forward: If you have never met or listened to the hard knock journey of a transgender man or woman, the story of Zoe Grey offers an opening. Her stunning essay about the life, the emotions and the turmoil of being a Cherokee trans-woman are delivered in raw, vivid detail, but her beautifully-poetic style of writing, allows us to read on without feeling browbeat or overwhelmed. Can You See Me? delivers an opportunity, to finally understand what it means to be invisible, even though you can see yourself.

From Gathering the Pieces of Me, follow the link to read in its entirety: *Can You See Me? by Zoe Grey

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My Heart

performed by IvySoul Robinson, Philadelphia

written by Kendall F. Person, Sacramento

& produced by Keith Mon, Baltimore

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Chain of Command: Marine General

Bans Trans Ban to Protect His Troops

written & edited by Kendall F. Person

It would be unfortunate, even if all of our soldiers returned alive and well and treated with the respect and dignity, that they both deserve and have earned. But many come back in physical and mental pieces, forced to navigate the bureaucratic terrain, treated like beggars not veterans. We might have reason to think differently, if every combat mission was just; but we have sent our Men and Women into war zones, under false beliefs or distractions from Presidential scandals. It may have been reasonable to conclude, that transgender soldiers are indeed, unfit to serve, if arguments proved to be false, had not been enforced upon other Americans already, before them; Or, if just one of the 18 nations, which allow transgender to serve openly, had reported a negative impact on the operational effectiveness, operational readiness, or cohesion of the force. And since transgender men and women in the US Armed Forces, have been serving their country prior to the ban, and since a study is underway, sanctioned by the Pentagon anyway, then the presidents publicized-tweet expulsion, was just another cruel and unusual morning.

“They have been there, the front lines.

Back and forth a few times, some of them,

serving honorably for our freedom.”

– Kristen Beck, retired Navy Seal

Transgender – also known as Gender dysphoria or gender identity disorder – is a condition characterized by discomfort or distress, resulting from a discrepancy between a person’s gender identity and sex assigned at birth. More direct, a transgender is born with the outward appearance of the opposite sex. And while the sex of a child is known at birth, gender identity does not develop until 3 years old, and according to psychologist Dr. Wallace Wong, they do not always match.

Imagine the infliction of Locked-in syndrome, being completely aware of your environment and who you are, but unable to communicate or move any part of your body, with the sole exception of blinking, vertically moving eyes. But people around you, either cannot or will not comprehend, that you are locked-in but very much alive, so they deepen the wound, when in your presence, by speaking as if you are already dead.

“There will be no modifications to the current policy until the President’s direction has been received by the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary has issued implementation guidance. In the meantime, we will continue to treat all of our personnel with respect,” – Marine General Joseph Dunforth, chairman of The Joint Chiefs of Staff

Somethings are a challenge for our sheltered minds to comprehend. Sometimes we are not able to absorb the definitions, if they contradict what is in our heads. Some days we make the conscious effort to look the other way; believing it is not our job to learn more about their unnatural condition, and ignorance remains bliss. And even if we heard the words coming directly from a youth, whose sincerity could not be denied, tells us of who they are inside; or upon discovery, that no other demographic is on the same linear plane as transgender in attempts and actual suicides; or even after pondering the questions: Why would anyone create and live a life time of ridicule, abandonment and depression, under the guise of being transgender? Why would they take their own lives, rather than end the charade and move on? And why would they fight so hard for acceptance, if in fact, they are knowingly perpetrating a fraud? – Some of us will not be moved, but it does not affect truth, unless you hold reins of power.

Retired Navy Seal Kristin Beck, all by herself makes proposed ban an out the gate train wreck. As the first transgender to serve openly in the US Military; she served and protected with honor: Twenty years as a member of Seal Team Six – the same unit that took out Osama bin Laden – 13 deployments, seven combat tours, and a host of awards and medals, including the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.

The chain of command in the armed forces is sacred. And unlike most of the President’s Cabinet, who have been browbeat into submission, and unlike the congressional cowards, Marine General Joseph Dunforth acted swiftly in asserting his authority, by banning the trans ban and protecting his troops from the chaos of a bat-shit president.

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Next Up: The White Goes Gangsta