tag:www.wetv.com,2008-04-18:/blogs/sex-change-hospital//94 2008-10-20T16:24:10Z Trinidad, Colorado. Population 6,000. Hundreds of miles from the nearest city. It's an old mining town and a popular biker stop. It's also the 'Sex Change Capital of the World'! Movable Type Publishing Platform 4.02 tag:www.wetv.com,2008:/blogs/sex-change-hospital//94.12134 2008-10-20T16:13:30Z 2008-10-20T16:24:10Z

By Stephanie Battaglino When I speak at schools and conferences, the question I most often get asked is, "How did your son deal with your transition?" Well, it's not an easy answer. Speaking in terms of today, it is terrific....

MMcGowan By Stephanie Battaglino
When I speak at schools and conferences, the question I most often get asked is, "How did your son deal with your transition?" Well, it's not an easy answer. Speaking in terms of today, it is terrific. My now 14-year-old son is one of my biggest supporters. Sure, we have our issues, but honestly, they are no different than any other parent would have with a son who just started high school and is finding his own way. But to be honest, it wasn't easy.

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One of the biggest things I have learned from my son is that kids have no baggage--none whatsoever. They have this unbelievable knack for just dealing with the essence of the facts that are presented to them... and moving on. It's the adults that wrap it all up in a swirl of drama. Well, at least I do, I guess. But it was like that at all of the major milestones of my transition--when we talked about my surgery, when I first came out to him. Actually, I never really technically "came out" to him! It was he who figured it out when he said to his mother, "I think Daddy's a cross-dresser (I corrected him later), and he's gay." Well, what do you know?! I was flabbergasted, and frankly, relieved that he had already reached that conclusion without me having to have the "big conversation."

When my episode airs this coming Tuesday, you'll notice that you won't actually "see" my son. That's because his mom and I felt that it was appropriate--for now. To be honest, I protested initially because I felt (and still do today) that our story was important for other transgender parents--and their children--to see. The producers felt the same way, too, as our episode was initially slated to be the premiere episode. But alas, once the decision was made about my son's appearance re-editing was necessary, and there went the premiere slot. But in the end that doesn't really matter. What matters most by far is that my son is very much in my life today, as I am in his, and I look forward to experiencing his own journey to adulthood. I love you, pal! ]]> tag:www.wetv.com,2008:/blogs/sex-change-hospital//94.11917 2008-10-16T13:43:43Z 2008-10-16T13:51:56Z

By Donna Renee Richards The butterfly has long been a symbol of transformation. What begins as a caterpillar emerges from the cocoon and spreads its wings of rainbow brilliance. And just like butterflies, we, too, can make changes in our...

MMcGowan By Donna Renee Richards
The butterfly has long been a symbol of transformation. What begins as a caterpillar emerges from the cocoon and spreads its wings of rainbow brilliance. And just like butterflies, we, too, can make changes in our life that takes us to greater heights than we ever dreamed possible. ]]>
I have gone through the complete change! My breast implants were done on September 13, 2004. My G.R.S. was done on September 12, 2006!

WOW! It's a done deal and now I'm the happiest woman in the world! Thanks go out to Dr. Marci Bowers and her staff for being absolutely wonderful! ]]> tag:www.wetv.com,2008:/blogs/sex-change-hospital//94.11762 2008-10-14T14:19:04Z 2008-10-14T14:22:16Z

By Vicki EstradaIf you read some of the comments on the Sex Change Hospital forum on the WE tv site you will get a sense of others feel about us. Yes, there are great supportive people out there who are...

MMcGowan By Vicki Estrada
If you read some of the comments on the Sex Change Hospital forum on the WE tv site you will get a sense of others feel about us. Yes, there are great supportive people out there who are willing to understand. But there are also those who honestly believe that being transgender is a disease. ]]>
When I first went full-time three years ago, I was frequently laughed at and made fun of. Would people laugh at a deformed and disabled person? I hope not. But our condition can be fixed. It is not a mutilation as some believe, but simply a corrective procedure. As long as people think that this is a mental disease, we will never be fully accepted as members of society.

So why did I do the documentary? It certainly would have been easier not to. If I can help others understand and accept us, and to make the journey for those that follow easier, than I will do it. This is why I did the show. Many people that transition will leave their home town and start over elsewhere. This is so sad. They do this because they get fired and they lose their friends and family. They chose to go stealth somewhere else. This is easier for those that "pass" easily in their new gender role. But this is not always possible and we often are labeled as freaks and laughed at. I was not going to start over elsewhere and I was determined to make my transition work. I was lucky and could afford facial feminization surgery which made a big difference. But what of those that do not pass, that cannot afford any surgery? Why should they be labeled freaks? Until this perception changes, we will never fully integrate seamlessly into daily life.

As for me, the last two years since my surgery has been the happiest of my life. I have been fully accepted in my home town of San Diego and nationally in my profession of land planning and urban design. We are not sick. We are not evil. Helping to change these perceptions is why I did the documentary. ]]> tag:www.wetv.com,2008:/blogs/sex-change-hospital//94.11688 2008-10-13T16:38:15Z 2008-10-13T16:39:46Z

By Stephanie BattaglinoI had planned to have this blog entry be all about my transitional journey and my decision to have my gender reassignment surgery with Marci in Trinidad. But that will have to wait. On Thursday night I received...

MMcGowan By Stephanie Battaglino
I had planned to have this blog entry be all about my transitional journey and my decision to have my gender reassignment surgery with Marci in Trinidad. But that will have to wait. On Thursday night I received devastating news that a dear friend of mine--a pre-op transwoman--was found dead in her home. Apparently she died from starvation--no food was found in the house, and she weighed a mere 80 pounds! ]]>
For reasons that will be forever unknown to me, Darlene chose to isolate herself and deal with whatever inner demons she may have had--alone, with only her beliefs in the Spirit and Metaphysical worlds to guide her. I can't even imagine what her struggle must have been like. It causes me great pain just thinking about it. The visualization of what her final days were like deeply saddens me. No one--and I mean no one--should ever have to endure such inner turmoil and pain.

You see, Darlene was there for me at a time in my life when I needed her most--in the weeks and months AFTER my surgery in Trinidad. Without question, my post-operative journey was by far the most arduous for me. I was filled with self-doubt and old patterns of thought I desperately needed to let go of. You can see it in my fragile emotional state in my episode of SCH. But I realized I simply could not do that by myself. Unlike Darlene, I reached out to those around me--my family, my friends, my therapist--and they helped me right my listing emotional ship. Darlene was front and center among them all back then. As I look around my place, there are signs of her everywhere. The fledgling plant she gave me as a gift from a larger one she had in her house that now threatens to overcome my television, it has grown so much. Books by authors that have changed my life--Dyer, Williamson, Hay, and Delorey, to name a few. Her energy and positivity surround me today, as they did then.

I will miss you my dear, dear friend. But I am comforted by the thought that you are in a place where your warmth, uniqueness and sheer joy of life are not only unconditionally accepted, but celebrated. Perhaps someday soon we will have that same environment here on Earth. I wish you PEACE . . . ]]> tag:www.wetv.com,2008:/blogs/sex-change-hospital//94.10772 2008-10-01T18:37:30Z 2008-10-13T16:41:49Z

By Bree MillerHi everyone! My name is Bree from Knoxville, Tenn. and I appear in Episode 5 of this documentary series. I must admit that this is my first public blog actually, so this should be interesting......

MMcGowan By Bree Miller
Hi everyone! My name is Bree from Knoxville, Tenn. and I appear in Episode 5 of this documentary series. I must admit that this is my first public blog actually, so this should be interesting...

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If I can make a small difference in the world and help one person by simply sharing my experience, then my contribution has been worth it. We are real people, with real feelings, talents, dreams, families, and friends, and have much to contribute to humanity. My experiences shared here are a glimpse of what we have sacrificed, endured and overcome. As human beings we spend a lifetime in pursuit of feeling completed in many ways. My GRS, Genital Reassignment surgery, or Genital Reconstructive Surgery is only a part of my journey, although a very important life altering one as it is for many of us for which GRS addresses our life experiences.]]> tag:www.wetv.com,2008:/blogs/sex-change-hospital//94.10918 2008-10-01T15:30:50Z 2008-10-13T16:41:38Z

MMcGowan 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...]]>
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 . . . .

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By Vicki EstradaMy name is Vicki Estrada and I am featured in episode One of Sex Change Hospital. I am a 56-year-old post-op transsexual woman living in San Diego, Calif......

MMcGowan By Vicki Estrada
My name is Vicki Estrada and I am featured in episode One of Sex Change Hospital. I am a 56-year-old post-op transsexual woman living in San Diego, Calif...

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I had my genital re-assignment surgery in July of 2006. Two months after my surgery I had a re-birthday party that over 300 people attended. Videos of that party are viewable on my YouTube site--www.youtube.com/vicki2001. I also have two MySpace sites. One is my personal site with lots of pictures, www.myspace.com/vicki2001, and the other is my music site at www.myspace.com/vickiestrada, where you can hear some of my original songs.

Why did I feel the need to have genital re-assignment surgery? There are many trans people that choose not to have the surgery and go non-op due to financial reasons or they simply are fine with their body the way it is. I was not. It was incredibly awkward to have the remaining male portion of my body hanging on, so to speak. People also assume that the only reason we do this it to have sex with a man. At one time, I thought that was a goal as well since I had been with men before as a pre-op. I met the woman you will see on the documentary in 2001 as a man, but she knew I was transgendered (she thought I was only a cross dresser), but not transsexual. I transitioned (went full-time) in 2005 and had the surgery in 2006. However, it was just too hard to be in that relationship, not so much because of my surgery, but because our values and personalities clashed. I then met a woman, Lynda (another post op) in 2006 and got married (California...you know) on Aug 23. I am now effectively in a lesbian marriage and I probably will never have sex with a man. But it just FEELS right...it just does.

My children are great, and my father has been incredible as you will see in the show. However, my mother (divorced from my dad 30 years ago) is tolerant, but not supportive. Still, at least I can visit her. My three sisters no longer want anything to do with me, which is hard since I was the big brother and we were all very close. My transition has split the family and they blame me. As to my work, my clients have been loyal and I have not lost a single one.

This has been the most amazing, magical and happiest two years of my life. What more could a woman want? ]]> tag:www.wetv.com,2008:/blogs/sex-change-hospital//94.10335 2008-09-30T14:34:11Z 2008-10-13T16:40:31Z

By Jim HowleyMy name is Jim Howley. I was born July 8, 1975 and just turned 33 years old. I am currently residing in Los Angeles, Calif. where I am pursuing a career as a writer and fighter for social...

MMcGowan By Jim Howley
My name is Jim Howley. I was born July 8, 1975 and just turned 33 years old. I am currently residing in Los Angeles, Calif. where I am pursuing a career as a writer and fighter for social change. I am working two day jobs at non-kill cat rescues and mentoring LGBT youth for a Los Angeles-based organization called Lifeworks. The rest of my family lives back in Ohio where I am originally from...

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I decided to have all of my internal reproductive organs removed in 2006 because I read that after five years of being on hormone therapy, I was at a higher risk for cancer. The surgery, through Dr. Marci Bowers, cost me roughly $10,000 and was not covered by insurance. I had a generous cousin who helped me out. Yet, not so many of us are as lucky.

My life before surgery was a bit of a rollercoaster as I had both testosterone (via injections twice per month) and estrogen (naturally produced) coursing through my veins.

So I chose Trinidad, Colo. and Dr. Bowers because I had read that she was reasonably priced, a good surgeon, and a transperson herself. It was Dr. Bowers that suggested to the documentary's production company that I was a potential participant on the project of Sex Change Hospital. I traveled by plane from Ohio to Colorado with my favorite woman in the world, my mother Diane.

Trinidad is a quaint town that reminds me a lot of the town I grew up in called Plain City, Ohio. The hospital was clean and orderly and I found the staff to be friendly and professional.

I had no complications from my surgery and my recovery time was less than a month. This particular surgery was worth it to me because now I only have one hormone, testosterone, in my system. I am also no longer at risk for certain forms of cancer.

I suppose it is "easier" to be transgendered in today's society versus when Christine Jorgensen revealed to the world her transitioning status back in the 1950s. Regardless of the changing times, each individual journey that a transitioning person takes to feel whole has never been and will never be "easy." Uneducated factions of society that claim to be "sick of people saying they want to be the other gender" have NO idea the flaming hoops transitioning entails.

Transpeople who opt to go through the entire process must legally change their name and ANYTHING that bears their name; they must save up money for hormones and countless surgeries. Aside from the financial burden, there is the mental and emotional turmoil of life both before transition, and life after, in dealing with family/friends/society that may not understand or accept. To quote Melissa Etheridge, "I sold my soul for freedom, it's lonely but it's sweet."

On top of the personal issues involved in one's transition, a sometimes unforgiving society must be contended with. There are no laws on the national books that protect any rights for transpeople from civil to occupational. We are treated like 2nd and 3rd class citizens in OUR OWN COUNTRY! It's easy for someone who is afforded their rights to sit back and criticize or judge us. I would say to them try trading lives with us for about a month and see if you feel any differently.

Since that is not possible, my fervent hope is after watching this documentary you will walk away with a more compassionate, human sense of what transitioning people must go through just to feel human in their own skin. ]]>