Movin’ on Up!

Well, dear reader, a lot of things changed in Sophie World.  In the past couple of weeks, my roomie/bestie Linda and I have packed up our lives and moved to State College, Pennsylvania, home of Penn State University.

What would cause me to move so far from Wife and Daughter?  I’m starting work on my PhD.

Yes really.

I’ve started work on a PhD in Adult Education and Lifelong Learning (ADTED) with a minor in Women’s and Gender Studies.  Yes, it’s a mouthful.  My research is Cisgender/Transgender relations.  That’s a lot of big words to ask the question “why do they hate us?”

I won’t bore you with the details of the move: drama getting the truck, movers who came late and who handled our boxes like the Samsonite gorilla, movers not showing at all in State College, arm damage, and, of course, meltdown.  Maybe I’ll write about that in my blog.  Maybe not.

What I WILL write about happened the following Friday.  That was orientation for grad students in the college of Education.  As I didn’t have an ID yet, I ran half a mile through the sauna like humidity to get one done.  The ID was finished quickly, and, without looking at it, I dropped in my purse and hurried back the half mile — uphill this time.

During the dinner break, I took a moment to actually look at the ID.  I was horrified to see the middle name: ALAN???  Seriously?

I thought I’d sorted out this whole misgendering thing last fall!  So I zipped back down to the ID office before it closed, re-presented my driver’s license and passport and asked what about these two documents indicated a middle name of “Alan.”  A back and forth ensued.  Long story short, my ID was fixed.  I reported the incident to the LGBT center.  I was too tired to do any more.

Still, I took a picture of that ID before they destroyed it.  I’m going to get a nice print of it, frame it, and hang it over my workspace.  That will remind me why I’m so far from my Wife and daughter, studying.

Be well.

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Tags: featured, Transgender

Category: Transgender Body & Soul