Rhino Ramblings

First, a welcome and thank you to the 60 new readers of my blog (hopefully most if not all are continuing the experience).  I came so so close to 100 views – I reached 98 at the time I am writing this. Regardless, I lost any chance of not reaching 50 and having to follow through on my promise (threat?) to tell my story if that milestone was reached.  Of course, it was a foregone conclusion a month or so ago that I was going to open up – if I was not prepared to do so, I would not have set an arbitrary line.  So starting with my next blog, I will include tales of my full life’s journey.  It will not be linear in nature and my blogs will not be exclusively historic.  The entre tableau of my past and present life will become available for my musings.  My assumption is that about half of them will focus more on the past and half on the present; that half on what made me who I am and the experiences from that journey and half on who I am now and what I feel and think and experience today (see all my previous blogs).

This is my preparation blog.  Over the past two weeks and extending to the next two weeks, I am talking and emailing and thinking and now blogging about what is happening in what is essentially a second coming out “party”.  I have already thought much more deeply than I have allowed myself to do so previously.  I decided to give my children a heads-up about what I was planning and in doing so I ended up with a 3 hour (midnight to 3AM with the initial aid of bourbon) in depth face-to-face discussion with Michael and a shorter but also important phone chat with Katy – these discussions alone are good fodder for a blog post.  I learned more about them and their approach to life and especially life with me but also learned more about myself.  I also wrote an email to one of my supervisors (I feel I have co-supervisors both of whom I respect) that is serving as a template.  I have draft e-mails set to go to my other supervisor and to diversity and LGBTQ+ Advocates at work.  Over the next week I plan to post on Federal Government LGBTQ+ sites along with other similar DC area and national sites.  I am also planning on emailing at least one national podcaster (when I blog on that interaction, I can explain why) along with my podcaster friends from Jay and Jack Productions – https://jayandjack.com/  (The Broadcast and RCAD podcasts).  So this is not just about me telling some tales of my past in a blog but opening myself and my story to the world.  If any of you have recommendations to where else I should reach out to; or if you just want to share this with other groups or individuals, please either let me know and/or share away (side note – thanks to a recommendation, I have added a copyright statement to my blogs – so sharing is allowed but always ensure it is referenced back to me and my writings). 

So let me end this preparatory blog with an excerpt of what I will be sending out and posting this week:

In the mid-90s I made a major life decision as I became the first person at NASA (and specifically at Goddard Space Flight Center) and one of the first in the Federal Government to transition on the job from my previous maleness to my Joanne-ness.  There was a lot (a whole lot) involved both personally and professionally.  I stated at the time, and until this month have followed through on, that I would not be a Trans flag bearer but would rather go along in life without openly involving myself or explaining or discussing myself in this regard.   For many reasons, I have made this new major life decision to reverse direction and now openly involve myself and explain and discuss my life in whatever avenues make sense.   A direct avenue that is open to the world, and one of my motivators, is my personal blog but I am also going to post to various local and national groups.  I am not looking for anything specific from anyone in this part of my journey.  I am writing primarily to offer myself and my story where and when it would be useful to share.  If there are folks now or in the future who might benefit from interacting with me, or if it might be useful to obtain historical and current perspectives from someone who has been in the diversity wars openly, though quietly, for 25+ years, then please feel free to reach out to me.  I am now here for where and when I might be useful. 

A note – I had no idea I was taking these steps essentially in the midst of Pride Month.  Life is full of moments of surprise that some might call “the universe”, kismet or act of god (or whatever), but in reality is just a pure act of coincidence – though admittedly a fun coincidence.