Monday, 02-17-2020
I embarked upon the medical phase of my journey exactly one month ago. I received my first HRT treatment two weeks ago, the second several hours ago. So far so good. After a nice Friday Valentine’s eve spent watching friends rock a show, I got my hair ‘updated’ Saturday and rested up for a long week ahead.
Sunday I passed another threshold, in that I Celebrated the Mass for the first time since beginning my Transcendence. It was the ninth anniversary of my Ordination and my Bishop was out of town as well, so I was the Celebrant. Per the Right Reverend’s suggestion, we ran the Mass as a ‘Missa Cantata’, wherein much of the liturgy is chanted. My friends Sarah and Bryan joined in on lute, glockenspeil and vocals. It was a beautiful Mass – I saw tracers the whole way through, what with being a Marian and having a whole lot of new feminine energy pumping through my veins. After the Service, I announced to those in attendance that is was, in fact, the first time a Transgender person had celebrated the Mass in our church’s long history. We’ve had women and ‘LGB’ folks as priests and bishops from the beginning but I added the ‘TQ+’ to it in one Service. My Bishop has been one of the most supportive people for me throughout my coming out and transitioning process. I’d shared my status with most of my colleagues and parishioners but yesterday made it ‘official’. I then proceeded to preached one of the best homilys of my career. All in all a wonderful experience.
I tend to shun pictures taken while I’m vested but did capture this one right after:
Today’s treatment is going much like the first. I’d planned to visit friends this evening but warned them I might not be able to go anywhere. I wasn’t. within an hour of the treatment the Pink Unicorn descended and left me giggling like a teenage girl. I told my buddy I needed to curl up in a blankie and ride the wave. Pure Bliss it is, ‘though I’m realizing that I’ll need to get a bit more used to it before attempting anything the evening after…
Catrin Electrico 