It seems disturbingly fashionable these days to think in black and white. Witness the rise of religious fundamentalism, fanatical right-wingers (who are clearly anything but "conservative"), and even the "guardians of purity" among transsexuals (and wannabes). One thing all these groups have in common is that they insist they have the power and knowledge to definitively tell you and I what we "really are" and what we therefore "should" do. They think in black and white ("You're either THIS or you're THAT").

I'm sorry to say I voted for Barack Obama. Sorry because I had some hope that Obama really would be different. That maybe he actually meant some of the things he said, and might keep some of the promises he made. Instead it's mostly been business as usual -- Guantanamo, warrantless wiretapping and the ongoing redistribution of wealth from the working class to the richest corporate overlords, the war in Afghanistan.

And how about that "constitution-free" zone? Still there you know...

So I mostly feel like I threw my vote away.

But don't get the wrong idea -- I'm not saying I wish I'd voted for McCaine/Palin, that Laurel and Hardy of modern American politics! No no, I wish I'd followed my conscience and voted for Cynthia McKinney, the Green candidate.

Not that I'm crazy about her mind you, but she did strike me as the least evil. But in the heady last 90 days leading up to election day 2008, it was really looking close. And I began to rethink my plan to vote Green, because of concerns that McCaine/Palin might actually win.

First off, I should say I never actually wanted to have a blog. IMNSHO the web has way too many blogs as it is.  But our site administrator has pressed me to write something, which makes perfect sense (and is only fair) since I was one of the people who pressed her to start this site -- and she really did too, single-handedly.

So I do feel some obligation, and I do believe in the idea of a supportive and safe space for those who need it.  But me writing a blog in which I write as a transgendered person?  Hmmm. Not really "me", I think. But I could be wrong, it happens occasionally...

You see, I've been living as a woman all my adult life. I'm not a post-op, but for quite a few years now I've quietly blended in as just another woman.