Crane's Corner: 5-26-21 Pink or Blue Does it Matter to You?

Crane's Corner

Perusing the messages from Facebook one weekend, I stumbled on something that mesmerized me. It was a long letter of explanation from a former colleague of mine I’ll call Dan. We’ll omit what the transgender crowd calls dead naming.. to protect his privacy--although that certainly doesn’t seem to be a real concern. Dan was a good reporter. Not flashy, but good. He was bald, kind of short actually for a TV type--pretty nondescript. Dave always seemed hungrier than most--willing to do some extra duty on radio or overnight on network TV.
Along the way he got his law degree, which helped him as a journalist and is helping him now. Dan stopped reporting a couple of years ago when he was let go by CBS in New York, probably on account of he was a good journalist who could tell a story live or on tape but brought down more dough than the Barbi and Ken's rolling in from Lost Nation Iowa or Frankfort Indiana. And sorry it’s a shallow business--no middle aged woman seeing Dan on the tube would mistake their living room for a male strip joint and feel the need to whip a few singles out of their handbag and hurl them at the TV, He wrote that after the initial period of anger and self examination, he began to really practice law, and because of his time on the tube, he had some name recognition, which served as built in advertising and marketing for the new attorney.
That wasn’t the only change. Dan told his Facebook friends about having his name legally changed. I wondered why. His last name had good recognition, it wasn’t hard to spell and was pleasant enough. Dan’s last name is one of those 5 letter WASP specials, As the letter went on, it was clear that this former journalist had as they say buried the lead. It wasn’t his last name that changed, it was his first. Dan is now Kristen, with a brown wig and extensive makeup replacing the shining dome and the light touch of powder tv guys use to cut the glare of the lights. Oh yeah serious heels.Also gone, the pleasant baritone that media guys use to tell you that flooded highway is serious. Kristen’s new pipes..a cross between Hillary Clinton and Tiny Tim.

Kristen informed us that she’s proud of her transgender status and apparently is going all the way.

Now it takes a lot to shock me, so shock is the wrong word, surprise is a better one. Surprised because as Dan, I saw no visible signs there was a woman in my colleague just dying to come out. He never was Dick Butkus, but there was nothing effeminate about Dan. He was just kind of average. Next trip to NY I sat down with the lady who used to be a gentleman. He’d wanted to be a girl since he was 8, played college hockey and thought he would get fired after getting into a habit of going to bars catering to crossdressers, Only when he saw the boss of TV station WNBC wearing a nice dress and sensible shoes, he knew was in the clear.

And since you are dying to know, he is attracted to women just like he always was, separated from his wife but getting on fine with his two boys. Dan was recently elected to a political job in the suburban NY town where he lives and is also a trustee of the Broadcasters Union, one of the people who manages our pension fund. I was also delighted to hear that he’s dead set against minors going pink or blue, and is shamed by parents who want to rush Johnny over to Sweden if he wears Mom’s pumps for a few days.

I give Dan points for courage to convert to Kristen, but personally I don’t get it. I never once entertained the notion of being an Edwina or a Layla or any other name that Dame.

Once upon a time, a mid-life crisis meant a new Harley or a sports car or maybe a brief affair. Now, for a small but growing segment of adults, it’s not a vehicle they want, it’s a vehicle for change. I don’t quite get it; but I respect it. Dave took about 50 years to evolve into Kristen. MORE... you can find the entire script at www.edcranescorner.com/blog-page/