Activism Is doing nothing a for of activism?

There are many ways of showing that we are all just people. No matter is you are black or white; as the words of a pop song goes. The same goes for GLBTI identified people. Many get discriminated upon because of their sexual orientation, and gender presentation or just because they are different from other people. But WE ARE JUST PEOPLE just like you or anyone else, we do the same things and have families and live in homes. Many of these people tend to become activists and try and educate those that do not understand them or know anything about GLBTI issues. There are other ways to also do this and that is by doing the same things that everyone else do. Attend church, take part in sports, go hunting (if that is your thing), fish. Ride motorbikes, sports cars, and take part in any everyday type of activities that everyone does in life.

I have learned from experience in going out in public and just being relaxed with myself and enjoy whatever I do breaks down barriers and shows that I am a normal person and not something that is strange or weird. I was attending a very public activity this past weekend that placed me in the public eye. What happened I was read, (read is being seen by someone for being not what you seem to be, or seen as a transsexual by someone). Part of the problem is that I love my wife and show affection for her and that my son stills likes to call me Dad and that because of the load music I had to talk rather loud to be heard and when that happens my voice does fail the test…as it becomes deeper. My son was asked the question and he told them the truth; She is my father, and was a man but is now a woman. The answer to that from the enquirer was just a plain Ok.

Changes in one’s life come slowly for some things but other changes happen fast, so fast that it even catches oneself out. Old friends that still stay friends adjust in many ways over time while others fade away as they cannot adjust to the changes one undergoes. The same for business people some just carry on as always while others can not adjust at all and you pick this up from them. Does it matter? In some ways it does but mostly it does not.

Activism is a good thing but it not for all, some like to stay hidden in plain sight while others do not mind being seen for what they are. I still enjoy lots of the old things that I used to do, well … still do. Mostly I am just another woman that goes about their life and work.

If your form of activism is waving a banner and standing on a soap box or just doing every day things then that is your choice. Even any transgendered person who is in stealth is doing activism by just being themselves. One does not need to be the banner waver but just the person next to someone on the airplane, buss, checkout queue at the supermarket, the person collecting their post or walking the dog. We are all activists by just being ourselves.

Hugs

Life happenings

Life has been giving me the usual ups and downs. The downs are sorting themselves out and soon will be no more. I have been having some nice experiences and finding acceptance in place where I never thought that I would find such a thing. Been told that I am presentable and look good by many people lately which is good for the ego as it means that I have transitioned and finally ‘there’ whatever ‘there’ means to someone like me. Made contact with two cousins the last month and came out to them. They were full of questions and I filled them in.

I have reached another mile stone in this journey and that I am going in for a Orchidectomy on Monday and this has left me feeling scared as well as excited as it part of the final transition.

Here where I live there has been the yearly Pestival , The National Arts Festival. A interesting and exciting happening but a pest in some ways. Streets are changed and this hampers the movement through central town but this year there were to be some changes and that was great till some stall holders moaned and some streets were blocked. There was also some temporally blocking of streets for short durations which caused some heated feelings and the crush is now still in the main street. This was not to be but came to be because of the moaning of stall holders who used to be in the church square and were to be on the village green.

My son had his cell phone stolen, now the replacement is an added cost to us. Myself have walked around the main stalls and have had a nice look at all. I even got a real leather handbag cheaply, it cost less than a bag made from synthetic leather from a local shop and it is of good quality.

I have not heard of any anti trans or homophobic type of happenings so it seems only the normal type of crime has taken place.

Stay in peace and hugs to all

The Truth will set one free

As this “fair” of ours enters a new five year period of crime and corruption how will this affect the people in the street, the ordinary citizens of this country??

We have equality for all, but this is not so, stupid and gullible people are given posts of authority and fail to deliver and do their duties. The government leaders give good lip service but the people that vote for them are foolish to believe the voice they hear and give them the nod. In fact they are led blindly like sheep to the slaughter. As in the past and in the future the party leaders made false and unrealistic promises to the rural peoples, the poor and to the rich. All in all they will just mess up a good system and constitution and all will suffer in the end. They introduced very strict gun laws and what that did was allow the criminal to arm themselves better and strike terror into their victims. Way back in the 1700’s a American President said; “Disarm the citizens and all you will do is arm the criminals.” That is so true. The Police have lost, have had stolen and just do not know where so many official police guns are in the last year. Many guns handed in my responsible people for destruction have ended in the hands of criminals. We do not even know how many military guns have just went the same way as the police’s. Big questions here???

Taking away the death sentence is a poor way to control certain crimes as it is a deterrent and if used wisely can be a big step in preventing rape, armed robbery, murder, arson and some other serious crimes. Aside from that the man/woman in the street should be free to defend their homes and lives in any way that is required by the situation. Take stone throwing. A stone can kill just as easily as a bullet. A motorist should be allowed to shoot to kill any stone throwers that threaten their life. A rock striking a windscreen can cause the drover to crash and be seriously be hurt or killed in the crash or by the stone throwers.

How I am a peaceful person but will protect myself any way I can to keep myself safe. I love life and people and love the diversity of the different people groups around us. The different cultures are often colourful and interesting as we all can learn from each other’s culture. Some beliefs I find silly but still I respect them as it is the choice of the person to follow them. Often there are many good things in different beliefs. The funny thing is there are stories that are the same or similar to the Christian belief in many other religions that predate the Christian one.

I feel that we are all children of nature and should learn to understand each other and live in harmony. It can be done. Fear of the unknown and fear of differences causes a lot of things and that need not to be so. We are all “life forms” on this planet, to take a term from a well known science fiction space series. Different but all the same none the less. We all need air to breath, food to eat, shelter and some means of obtaining all that. Let us live in peace and harmony together and that was and is the main teachings of all religions, where man has not distorted the truth.

No matter if you are GLBTIQ or even not one that can be labelled as such can live in peace and harmony then there will be peace and harmony, add respect for all and we will have a real great land.

Truth has a way of coming out and will come out and we will be free as those who lie will end up despised and ousted.

Hi All

We often have moans and groans but at times we should place the moans and groans aside and have some light hearted things to say. Yes we do have moans and groans as there are often a lot to moan and groan about such as the foolishness of people who believe everything that they hear such as many who voted in this last elections.

Well I have some light hearted things to say. In this transition period I have had some funny experiences and they have brought a laugh or two to those who were involved as well as some head shaking.

One is being called the daughter of my partner, that was funny but also rather silly on the part of the person who made that remark. The other while producing my ID, which still is in my old name, (still waiting for DHA to issue the new one); “Is this your ID?” Early in my transition this never happened, what has changed? I still look the same and even sound somewhat the same, (I have worked on my voice a little. So what is the difference? Is it the way I present myself or how I walk talk and act. Am I now embracing my woman hood or is it that I am just comfortable with myself? I think it is the combination of all.

The other funny thing is being seen as my wife’s sister and that is lovely as well as my own sister. So some things are full of fun and good. I am happier within myself and living a full life so I have no moans .

Life has it ups and downs and they all work out in the end so embrace those ups and good times as these are the ones we remember in later times.

Hugs

Andrea

What goes around comes around

Often we come across people who are , well let us just say that they are negative people who find fault with everything. Whatever reasons that they have for be such is only known to them, needless to say they tend to find fault where ever the go and with every one they meet, well almost everywhere and everyone.

I have a story to tell of a friend who had a lot of negative feelings and actions caused against her and all this because she displayed gender diversity. She is a trans-woman who is busy transitioning. She was even assaulted by these people who were in many ways dependent on her income and he charity. They did not take to the fact that she could not live the life that she was living anymore and turned on her and assaulted her one day as well as causing a load of problems with her employer so that she was forced to resign. This has impacted on their life styles as she had to seek a place to stay away from them. Now this family that was staying with her cannot keep up the rent, and are now in financial difficulties and the man is busy divorcing his wife who also took part in the assault.

This is my point that if you go through life seeking to do hard to others you will one face some bad things and even if the same things do not happen to you other things will.

Respect for individuals and this includes gender identity, gender, sexual preference, culture (both identity and ethnicity), religion, and other diversity. As long as these factors and not used for evil and cruelty then they can and deserve respect. Diversity is something wonderful, just look at nature how divers it is and even within its different branches how diverse it is there. Birds and fishers are a good example, just how many species and sub species there are, the same for us humans. If we all thought alike or even dressed alike then it would be a boring life and we all would be negative.

Be careful how you look at and treat people as turn and turn around might just come your way. Of cause there will some that do not deserve any respect and those should be left to suffer their just cause and effect.

Bad things and people.

Bad things and people.

This week, Wednesday to be exact a friend that works with me received very sad and bad news. Her brother’s best friend was brutally murdered in the drive way of his home. He and his wife came home to find this intruder, one intruder, and this fellow turned on them and stabbed the domestic worker who also died leaving three small children with no one to care for them, the wife was also stabbed as well as the neighbour who came to help. Unfortunately the husband was stabbed in the neck and as it severed his juggler vein he did not survive. The murderer was caught and arrested. He showed no regret at his actions. Such senseless violence looks to be the order of the day nowadays. It seems that the criminal has no regard for property or life, as well that some looks to have too much protection from the law. Certain crimes should be faced with the death sentence as it might; I doubt that it will, act as a deterrent to such crimes. The crimes that should be listed as serious can be considered as the following; Rape, attacks without provocation, armed robbery, murder and child molestation under certain circumstances.

Why are we faced with such happenings? There is not an easy answer to this but we can only hope and pray that things get better and that the authorities wake up and do something positive about these kind of happenings which are far to a everyday occurrence.

The effects that these actions have are profound on the people that know and love the victims, and it is actions such as this that breed hatred and even racial discrimination. I do not like discrimination in any form but how can anyone not get some feelings such as these when greed and disregard for life are key elements of someone’s actions not feel such things.

One of my favourite authors often uses a line in his stories that goes something like this; A man/woman can make anything of himself if only he applies him/herself to find a means.

In other words to improve yourself in all ways, socially and financially is in your hands and with some effort on your part you can become someone and earn money for your needs.

Words from my heart

Free to be me

When I was young I had this dream

I dream that I was a girl, with long hair in curls

I would run and play in the sunshine in my pretty sundress

Amongst the flowers with butterflies and bees.

Then I would awake

And realize that it was only a dream.

I was a boy with short hair and wore shorts

I would play in the garden and wonder why I dreamed like I did.

Then night would come

I would dream again that I was a pretty girl playing

Under a tree in the garden with dolls and tea set

Why, why would I dream

Dream the dreams that I did, was I a girl

Not a boy even though everyone told me that I was one

Then as I got older

I found that I was a girl inside, a woman

As I grew up I started to change the outside

To match the inside and happiness was what I found.

Free to be me,

Free form the social bounds that held me

Free to be me

Free from out of the closet doors that his me

Free to be me

Free from the social perceptions that trapped me

Free to be me

Free in the world that accepts me for me

Free to be me

This is my story....boy....girl....man...woman, the true me

Andrea Elva mulder 2008

This Girl in the Mirror

Who is this girl in the mirror?

Is she someone I know?

A cousin, girlfriend or someone else?

Do I know her, is she real?

Could she be someone from deep inside?

Is she, that girl inside of me?

She has to come out.

She has to live.

I cannot live this lie anymore.

I must set her free.

If I do not she will die and so will I.

This girl in the mirror.

She is me.

The true me, that lay hid.

Hidden so deep for far too long.

Today I will set her free.

And become who I really am.

This girl in the mirror I see, is me.

Andrea Elva Mulder 2009