An Honest Glimpse at My Life

By Stephanie Battaglino
Hi Everyone,  My name is Stephanie Battaglino, and I am featured in episode 2 of Sex Change Hospital on WE tv. First of all, I'm very thrilled to be a part of the series, and I have the opportunity to tell you a little bit about myself so as to provide you with an honest glimpse into the reasons why a transgendered person like myself arrives at a crossroads such as this in their life. I'd also like to give you an update on where things are in my life now--a little over two years from when "SCH" was first shot... Beginning with this entry, and with subsequent entries leading up to the series premier, I will be providing insights into my decision to undergo gender reassignment surgery (or "GRS" as it is commonly referred to), why I chose Dr. Bowers, what my pre-operative and post-operative journeys have been as well as providing insight along the way into what it means to be transgendered in today's society. I believe that aspect, more than the actual logistical details of my experience in Trinidad is the most important, because I feel so strongly that education about who and what I am--and what I am NOT--will ultimately "move the needle" with respect to a deeper and more meaningful understanding of what it means to be transgendered.

To start off, how about a little bit about where I'm from...I was born Michael Battaglino on November 22, 1958 in Newark, NJ the youngest of four children in a traditional middle-class, blue-collar, Italian-American family. You guessed it--Jersey Girl through and through! My father, Jim, was a Teamster, drove a truck, and was a proud WWII veteran. (He served in the Pacific as a SeaBee in the Navy.) My mom, Rose, was a stay-at-home mom, back in the days when no one even knew what that term meant!

Fast forwarding to today, I still live in New Jersey--in Cliffside Park, which is just on the other side of the Hudson River from Manhattan. I am divorced, and am the proud parent of a 14-year-old son. I am a Communications Director at the New York Life Insurance Company, where I transitioned on-the-job back in October of 2005. I am proud to be the first transgendered person to do so in the 164-year history of the Company, too! I have a BA in Communications from the University of Delaware and I have an MBA in Marketing from Fairleigh Dickinson University. It occurs to me that I still need to change the name on those diplomas! More to come . . . .