Why? I couldn't help but feel a very real sense of sadness over how the joke was always on Costello due in no small part to his hammy portrayal of "failed masculinity." He always wound up being humiliated or abused physically because of it. The message was: I don't really measure up to the average guy, and here I am selflessly entertaining you as the clown that I deservedly am because of it.

True, a lot of Abbott and Costello's comedy centered around clever verbal exchanges, but their audiences were still always reminded of Costello's "ineptitude" as a guy -- more specifically, his failure to embody the traditional expectation of what a guy should be. This seems particularly poignant in light of the era, when valiance seemed to be heavily valued as a masculine trait due to the war.

I realize that the point of the movies and radio shows that Abbott and Costello made was to make people laugh during a stressful time in history, and I could still watch routines like Who's on First? and enjoy a few chuckles. But it just made me sad that an entire generation got such a kick out of a persona rooted so deeply in male "inadequacy."

A lot of them, they look at me in disbelief when I am talking to them like a regular person, gesturing and communicating with them like a friend, and they smile and their eyes go, bling, twinkling with glee and beholding the newfound possibilities and also flattered that I would give them my time and attention.

They look at me and keep up the conversation, but they also sneak glances at parts of me that they particularly enjoy. For instance, I always wear shoes I really like, and the guys, they like them too. I like to wear heels, and I am a girl who also likes to make her feet look pretty by sporting Fuschia Bling Bling nail polish. I make them look all nice, and many guys, they indulge themselves in their imagination when they see things like this. I wear the shoes and the nail polish together, and they are like a bomb. Lethal and shit to testosterone lust.

The new procedure, announced Friday in a joint press release from the ACLU of Nevada and the nonprofit group Equality Nevada, involves a form that must be filled out by a licensed physician and then submitted by the applicant to the DMV for processing. The form asks the doctor to check "male" or "female" for the following questions:

• Living full-time as identified gender and undergoing treatment as...
• Gender identification is...

Most recently, I saw them descend their stairs while on their way somewhere with their mom. Two of the girls were holding flowers. It looked so storybook-like, but when they were waiting for their mom to pull out the car, their unbridled side (yet to be fully tamed by the rules of "proper" girlish behavior) took over, and they started jumping up and down and beating on this tree by whipping it with fallen branches. It was a definite primordial behavioral departure.

It just struck me as something that the average person might expect a group of rowdy boys to do. Speaking of which, I'm wondering if boys of similar age are as open and free as far as jettisoning the code of stereotypical masculinity.

Regardless, the girls made me smile because it drove home the message that girls are trained to behave in certain ways, but their nongendered personalities still can shine through, particularly when they are young and still being indoctrinated into the binary gender system. The sad thing is this side of themselves gets increasingly hard to unbury, let alone develop and allow to thrive.

It seems that trans people -- particularly those who are in the early stages of their transition process -- face added challenges in stepping up on behalf of their rights. Between pricey surgeries (for those of us who choose to go that route), long-term prescription medication and other transition-related expenses, it's tough to stick one's neck out when one is lucky enough to have a job.

The author, Elisabeth Eaves, doesn't really condemn or condone the job. She masterfully remains objective through the bulk of the book while bringing you behind the scenes, including providing interspersed profiles that focus on dancers' personalities and relationships.

Yet I still picked up on this recurring sentiment (not necessarily emanating directly through Eaves) that it's an unrealistic way to make a living, and that the women who do it must "get out" ASAP and find "real" employment somewhere.

The eight-show series, called Transform Me, will feature a trio of trans goddesses traveling around the country giving other women makeovers, arriving on the scene via a deluxe fashion ambulance to respond to urgent calls for image assistance, according to a press release cited on the VH1 blog.

The subjects expect to be made over in typical reality show fashion, but are in for a surprise when a team of three transgender women arrive to give them an expert transformation.

Gasp!

The vast majority of people I interact with routinely inquire about this whenever I tell them that I have a date with a guy, or that I am in a relationship with one. Sometimes they ask in a crafty, underhanded fashion. Other times, the question is point-blank: "Is he gay?"

The guys I go out with self-identify as straight. In fact, a number of them were in heterosexual marriages previously and fathered kids. Yet, they are attracted to me. And this happens a lot. Meaning, it's widespread and common -- at least in my experience.

For instance, I started an account on a dating site a few months ago, and I received tons of messages (literally hundreds) from self-proclaimed hetero men in my community, ranging in age from their 20s to their 50s, who were open to going out with me, despite the fact that my profile stated up front that I was a pre-operative male-to-female transsexual. Some of the online contact materialized into offline dates. And rarely were the dating site inquiries from rude dorks who merely wanted to explore a sexual fantasy.

Now, I'm no zealot for anything or anyone, and I don't go around gabbing unprovoked about LGBTQ stuff 24/7. But at the same time, when discretion is used, everyday spaces such as salons offer prime opportunities to initiate such chat to help sow the seeds of equality, justice and acceptance. I mean, who needs a stuffy legislative chamber or other government setting when you could be vocal on the front lines of everyday life?

One of the cool things about this approach, I think, is that there is more potential to transcend partisanship and other bias and connect through a common bond with the people around us, regardless of whether they're queer. Sometimes, it's the common bond of oppression. Other times, maybe it's just general humanity.

Group members met for more than three hours at their local LGBTQ center for an activism training session led by the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada. The session was dubbed Transitioning to a GenderQueer Activist: Becoming Transformative. While some participants were more experienced with such grassroots involvement, others were newbies.

Discussion topics included setting goals regarding political and social change, identifying likely allies and opponents of such efforts and devising tactics to get things done. Participants also brainstormed group organizational structures, and that was the point when it was stated that merging with an existing LGBTQ rights group in upstate Nevada would be wiser than creating one from scratch for downstaters.

More specifically, the group agreed it would be beneficial to integrate with Equality Nevada, a relatively new nonprofit organization based in Reno that provides support and advocacy for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and genderqueer individuals and their families. Group members said they would work out organizational details at a future meeting.

What got me to thinking about this? I was hanging out recently with this girl I used to date before I transitioned. We had a few drinks, shared a few laughs and caught up on old times. It was nice. Then when the time came to say goodnight, she moved in to make out with me. And that's when she cast me in my prior sex role - without even a second thought.

When I say "cast me in my prior sex role," I'm not referring to the kiss. I mean, I am in fact attracted to men and generally consider myself hetero, but that doesn't mean I have an aversion to kissing another woman. So the kissing was no biggie. It was the hugging part that got to me. In fact, it caused me to abruptly end the embrace due to my overwhelming feeling of awkwardness.

The reason? She automatically threw her arms around my neck. And that meant that mine wound up around her waist. So, there we were, the two of us locked in a hugging position normally assumed by a couple who relates to one another based on a traditional male-female dynamic.

As far as I'm concerned, Las Vegas generally has a bogus reputation for being socially liberal, including when it comes to LGBTQ liberties, specifically regarding trans individuals. This widespread belief is likely due to the image of carnal excess and indulgence that our tourism industry and the media pound into the heads of consumers around the country and beyond.

But if you look more carefully (which I personally have done over the five years I've been living here), you will notice that what's perceived as a relaxed attitude toward sex and gender is not what it seems.