Found a couple of nice dresses at Target online. Got my new sundress last week, and a skater dress arrived today.

They fit, look okay, but they'd definitely look a lot nicer if I could shed 15 to 20 pounds. (I'm 5'10" and 196, give or take a few.) Right now, I'm not exactly a quarter-tonner, but I could definitely use a waistline that doesn't look 8 months pregnant.

While I'll likely still be too reserved/shy/terrified/ashamed to wear them anywhere, I'd at least like the idea that I could.

Just in case someone could use a little heartwarming story, I just came across this:

https://lgbtyou.quora.com/TRANS_STORY-https-queerism1969-quo...

Been reading the very excellent "Lifeline" by Cyclist, the story of a survivor of the worst kind of child abuse.

Lo and behold, from the same corner of the world, comes this news story of official neglect and failure at protecting children in care:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-manchester-51093159

All my shoes are from Payless Shoesource, which is now in the process of closing all their stores and going out of business. I'm upset.

They're not great shoes, but they're "good enough" shoes at inexpensive enough prices that I can make a mistake or three and it's no big deal. And they come in my size! Which is a problem anywhere else, unless you're willing to pay a fortune.

There seems to be a controversy regarding Bruce Jenner's recent appearance.

http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-style/news/bruce-jenner-...

Regardless of the reality of the situation, what I find amazing is the predominant attitude reflected in the comments to that story. It's rather heartwarming, IMHO.

Promising lawsuit filed against the Motor Vehicles department of South Carolina.

Here's the story about it: http://www.transgenderlegal.org/headline_show.php?id=490

Don't know if anyone is looking for a real-life inspiration for a story, but I was just reading a Wikipedia article about an anti-baldness drug, and in the discussion of its discovery/development was this sentence:

"In 1974, Julianne Imperato-McGinley of Cornell Medical College in New York attended a conference on birth defects. She reported on a group of intersex children in the Caribbean who appeared sexually ambiguous at birth, and were initially raised as girls, but then grew external male genitalia and other masculine characteristic post-onset of puberty. "

Wonderful article in The Atlantic about a supportive and loving "man's man" of a father raising a -- in his words -- "gender creative" son.

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/09/my-son-wea...

I must admit to having shed a happy tear or two.

Dr. John Corvino ("The Gay Moralist") frequently gives talks on the religious and moral objections to homosexuality (and thoroughly rebuts them). He gets invited to universities as well as conservative organizations. This is the first time one of his full-length talks (58 minutes) has ever been posted to YouTube. If you're interested in having the arguments to oppose homophobes and transphobes, you might want to watch this. Grab a notepad and pencil first.

The Supreme Court of the United States has struck down the Federal "Defense of Marriage Act" as unconstitutional.

A great many drag performers go for the grotesque. Jinkx Monsoon (a.k.a. Jerrick Hoffer) seems to go for the ironic. I'm pretty well impressed with the presentation (makeup, wig, outfits, etc.), but it's the voice that's most impressive.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=X0kLC...

Meet the latest sensational androgynous model, 20-year-old Stav Strashko.

Japanese tastes in fashion and popular culture are often described as... strange, but it makes things like this ad possible. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVwJrAr7GkY&feature=player_em...

Yes, that's an official Toyota ad. Like, from shown on television. The tagline on screen translates to, "Not in trend, not casual, not for everyone.” Fun, no? Also, no one in Japan is trying to burn down Toyota's factories over this. Can you imagine this ad in the U.S.? LOL

Went to see my dermatologist today for my annual inspection and tune-up. After the main festivities, I thought to ask him about my thinning hair. I've been using the popular 5% spread on my noggin for the last six months or so, and I don't see much good happening, so I wondered if he had any ideas about what was going on.

"It looks like androgenic alopecia," he said, "and I'm not sure how to say this... It's diffuse and you don't have a receding hairline... I guess we'd have to say it's female-type."

Female pattern hair-loss. Oh, the irony!