if they pray hard enough God will answer the prayers they send up and drop a flaming lion on their heads that has a collar on it with a tag that says "If found please contact GOD at...". Maybe then they'll get the message. Ok, maybe that's not what they pray for.... {Please GOD? at least some flaming Lion poo? Just a little?}

The windshield is bigger than the rear view mirror.

TechChic — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 13:35:41 GMT

Autumn, you're very brave to reveal this personal piece of information.

I had a time when I was looking for explanations as to why I am different, read transsexual.
Presently, I really don't give a shit why.
I just am. But each of us has their own way of expressing and dealing with
being different so I respect your way of expressing and dealing with your sense of self.
I think any intelligent person would ask these questions.
I think all transitioners do at some point.
Why, is the most basic of questions.
But the answers are complex.
It's not easy being human some days, is it?

I did have a conversation with my birth Mother after I came out in Feb 2001.
I was looking to see if she had taken DES - Diethylstibesterol, a steroid hormone used to prevent miscarraiges.
Some of you may be familiar with this compound that was used widely when I was born in December of 1962.
It was in use from the 1940's through the early 1970's and was taken off the market after it had been proven
to cause vaginal cancer in 7 young otherwise healthy women. It also has the effect of causing intersex conditions and transexuality.
In fact, MTF transitioners in the 50's and 60's used this drug the same way we use drugs like androcour and estrogens in modern times.
Knowing this I was curious and wanted to know why I was the way I was.

From all accounts she did take the drug as she had had a miscarriage before I was born.
I would have had an older brother, but he died in the womb.
The doctor called them "materity vitimans".
I can't help but snicker, "materity vitimans" indeed.
Pretty potent stuff. It probably changed my brain.
So what.

With this knowledge in hand I had to ask myself, is my life, my personality, and my experiences
all based on a chemical mistake? Am I a mistake?
I finally came to several conclusions.

1) It doesn't matter, really. I am Renee and that's I how I relate to the world.
And that's how the world relates to me. I don't have tell people what my karotype is or
what my chemical circumstances are.
I just tell folks "Hello, I am Renee. I'm here to repair your network" and they beleive me.
Because that is who I am. I went through alot, as anyone who has transitioned can attest, to
be Renee. The real me. I think it's wonderful I survived to live as myself, and that is enough.
For now anyway.

2) We're all experiments. That's why we're all different.
Nature is always trying to sort things out and we're all a piece of that sorting out.
If we were all the same it would be a boring place. I don't consider myself boring.
I'm kind of a nut actually, but that's how I deal.

3) Life is fleeting. Don't spend to much time dwelling on things that use up to much
CPU time. I have a whole new future stretched out before me. A whole new chance to live.
I lost two close friends to cancer, including a soulmate-last year, and went through hell on earth to be myself.
I also managed to find a new love along the way and her and I are happy together.
She went to Thailand with me, I had my surgery and then the irritation stopped.
It was so odd, it had been there my whole life and suddenly, it was gone.
It made me joyous, but it took some getting used to.
I've enjoyed getting used to it and now I can't remember what it was like before.
To be at odds with oneself is worth forgetting.

Despite all I've been through, I'm fortunate. I remember that and my dead friends everyday.
But I don't think about it all day. When I wake up and when I close my eyes at night.
That is when I remember them and I dream about them sometimes.
My subconcious is still working things through whilst I sleep.
I used to wake up crying, but now I am used to it.
It is familiar to me. I am done weeping.
For now anyway.

A saying comes to mind "The windshield is bigger than the rear view mirror".
I'm keeping my eyes focused ahead. Too much looking in rear view mirror and I'll crash.

Autumn, I like your name by the way, only you can figure out what you want to do
with the newly found information about yourself. And you are anything but run of the mill.
There is no such thing as a run of the mill TS woman. We're all different.
And that is a beautiful thing. Don't you think?

Always,

Renee
The Tech Chic

Just to throw a wrench in the works, lol

dyssonance — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 13:32:27 GMT

An individual with PMDS will have a normal karyotype, and yet its classified as one of the "seriously off" IS forms.

A magazine I subscribe to

QueerInSoCal — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 13:29:56 GMT

called New Scientist had a small write-up on research that's going on. They've found a particular gene expression is 60% more common in transsexuals than in the common population, suggesting there's a genetic link. It was in the August '08 edition, IIRC.

As a white man

offspring311 — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 12:36:16 GMT

I want to remind my white brothers to NEVER dance. What was that? Wow.

If the D.C. laws follow the British example...

tavdy79 — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 11:53:05 GMT

(and in many cases, US laws do mirror British hate speech laws) only incitement to violence &/or hatred will be covered. There's a damned fine hair split by the use of the term "incitement to hatred": it allows religious people to say that "gay sex is evil", but not that "homosexuals are evil". The former is a theological statement (even if it's massively erroneous IMO) while the latter is incitement to hatred. This is why there have been few (if any) anti-gay hate-speech convictions in the UK: any Christian who follows the "love the sinner, hate the sin" meme cannot break hate-speech laws like the one I described above.

Incitement to violence is a different matter - secular law overrides religious dogma in this case because any jurisdiction with separation of church and state cannot excuse violence for religious reasons - freedom of belief, the right to hold repulsive views, is protected; freedom of action, of physically harming another because they offend your religious sensibilities, must never be. This is a lesson that should have been learned courtesy of the KKK, but seemingly has not been. Therefore the law would make no distinction between those that state that "the Bible tells us to kill homosexuals" (it doesn't) and "the Bible tells us to kill those who have gay sex" (only true if you're a brain-dead Biblical literalist).

What do you expect from MA's premier anti-gay hate group?

pgraydon — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 11:38:40 GMT

They are big proponents of free speech when it is their hate speech, but not so much when it is someone else’s speech.

She should be staying low profile

rdshelmerdine — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 11:14:24 GMT

She's probably collecting herself after a long and embarassing 18 months to be honest. Plus a bit of solitude can do wonders for the soul.

Christian state

rdshelmerdine — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 11:13:27 GMT

I agree with the commenter above. Even though it was put a bit harshly. We can't b turned into a Fascist state.

Succession

rdshelmerdine — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 11:12:09 GMT

It'd be really strange to see Washington succeeding. It'd just feel weird crossing the borders.

Interesting Link

Jake Gellar-Goad — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 11:07:32 GMT

It looks like that holds true almost everywhere, except there are a few solidly red states, and a couple of solidly blue states in every county - the only two I could find where MA & CT.

I guess my question then is, is it true for either MA or CT that in any city or town or community you can be as open as you want without getting somewhere between a funny look to being assaulted?