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!

The journalist and the inventor

If you haven’t heard, the “Dr. V” case is burning up the Internet tubes, especially LGBTQ blogs and journalism websites. A writer for Grantland—a sports and pop-culture website owned by ESPN, which is in turn owned by The Walt Disney Co.—was assigned to investigate a miraculous new golf club and its inventor, Dr. Essay Anne […]

Nobody here but us chickens

(I’ve been trying to write this for a week. If it seems disjointed, that’s why.) Last Monday, the Episcopal bishop of Pittsburgh authorized same-sex blessing ceremonies, and made clear that being gay or lesbian, and in a committed relationship, is no barrier to becoming a priest or deacon in the church. I’ve written about my […]

What’s so funny about being transgender?

Is there anything funny about being transgender? No: There are lots and lots of things funny about being transgender. I keep my breasts in a dresser drawer. My wife gives me her underwear that no longer fits. We have trouble sorting laundry sometimes in our house: “Is this your bra or mine?” How are those […]

What she said

“So if people ever wonder why I get angry at why we haven’t made the world more trans friendly yesterday, this is why. “Murder is rarely about the individual who does the killing. It’s about the systemtic tranphobic discrimination all of these individuals experienced before they died. It’s about how hard it can be to […]

WTF, indeed

In the wake of Sue’s post about “Mike and Molly,” I have been trying to write something nuanced and thoughtful about another negative depiction of transgender people, and I am failing miserably. I am failing because the bile just keeps coming up in my throat and I keep getting angry. Here’s what happened: I am […]

Being ‘out’ in hostile places

(Update from Trish: I’ve received permission from my friend to share her story. I should have asked in the first place, but my thought process sometimes is like a bunch of suitcases falling down the stairs!) — As LGBTQ people, do we have any moral obligation to be out in places that are hostile to […]

Feminism and trans rights are compatible

More than 400 feminist authors, bloggers and academics have signed onto a campaign to speak out against transphobia and attacks on transgender people by other feminists. (Update: More than 500 people have now signed, as of the afternoon of Sept. 19.) “A Statement of Trans-Inclusive Feminism and Womanism” is signed by people from all corners […]

Book report: “True Selves” revisited

(I posted a version of this message in a forum maintained by Helen Boyd, author of “My Husband Betty” and “She’s Not the Man I Married.” Helen asked if she could share it on her blog, enGender. I said sure … as long as I could share it with you! —Trish) — When people are […]

Mixed emotions

We were on vacation at the Lake Erie shore last week when the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its decisions overturning the Defense of Marriage Act and bouncing California’s Proposition 8 back to a lower court. Like everyone else, I watched our friends giving each other virtual high-fives on Facebook and Twitter. And it bugged […]

People-watching at Pridefest

I spent yesterday’s Pridefest helping out at the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer booth. (Well, OK, maybe “helping” is a strong word. I mostly stood there and tried not to get in the way. But I did bring candy, so I’m not a complete box of loose parts.) It was my first Pridefest, and it […]