What's in a name?

Well for me its quite a bit...  What can I say, Im........... Complicated... seems to be the right word.

Let me Preface this with that its not About "Me" Im upset over the larger view of what it means to the TS community as a whole. My background and story are only to illustrate what many of us go through.
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UPDATE

I just spoke with the Editor of CityPages at 3:30 PM CST and they are already removing this from their online version of the paper and agreed to print a small appology in next weeks edition to say that it was a mistake that they didnt catch that this would come accross in bad form.  WHOO HOOOO to rational thinking!  and THANK YOU CITYPAGES!!!!

UPDATE
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For me "Tempest" was always here, held behind a wall of pain and fear for over 20 years.  I had grown up as a boy with a boys name, I had learned to fear releasing what was hiding inside because I was shown at an early age that it could only cause harm.  Eventually the day would come where I would feel the need to shift, to change, to fix what was wrong and make everything fit with who I really was.  It was the comming of an electric storm that was dark and crackled with bolts of energy that charged the air even from a distance,  that storm would cost me a 7 year relationship, cause me to risk friends, family, job and anything that was remotely secure in my life, even my music career, that storm had a name that seemed to always have been with it and it called to me, I didnt so much pick Tempest as it picked me and it felt Right.

As part of my transition I made a vow to never run from my past. I had spent far to many years living in fear in that closet and I was not about to go back in for any reason and nobody was going to hold power over me using my own past against me.  Never again would I live with that fear, you really can dream your destiny if you really want to and there is nothing that is impossible. 

I knew there would be people in my life that would be slow on the learning curve, people who had known me for decades by my "boy" name and would find it hard to let go or would slip up from time to time, after all twenty years of knowing me as a male seems like a lot compaired to just the 6+ that Ive been who I am today so that is forgiveable as long as the intent is innocent. 

There are also the select few in my life who get a "Free Pass" my mother is one of those.  She gave me my first name before I could even open my eyes, shes the one who carried me, fed me, held my hand when I was scared, wiped my nose, tears and even my ass.  Mothers should always get a free pass in this, my mom can call me anything that she likes and she will still be my mother and I will honor her with that. 

Then there comes the other type of people who will dig up my past and my old name.  The detractors, the haters, the ones that want to grind me down and make me feel like some kind of freak for living my life as a Trans-Woman.  I was ready for those, I could accept my past for what it was, just my past and no longer relavant to the woman I am today. 

The clock ticked

Time passed

The world seemed to shift on its very axis.

And the Haters never appeared.

Even those who disapproved of my lifestyle gave me the respect to toss their hate at the name that I had chosen to live my life under.  They might hate me but they hated me for who I am not for who I was.  I find that there is a small ammount of honor even in that  much like a battle of ronin and samuri and I can salute the enemy who takes the fight to me but holds the fight to the current battle field.

I wached in wonder as the world turned and started to recognize trans persons for exactly who they are rather than who they were.  It was beautiful, Americas Top model TV program had a trans woman as a contestant and although they mentioned it they did not sensationalize it.  Even the more gory news such as the Murder of Angie Zapata, whom mighty news giant CNN even recognized by her female name breaking a trend of circus side show representation in the news media of only stating the male birth names in cases such as these.  CNN I tip my hat to you, you finally "got it."

I take joy in that, and every victory that the enlightened and open minded win over those that would restrict or diminish the right to live your life as you would have it.

Now...

Imagine my surprise to see my own male birth name mentioned over and over in a well circulated local paper.  Right there in black, white, and news print, or if you read it on the internet, spattered with little bits of color to draw attention to various ads and earn them a buck or two.

Imagine my surprise when the person mentioning me by my male birth name was a fellow Transwoman, one viewed by many as a leader  or role model in the GLBT community.  A woman who certainly should know better.

Imagine when that Transwoman is none other than the Transwoman who helped me shake off the shackles of my own fear, who served as a role model to myself and so many other trans-persons.  A woman whom if I had not met I dont know where I would be today but it would certainly be a less happy place for my life.  That Transwoman is Venus, and there she is giving an interview using my male birth name over and over again, describing in detail my appearance as a male (even though several points are wrong in time line and only apply to photos I had taken Before I ever met her I dont care about the rest of the lies, half truths and misdirection that I have come to espect).  Dispite the fact that she knew me all of a single month under that name before asking to only be called by my chosen name for the last 6+ years. 

But no, its all right there for the city and world to read and she's calling me "He" and "Glen", not just once but over and over again.

Yes I just used my birth name. As I said I wont fear it... never never never again will I be held by that cage and Im not about to let Venus or anyone else put me into that position.

The disrespect is paramount to be refered to as such by another Transwoman. I could forgive this by somone who didnt know better but no person who transitions can go through everything that we do to get to this point and not know what they are doing when they call another by birth name.  This is no simple mistake...

I find it a discrace to both herself and to her position as a supposed leader in the Trans Community.  She once inspired many but its clear that she has fallen and for the life of me I cant figure out why or how she has come to be so low.  The only thing Venus has accomplished here is a lowering of the respect level that we as trans-persons should come to expect from each other.

One could argue that I am no role model myself and perhaps Im not but I would never stoop to publicly outing another transwomans birth name for any reason, it undermines us all. Ill live my life with honor and there is no way Im going to die ashamed of myself or my past, no Im not the same and I wont share that blame. 

Im also very upset at the CityPages, which is the newspaper who decided to publish the interview including that content.  They usually are very aware about GLBT issues and trans sensitive context when dealing with stories of this nature.  Shame on you for letting it go to print, I know you know better