️Fuck Cancer! The orange ribbon is for those battling leukemia and lymphoma and other blood cancers… ️

For the time being, I will be showing pictures during treatment after a diagnosis of leukemia and lymphoma. Sending tender and caring thoughts to those who are batting similar serious health issues. Try to take advantage of the good days without wearing yourself out. Keep positive! Accept help, even though that may not be in your nature. And try not to let it steal your smile too!

 

Prescient and equally relevant in 2025

Tess Rafferty Aftermath November 2016

  

If you have anything MAGA in your profile, pro trump, pro christian nationalism, I am going to block you...I consider you an enemy of freedom, democracy, women in general, and my humanity in particular. I truly hope that what you voted for, happens to you personally. My ability to forgive and turn the other cheek ended when you chose the side that wants to “eradicate” people like me.

 

1776 - 1789: the birth of a great experiment in personal liberty, freedom of and from religion, and self governance develops on the eastern shore of Northern America with the explicit rejection of tyranny. The United States of America is born.

 

1789-1865: a new nation grows and expands, strongly due to the malignant slavery of black humans. Not recognizing that all men must be free and equal, a nation divides in civil war. But a strong eloquent leader emancipates millions, stewards change and the experiment survives.

 

1865-2024: while not perfect, rights are fought for, and great progress is made. The US becomes the welcoming home of opportunity to millions fleeing oppression around the world. The global home and defender of democracy. We reached for the stars and danced on the moon, cured diseases, and freely shared our abundances. While new global tyrannies develop, they are met with a strong unity of purpose by the sacrifice of our own. But former enemies are not conquered and pillaged. Instead they are rebuilt, offered a chance for democracy and a hope for freedom.

 

However, Freedom is not free.

 

November 6, 2024: The American experiment is denied simple and necessary sustainment when a dystopian Project agenda awaits implementation to strip millions of their rights and freedoms and dismantle the checks and balances of the great experiment. When they inevitably come for you, who will be left to speak on your behalf?

 

January 20, 2025 - and for as long as it takes: Resist…Project 2025, and Maga extremism…Or it will be the end of the experiment in liberty, freedom and democracy that was the United States of America.

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Hi! I'm Christine, A transexual woman from Massachusetts. My account here is my hope that by sharing, other trans-folk somehow find community, confidence and support....if you find something of value or interest, please leave a comment. I like to know a little about the people who visit. And if you have, thank you. :)

 

What follows is some random, temporally disordered thoughts: read on if you would like to know things that interest me, or that I am passionate about.

 

A Trans Woman's Smile:

...my smile

You can take my freedom, my property, and my identity;

yes, all of those things have been taken;

 

I have helped, hiding myself inside a shell,

my smile just a reflection of your expectation;

I have helped, hiding myself behind a mask,

my smile just a distraction from the rest;

 

Today, my smile is for me to see

I will share it with you, but you will never take it from me.

  

If you are in crisis please reach out to the Trevor Project

 

•••+++++++++++++++++++++ Advocacy ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++•••

In light of recent bills and legislation and state actions against LGBTQ+ and specifically transgender people, I would like to highlight some wonderful resources that may help those educate themselves about issues that are frequently misreported, misrepresented and repeated without any basis in fact.

 

The linked essay on Medium by Mary DeVries is a wonderful summary of fact and myths about transgender children and their parents in light of the recent terrifying actions in Texas.

What You Probably Don’t Understand About Transgender Kids and Their Parents

 

If you are feeling voiceless and would like to amplify powerful voices on the frontlines, please consider:

American Civil Liberties Union - ACLU civil liberties in general

Lambda Legal - LGBTQ+ rights organization

Transgender Law Center - TLC - trans rights organization

National Center for Transgender Equality - NCTE - trans rights organization

  

Again, I'm Christine, A transexual woman from Massachusetts. My brain and the way I feel is all girl, woman, female...( or what I feel them to be)...I have felt like that since very young, I just didn't have the words to understand it. Having been born in the wrong body, having to grow up knowing there was something seriously wrong and hating the physical being I was but could do nothing about, caused a detachment from humanity and from self. Being shamed for expressing a strong want to be a girl, or more precisely, not to be a boy, lead to hiding in a shell. While being called a "sissy" was meant to be hurtful, it was one, that never really bothered me

 

Please know that my body and face are natural, I’ve had no surgeries (but am thankful that they are available to those in our community-for peace and unfortunately safety reasons). My emotional and mental peace was met through hormones, the physical changes were certainly welcomed too, but we, trans folk, are all different and require different methods to achieve self happiness. And because this is a photo site, i do not use filters or editing. The pictures are what they are. (*I think there are one or two pictures where I played with a makeup app, they are noted, and the unfiltered photo is also available. ** all of my astrophotography images are heavily processed as is necessary to display the wonders of otherwise nearly invisible objects in the sky…I usually explain the processes and list the equipment and software and techniques used to pre and post process each image)

 

If you are still in that profoundly lonely, dark, and painful closet, one I once shared with you; If you are still there, please know, that you can reach out to me. I do care! Please know that love and support exist: There are people who care. Family is not always blood, and friends are only new once. Is being transgender easy? No! I do not believe anyone would choose to be transgender, especially in this hostile world we occupy. But, happiness exists, life is worth going on, we all have something of value. We just have to be willing to share it with others too.

 

YOU and your happiness can only begin with living. We all have problems, some small, some big, and some seemingly insurmountable. That’s part of being human. Being transgender amplifies the problems, that is true. However, facing your problems as YOU, as your authentic self, is better and easier than any alternative. You doubt that, until you try...then it all becomes so clear. You did't choose this, no one would. What you can choose, though, is to live. And only by living, you finally get to live your happiness as YOU, and that can only happen if you are willing to share YOU!

 

True, being transgender is part of my identity, I will never be able to escape that. Am I happy to be trans? What I can answer is that I am happy to be alive and happy to finally and fully be ME. While trans is a part of me, it does not define me; rather, I am curious, geeky and I love to randomly smile at people. So if you share a love of science, astronomy or space, are progressively liberal and are kind and open and perhaps like to cycle or visit museums...then me too.

 

Please also know, that I do not hide or shy away from my transgender identity. Being an out transgender advocate, another hope, important to me, is that by being visible, and by doing advocacy work for the trans community, non-trans, "cisgender" folk will finally begin to see us as we are: their neighbors, friends, colleagues and members of communities. That those confused about their own identities, or confused about the identity of a friend or family member, have a positive model, whether they themselves are trans or not. Thus, it is of primary importance that I be visible in this world as a citizen, and advocate...as a normal human who lives among you.

 

To my allies, and allies everywhere of LGBTQIA+ communities: thank you for your support without ever fully understanding the why.

 

Please say hello, or leave a message or a comment :)

Smiles & hugs

Ciao,

Christine

 

PS: some of my pictures are a risqué, they are meant to be artful, playful and a celebration of human openness and spirit. Women, even older women like me, should be able to express ourselves as healthy sensual beings and not have it seen as an invitation for inappropriate conduct...I am not ashamed of my body and hope that it can uplift other trans women struggling with body dysphoria

  

Please note that I never accept group or gallery requests.