None of the Three

I was lucky enough to be reminded about Marian Beddill's presentation tonight at Village Books, a local Bellingham bookstore. Marian is a community activist, and retired civil engineer, and her autobiography, "None of the Three" was recently published in June. Marian begins by explaining that her parents tried to raise her as:

1. a Dixiecrat-Southerner
2. hard-line Methodist
3. a guy

And she was 'none of the three'.

Marian's new book, and her presentation tonight, delved into her life as a transgendered individual, recounting the pain of living a significant part of her life in secret while maintaining a very public and relatively high profile career. Many interesting points were discussed including the differences between "sex" and "gender" and how the two are intertwined, and when they should remain separate.

Marian's motivation for writing her book was to share her story and journey to becoming the woman she always felt she was, and to leave behind a detailed accounting of her life for the grandchildren she has been unable to see. (you'll have to read the book!) All in all, a fascinating talk given by one strong and inspiring individual.

(apologies for the blurry photo, my flash is acting up)