Tuesday, December 8, 2009

December 8, 2009 - 2 year anniversary of major significance!

yup, it was two years ago today that i got rid of the male clothing and got rid of the androgynous look and went 100% full time as a woman. it was clearly the best decision i have ever made. it's definitely been a challenging 2 years as i have struggled to gain acceptance among my many neighbours, friends, colleagues, etc... but it has helped bring inner peace, and it has finally given me a focus on the meaning of life, my life.

two years that brought me tremendous bad fate. this appears to have cost me many important people in my life, including many long-time friends, and even some family members.. i've also lost what appeared to be a very good and very secure full time job. i've also lost a great deal of strength, speed, endurance, and energy as i have struggled to adapt to a new feminine hormone regime. i also find myself dealing with a government-run health care system that refuses to pay for the majority of medical treatment that my doctors are saying that i need, and given that loss of employment, i am no longer in a position to be able to afford to pay for much of the care that i need..

but on the positive, i've made many new friends, including several people who i consider to be my adopted new family. it has also brought me into alliances with people and organizations that have allowed me to pursue my passion for promoting human rights and equality around the world for a diverse body of minority individuals, including members of the LGBT family, and specifically trans people and trans athletes.

it's given me a chance to sit on committees, deliver speeches, and help education people about something that society knows little about. it's also helped build me a title of 'well-known athlete' in my community, which has brought on a variety of additional interesting opportunities, including media attention for being an athlete, and the excitement of being a volunteer health, fitness, diet, and running consultant to other local athletes.

the next 2 years are certain to be equally as challenging, but if i can weather the storm and continue to take small baby steps forward, this transition will reach its pinnacle and i will eventually start to be seen and accepted in society as just another one of the many lovely women that live in the community, and the discrimination i face will hopefully cease. the momentum is heading in the right direction, and i read about many great things happening around the world every day regarding the acceptance and the equality of transpeople. jurisdictions around the world continue to add anti-discrimination law that specifically focus on protecting the rights of trans people.

anyway, it was 10.7k of light running today, as i continue to use running as my primary mode of transportation around town to do errands. much cheaper than taking a cab, that's for sure! i'm fortunate that i can still run on this knee, but i won't be doing any hard running until i get to the bottom of this injury.

Jenn

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