7/21/17 Background Radiation

Posted on July 21, 2017 by Wolsey

Below is a list of the top stories that made it through the cacophony of anti-LGBT news stories this week. I like to call this constant stream of hate filled instances Background Radiation, because we have to live with it. It’s there. It never leaves. It’s always in the background of our lives.

Let’s see what we have this week, that’s been buzzing around out there.

I’d like to start with the hilarious outcry from the less then brilliant people out there, then we’ll get into the scary news articles.

Headline: Christian group accuses London of ‘ideological extremism’ for making its Underground gender-neutral
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2017/07/14/christian-group-accuses-london-of-ideological-extremism-for-making-its-underground-gender-neutral/

Pink News often keeps track of the hilarious idiocy of the anti-LGBT movement. This time it’s the Coalition for Marriage freaking out that the London Underground had a sign that was rainbow colored. OMG! It’s an agenda! The sky is falling!

Headline: Mother-of-ten burns a copy of Teen Vogue’s anal sex guide in amazing video meltdown
https://www.queerty.com/mother-ten-burns-copy-teen-vogues-anal-sex-guide-amazing-video-meltdown-20170714

This loon freaked out, and burned a copy of Teen Vogue that had an anal sex guide in it. The guide is amazing. I wish I had read that as a teen. It’s even trans inclusive to a degree by not assuming folks with certain genitals are certain genders. The article from Teen Vogue is really well written, and focuses on health, safety, and “enthusiastic consent”. Go read it: http://www.teenvogue.com/story/anal-sex-what-you-need-to-know

Don’t think for a second this panic isn’t about “the gays” in some way. Every time I have some weird argument about homosexuality being normal, someone brings up butt sex as an abnormality that is only engaged in by “the gays”. That’s ridiculously wrong, but you can’t convince these people of that.

If I can put my snarky hat on for a minute, perhaps a woman with 10 children should have read that article as a teen as well.

Headline: Steve King compares transgender troops with castrated slaves
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/2017/07/15/steve-king-transgender-military-ottoman-empire-castrated-slaves/481350001/

Okay, this is an 8th term Republican who 1. has literally the worst history education ever if he thinks the Ottoman empire ran on castrated slaves for their military. Perhaps he was thinking Game of Thrones? 2. Has a crazy idea on what being transgender is. Castrated? Apparently he’s thinking of transgender women. I think? Over the years I’ve talked to a good handful of transgender men in the military, so what are we? What’s the reverse of castration?

This was a part of the failed GOP push to rip away medical care from transgender troops.

Headline: Planet Fitness Transgender Lawsuit Heads To Michigan Supreme Court
http://www.peacock-panache.com/2017/07/planet-fitness-transgender-cormier-31722.html

This nut. Cormier freaked out when a fully clothed transgender woman went into the locker room to just grab her purse and jacket. She complained, was told off, and then spent several days freaking the hell out in the Planet Fitness screaming about “men” in the ladies locker room. She was such a jerk about it, she got her membership revoked. Then she sued, was struck down, and is still appealing.

This is one of the best write up’s I’ve seen of this idiot. My favorite part of the write up is where the judicial ruling points out just encountering someone fully clothed retrieving their purse and coat does not constitute sexual harassment, and by returning again and again to the facility to look for the transgender woman in question kind of debunks her claims of harm.

Headline: Salvation Army busted discriminating against transgender people (again)
https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2017/07/salvation-army-busted-discriminating-transgender-people/

Why anyone supports these bigots is a mystery to me. They have such a long and storied history of anti-LGBT discrimination. In this case, New York sites have been discriminating against transgender people in housing options for treatment centers, I believe.

They are once again focused on transgender women’s genitalia. The most shocking part of this was that they were performing physical exams of transgender women’s genitals as a step to getting housing. . . Are you serious? They demanded to see a woman’s genitalia? As policy? What the fuck. Don’t support these assholes, even a little.

Headline: Don’t Tolerate the Intolerable from Chechnya’s Strongman Kadyrov
https://themoscowtimes.com/articles/dont-tolerate-the-intorelable-from-kadyrov-58432

Headline: Putin spokesman backs Chechnya leader’s call for gay purge to ‘purify our blood’
https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2017/07/putin-spokesman-backs-chechnya-leaders-call-gay-purge-purify-blood/

I mostly listed the lighter stuff first because this is such a big deal. It’s horrifying. Chechnya is literally rounding up gay men and murdering them. It’s a state sanctioned purge. It’s awful.

I’m not sure what to do to help. These men are being tortured and murdered publicly without repercussion. All I can do is point to it, and make sure as many folks are as aware as I can make them.

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7/14/17 Background Radiation

Posted on July 14, 2017 by Wolsey

Below is a list of the top stories that made it through the cacophony of anti-LGBT news stories this week. I like to call this constant stream of hate filled instances Background Radiation, because we have to live with it. It’s there. It never leaves. It’s always in the background of our lives.

This week we’ll start off with something I had been dreading.

Headline: House Rejects Ban on Transition-Related Health Coverage for Transgender Troops
http://time.com/4857812/gender-reassignment-surgery-bill-defense-amendment-vicky-hartzler/

Republicans were attempting to strip the newly instated transgender medical coverage from transgender soldiers. This is were I, a non active duty, civilian employee of the Department of Defense can be effected. My healthcare comes from the Department of Defense. Riders effecting coverage most likely effect me as well.

This is the very reason I got bottom surgery this year. My testosterone is doable for me to pay via cash, but buying a dick? Not so much.

In this situation, it was narrowly rejected with 214 rejecting, and 209 supporting. Those screaming to deny transgender soldiers access to transgender related care cited all sorts of bullshit, but one that kept coming up was expense.

We can’t even know the expense because we don’t know how many transgender people are actually in the military. With a history of absolute persecution, some transgender folks go stealth when they join up. They might already have transitioned, making it impossible to tell. Some won’t transition until they get out because their immediate comrades are not supportive. Some won’t want surgery, just to serve, because not all of transgender people want surgery.

Like this article cites, the numbers for transgender people in the military range from 1500 to 8800. Nobody really knows, and until a time when we aren’t so hated, and persecuted, they won’t know.

What I do know, is that they GOP attacks on transgender people by attempting to cut medical and protections from persecution is malicious. We are the new panic button they keep wanting to stomp on to “energize their base”. Gay folks just don’t pack the right punch of outraged hysteria anymore, as more and more folks accept homosexuality as a normal part of life. We were the next target in line.

Headline: Chick-fil-A is still supporting our enemies’ causes
https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2017/07/chick-fil-still-supporting-enemies-causes/

At best, after the last big focus on these people, they kind of said they’d keep their views to themselves, and not involve the business. That was a lie. They have been shuffling a large amount of funds to “Christian” charities with a clear anti-gay focus, and spoke publicly about how ashamed they are of the passage of marriage for same sex couples.

So he’s a liar as well as a bigot. Seems like that goes together a lot these days.

So you may like your traitor chicken, but you might want to consider where the cash from that chicken goes.

Headline: Attorney General Jeff Sessions to address anti-LGBT hate group in closed-door event
http://www.salon.com/2017/07/14/attorney-general-jeff-sessions-to-address-anti-lgbt-hate-group-in-closed-door-event_partner/

There were a lot of articles on this, and I chose one that didn’t put the words Hate Group in scare quotes. If the Southern Poverty Law Center designates your ass as a hate group, they will have receipts.

Everyone knew Sessions was anti-LGBT. This isn’t a shock. It’s just always astounding to me how these people are just so damn brazen about it.

That’s all I have the energy for today. My anger meter is about full on just these.

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7/7/2017 Background Radiation

Posted on July 7, 2017 by Wolsey

Below is a list of the top stories that made it through the cacophony of anti-LGBT news stories this week. I like to call this constant stream of hate filled instances Background Radiation, because we have to live with it. It’s there. It never leaves. It’s always in the background of our lives.

I’d liked to start with the ridiculous this week. So much of the anti LGBT stories I get are just downright nutty. I mean, don’t get me wrong, the people these stories are about are folks that hate LGBT people, and go out of their way to attack us. They just aren’t playing with a full deck.

Headline: THE CROSS BEATS THE STOLEN RAINBOW
http://www.wnd.com/2017/06/the-cross-beats-the-stolen-rainbow/

You know she means business because she says that gays raped the rainbow, and stole it from Christians. This is Linda Harvey, the founder of anti-LGBT Christian group Mission America. They are a hate group.

We have to take groups like this serious because of the damage they can do, but this woman sounds unhinged. She’s got her hyperbole meter stuck on 11, when it needs to be a 5.

As a bonus, she wants us to have a new flag, with “lots and lots of black”. I guess for her black = bad.

Headline: Russian MP: Angela Merkel kissed Satan over same sex marriage
http://www.samwiseonline.com/2017/07/russian-mp-angela-merkel-kissed-satan.html

Angela Merkel kind of back doored same sex marriage into legality in Germany without having to vote yes on it herself. It was an artful bit of politicing. She kept her party alliances, got to vote no, but also bowed to the increasing pressure from the population at large and her opposition.

A Russian MP named Vitaly Milonov has gone full hyperbole on the Satan train because of this. He insists that she has made a deal with Satan, and kissed him to seal the deal. That’s not the only Satan comment he has about her. Like the weird lady above, his hyperbole meter is off the charts.

I mean, this is all hyperbole for these people right? Please tell me it’s hyperbole, and they don’t actually believe these things. . .

Headline: Christian baker says that Jesus wouldn’t bake a cake for gay people
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2017/07/05/christian-baker-says-that-jesus-wouldnt-bake-a-cake-for-gay-people/

Okay, remember Jack Phillips out of Colorado? No? Remember the baker that refused to bake a cake for a gay couple? I bet you remember that.

This guy now claims Jesus wouldn’t bake a cake for a gay couple. You know, because Jesus was all about withholding food, and and shunning people. Does this guy even have a bible?

Headline: Boycott Raspberry PI Foundation
https://www.change.org/p/boycott-raspberry-pi-foundation

This is a real change.org petition. The author of this petition feels that the Raspberry Pi Foundation is pushing an LGBT agenda.

“The Raspberry Pi Foundation is a charity founded in 2009 to promote the study of basic computer science in schools, and is responsible for developing a single-board computer called the Raspberry Pi, the UK’s best-selling PC of all time.” – According to the wiki page. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raspberry_Pi_Foundation

This is some level ten crack-potting right here with this petition.

As amusing as these people can be, these are still people that are actively working to attack folks in the LGBT community. At least I can laugh at these ones. The next ones are not so funny.

Headline: Trump Administration Appoints Anti-Transgender Activist To Gender Equality Post
https://www.buzzfeed.com/lesterfeder/trump-administration-appoints-anti-transgender-activist-to?utm_term=.ojqXvpKvB#.siOOgX2gk

This is a lot more concerning, when real life trolls and anti-LGBT people get into positions where they can effect policy.

Headline: Pentagon delays decision on transgender recruits
http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/30/politics/pentagon-transgender-recruits/index.html

Delaying this is a mixed bag for me. On the one hand, I work for the Department of Defense. That means I can see how it’s going to take them a damn long time to figure this out.

On the other hand, there are already transgender soldiers out there. Hell, I have talked to quite a few transgender men over the years that serve active duty. Some are out, some are stealth. They still exist. It vexes me that this has been an thing as long as we have had a military, and just now they are freaking out about it.

I want our transgender soldiers to have protections, so they don’t have to serve stealth, or be dependent on their immediate superiors reactions. Also, don’t think for a second, the GOP isn’t trying to repeal this. A delay may be a tactic to figure out how to do just that.

Headline: Woman shot to death in Virginia is the 15th reported trans murder victim of 2017
https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2017/07/woman-shot-death-virginia-15th-reported-trans-murder-victim-2017/

Another week, another violent loss of a transgender women. It’s so common, and so horrifying. If you are the praying sort, pray. If you are the donating sort, donate to your LGBT causes. They need it in the current political climate.

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Target means what it says

Posted on July 4, 2017 by AccidentallyGay

Yesterday a first happened, we were harassed by bigots trying to get petition signers for an anti-transgender bathroom bill right outside Target.

I hate feeling powerless. I hate not being able to resort to my baser instincts when confronted by people who hurt my husband.

We were going to Target to pick up some things for the house. We are fortunate, there is one across the street from us so we just wandered over. As we got to the front of Target we noticed the petition signers out front. As we walked in we both wondered aloud if they were for the anti-transgender bathroom bill (Souther Poverty Law Center’s writeup here on it).

We didn’t think much about it until we came back out of Target. Right in front of the out door was a very loud, older black male yelling for people to come sign for a bill that will protect women and children in Washington State.

Those are the magic words we knew meant this was an anti-transgender bathroom bill.

He yelled over to us “Gentleman, come sign this petition” I walked over to just verify which bill, and it was I-1552. The thing about I-1552 is that it isn’t just a normal anti-transgender bathroom bill, but actually establishes penalties to school districts that “expose children to transgender people”.

Yep, it is not only horrible, but more horrible then any other law that came up so far, even in the Deep Red areas. Fortunately it failed to get enough signatures in 2016, hoping the same in 2017.

Wolsey just looked stunned at the guy, I saw the shiver he gets before he erupts, but I am proud of him. He just threw his hands up and said “You want me to sign a petition to make what I am illegal” and he stomped off. Meanwhile the asshole sitting down trying to sell us this petition looked shocked at Wolsey being transgender and then began trying to explain it isn’t a bad bill and he should still sign it. He then started screaming at Wolsey, I am assuming that is when he realized that Wolsey was actually transgender. Most people forget that it isn’t only transgender ladies, but that there is transgender men, and Wolsey definitely looks like a very masculine male.

I was stunned. I couldn’t do what I wanted to and flip that table, I couldn’t scream at the guy (even as his yelling in general became yelling at us) and I just closed down and walked away. Next time I will remember to get a photo before I say anything to them. The guy just started to lose his shit at me and I was thankful I had kept my cool.

We went home and were both furious. Why would Target allow them to be outside of the building. After all, Target is known to be supportive of the LGBTQA community. Was this all just for show? After all there was a boycott back in 2010, but since then Target has come out defending LGBTQA people, and especially the transgender community and bathrooms (Target CEO Says Company Won’t Back Down on Trans Bathroom Policy). This is one of the many reasons we shop here instead of Walmart.

The panic that Target let these people be here passed though. I spoke to a man at Target who was in charge (will keep his name away so I don’t get him in trouble). I was expecting him to tell me he couldn’t do anything, however I got the opposite.

The gentleman seemed pleased and said that my call was exactly what he was hoping for. Evidently the Renton Police had refused the Target’s request to have the petition signers move away from their door because they had not harassed or bothered people. The guy’s screaming at us and harassing Wolsey was all he needed.

The good thing about this, the gentleman didn’t have a ton of voice of being polite and doing something because he had to, he sounded like he really wanted those people out and he was horrified by what they were doing.

I didn’t see the petition signers later that day, I hope that he was able to remove them, but the fact that he was so supportive of it meant everything to me and Wolsey. I may hate feeling like I have no control, but at least there are others out there that will support us, and that made all the difference.

They just proved to me that Target means what it says.

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So the Seattle paper, The Stranger, had an article on transgender issues. . .

Posted on July 4, 2017 by Wolsey

Katie Herzog wrote an article for The Stranger. It’s our Seattle liberal rag that covers local issues. Over Pride month they had been great, and put up all sorts of great perspectives in their articles.

Then there was this one. http://www.thestranger.com/features/2017/06/28/25252342/the-detransitioners-they-were-transgender-until-they-werent

I’m not saying this article is factually wrong when Herzog says there are transgender people that opt to step back, and not transition. I’m saying that as a people, trans folks are a very small population with poorly recorded statistics. Often the best we can do is discuss our experiences in situations like this because it’s really hard to get good data on a population that is so persecuted, going Stealth and hiding your past is considered a valid goal for many transgender people.

My objection to the original article, was first that it was curious that Herzog didn’t talk to anyone that was big in local transgender issues. We have some amazing transgender resources here in Seattle, and she didn’t reference any of those.

Instead she decided to give time in her article to a discredited doctor. This was an “all sides are equal” tactic. The same ideology that puts flat earthers or climate change deniers up against real scientists and tells us that the views are equivalent.

I didn’t really say much about this article other than to point to it on Facebook.

Others have done a great job of breaking down the issues at play here:

http://juliaserano.blogspot.com/2017/06/stop-pitting-detransitoners-against.html

Then yesterday I got hit with signature gatherers in front of the Target by my house, looking to gather signatures to get a bathroom bill on the ballot to prevent mostly transgender girls and women from having access to women’s restrooms.

I called the guy an asshole, and told him I’m transgender. I don’t think he ever understood me when I said I’d have to pee in the ladies room. For him, mostly likely, all transgender people are transgender women. A cop was looking on. I got loud, then I stalked off.

He had the Herzog article on his table. Her article was already being used to attack transgender people.

Still, I was just annoyed, until I saw this new article this morning by Katie Herzog:

http://www.thestranger.com/slog/2017/07/03/25262759/a-response-to-the-uproar-over-my-piece-the-detransitioners

It reads like a doubling down to me.

That’s when I decided to write to The Stranger. I don’t really write to newspapers often, because I don’t really think they’d care. This little kerfuffle is a good page view generator right now, as TERFs and bigots flock to the article as well as transgender people and their allies.

In that whole article, the sentence that got my goat was this:

Some were supportive of the article, some weren’t. TERFs and radfems baited trans folks into argument and vice versa.

Herzog writes as if we are all on the same footing here. Once again, this is ridiculous.

I decided to write a letter to The Stranger, for all the good it will do. I am going to post it here as well, because at least someone will see it here:

Hello,

I’ve never wrote to to a newspaper before like this, so please believe me when I say how incredibly upset I am to even try. I don’t have any hope that anyone at the Stranger even cares, but I am moved to give it a go here.

Katie Herzog wrote a badly researched article, where she either had an agenda, or relied on sources with an agenda. I know this because I am transgender, and I read her original Detransitioning article as soon as it hit my RSS feed.

I talked to my other Seattle area trans friends, and we pretty much were universally disgusted. For me it’s not the first time I’ve seen articles created to discredit transgender experiences.

I would have chalked it up to some cisgendered chic running into the Dunning Kruger effect face first, but then she wrote the second follow up article where she doubled down on her sources. Including a discredited doctor.

You want to know why I am so pissed off? Yesterday I came out of a Target, and was propositioned by the anti-transgender group collecting signatures for a bathroom bill that would legally force my bearded self back into a women’s room.

Guess what article was sitting on their table? Go ahead. Turns out Katie Herzog’s article was a big hit.

So while she is equating TERFs, and anti-transgender bigots as flip sides of a coin in this new article (referencing TERFS and transgender people baiting each other on her FB page.) she has missed a key point.

We, the transgender people, are fighting for our right to exist without being molested, attacked, and killed. Sure there are folks that step back from transitioning. There aren’t any reliable sources for numbers. Many of us see-saw back and forth over time. There was no way to know if that was the final destination or a pause for them.

I was so happy with The Stranger during Pride month. I felt I had an ally. Now I know I shouldn’t have bothered placing my trust in your publication as a transgender man. You were just looking to push an agenda for more page views. Because what other reason could this publication have to float a badly researched article, then have the author double down on that bad research.

There are so many good reputable sources for transgender issues. Katie Herzog chose none of them, and now her work is being used to attack us, and me personally recently.

Well done. It’s not like they needed another weapon in their arsenal to attack my very humanity, but you gave them one.

-W. Bradley

 

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6/30/17 Background Radiation

Posted on June 30, 2017 by Wolsey

Hello folks. I am four weeks post surgery, and my head is clear enough to once again scream into the void.

Below is my weekly round up of infuriatingly anti-LGBT sentiments come to life. I have a huge backlog to pick from, so let’s get started.

Headline: Same-sex marriage will abolish Mother’s Day, politician says
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2017/06/30/same-sex-marriage-will-abolish-mothers-day-politician-says/

Can we just laugh at the sheer stupidity of this. Apparently, using inclusive language on legal documents is just too much for this guy.

Headline: Trans teen Ava Le’Ray Barrin is the 14th transgender person murdered in 2017
https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2017/06/trans-teen-ava-leray-barrin-14th-transgender-person-murdered-2017/

More transgender women have been murdered. It’s not shocking, just horrifyingly predictable. I am so sorry she was shot, and I am so sorry her friends and family have to mourn this loss.

Headline: Why Straight Men Kill The Trans Women They Love
http://www.newnownext.com/why-straight-men-kill-the-trans-women-they-love/05/2017/

This is an op ed by Jen Richards, who is herself a transgender women. It’s one of the stronger pieces that I have seen. It’s well written. Go read it.

Headline: “Anything” starring Matt Bomer, sends another toxic message to the transgender community
https://wearyourvoicemag.com/lgbtq-identities/anything-starring-matt-bomer-sends-another-toxic-message-transgender-community

Another movie, another transgender women portrayed by a cisgender man. As if we don’t have actors in our community.

Headline: Military leaders seek to delay transgender enlistment policy
https://www.theblaze.com/news/2017/06/27/military-leaders-seek-to-delay-transgender-enlistment-policy/

This is so dumb for me. There are quite a number of transgender people already in the military. I think their numbers are off, because I see a lot of transgender guys in the military talk about how nobody knows they are transgender. It’s been that way for as long as I can remember. The idea that we can’t serve is infuriating to me. I work with people who hold this kind of viewpoint, and they just can’t wrap their minds around the idea that we are just as capable as anyone else.

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So I’m alive

Posted on June 29, 2017 by deadaccount22

I’ve hit four weeks post-op. I thought I’d mention I’m still alive. I was incredibly overly optimistic on how fast I’d recover, but that’s always been a self induced hazard.

The surgery went super well, and I’m very happy with the results so far. I feel like the surgeons did an excellent job. I can’t recommend Dr. Meltzer and Dr. Ley enough.

I’m sure now that my husband doesn’t have to chase after me to take it easy, he’ll be back to writing more.

 

 

I’ll get back to my Background Radiation column tomorrow.

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The Verdict is in

Posted on June 8, 2017 by AccidentallyGay

It has been 10 days since Wolsey’s surgery, and things are looking good. Don’t get me wrong, he is uncomfortable, on a pain management regimen and still home from work, but having a hysterectomy, oophorectomy, vaginectomy (the three of those are commonly referred to as HOV), in addition a metoidioplasty and scrotoplasty were performed. Overall this was a major undertaking.

The surgery itself went really well, as was detailed in the multiple smaller posts earlier. We met the two main doctors, Dr. Meltzer and Dr. Ley, but in addition we met the person responsible for the HOV itself, Dr. Webb. A very entertaining man to talk to. He chatted us up more about the nitty gritty of the surgery than either of the metoidioplasty and scrotoplasty surgeons.

At the surgery I met Jeff, the most absolute fantastic nurse I have met. He was fabulous with a capital fab. He was sure to inform me every two hours by phone how the surgery itself went.

When Wolsey got out of the surgery, the doctors all contacted me directly and relayed to me that he had lost less than two tablespoons of blood total. The surgery went textbook and there were absolutely no issues. I picked him up two days later, and then the ordeal began.

He looked great. Don’t get me wrong, he was swollen, stitched and not able to move well, but it was in pretty darn good condition considering. The whole time he kept being in awe of having the changes. I am sure it was partially the pain meds, but his glee was pretty overpowering.

The five days at the hotel room were cool and cavelike. With temperatures of about 107 degrees, it really wasn’t a place I wanted to go outside in (but I did to retrieve him food). Over the course of those five days he was starting to heal up just fine.

Sadly, our flight home that Friday did in all that progress. The fact we were held up for over an hour, the plane didn’t have AC and just the pain meds giving up on him resulted in Wolsey being in pain for most of the flight. It has taken about four days to recover.

So here we are four days after getting home, and ten days after surgery and the swelling is going down, and he is ecstatic. I am ecstatic too. I am sure I will have more anxiety in the future, but the joy he has, the running around exclaiming how mighty he is, is more than worth it.

So I can say as of now, the verdict is in, and the surgery was a great success!

 

 

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Update (mostly Phoenix) 6/7/17

Posted on June 7, 2017 by AccidentallyGay

I felt there were a couple little things to update today.

Phoenix Trip Confirmation Number: The first thing I wanted to tell you folks two weeks ago was how ironic the confirmation #GAYZWS was for our trip down.

Last Minute Information about Your Trip

Yes, we were both 12 year olds when we say “GAYZ” in the confirmation and we giggle.

We realize people see patterns everywhere, but thought that was absolutely fantastic what this was, especially because of the reason for the trip. We had wanted to talk about it, we just didn’t want the info to go public before we flew down and back, just so someone else couldn’t mess with it.

Book Update: The publisher contacted us yesterday. They are still aiming for a September release. There was some sort of issue (not with us) that slowed them down. They didn’t realize that Wolsey was getting the bottom surgery and asked if we were going to put that in the book. We said we definitely could, we just need them to confirm if they like the format the current chapters are in.

I suspect it won’t actually be released by September, I am thinking end of the year (nothing goes as fast as everyone seems to say). However, it is still nice to know they are looking at the items.

Phoenix Stuff: I have more stuff coming, just observations on Phoenix/Arizona/Out Trip. Not all of it will be directly relatable to LGBTQA, but since the trip was about that I will still cross post it here.

In addition I have a ton of more stuff to talk about for the next several weeks, so be prepared :).

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Surgery Trip: Final Day

Posted on June 6, 2017 by AccidentallyGay

Well the final day of the surgery came and went. It started out hopeful, the hubby woke up feeling pretty good, the swelling was down, our hopes were up and life was good.

The pool looked beautiful, too bad it was too hot to use it this week.

It was almost 95 degrees when we left at 9:30am

The checkout went smooth, took a final couple of pictures and then we went to Dr. Meltzer’s for our final appointment with him and Dr. Ley. It went very well, both doctors thought the hubby was looking very good for the time in healing he had. It was about now that being up and moving for the first time in almost a week, he was feeling sort of rough.

so very tired, and sore.

Once he was given the full approval by both doctors we headed to what would be the trial for the day, our flight home. We arrived almost three hours early just in case. In that time we encountered the following issues that started by dropping the car off at Alamo. It seemed to take forever, then it was a long ass walk for the husband over to the bus, then to the terminal. Especially with his need to utilize the restroom frequently due to spasms from the surgery, and his first time walking in a week it was so rough for him, I felt really bad.

that car rental building is huge

Once we arrived at security things just went downhill from there. We got pulled over for TSA inspection. We forgot in the journey to the empty his water bottle, and of course the couple in front of us threw a fit and because of that fit, they got hauled to the side and inspected by the officers. The TSA agent behind the scanner then seemed to pick out the next three groups in retaliation, which included us and two people in wheel chairs. All of us got scanned, and thats where the TSA agent found our water bottle and we had to throw it away. It wasn’t a big deal, but we lost a nice $14 water bottle because of that dick.

There was a lot of waiting, so caffeine was in order.

We then arrived at the gate and waited almost two hours, to find out our flight got moved to a different gate. When they landed they couldn’t board because they had to wait for maintenance to refill an O2 canister for a medkit. AN HOUR LATER they announced we would be almost 90 minutes late boarding. I don’t blame the pilot/crew, they were arguing with maintenance over getting it done quick enough, but damn it sucked.

This was how we felt for that time.

Once we got on to the plane (over 90 minutes late) we settled into a super hot plane that had been sitting on the tarmac in 107 degree heat. Evidently the battery used to power the AC when the plane was powered down was missing, so there was no AC when we got on board. Poor hubby was suffering really bad, all of this, plus the exertion had hit him hard, also his pain meds had worn off.

Yes, we stared at this plane for over 90 minutes so they could figure out how to fill an O2 canister right.

Stuck in a hot plane, for another 20 minutes.

Just starting to move along the runway.

We flew back to Seattle, with W and I watching Cuthroat Island on his iPad. It was a great distraction, and nice to bond with the hubby even when everyone else was around us. We landed after having a semi-decent cold dinner.

Arriving in Seattle, how we have missed those trees.

upon takeoff we did get to see downtown Phoenix.

Once we landed, we immediately found a cab available (Lyft had too long of a wait, and I won’t give a dime to Uber). The cab took us home, but it also didn’t have AC on and we almost died in that car from heat stroke (ok, that may be hyperbole, but you will never get me to admit it).

Once we got home, we had to spend about 30 minutes with the cat, he thought we had abandoned him. He hadn’t gone without both of us for that long ever. However, he was quick to fall back in love with us. While W bonded with the cat, I went and got us some Panda Express, because dear god I am not cooking when it was almost 8pm and we were exhausted.

Someone missed us.

Didn’t take long to get better.

Then it was a journey of food.

We ended up the night in our bed for the first time in 9 days. It was glorious, although the trip itself was definitely worth it as well. Also, the hubby and the cat spent some important time together.

The hubby and cat are one.

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