A Dahl’s House

I upgraded WordPress to the latest version and somehow it broke the links to other blogs. Grrr…. Hopefully, I’ll be able to get it fixed soon.

This in from Eve, who’s helping organize this year’s Trans March:
The next Gender Pirates show will be a benefit for the march. It’s Wednesday night, February 28th at El Rio, 3158 Mission @ Precita. Doors open at 7:00 pm, show begin 8:00-11:00 p.m. $5-15 sliding scale, no one turned away for lack of funds.

Mombian came up with the nice idea to make today “Blogging for LGBT Families Day,”  to raise awareness about LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) families. FYI, Helen has a clearinghouse of information for parents who are trans.

Thoughts from SF Chronicle columnist Mark Morford.

Seems a funny thing happened on the way to the alternative family: People still have issues. People still have just a tremendous number of hang-ups and emotional dramas regarding family and babies and who the hell gets to shape and mold and influence the consciousness of another human life. Go figure.

This is what we’re learning: It does not matter if you’re Christian or gay or bi, Mormon or neocon or a rainbow-colored leather-clad bear with hair where your legs used to be. Issues arise. Emotions tumble forth. There is, apparently, no perfect way. There is no ideal family structure and quit pointing to your Bible before you hurt yourself—rule No. 1 in all matters reproductive: Never trust musty dogmatic mythology written by angry old men who never had sex. Duh.

We do know one thing. There are only a few key ingredients that work every single time. They are: stability, deep love, laughter, honest communication, solid boundaries, human kindness, balance and chocolate ice cream. That’s about it. There is only the impulse to love and connect and carry on. And maybe, now and then, a good hot bath….

For every success story in the alternative-family sphere, there’s a debilitating wrinkle. It is perhaps no better—or worse—than traditional structures. But for every major falling-out and nasty emotional entanglement, there’s a mad success story resulting in a glorious kid (or three) who will be raised with a funky and fresh perspective on family and parenting which, oh my God, we so desperately need in this culture right now that we might as well be in a desert pleading for water.

It would seem there is no escaping the human drama. It would seem there is no way around personal issues of life and sperm and DNA and pulse. You may thump your revisionist Bible, you may cite your lopsided studies, you may wave your freak flags high, but the truth is, we are here on this planet to work toward the new. We are here to adapt and evolve and try to clue into the Mystery. And playing with reproduction and family structure is one hell of an often glorious, often tortuous way to do exactly that. What, you thought we were all done? Not even close.

How good are you at spotting the trannies in the house? Me…

You got 12 out of 12 right, or about 100%.
Fantastic- you can spot a transvestite every time! Clearly, you have a disturbing familiarity with crossdressers.

Yeah, you could say that… The funny thing is I’m not sure how I decided who was who. Some were pretty easy (big brow bone, obvious ringer, etc.) but with others I think I just lucky since the most of the “males” were clearly transsexuals on hormones. I’m just annoyed the language on the site was fairly offensive, but I suspect it’s more ignorance than malice.

A tongue-in-cheek look at the latest supposed trend proposed by the same folks who help popularized the term “metrosexual.”

From the book’s description: ubersexuals are “men who ‘do exactly what it takes to get what they want, when they want it’ ... an extension of the metrosexual, minus the sexual ambiguity.”

Guess those of us who were integrating our “feminine” desire to look good into our masculine presentation better butch up.

If you read my latest entry on the Gender Evolve blog, you know that thanks to Michele’s help, I feel like I’ve been transformed from an ugly duckling to another one of the many beautiful swans here. So much so, that I’m feeling like my current name no longer fits. “Darla” just seems a bit old-fashioned and not reflective of the new sexier and more self-confident person I see in the mirror.

So I’m asking for your help in finding a more suitable name.

“Darla” actually was a bit a whimsical choice. I wanted to go online and needed a femme name quickly. The first name that came to mind was Daria, the cartoon character, since our Lady of Teen Misfits resonated with my own high school and later work-related hells. And I too have used droll cynicism as armor to cover up those vulnerable parts of my heart and soul. But I initially misremembered the name as “Darla,” and when I remembered a day or two later, I decided to stay with it, since
“Daria” seemed to be too direct an allusion.

So who am I, or maybe more properly, who do I want my name to inspire me to be?

Think Daria 20 years later. Still cynical—though she’d say she’s “realistic” and maybe mellowed to “skeptical” —and mistrustful of authority, and doesn’t hesitate to make her opinions known when she sees fit. She has a talent for writing, a sharp intellect, an even sharper tongue when needed (her sarcasm could cut tempered steel) although she’s learned to hold it when politic, and a wit so dry it makes the Sahara look like a rain forest. But time has tempered her. She’s become an embattled cynic and her caring side shows through more and more. Still looking for her intellectual equal in love.

But thankfully the rain boots are gone. Her friends recently put on on “What Not to Wear,” where despite an epic duel of sarcasm with Clinton and Stacy, she secretly enjoyed the whole process and now feels looking great is the best revenge on the Fashion Club.

So I’m looking for a name that says: Smart. Sarcastic. Skeptical. Literate. Sexy. So far, I’m toying with Veronica, Marlena, and maybe Daria after all. Any suggestions?