Author Archives: Grace Annam

The Elephant in the Room — Trans Women, Cis Women, and Penises

Posted on March 2, 2014 by Grace Annam

Dear cis women who are uncomfortable with trans women in bathrooms, Hi, it’s us. Trans women who use bathrooms. ((So, trans women.)) We know that you’re not comfortable sharing a bathroom with us, even though all the nakedness happens behind … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 21 Comments

Pre-transition Pronouns: Some Guiding Thoughts

Posted on January 1, 2014 by Grace Annam

A dear cousin of mine, a feminist who was very vocal when I was growing up, did me the courtesy of asking me a question which I paraphrase thus: Thinking of you as Grace is easy enough now, but how … Continue reading →

Posted in Grace's Trans Resource Series, Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans and Queer issues, Transsexual and Transgender related issues, Uncategorized, Writing | 30 Comments

Scenes from Trans Policework: Working While Visibly Trans

Posted on December 6, 2013 by Grace Annam

I wrote most of this on Thanksgiving, but then life demanded that I do other things than finish it, until now. All names have been changed, for confidentiality. — There is a woman who lives in my city. Call her … Continue reading →

Posted in Gender and the Body, Transsexual and Transgender related issues | 12 Comments

Thank You, Veterans

Posted on November 18, 2013 by Grace Annam

I wrote this on November 11, and then before I could get a thumbs-up from certain people to post it, life intervened. So, it’s a little late, but still worth saying. As GB Stern said, silent gratitude isn’t much use … Continue reading →

Posted in Afghanistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Iran, Iraq, Korea | 38 Comments

Scenes from Trans Policework: Someone Has To Clean Up

Posted on September 6, 2013 by Grace Annam

It wasn’t until he shat that I reflected on how long I’ve been doing this law enforcement thing. One of the security guards, no tyro himself, laughed in revulsion and said, “Oh my GOD! He took a DUKE in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Transsexual and Transgender related issues | 3 Comments

Reading the News While Trans

Posted on August 23, 2013 by Grace Annam

So, this happened: [Islan] Nettles was out with several other transgender women at 11 p.m. Friday when she ran across a group of men near West 148th Street and Eighth Avenue — directly across from the housing bureau’s Police Service … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism, sexism, etc, Men and masculinity, Transsexual and Transgender related issues, Uncategorized | 5 Comments

My Magic Power

Posted on July 17, 2013 by Grace Annam

I have discovered that I have a magic power. A hospital in my jurisdiction uses a fingerprint scan to permit access to secure areas, like the Emergency Department and the Birthing Area. Last year, before I was out to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans and Queer issues, Transsexual and Transgender related issues, Uncategorized | 29 Comments

“It’s not something I would do, but…”

Posted on February 11, 2013 by Grace Annam

I am far enough into my public transition to start making notes of patterns. (It’s going well, as far as I can tell, thanks for asking.) One of them is this. Someone is talking to me for the first time … Continue reading →

Posted in Transsexual and Transgender related issues | 16 Comments

Grace’s Trans 101: An Introduction to Transsexuality and Some Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

Posted on January 4, 2013 by Grace Annam

Introduction Hello, world! I am a transsexual woman. Now that I am past most of the public-disclosure stage of my transition, I am gradually making available as resources some of the documents I wrote to help people process my transition. … Continue reading →

Posted in Grace's Trans Resource Series, Transsexual and Transgender related issues | 21 Comments

Privilege Lists’ Achilles Heel

Posted on November 12, 2012 by Grace Annam

A lot of the discussion I have seen on privilege, including some of this discussion, seems to proceed from a faulty understanding of the term itself: that “privilege” is a shorthand way of saying “who has it better”. In that … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 27 Comments