The Books Progress
Two years and two months later, we are nearing a rough draft of my book. I'm completing two more chapters and we are arranging a few more photo shoots before sending it to my friend who is a copy editor...then...we'll search for a publisher. Thanks to all of you who have expressed your interests and enthusiasm around the prospect of this book actually hitting the stores. Keep me updated on your interests and spread the word!

Medical Deductions on Taxes for treatment of GID
Victory! On February 2, 2010, the U.S. Tax Court issued an important decision in O’Donnabhain v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue, ruling for the first time that treatment for gender identity disorder qualifies as medical care under the Internal Revenue Code, and is therefore deductible.

I'm surprised the whole city of Lincoln didn't hear me yesterday morning when I jumped up in the air and screamed after reading the above statement. I've been following the O'Donnabhain case for the past couple of years after discovering that I couldn't claim my medical expenses due to a ruling in 2005 that treatment for gender identity disorder (GID) was "cosmetic" and "elective" and not medically necessary. My heart sank the day my accountant sent me the letter stating that the 20,500 dollars of medical bills would not be deductible but I had a glimmer of hope when she added that if the Tax Court ruled differently, I could amend my taxes as long as it was within 3 years of the filing date.

Yesterday morning I contacted her at 7:55 am and she said, send me the stuff, and we'll take it from here, so I did.
I'm ecstatic by this news BUT if you have time, I'd suggest holding back before contacting your accountant per the suggestions of GLAD. I'm taking a risk by moving ahead, please read below.

What does this ruling mean for me and you?
We aren't exactly out of the water yet. The GLAD public affairs team sent me this yesterday:
Yesterday, the U.S. Tax Court issued a ruling in the case that treatment for gender identity disorder (GID) qualifies as medical care under the Internal Revenue Code, and, therefore, provided there is adequate medical documentation, related expenses qualify for a medical deduction for federal income tax purposes. (To see the decision go to: http://www.ustaxcourt.gov/InOpHistoric/ODonnabhain.TC.WPD.pdf) This is a very strong decision, recognizing the legitimacy of GID as a medical condition and that expenses for transition-related hormones and surgical procedures may be deductible. We do not yet know whether this decision is final. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has the right to appeal this decision to the U. S. First Circuit Court. It may be several weeks before we know whether the IRS will appeal the decision.

In the meantime, if you have had treatment for GID and are trying to decide whether you should claim its expenses as a medical deduction, here is some information that may help you to decide. We are, however, not able to provide specific legal advice, so we strongly recommend that you take this information to a tax expert—a CPA or tax attorney—who can assist you in making a decision.

Once our win in the O’Donnabhain case is finalized, it should make it easier for transgender people, who claim a medical deduction for transition-related expenses, to win a challenge to that deduction by the IRS. However, our win does not guarantee that every medical deduction for the treatment of GID will be allowed by the IRS. Medical deductions can always be audited and require that you have strong documentation from your care providers that the treatment is medically appropriate.

In our case, although most of the medical treatment Rhiannon O’Donnabhain received for GID was allowed, her breast surgery was not. The Court felt that she had obtained “normal” breasts through hormone treatment, and concluded that there was insufficient documentation by the doctors that this procedure was needed for the treatment of Rhiannon’s GID. So, the bottom line is to make sure that you have the strongest medical documentation possible for each part of the treatment for which you are claiming a medical deduction. If you are audited and your medical deduction is denied, you can pursue the same course Rhiannon did—file an appeal and, if you lose the appeal, file in tax court.

With regard to transition-related medical expenses incurred in previous tax years, the IRS allows you to file an amended return for up to three years from the date of your original filing. If you are close to reaching that point, you might consider filing an amended return before the deadline is passed even before our case is final. If the three year time limit has passed, you cannot file an amended return. If you are not close to that deadline, you might want to see whether our case is appealed before filing. Again, you should consult a tax expert about the best course of action for you to take.

If you have any questions about this, please contact GLAD’s Legal InfoLine at 800-455-GLAD (4523). If you live in any of the six New England states, GLAD can also provide you with referrals to tax attorneys.


To read more:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/bloomberg/20100203/pl_bloomberg/aqacvuseeas4

Looking forward to the year 2010

I'm sitting here, in my recliner, watching some old episodes of Friends which I've seen many times before and thinking about what I hope 2010 to bring me. Well, okay, maybe not what the new year will bring me but what I plan to do to bring something new to me.

 I begin a new journey in my life starting next week which is teaching a college class. I'm both excited and nervous for this new experience because I want the students to get everything possible out of the class and I don't want to screw it up! I've always wanted to teach/plan a whole course, so I'm looking forward to this new experience.

I'm also hoping to increase the amount of private speaking that I do as well as finish my book! I love traveling to new places, speaking with different audiences and hopefully leaving a positive impression as I board a plane and head back home. I'd personally love to do my private speaking gigs/consulting full-time, we'll see what I can make happen in the coming years!

 Happy New Year to everyone, stay strong, brave and honest with yourself.

 

 

Sharing My Story and Dealing with the Critic:Am I not "Trans" Enough?

As a public speaker who spends most my time talking about my own transition, I can come up against some negative energy here and there. Lately, that negative energy has felt like its doubled due to a rejection of funding to bring me to speak at a college campus (this issue has resolved itself and I will be speaking there in November). But before it had been resolved, the associated press picked up on the story and soon people were blogging about it. I try not to read people's comments that are either comments about myself or the trans community in general because it just harms my self-esteem, but sometimes I can't help but look.

One individual said that they thought I had a "masculinity complex" in an online comment following a story in the Salina city's paper. This led me to ask, what is a masculinity complex? A friend then sent me a chapter from the book Feminine Mystique where I read that a masculinity complex is rooted in girls who disdain their bodies and have penis envy from looking up to their fathers.

"Ouch," is all I have to say.

Individuals who are writing in a way that suggests they know a thing or two about the transsexual and transgender communities should do some research before making broad statements about another person. To say that someone who has gone through a transition has a masculinity complex is not only antiquated but also very degrading. That terminology suggests that I'm a female, meaning "female brained" and I just didn't like my body. If this were the case, then perhaps every woman who has body image issues would just transition and be able to live a happy and grounded life socializing, presenting, and living as a man in our society. A "masculinity complex" also reinforces the gender binary of man/woman, masculine/feminine. It also reinforces the idea that all children have a mother and a father. 

I get upset by statements in reference to me because I don't want to be reflected as a person that reinforces the boxes of our society. I've had individuals say that some of the work I do is hetero-normative. This also hurts because in reality, we are who we are. I'm a ftm, transman, man. I live with my female partner in the Midwest and I dress in jeans, t-shirt and boots. I keep my hair short and I like to grow facial hair. I find women attractive and am very much in love with my female partner but I don't identify as heterosexual or bisexual, I identify as queer. I live the life I live, but I work very hard to try and break down students thinking and have them look outside the boxes that our westernized culture has derived.

The person said that I had a masculinity complex also mentioned that I was only one man's story, which is 100% true. I go out to the communities, rural or urban to share my story and to talk about the transgender umbrella, but I can't fully help individuals understand what it's like to be gender queer, to crossdress, to live identifying as two spirited. I can talk about the theories and stories behind different identities, but I can only truly share my own. I'd hope that people could walk away from a talk knowing that.

I encourage more people to share their stories and talk about their identities, I share mine because I believe understanding differences can come from personal story telling. This belief is what keeps me going, past the critics and negative energy that I face.

Oh Media...Media...Media

There's nothing like receiving texts from my friends as I'm driving to an out-of-town meeting saying that our local newspaper and radio stations had picked up on the current story surrounding KSU-Salina.

I then move to my website which received almost 4000 page hits yesterday. Phew....I've been on Larry King Live twice now and my website didn't see an increase in hits...I'm denied funding for a talk and people go haywire. 

Our society and culture are just so interesting to me.

 Pondering aside, I have to say that I really love these types of moments because it gets people talking about issues surrounding diversity. It gets people moving on both local and national levels, which in turn can move the minority forward in their uphill battle for equality. 

So, thank you AP press for taking on this story, and thank you to all the allies out there. This is such a great opportunity to talk with those that either don't get lgbt issues or are biased toward certain groups. Sadly, some of the most offensive comments I've read have come from individuals in the gay community....why do the oppressed feel it's okay to hold down others who are oppressed as well?

Our drive toward upward movement in this underlying social hierarchy is something that holds back all communities.

 

Kansas State University-Salina Speaking Engagement

As a professional speaker one of my favorite engagements is when I get to travel to University Campuses across the US and talk with the students. I love college campuses because the reasons people are there is to learn, expand horizons and discover parts of their identity. I went to college after living in a rural town in Nebraska which was composed of a population not more than 4,000 people. I was a kid that hadn't been exposed to anything outside of caucasion, rural- famer life. Studying anthropology and taking in my surroundings, I quickly realized how amazing humans are, and how diverse cultures need respect.

 My degree in anthropology is what has given me the strength and courage to talk about my personal life and have it exposed in national or rural multimedia. 

 The coverage that my talk at KSU-Salina has raised is by far, the most coverage I've ever seen. This makes me even more excited to go down there and talk with students, faculty/staff and community members.

I hope we can all grow from this experience.

Salina Jouranl: http://www.saljournal.com/news/story/K-State-transgender

K-State Collegian: http://www.kstatecollegian.com/news/transgender-speaker-denied-funding-at-salina-campus-1.1942822

http://www.kstatecollegian.com/news/salina-group-asks-to-host-transgender-speaker-1.1940626

 I'm also looking forward to educating individuals on language. Transgender is an adjective, not a noun...transgendered is not a real word. Man and Woman deals with Gender Identity, not biological sex. So to say that I was a woman and now am a man, is actually incorrect. Man and Woman relate to Gender Identity, Male/Female relate to Biological Sex. Sex and Gender are not the same thing.

I'm done....for now.

My thoughts on the recent Larry King Live Appearance

Last Friday my second appearance on Larry King Live! aired on CNN. I was happy to be asked back on the show mainly because I wasn't very impressed with my first appearance and wanted to hopefully be more articulate this time around.

I felt that my responses were slightly better this time around, but would like one more go at it, after all, third time is the charm.

I find it interesting to speak out on transsexuality issues and also a bit disheartening because I can't control what all is being said and can't voice my opinion as often as I would like. When watching the current show, I cringed at seeing the words pop up stating, "Born in the Wrong Body," "Transgender Mystery," "Secret Lives of Transsexuals." 

I do not like to refer to myself as being born in the wrong body. I'm in the same body I was before, it has just been altered to be aligned with my mind. I was born into the wrong sex, but I love what my body has to offer me.

I also don't really feel like our lives are all that "secret" when we go on national TV, appear in documentaries and magazines, update and maintain websites, and travel around the nation sharing our stories.

I sometimes am a little frustrated when the only items that are focused on on these shows are one's sexual orientation and surgeries. I'd love to go back on the show and talk more about life, occupations, and aspirations.

I'd love to go on a show and talk about health care, the discrimination one suffers through when it comes to insurance and the need for more education within the medical and psychological fields in regard to gender identity and expression.

I feel frustrated when people refer to me as, Ryan, the ftm, and would like to move more into being recognized for the advocacy work I do within health care and speaking I do on all aspects of transitioning. 

I keep thinking, what am I doing wrong in my messaging, and how can I raise this awareness...I'll let you know when I find the answer.

 

My book is in progress!

Just an update.  Sections have been written, photos have been taken and subjects have been lined up.  I'm meeting with the photographer tomorrow to talk more shop in regard to the shape and size of the book.  We will then schedule more photo session with guys out and about.  Progress is being made! 

 

If you don't have anything nice to say....

Friday night I received  a notice in my email account that a new comment had been added to my guestbook.  I went to see what was written..typically it is someone just saying hi, thanks, or has a question about some aspect of the transition process.  But this time it was someone leaving me what I read as hate mail.  For the past three and half years of being public, I've had this type of thing happen to me verbally...once or twice.  To see it in words on my website, a place where I'm laying it all out there and being as open and honest as  I can makes me a little annoyed.

 My first thought while reading thier hateful words was, "How dare you."  How dare a person, who doesn't even have the balls to leave a name or email address say something horrible about me.   How dare they.  My website is like my home, it's common courtesy to be respectful of someone in their home, if you can't, then just freakin' leave.  No one is forcing a person to go to my website, read my story, or view my various media appearances.  

It was obviously their choice and it shows that they obviously are trying to work out some issues but are too afraid of what they are feeling and so they hide behind their view of what organized religion is.  Their very distorted, fearful view.  I firmly believe that heaven and hell are what we live every day, in our bodies, on this planet.  In some areas we have a choice, which reality we are going to let our experiences and feelings go, in other areas we do not due to economy, politics, and sadly others religious crusades and persecutions.  

I had a choice four years ago....I could continue living in fear, living in guilt and shame of what my identities were...or I could embrace them, experience them, and share them with the people who I love.  I lived in hell for many years, I experienced extreme depression, fear, hate, gluttony, self-harm, suicide attempts, etc...THAT was my life before I accepted myself.  Now I have love, family, freedom, moderation, and experiences that make me proud to be on this planet.

 How dare a stranger judge my life and where it is going when they don't know anything about me.  I'd love to meet this person face to face and see what it is they are really fearful of.  If people want to hide behind their fear, fine...but don't go bringing their petty judgments into my house.

It is bad enough, each day to see what religious views bring to this country, new laws that restrict human and civil rights.  Laws being passed to allow biased medical providers to give selective treatment to patients, disregarding the hippocratic oath and the rights we all have as individuals in need of medical care, surgeries, and perscriptions.  

The global ecomony, the degrading eco-system and the sadness we are feeling as humans is a true representative of what others ways of twisting the laws, abusing the system and ignoring the science either because of money or religion is why we are where we are today.  Not because one person loves another or because I aligned my body with my brain. 

I recycle, conserve energy, avoid over-spending, brake for bunnies, respect others privacy, and cross the street when there is a person lit up instead of a red-hand.  What have those evangelitist ministers done lately?  Priests?  Conservative politicians?  The CEO's of major companies? Homophobic pricks?  What have they done?  Do a google search and then tell me where the true problems are in our society.  

I'm Gearing Up

I have started finally working on my book, a book that I hope to be finished writing in the next six months and finding a publisher before the end of the year. 

 I'm also going to take a more aggressive approach to my speaking gigs next year.  I have a story to share, a view to express and a background in sexuality education that I hope enhances my talk.  If you university of organization is looking for something new, please contact me, ryan@ryansallans.com

One thing that I have to say about my current public speaking (perdominantly done in my local and surrounding communities) is it can be trying at times.  It is trying when you read other people blogs stating some of the things that people have said about me when I'm sharing my life with them.  It's trying when I have a person come up to me afterward and tell me that I'm wrong, or that they don't agree with me.  It's trying to look into some of the eyes of individuals listening to you, and seeing either the sheer confusion or judgement cast back at you.  

But I'm going to keep sharing my story and putting myself out there because I see other individuals prejudice as a challenge and a place where I can maybe begin an inner dialouge inside of them that will question where their current beliefs are coming from.  

 I will continue sharing my story because even though it hurts sometimes, I know that if my story can help one person...then I'm helping the community like all the other transgender individuals have done in the past.  I wouldn't be here today,  if it wasn't for the voices of the past.