Sunday, November 3, 2013

Out Spotlight

Today's Out Spotlight  is a transgender author of fiction, nonfiction and poetry. His writings explore sexuality and gender identity, and have included lesbian erotica and works about BDSM subculture. Today's Out Spotlight is Patrick Califia.
Patrick Califia was born female on March 8, 1954 and raised by Mormon parents in Corpus Christi, Texas.  His father was an itinerant road-construction worker and he moved his family from job to job. His mother was a housewife. Califia was the oldest of six children. He started writing stories and poems in his youth. He graduated a year early from high school and matriculated to the University of Utah. While in college, Califia—who was still living as a woman—came out as a lesbian to his parents in 1971. They placed him in a mental institution.
In 1973, Califia moved to California and joined the women’s liberation and anti-war movements. He joined the lesbian separatist movement, but was rejected for his interest in S&M. In 1978, Califia cofounded a lesbian S&M group.
In 1980, his book “Sapphistry: The Book of Lesbian Sexuality” was published. He wrote many works on gender theory, erotica and LGBT issues. He received a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in counseling from San Francisco State University. 
He received Lambda Literary Awards for his short story collection, “Macho Sluts” (1988), his novel “Doc and Fluff: The Dystopian Tale of a Girl and Her Biker” (1990) and his columns published in The Advocate Adviser (1991). In 1997, he wrote “Sex Changes: The Politics of Transgenderism,” chronicling gender nonconforming identities through historical and social perspectives. 
In 1999, at the age of 45, Califia transitioned from female to male, noting that “neither one is really a very good fit for me.”
Califia has published over 20 books. He is a marriage and family therapist practicing in California.
“By coming out to ourselves, we free up the energy we spent keeping a part of ourselves hidden.”

9 comments:

the real m said...

Kind of surprising that he is now a marriage counselor, but what do I know. I love the last quote. By coming out we free up the energy spent keeping ourselves hidden. Can you imagine what Jake and Austin could do with all that energy?

Today is transfer the closet day. Short sleeve and sleeveless exchanged for long sleeve and sweaters. I wish Austin and Jake were cleaning out their closet today as well.

prairiegirl said...

Can you imagine what Jake and Austin could do with all that energy?

I hope that someday they will find out.

Because they are so much better than this.

They deserve to be able to attend Oceana with each other. They deserve to be able to stand beside each other at the LACMA on the entrance carpet.

Not rushed going in. Not rushed coming out. Not running because you don't want any questions. No bouncer at the doors because you're afraid someone's going to shout out Toothy Tile at you.

Jake deserves to sit at Dave Letterman's elbow on Late Night and talk about his kids like you can tell he is dying to do.

Austin should be able to show his kids on the beach along with Liev Schrieber's.

Free to take the roles they want and not just because of when they're filming or where they're filming. Free to dress the way they want. Free to wear color.

Free to not be afraid. Free to talk. Free to buy toys and birthday party supplies out in the open.

Free to be who they are - out in the open. Because they're both beautiful the way they are. They have tons of potential. They have something so many people want and don't have.

They have a partner for life and they have kids to celebrate for decades to come and who will someday take care of them.

Just like this guy in my avatar. See the firework exploding inside of that guy? That's Jake. And that's Austin.

They're both huge Fireworks. And they have the potential to explode together in the sky just like that guy.

prairiegirl said...

One day. One day hopefully we'll be able to play this song. (IF Special can ever get the music player going again. ;D) Look at these lyrics. They're so powerful. This is for Austin and Jake.

Baby, You're a Firework


Do you ever feel like a plastic bag
Drifting through the wind, wanting to start again?
Do you ever feel, feel so paper thin
Like a house of cards, one blow from caving in?

Do you ever feel already buried deep?
Six feet under screams, but no one seems to hear a thing
Do you know that there's still a chance for you
'Cause there's a spark in you?

You just gotta ignite the light and let it shine
Just own the night like the 4th of July

'Cause baby, you're a firework
Come on, show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go, oh, oh, oh
As you shoot across the sky

Baby, you're a firework
Come on, let your colors burst
Make 'em go, oh, oh, oh
You're gonna leave 'em falling down

You don't have to feel like a waste of space
You're original, cannot be replaced
If you only knew what the future holds
After a hurricane comes a rainbow

Maybe you're reason why all the doors are closed
So you could open one that leads you to the perfect road
Like a lightning bolt, your heart will glow
And when it's time, you'll know

You just gotta ignite the light and let it shine
Just own the night like the 4th of July

'Cause baby you're a firework
Come on, show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go, oh, oh, oh
As you shoot across the sky

Baby, you're a firework
Come on, let your colors burst
Make 'em go, oh, oh, oh
You're gonna leave 'em falling down

Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
It's always been inside of you, you, you
And now it's time to let it through

'Cause baby you're a firework
Come on, show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go, oh, oh, oh
As you shoot across the sky

Baby, you're a firework
Come on, let your colors burst
Make 'em go, oh, oh, oh
You're gonna leave 'em falling down

Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon


Songwriters:
DEAN, ESTHER / ERIKSEN, MIKKEL STORLEER N / HERMANSEN, TOR ERIK N / PERRY, KATY N / WILHELM, SANDY JULIEN N

Sung beautifully by: Katy Perry

prairiegirl said...

Wow, that was a real Clark Griswold moment. You remember that scene in European Vacation when Clark sees the Statue of Liberty and he takes in a deep breath and then has to excuse himself to go to the restroom? BWAH!!

lol. **Sigh**

In the meantime, we trudge on through the mud. lol.

Aw well, it made you feel like Mighty Mouse for them, didn't it? For just a moment.

: )

prairiegirl said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Special K said...

Maine Representative Mike Michaud, who is currently the Democratic candidate for governor of the state, came out as gay in an editorial published in a number of Maine newspapers on Monday. Rather than use the disclosure as a platform to talk about gay rights, his main point is that his personal life has no bearing on his role as a policymaker.


So I wasn’t surprised to learn about the whisper campaigns, insinuations and push-polls some of the people opposed to my candidacy have been using to raise questions about my personal life. They want people to question whether I am gay.

Allow me to save them the trouble with a simple, honest answer: “Yes I am. But why should it matter?”


Read the whole story atThe Atlantic Wire

prairiegirl said...

the only person who spent the night was a cute guy named Austin, who my bf also knew and quite liked. He would see Austin come over at night and leave in the morning.


I'm suddenly picturing Austin entering and exiting Jake's house via a window in the dark of night and bright moon of the morning. And if it was a 2nd floor window, could Austin have become Austin of Mulholland Drive Forest in a revival of Errol Flynn as Robin Hood, climbing the ivy to see his Jake.

The romanticism of it all!!

Well, we know Austin can surf, ride a bike, play golf & tennis, and 4-wheel a grocery cart in flip flops, but can he scale an ivy covered wall? Would a waiting Jake peering over a window ledge be enough to lure Austin up the trellis-lined wall? And would he climb that trellis in penny loafers? Flip flops? Or rubber boots?

Special K said...

You know PG. Austin said in an interview, way back when, that back at USC he did climb a wall for a kiss.

prairiegirl said...

Ha! You're kidding? Well, well, well.....but that wasn't Jake, was it?

I think he needs to climb a wall for Jake now and steal a smooch.

; )