OPPS! My record keeping isn't always the best. Earlier this fall, I listed an incorrect date for when I knew I was queer.
It was Saturday evening, September 16, 2023. The Flaming River Con was held at the Fieldhouse in Lakewood, Ohio. The evening entertainment was a burlesque show in the venue's restaurant. I was sitting with people I had met doing panels and such at the convention. I have rarely felt so comfortable. Like a bolt of, well, lightning, it ht me that the reason I was so comfortable around LGBTQ+ people was because...I was one of them.
Admittedly, it took me a few weeks to figure out I was trans. My dear friend Shauna, who I had done a panel with, was the first person I came out to. I will always be grateful to her for her friendship and guidance. She told me about Cleveland Sex & Intimacy Counseling.
Once I had my first therapy session with the wonderful Hannah, there were no doubt about who I really was. She asked me if I wanted bottom surgery and I said "yes" so forcefully that it surprised both of us. There was a quiet cry of horror from my pants. Hannah directed me to MetroHealth's gender clinic where I have received excellent care.
There will be no going back no matter what obstacles I face and what sad losses I suffer. I know who I am and it's who I was meant to be. I know I am on the right journey. I even know that God or the Universe or whatever waited this long for me to figure it out for a reason. My age and my long career have enabled me to help many others on their journeys.
I owe my trans joy to a convention, the friends I made there, the wonderful care I've received, and the love I feel from so many in the comics community and elsewhere. My sincere thanks to all of you for being in my corner.
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