Let's go to the MailBag, shall we?

[cabbitzilla]

Received about an hour ago:

Jesus, Ellie, what the hell is up with the hostile away message? Moodiness is one thing, but isn't this a bit excessive? At least give some sort of explanation of what's going on, will ya?

... fine. Whatever.

PT went better than normal today. There's evidence of some considerable healing, so finally that's looking up. I came home, fscked about a bit with a jigsaw puzzle program I have, and answered a couple of emails. My mood was less than spectacular; it had already been a day of crying for no apparent reason, but I was still marginally functional. I realized as the afternoon rolled onwards that I needed to hit the pet shop for piggy bedding, so I put all the hardware back on my leg and headed for the store. Petsmart was a quick in-out trip, relatively painless, and I opted to wander into the adjacent Best Buy in hopes of finding something interesting to poke at. *shrugs* Lots of interestings, and insufficient cash, but it killed some time.

Two thirds of the way across the parking lot, I hear heavy boot treads behind me, and a stereotypical southern drawl: "Lookie here, Jeff. I think we got one 'a them there faggots.". My mind immediately did a fast inventory of what I was wearing even as I turned to make sure it wasn't aimed at someone else. Two 30-something men. Nobody else within reach. And my clothing inventory came back with a handful of pieces that were female but neutral appearing, and -nothing- even slightly flambouyant. Great. I attempted a tactful nod and went to move away, and redneck #1's ham-sized fist closed around my arm to turn me back. The conversation, if you could call it that, went downhill fast, and I was trying to figure out which of these bastards was the more dangerous when the cavalry arrived in the form of two plainclothes Maryland troopers who'd apparently also been in Best Buy. The redneck duo decided that I wasn't worth it at that point and made themselves scarce, leaving me alternating between near hysterics and thundering rage.

And there I've been since, though it's finally started to ebb now. I'm coherent enough to make a post, at least. I'm also coherent enough to point this out: if my away message is snarky, sending me a snarky email about it is only going to focus that anger on -you-. As the expression goes, taunt not the happy fun cabbit. Now I'm going to go fire up a game and blow sh!t up for a while. It's been therapeutic thus far.

Comments

[emberdarc.livejournal.com]

~_~
:hug: Assholes aren't worth your time, don't get too upset.

[lostkun.livejournal.com]

I have no words. >_< I am so pissed on your behalf. Not that I can offer any help this late in the game, of course, but if it's any help, imagine me punching those bastards in the face so many times their teeth pop out the back of their skulls. I know I am.

*hughughughugs* I'm so sorry. ._.

[shikyrie.livejournal.com]

ouch.. you ok hun? {{{hugs}}}

[brianh]

*HUGS* *checks over for damage, in and out*

[starbrow.livejournal.com]

*rages*

If I could remove such people from the world entirely, I would slice them open from balls to brain and leave them in a bleeding heap of their own entrails.

*fury*

*hugs for you, though*

[angeliccelestia.livejournal.com]

Events such as this never fail to piss me off. I shudder to think of what could've happened had those policemen not arrived when they did.
*hugs* That being said, I'm glad you're safe.
The world would indeed be a much better place if folks like that didn't live in it. -_- Or if at least folks minded their own business.

*HUG*

[lys1022.livejournal.com]

They're ignorant savages. You're my Sis.

Want me to get a posse together and hunt 'em down?

Blow things up on your computer games. Too bad we can't find photos of 'em and photoshop 'em onto the games...

I'm glad that you didn't pound them into the ground, though. Because quite obviously they're STUPID ignorant savages, thinking that they could touch someone your size and NOT get pounded into the ground no matter WHAT that person was wearing! D'uhhhhh...me neanderthal...me smrt!!!

*snerk*

Good restraint, Sis. *HUG* Love you.

[mistymoon127.livejournal.com]

I would offer to steal you away, keep you from them...
if my area wasn't a spawn for 'em. I'm sorry that they're like that. But! I'm very thankful they grew at least semi-intelligent and left you alone <3

[corona688.livejournal.com]

Ack. I can't think of anything to say but 'ack'. I'm glad you're OK.

[corona688.livejournal.com]

Of course as usual I click the wrong 'reply' button. It was supposed to be directed at Ellie, of course.

[invader-tak-1.livejournal.com]

You know what to do with that type, as well as I do.

I keep a lockblade and a can of CN, but I was never any good barehanded, though the modern occdental art of bang-fu has a lot going for it as well.

[fixx.livejournal.com]

Considering it constituted "assault" (and considering a cross dressing friend of mine was beaten and robbed in front of his own house not too long ago) I'd have pressed charges just to hear those guys trying to defend their actions in court. "But we *thought* she was a man!"

[elisabeth.livejournal.com]

Several folks weighed in with similar opinions, as well as one or two who were downright angry with me for not forcing the issue.

... what's bad, is that I know I should have leveled them both for the sheer satisfaction of it and then pressed every legal charge the troopers could think up. Five years ago, that would have been the no-hesitation response... but I've been through so much chaos and carnage in that time that the knee-jerk reflex is to avoid conflict at all costs and preserve my strength for 'big' battles.

Oddly, today provided a nice opportunity. I went into that same Best Buy this morning trying to find miracle inspiration for a gift for my youngest niece (to no avail). The manager remembered me, and was chatting quietly with me in one of the side aisles fishing for gift ideas for his suddenly out of the closet son (how I could help was a mystery... I guess he figured anyone not visibly straight must like the same stuff o.o) when the on duty assistant manager stepped up with a guy looking for work. Lo and behold, it was 'Jeff'... and the resulting shouting match got him arrested and hauled out of the store by the county police. No clue what they decided to book him for; last I checked 'being an asshole in public' wasn't a criminal offence, and after mister redneck took a swing at the manager, I wasn't even involved except as a spectator.

That manager's got one hell of a right cross. Laid the 'neck out cold in the aisle...

[fixx.livejournal.com]

OK I'm confused now. I know that LJ has been really behind in mailing out notifications about stuff sent over a week ago. It looks like you just sent this response now. I'm not complaining, just confused.

*TODAY* you say? The "Jeff" from your story came in to apply for a job the same day you were there and walked up while you were talking to the manager? Wow! I frequently tell of some pretty incredible "Small World Syndrome" stories but that's particularly good.

I guess there's more I'm confused about, like how the manager recognized you. I mean, the day this all happened with Jeff, the first time, did you talk to the manager afterward or was there more to this than I'm aware?

Something else too. I no longer recall how I came to find your journal, *and* I'd even forgotten you were "local"-ish to me. In the past couple weeks I too have had some interesting experiences with a couple of quasi-literate rednecks although these were both women. Interesting place we live.

As for his asking you about gifts for his gay son, you probably do have a lot more tips for how to find out what to buy than he does. You could have said, "have you tried 'queer-gear.com'?" It's amazing what you get if you only google "Queer Gifts".

[elisabeth.livejournal.com]

I just got your comment today... 's why I answered it today. o.o

The manager of that store knows me, at least in passing; up until about a year ago I lived less than five miles from it, and I'd become a regular. After the initial incident, I'd beat feet the hell away, settling in behind a cup of joe at Krispy Kreme, one booth away from a pair of AACPD officers. It felt safe.

My dad still lives over that way, so I happened through the store on my way to his place to pick his brain for gift ideas. /I/ recognized the redneck in question, and made a quip at the manager about hiring known homophobes... particularly ones known for trying to start fights in the parking lot. The redneck opted to use a handful of expressions vile enough I won't even repeat them, which set both the manager and asst manager off, and things escalated from there.

As for finding my journal... honestly, I've no idea at all who you are, but you seemed nice enough. Hence my answer, jumbled though it was.

As for the gift, well, I completely drew a blank. When he asked me what -I- wanted, my answer was a laugh and the comment that DNA resequencing was probably a bit out of Best Buy's league. Fortunately he didn't press for an explanation. :)

[fixx.livejournal.com]

I have to wonder if at the time that you had the first incident if he was really there to apply for a job but got scared off by the cops that day, and if so how awkward it would have been had he become employed prior to your next visit.

As for finding my journal... honestly, I've no idea at all who you are, but you seemed nice enough.

It probably wasn't that amazing at the time. I was probably doing an "LJ-connect" to someone else and you appeared in one of the hops. But now that I'm trying to figure it out it has caused me to examine your profile that much more closely.

that DNA resequencing was probably a bit out of Best Buy's league. Fortunately he didn't press for an explanation. :)

Yeah, but I might :-). While trying to figure out how I found you today I came across "Transfurry" and looked into that. That's not how I found you but it explains a bit more of why your appearance might confused rednecks. I'm XXY myself, something I don't discuss on LJ particularly as it happens, but I like to joke, "I'm on LJ... Yeah I'm fixx with two X's" Woosh right over their heads most of the time, and a good laugh if they get it.

[elisabeth.livejournal.com]

*chuckles softly*
Trust me, I can appreciate it. And those with half a clue will immediately understand, while my 'butchered at birth' seems to prompt an onslaught of questions, layman's legal advice, and pity. The first two I can handle.

The third leaves me wishing for a sawed off double-ought with rocksalt loads.

TF only recently expanded to LiveJournal; it's been around in mailing list form for years, though I very rarely speak up anymore. The dominant vocal minority are all gender warrior types these days; they want to be as inventively outrageous and abnormal as they can possibly be and somehow make the public accept them. I just want to be what I need to be and be left alone; this isn't a political fight for me, it's just an attempt to live. After the fourth or fifth flame burst over my moderate stance (and accusations that I was somehow selling out), I'd had enough. *shrugs* I'm not going to beat my head against someone's brick wall. Most of the TF folk are quite lovely, though, just a handful that seem to believe shouting is the answer that make it difficult for others to coexist.

The 'DNA resequencing' reference ties to the 'butchered at birth' that I try very hard not to use nowadays. Born intersexed, the birthing physician took it upon himself to decide that boys were somehow more valuable than girls... and never bothered to inform my parents of his subsequent entry into the Asshole of the Century pageant. Puberty, at least the male form, never arrived; another overzealous physician decided to 'fix' me with a series of massive testosterone boosters. The end result is anything but pretty.

[fixx.livejournal.com]

I began reading about this stuff about 10 years ago, not when I was actually diagnosed, which was about 10 years before that but when I learned what it actually "meant". Since then I've been trying to educate people about intersexed at birth and to underscore that the unnecessary alteration of infants is not only cruel but unwise, especially if at the same time you are going to base their rights to marry on a perfect alignment between their physical gender and sexual orientation. You might even be interested to know I posted *this* a few weeks ago.

http://www.livejournal.com/users/fixx/180435.html

Looking over your profile yet further I opened your website. OK wow I missed that. Oops! It's mothers like yours that make me want to see laws that make christianity and parenting mutually exclusive practices.

I really have no idea if I was altered at birth or not. My mom was pretty honest with me, or so I hoped, and she never suggested there was anything weirder about me than what I call "a cleft foreskin" and I think that if they'd done anything they'd have circumcised me also and they didn't so I think my condition is essentially natural.

But I understand about the hormone shots. I missed most of my puberty too and had my puberty in my early 20s, but a crazy one because my testicles actually work a little bit so this crazy doctor was overdosing me. Another doctor told me I didn't need that at all, but then for 10 years I was chronically ill before I came up with the idea of simply taking lower doses, which is what I'm doing right now and I'm in the best health of my life physically speaking. Emotionally speaking is another matter.

I'm a member on this website which I'd assume you'd know about but in case you don't here it is.

http://www.bodieslikeours.org/content/view/289/183/

I've opted to direct you to a news page which is currently on my mind. It bugs the crap out of me that we can talk freely about FGM overseas as a form of terrorism but if you talk about it as something that goes on in THIS country it is considered indecent and worthy of a fine.