Thanks Giving

Today is Thanksgiving Day.

I’ve always wanted to go to the National Day of Mourning at Plymouth – perhaps next year.

One of my TWiGs – Keshet Transgender Working Group members – had my best friend / transister / colleague Laurie Wolfe and I to their family’s celebration. And we’re very thankful for that.

All of us have things to be thankful and give thanks for. Indeed, those who have – or seem to have – least are often the most aware and expressive of what they do have. May we all be mindful of and give thanks for all our blessings, today and every day.

Congregation Am Tikva / Temple Sinai Healing Service

Congregation Am Tikva is the GLBT synagogue of Boston, and where I’m a member. Temple Sinai is the Reform synagogue in Brookline’s Coolidge Corner (and is GLBT welcoming). CAT rents space at and has an interactive relationship with TS.

Seven years ago, CAT and TS created a joint Healing Service, held every other month or so and on Yom Kippur. Each is an hour of guided meditation, song, prayer, poetry and more. The Services are followed by an oneg (Hebrew "joy") -- refreshments and social time. At least once a year, the Service ends with havdalah, the ritual for the end of Shabbat (sunset Friday to sunset Saturday).

I started attending a few years ago. I’m especially glad of this one because this is the eve of the international Transgender Day of Remembrance.

Transgender Resolution --> Episcopal Church

Two of my colleagues on the Interfaith Coalition for Transgender Equality (ICTE) are Episcopal priests -- Reverends Cameron Partridge and Christopher Fike. With Reverend Canon Ed Rodman, they wrote and submitted a resolution in support of trans civil rights and of adding gender identity and expression to the National Episcopal Church non-discrimination canon. This weekend, the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts voted in a landslide to support the resolution. So, the diocese has now petitioned the General Convention of the Episcopal Church to add that language.

Cameron is also a founding member of TransEpiscopal – for his post about the resolution on the TE blog, including the full text of the resolution, click here. For his similar oon the ICTE blog, click here.

This is particularly meaningful for me, as I am Episcopalian on my late mother’s side. Mazel tov!!

My 6th surgery anniversary!

Today is the 6^th anniversary of my chest surgery (I had my chest changed from more female to more intersex / alien)!

I celebrated by sponsoring the oneg ("joy", refreshments after the service and bread and wine / grape juice) at my synagogue, Congregation Am Tikva. (It’s common at synagogues for members to sponsor onegs and other things in honor of special occasions, and I’ve occasionally done it at CAT.)

I brought Trader Joe’s cakes, mini pastries and fruit salad. I decorated with TJ’s gelt (chocolate coins wrapped in foil to look like real coins, usually a Hanukah thing) and roses, and my own Jewish decorations. As always, I also wanted to be symbolic / thematic and funny – so I bought two more things at the Sweet N’ Nasty, a sex-themed bakery and ‘novelty’ shop here in Boston. On top of each cake, I placed and lit a votive candle -- dyed and molded to look like a breast. I also put out a plate of nickel-sized white chocolate truffles – also dyed and molded thusly.

As I’d thought, it was a good way to do something I should do anyway while creating a “teachable moment” about transgender issues.

Today is Election Day

Happy Election Day!!! In a word, VOTE. (Every four years on this date, we elect the President, Congress, et al.)

I want to share the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition’s (MTPC) latest awesomeness – they’ve created a “Transgender Communities and Voting Access” guide. Also, the National Center for Transgender Equality has created an “Overcoming Voting Obstacles” guide. Both of these guides are primarily intended to help transgender voters vote -- and to educate about trans voters' challenges.

If you experience a problem at the polls because you're transgender, please let MTPC know, as they are tracking these experiences and working with local organizations to address any issues. You can fill out a form on their website, email info@masstpc.org, or call them at 617.778.0519.