Today is a day of blogging for LGBT families all over the internet. For those living under a rock, LGBT stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered. I just happen to technically be considered transgendered. This means that my gender doesn’t match my birth sex. Essentially, I was born female, but grew up with the feelings and emotions of a male. Gender is different from sex because sex is biological and gender is perceived. In easier terms, sex is based on body parts and biological makeup, while gender is how you envision yourself.

Strangely enough, the cause for this might just be a biological one. One theory is that those of us who are transgendered are the way we are because in utero (while in the womb), we were exposed to different hormones than we should have been. A transgendered MTF (male to female) might have been exposed to more estrogen and/or androgen while an FTM (female to male) might have been exposed to more testosterone and/or androgen.

It is an interesting theory, especially considering the fact that the ob/gyn who spent her time examining me, in the womb for nine months, swore I was a boy. I was being carried like a boy. Everything appeared as though I were going to be born a boy. With as much experience as she had (having delivered hundreds of babies) she was seldom wrong and quite shocked when I came out a girl.

You see, I was born believing I had to act like a female because biologically I was one. I later realized that all of the feelings of discontent came from my being perceived as something I was not. To me, I was just one of the boys. Most of my close friends were other boys and I liked doing things most boys did. As an adult, I’ve taken the steps to become a man. This involves a lot of dedication. There is the legal aspect (name change and all that comes with it, change of gender on important documents), the physical aspect (dressing, cutting my hair, surgery and embodying the male persona) and the hormonal aspect (regular shots of testosterone). There is also the psychological aspect. I have to be deemed sane enough to be on hormones and have surgery. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have qualified.

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I think the title here says it all. So rather than drudge on with specifics, let’s hop right into the list, shall we?

1. First it’s the gays then it will be the horses, dogs, and farm animals - Naturally, everyone knows that if we let a gay man marry a man or a lesbian couple get married it will lead to animal lovers marrying chickens, dogs, and who knows what else. Therefore, by not allowing gay marriage we are doing our world duty to stop bestiality.

2. Incest will become common place – While bestiality would certainly be bad enough, it is necessary to never allow gay marriage because of the possibility that siblings and relatives will take it as their opportunity to get their equal rights. Gone will be the days of sharing family bathing time. Instead they will want equal rights to share their love in public, too, and it will be our fault because it all started with the gays.

3. Marriage is a sacred right between a man and woman – Everyone knows that in the U.S. marriage has always been between a man and a woman. Ignore the fact that this particular brand of marriage is a Christian concept and not all people, American or otherwise, are Christian. It simply should not matter. The point is the U.S. has never allowed it (just like blacks and whites could not get married) and we should not allow it now!

4. Homosexuality is unnatural – If it doesn’t happen in nature it should not happen with humans. Gay marriage is an agenda set to ruin society as we know it. If there are not gay penguins, gay whales, gay vultures, chimps, or other animals then there cannot logically be gay men or women.

5. If gays can marry they will have kids and they will make more gay people – Naturally, gay people will make their kids gay. Gay people are really just straight because their parents were straight, but they are pretending to be gay because they must really hate their parents. However, this façade will create real gay people when they raise these kids. Unless, of course, the kids hate their parents enough to pretend to be straight…then they will have the last laugh.

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I have wondered when or if there is a time when it is too soon to introduce homosexuality and/or transgenderism to a child. It is likely that in most school districts, there are children who are suffering in silence because their parents are gay, lesbian, or transgendered and they are afraid they will be picked on if other children find out. The reason why we even question when the time is right to talk to children about these topics is because there is still a stigma attached.

In my way of thinking, it isn’t a choice. Nobody chooses to be hated and treated like crap and I can’t think of one person in the GLBT community that has not been hated, made fun of, or treated poorly because of who they are. Honestly. Who chooses to live a hated existence? This is just part of why I believe there is no way it can be a choice. With millions of GLBT Americans out there, it’s hard to believe everyone chooses to deviate from what is considered normal. Sorry, but there just isn’t enough incentive, to choose to be gay or transgendered. It’s not a choice.

You can argue with me until the cows come home on this topic, but this doesn’t really change the fact that there are thousands of children living in GLBT households and it is only through compassion and understanding that these children are going to be accepted. I guess if you have to blame anyone, blame the parents, but don’t make the children suffer because you don’t agree with their parents. Going further, this means that children do need to learn about other cultures. Yes, children of GLBT parents live in a different cultural environment. Just like teaching children about the customs and cultures of other nations, it is imperative to be inclusive so children of GLBT parents have a place in both school and other social environments.

This brings me back to my original question. Is there a time when a child is too young to understand homosexuality or transgenderism? Children are incredibly resilient. They understand more than you can imagine and their level of compassion and understanding puts most adults to shame. I know that my son was eight when he learned that Daddy was transgendered. He didn’t fully understand what transgendered meant, but he knew that I was born like most girls were born, but I always felt different and that I always felt like a boy.

He also understood I was and had taken steps to become a boy. He was, perhaps, the most understanding of all I told. When anyone slipped and referred to me by a female name or feminine pronouns, surprisingly, he was the first to correct them. He accepted it wholeheartedly and comprehended it to the point where introducing me as his father (I have been with his mother since he was 7) was nothing he was ever ashamed of doing. Some children of GLBT parents aren’t so lucky, as they live in less accepting towns and environments.

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Is Larry Sinclair telling the truth? Honestly, in the vast majority of public allegations by those who claim they’ve had sex with politicians (whether gay or not) and used drugs with them, the allegations are usually true. That being said, why hasn’t Barack commented on this at all? Instead of sweeping it under the rug, why not deny the rumors if they’re false?

Silence makes a politician look guilty. Anyway, here’s the video. You check it out for yourself and see what you think. Feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts on the matter.

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**Contains minor spoilers for the fifth season of The L Word. Read with caution**

I don’t usually use the opinion section of anything to complain about something on a television show. Well, there’s always a first for everything. Now don’t get me wrong. I truly enjoy The L Word, which is one of Showtime’s most popular shows. The writing is excellent, the character development is stellar, and the acting is beyond what you see on most television shows. There is only one problem with this show; one nagging, persistent problem. The one representation of a transgendered individual grossly misrepresents the community.

Don’t get me wrong. I know The L Word primarily focuses on lesbian couples and relationships. Considering most transgendered FTMs (Female to Males) at some point in their life believe they are lesbians it makes sense why the show would include the story of Max (portrayed by Daniela Sea), a confused individual who declares he is transgendered after dating one of the central characters on the show.

It’s kind of like the lesbians who just happened to be a part of another, former Showtime show, Queer as Folk, which was primarily about the relationships and lives of gay males. I can get the point that the writers of The L Word are trying to make. FTMs face different challenges than lesbians do. In fact, some are even oppressed by the gay and lesbian community. However, the way the story of Max is playing out grossly misrepresents those of us who actually are transgendered. In some ways, I can see why the lesbians don’t seem to take Max seriously!

Why do I care what happens to Max? The primary reason is because as someone who is technically transgendered (as I am a transitioning FTM though I identify as male) I don’t want the general public, who have no idea what being transgendered means or even what the term is, believing that this is what being transgendered is like. I’ve heard many who don’t know anyone who is transgendered say Max does a good job of portraying a transgendered individual. I’m here to tell you this is simply not true.

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