Coming out to dropzone.com as world's 1st transgender TI ;-)

[Abedy 0]

Thanks for the many warm replies at you all. Too bad there isn't a 'like' button available.

I'll keep you posted on the TI issue.

BTW: I've made 10 jumps this year so far (solo belly, 2- and 4-way FS and some freeflying) and ...OMG, I still can do it and none of my skydiving partners felt unsafe or scared due to my being 'mentally and physically unstable'

The sky is not the limit. The ground is.

The Society of Skydiving Ducks

[bob.dino 1]

Abedy

The only drawback so far: I am refused to do tandem jumps. Because I am 'mentally unstable' and 'consuming that stuff' and all my arguments went unheard.

That's bullshit. Good luck; I know of a trans woman competing at an international level in skydiving.


Oh, and buy your beer .

[muff528 3]

NWFlyer

***I got more serious biz to do and gotta live a life true to myself

+1 Best of luck in your new life. You probably have more support than you know. I hope you are able to resume doing tandems.

[jimmytavino 16]

I read your entire post...
and am enlightened. thanks.

your strength of character and adherence to being " True to Yourself " is admirable .
Those traits will serve you well, as you continue through Life ..
Skydive when you can...

[CanuckInUSA 0]

Society is changing, albeit slowly. I know it is a controversial topic for some especially when we are dealing with children. However the sooner in life a transgendered person begins the transition (ie: having it start before puberty) the more successful the results will be. This applies just as much for the FTM transgendered people as it does obviously for the MTF peeps. Oh and there are just as many FTM peeps than there are MTF though it is the MTF who gets all the negative attention because usually it is so much easier for the FTM to blend in.

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[Abedy 0]

I wouldn't think that M2F transgender people have more problems to blend in general. of course, the older you are, the more harm the T has done, but OTOH, I learned that self-awareness and charisma work wonders. If you are not convinced you are a woman even FFS and GCS won't help much.
The negative image that some people have about M2F T folks may also stem from bad media images.

To all others: Thanks for your warm replies!

The sky is not the limit. The ground is.

The Society of Skydiving Ducks

[Di0 2]

If you were to be the TI for a friend of mine or a relative, I'd be much more interested in how good your emergency procedures are rather than your "surgical" procedures.

Ehehe. :D

All joking aside, I really wouldn't have the slightest problem if my TI were a LGBT person. Seriously, I can't even wrap my head around why that should be a problem. But I can see how some people that have problem with the idea in general might have problem trusting their lives in your hand. Stupid, backward, irrational, sure. I agree, but I can somehow understand the undeserved feelings you might sometimes get.
But I hope and wish that the positive feedback you'll get from your students for your work will overwhelm and make the occasional troubles well worth it.

I'm standing on the edge
With a vision in my head
My body screams release me
My dreams they must be fed... You're in flight.

[Abedy 0]

bob.dino

***
The only drawback so far: I am refused to do tandem jumps. Because I am 'mentally unstable' and 'consuming that stuff' and all my arguments went unheard.

That's bullshit. Good luck; I know of a trans woman competing at an international level in skydiving.


Oh, and buy your beer .

Heh heh.
As for the BS: Yes, it is BS. I know transwomen who worked before, during and after their transition as firefighters, soldiers (OK, closeted in the US), even as military pilots (e.g. the UK), as steel workers etc.
I think the DZ operators still cling to "transgender is a mental disorder"
Anyway, if I won't be allowed to resume tandems, so be it and I will tell them "FY" and continue living happily.
I wrote a letter to our parachutists' association and the president gave me a ring (but I was at the gym) and offered we may have a talk. I'll keep everyone posted...

Hugs, Hannah

The sky is not the limit. The ground is.

The Society of Skydiving Ducks

[skymama 37]

Thanks for trusting us enough to share your experience. I enjoyed reading your story, you sound like you are happy with yourself now. I hope you continue to get positive reactions from people!

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

[Abedy 0]

Iago

Now, I don't mean to be nosy but I'm curious.

For what reason are you not doing tandems? Just the DZO saying you can't do tandems or a greater regulatory agency decision?

As it appears, it seems to be a decision entirely made by the DZO. The ones at my club's DZ all have a military or paramilitary background and ooze testo, so I am not really surprised. Also not surprised they didn't even ask "How do you feel?" or at least "We have an issue with your being trans and would like to discuss it with you" but simply sitting together and making that decision.

I wrote a letter to our federal parachutists' association and will soon learn what they think. Not that this will change anything at the two DZs where I am grounded for tandems, I just want to know...

Hugs, Hannah

The sky is not the limit. The ground is.

The Society of Skydiving Ducks

[Abedy 0]

Update to anyone:

I just talked with the president of our parachustists' association. He first of all inquired how I was, asked questions about transition and being transgender and then concluded that safety issues were important, not the fact of being trans per se. When he learned that my shrink was satisfied with me and so were my GP and my HRT specialists and that I now lived full-time and thus had made a good number of steps in my transition (and that transition doesn't necessarily meant to aim for 'the operation') and that I had done 100+ tandems last year he couldn't really understand why I am forbidden to do tandems.

I won't hold this up against the club heads (hehe, not intended as a pun!) as - based on how they decided behind my back and without asking me any questions before deciding - I am convinced the tablecloth is cut between us as we call it in Germany.

My happiness does not depend upon being allowed to do tandems at these DZs. I now was told I could do tandems - being trans or not - as long as my health allows so and as long as I am fit in regards to EPs etc. The president suggested they could have 'checked' me (EPs on ground, test / check jumps with two other TIs) to look if I am fit. Well, that's what I also think and was willing to do.

But again, I am too busy living my now finally achieved happy life. Just 5 mins ago a very nice (female, rather conservative) colleague of mine commended me on my excellent passing and my choice of clothing. Made my day.

The sky is not the limit. The ground is.

The Society of Skydiving Ducks

[wmw999 2,451]

[Quote]Just 5 mins ago a very nice (female, rather conservative) colleague of mine commended me on my excellent passing and my choice of clothing.ummmmm -- few ever comment positively on my choice of clothing -- if you ever come over to Texas, ya wanna go shopping?

Wendy P.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[Rick 67]

Good for you for having the courage to make these changes in your life. I think you will find a lot more understanding souls than the opposite.

I hope you will remain open to answering peoples questions and showing them you are more "normal" now than when you had to live a lie.

You deserve to be happy and to be happy you must be true to yourself first.

and I will take one of those beers

You can't be drunk all day if you don't start early!

[Krip 2]

Rick

and I will take one of those beers

Hi Rick

I'm drinking a nice cool green bottle right now

Why wait for a freebeer when we can all celerbrate together in honor of our sister in the sky.

Here's to you Hannah.

One Jump Wonder

[VanillaSkyGirl 6]

Thank you so much for sharing your story with us, Hannah. You are very courageous! I'm happy that you are being true to yourself and finally
feel like the person that you were meant to be.

I am sure that many would agree that we fully support you in living your life as a female. You deserve to be happy and live a life that feels right to you. After all, it's your body and your life.

Thanks again for posting, and I hope to share the skies with you, someday. Blue skies and hugs to you, lovely lady. Cheers!

[Abedy 0]

wmw999

[Quote]Just 5 mins ago a very nice (female, rather conservative) colleague of mine commended me on my excellent passing and my choice of clothing.

ummmmm -- few ever comment positively on my choice of clothing -- if you ever come over to Texas, ya wanna go shopping?

Wendy P.

I think we have a deal I do like shopping. (But my purse always tells me 'Shopping? I am empty!')

The sky is not the limit. The ground is.

The Society of Skydiving Ducks

[Abedy 0]

Rick

I hope you will remain open to answering peoples questions and showing them you are more "normal" now than when you had to live a lie.

Jennifer Finney Boylan - one of the transwomen role models of mine - doesn't get tired to tell folks that transgender people are boringly normal people, neighbours next door living ordinary lives.

So being a college teacher, I may already have educated more that 1,000 people about what it means to be trans and that we are ...well, normal and much more happy once we came out. Nobody deserves to live in a closet.

Hugs, Hannah

The sky is not the limit. The ground is.

The Society of Skydiving Ducks

[Abedy 0]

Dear VanillaSkyGirl,

thank you so much for your touching, warm reply.
I hope I can come over to the States one day and then, certainly, will go skydiving. FS and FF will be possible for a good more number of years, I am sure.

Hugs, Hannah

The sky is not the limit. The ground is.

The Society of Skydiving Ducks

[billvon 2,995]

>Jennifer Finney Boylan - one of the transwomen role models of mine - doesn't
>get tired to tell folks that transgender people are boringly normal people,
>neighbours next door living ordinary lives.

Side note on this - JF Boylan wrote a book entitled "She's Not There" that I highly recommend to any other readers of this thread who want to know more about her. It's an excellent book on a very personal decision she made.

[potatoman 0]

You have the right to your opinion, and I have the right to tell you how Fu***** stupid it is.
Davelepka - "This isn't an x-box, or a Chevy truck forum"
Whatever you do, don't listen to ChrisD.

[VanillaSkyGirl 6]

I'd love that, Hannah. Please feel free to add me (Rosa) on Facebook, if you are on Facebook, so we can keep in touch. www.facebook.com/vanillaskygirl

Thanks and have a wonderful long weekend!

[bob.dino 1]

Abedy

***[Quote]Just 5 mins ago a very nice (female, rather conservative) colleague of mine commended me on my excellent passing and my choice of clothing.

ummmmm -- few ever comment positively on my choice of clothing -- if you ever come over to Texas, ya wanna go shopping?

Wendy P.

I think we have a deal I do like shopping. (But my purse always tells me 'Shopping? I am empty!')

That's what you get for being a TM .

[Abedy 0]

Done, friend request sent :-)

As for the long weekend... you mean Friday to Sunday? Any special day tomorrow in the States?

Anyway, I am going to Nuremberg (2,5 hour-drive) for a four-hour session of electrolysis which will add up to 56 hours total. Finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. And anyone who thinks being (or becoming) a girl is easy just only have 5 mins a needle stuck into you skin (along the hair canal) then being heated up to 75 °C (167 °F) for about 1,x secs, hair by hair by hair by hair...

Attached photo: Me after my last electrolysis session - my wife took the photo (and stood on a chair for it In case you don't see much: That's just right. I'd rather travel that long distance and have it done by a true artist who treat me with the utmost respect than by anyone else.

Second one is me at my LGBT support group on Tuesday, having fun.

The sky is not the limit. The ground is.

The Society of Skydiving Ducks

[jgoose71 0]

Well, if I don't make it over to have one of those beers that you are supposed to be passing out, I'll just raise one to you.

Best of luck and keep us posted.

"There is an art, it says, or, rather, a knack to flying. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss."
Life, the Universe, and Everything

[davadikian 1]

So many people go through life living their lives under the terms of other peoples expectations, you see it with people regardless of their affiliation as a man, woman, son, daughter...

Good for you for making a decision that is right for you. It is pleasing that you have a family that has accepted you and your decisions to be true to yourself. It made me happy to read your story, thank you for sharing.
Funny story.

Two female friends of mine both came out as lesbian around the same time, they developed a friendship that turned romantic. They married in a beautiful Jewish ceremony in Tiburon. My wife and I live in San Francisco so this is a fairly "normal" story. About 12 months after their marriage one of the girls came out trans, she has gone through the process and is living as a man and they are now a boring typical married couple...

While typing this I couldn't even think of his name before the "change". Most people, at least the ones I want to associate with, are eager to accept you for whoever you are or whoever you want to be.

He is Ben and that is all I think of him as...

Nice guy...