Trish Mifflin is a pen name for a male-bodied crossdresser living in the Pittsburgh area. She works in public relations and marketing for a large Pittsburgh organization. She lives most of her life presenting as male.

She knew from a young age that she didn’t feel like a “boy” but never heard the word “transgendered” until much later.

A recovering Catholic, she tried for years to “pray away the trans” only to find her feelings of being “out of place” getting stronger and stronger. She joined a support group in 2006 and came out to her family as transgendered about two years later. (And she joined the Episcopal Church, too.)

Walking both sides of the gender line makes her very aware of male privilege, and she’s become kind of a militant feminist (which, in her male life, sometimes surprises colleagues who don’t know about Trish).

She is happily married to a wonderful woman who has known about “Trish” since their third date. Trish’s wife enjoys having a spouse who shares her interests—and her taste in clothes!

Trish says “transgender” terms are a minefield, even for people who are active in the gay and lesbian community. So she happily recommends several books — “My Husband Betty” by Helen Boyd, “She’s Not There” by Jennifer Finney Boylan, and “Whipping Girl” by Julia Serano.

Also, Trish would like to assure you that transwomen and crossdressers aren’t going to the ladies’ room to spy on people … but like everyone else, they do need to pee!

Left out: Trans patients have trouble finding doctors

Lauren Daley’s story in the new issue of Pittsburgh City Paper is outstanding. Daley notes what has long been known in the transgender community—most health care providers have little or no knowledge of how to treat a transgender patient. (I’ve heard horror stories of transwomen being denied treatment for prostate problems, or transmen not being […]

Hoping for a full circle

I’ve written before about my own struggles with organized religion and my belief in a higher power. (A saga which I should probably get around to finishing one of these days… hmm.) I don’t believe it’s necessary for you to believe in a higher power, or to belong to any organized faith. It works for […]

Transwoman brutally slain, and media fail

Cleveland Transgender

So, here’s what we know—”Cemia Dove” “Ce Ce” (or “Ci Ci”) Acoff was a transgender woman whose battered body was found dumped in a pond in a Cleveland suburb on April 17. Here’s what else we know—after she was victimized by a murderer, she was re-victimized by the Cleveland media. Acoff was found stabbed repeatedly, […]

Go ahead and ask: How do you know you’re “trans”?

I was listening to a podcast of Adam Carolla and celebrity physician Dr. Drew Pinsky, and they were asked to explain what it means to be transgender. Now, I could unpack their conversation, because some of what they said bordered on homophobia (or at least transphobia) … Carolla was fixated on someone “cutting into his […]

Childish tactics

Childish tactics

I know the whole situation with the city of Pittsburgh is driving Sue up the wall, and I’m a little angry, too, but I’m also amused. Because to me, this is ridiculous, and typical of a childish mentality … a bully’s mentality. Bullies like to be naughty and play pranks, but they don’t have the […]

Show me a rose

One of my favorite authors is Greensburg-based mystery writer K.C. Constantine. In one of his early books, hard-drinking defense attorney Myron Valcanas shows up at the state police barracks to represent one of his clients. As his stumbles through the door, Valcanas tips his hat to the female police dispatchers. I don’t have the exact […]

Shocked: My LGBTQ support ‘never wavered’

Shocked: My LGBTQ support ‘never wavered’

According to the website Buzzfeed, Michelle Shocked has now issued two “open letters” about remarks she made during her March 17 concert in San Francisco. You can read them here. The first open letter says (according to Buzzfeed—the statements aren’t on Shocked’s website): “I do not, nor have I ever, said or believed that God […]

WYEP’s Sauter on Shocked comments

I asked Mike Sauter, music director and midday on-air host at WYEP (91.3), what he thought of reports that folk singer-songwriter Michelle Shocked verbally attacked gay people during a concert in San Francisco. Have station staff members discussed the incident? “We’ve been definitely talking about the situation at the station. Shocked’s behavior is very odd, […]

Shell-shocked

Were you making a joke—saying something ironically—that flopped? Was it a cry for attention? Or were you simply making a heartfelt expression of pure nastiness? Just what were you trying to do, Michelle Shocked? Shocked is a feminist folk-singer whose songs champion strong, independent women. “Anchorage,” the break-out single from her 1988 album “Short Sharp […]

Facebook fail (again)

BeaverCountian.com is a website focusing on news and opinion in (where else?) Beaver County. Last week, website founder John Paul wrote about Kesha Webb, an openly gay student in Beaver Area School District who wanted to bring her girlfriend to a Junior ROTC Ball. Initially, a ROTC instructor told her that same-sex partners were not […]