Belated Thanksgiving Wish11/28/2019  I noticed a post from a Twitter account which said Thanksgiving to us was genocide and a hostile takeover of the Native Tribes in the United States. It just got me thinking more and more that maybe Thanksgiving in the context of what it means to the average American, is not a good thing. Maybe being thankful for the many blessings we have is, but with a piece of humble pie, instead of apple. After all, we stole it. We occupy it with large diverse groups of people. Although we can't change the past, we sure as heck can try to make it better. Maybe we never will, but once again, we can try. Maybe we should be mindful that the Native Americans once owned this land. They had to survive the elements, respect the land and give back to it, (the earth) what they took from it. They celebrated life from the cradle to the grave. Indigenous people in this country knew they had a responsibility to pass on the legacy of taking care of the earth to future generations, or perish. Then we, the Europeans came along. We shamefully wrested the land from Native Americans. We set up our own government and broke every treaty we signed with them and imposed our values on them. They recognized at least 5 genders and we said heck no. There's only two. They worshiped the land, the sun, moon and stars. We said awe heck no. You gotta believe in Jesus Christ and you must be a Christian. If not we're going to kill every dang one of you. That's called genocide last time I checked. You're also going to dress like we do and do what we tell you. We're going to impose martial law on your people until you succumb to our way of living, breathing, thinking, living and dying. You got that? Now to my military friends who love to argue with me about this, how would we like it if a country took over and there wasn't an effing thing we could do about it? So when we move on from this Thanksgiving, let's be mindful of our own vulnerabilities in the coming year. Let's focus on trying to undo the wrong we have done to other marginalized communities. Let's honor the treaties our forefathers ignored with the Native American community. Let's be more compassionate with the least or most vulnerable among us. Let's be a nation of lifting others up not tearing them down. That doesn't mean we allow travesties of justice to go unpunished or reckoned with. It means we hold people accountable. We can’t leave it to someone else to do the work, thinking that the job will get done. We all have to do our part to make this ship sail smoothly to distant lands and shores of progress. For so long I said to myself (as a congruent female) "Oh, someone else can stand up for trans youth in schools." "Someone else can fight for their (our) rights.”Besides, I have too much to lose if I'm transparent and come out." I realized that there was too much to lose if I didn't. I could have lost my self-respect, my honor and my dignity as a human being. I don't want God (my creator) to meet me at the pearly gates and show me images of trans children dying, crying and suffering and God saying, "Síle, I gave you life so that others may live." "Behold the suffering I sent you to heal which wasn't healed because you were selfish, boastful and overly proud." "Your life was hard for a reason.' It was to forge your mind, body, spirit and will power to serve others not yourself." I'm most grateful for forgiveness. To be given and received. Forgiveness doesn't necessarily mean forgetting. It hopefully means starting over on a good note. A good foot. Taking steps together to improve justice, integrity and mutual respect. That's something we can all be thankful for. Síle This Weekend is a Celebration11/7/2019 This weekend is a celebration of a new lease on life which began for me three years ago, November 9, 2016. It took decades to become congruent, when it should have been sooner. My hope is that future generations of in-congruent people won't have to wait as long for medical surgery and treatment as I did. In addition, that insurance companies and government officials (including presidential candidates) will recognize this and make it common practice to serve said population, by providing medically necessary care, making it consistent and effective for all trans patients. In other words, that they will provide insurance that will cover Gender Affirming Surgery, Hormone treatment, and surgery aftercare in line with guidelines set out by WPATH, formerly known as Harry Benjamin Standards of Care. I will be celebrating with the online release of my web-series Notts' Journey, which has been in the works since 2015. At the time it was called I'm Your Mum. Changes were made based on feedback, some kind and some not so kind. It's a labor of love and I honor my fur-babies who were in the production as well. Some have passed on and some are still here. I would like to also mention Kindsey. Rest in piece my furry friends. Síle Biden Wrapping it Up!11/2/2019  Joe Biden is wrapping the Democratic nomination up in a nice diversity driven package. He can unite all Americans and doesn't need on the job training. He's also progressive enough not to scare off independents and never Trumpers. I predict we're looking at a Biden/Harris ticket. Síle We've come a long Way!11/2/2019  The only reason you would stand up and speak out for your community is to make life better for the younger generation coming after you. I was a trailblazer and my hope is that my experiences benefit people like me to have a better go of it than I did. I've written about it before and whatever you do, develop a thick skin. I also ask my creator to "fight my battles." Blessing flow over me for doing so, and the Universe opens new doors for me when I let go and let God. That doesn't mean I don't stand up for myself, I just do it with tact. In 1969 I was four years old. I knew then that I was different. I identified as a female. This is 1969. Let that sink in. It was out of the question for my parents that I should ever explore my feminine side. Back then the solution was to "slap the shite" out of trans children, and it was acceptable in society. There was no hate crime bill and what we call the Harry Benjamin Standards of care was not well known in my families' circles. Harry Benjamin (born in 1885), was a German-born American endocrinologist and sexologist, who devised a set of Standards of Care (SOC) for the treatment of gender identity dysphoria, largely based on Benjamin's cases, and studies. It later changed its name to The World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), but still reveres its links to Harry Benjamin. "Transpanic" a defense for cis males for killing trans woman was widely accepted and used in courts, and it was a successful defense at the time. Trans bashing was more prevalent as well. Hollywood also got into the act creating trans characters who were murders and serial killers. The criminalization was three times as bad as it today. Scarier times y'all. Today things are much better than they were in 1969 and in the early 1970's; however, I don't want things to return to the days of having to hide my gender identity, nor do I want others to experience that either. Things got even better November 9, 2016, when I had gender reassignment surgery November 9, 2016. I live happily as a congruent female. We need to elect a leader who will fight for our community. One that will not need on the job training. One who knows other leaders from other countries, who can help end discrimination for LGBTQI community members throughout the world. A leader who believes in science and the research that goes into the study of trans issues. One who recognizes that Gender Dysphoria is a medical condition not a mental illness. One who will build on the Affordable Car Act and make treatment options and surgery available for trans patients who want it. One's who have medical clearance based on WPATH regulations and who are diagnosed by licensed professionals. It's child abuse to disallow a transgender child to transition (with or without medical treatment) and a child seeking medical treatment (Hormone Replacement Therapy) should be doing so under a doctors' care. The doctor should be following the Harry Benjamin Standards of care along with the support and guidance of parent(s). All members of the trans community should be diagnosed first. Just because a trans child or adult opt out of treatment or surgery, it does not make them any less trans. In my mind there's only one candidate. He's an older experienced gentleman, who I had a wonderful conversation with on the campaign trail in Durham NC. He's genuine and compassionate and he's the only candidate that will fight for all Americans. He doesn't care what you look like, who you love, or where you come from. He's also the only candidate who will not ignore the T or the Q in LGBTQ. Síle Síle Michaela
Mom, Actress, Activist, Amateur Painter / Artist Archives
December 2020
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