Welcome back to Trans Lives. It’s been a while since I have written to you all and I miss you. COVID really put a damper on life for us all. In December 2021, after having all my shots including my booster, I still tested positive with COVID. My time with COVID was very mild and I tested negative after a week. The question I ask myself lately is whose path will I follow, mine or God’s? Well, that question has been answered, and I know whose path I will follow. I feel life’s journey and sometimes is never the way […]
How Life Insurance Can Make Life Easier
Hints for neatening up one of life’s loose ends Life insurance. The very mention of the term conjures up images of smooth-talking salesmen and glossy brochures. The truth is that life insurance is about security. It provides a financial cushion to those closest to you so they can carry on seamlessly after you are gone. Life insurance can also make administering your estate easier, saving your loved ones time, money, and a lot of stress. The simplest policies pay a lump sum upon your death. This money can be enormously useful in settling your affairs. For example, proceeds from the […]
How Will the New SECURE Act 2.0 Impact Your Retirement?
New laws, new opportunities The 2019 Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act altered the nation’s retirement-saving landscape. A follow-up package, SECURE Act 2.0, takes the changes even further, plus has many new additions. In this article, I’ll discuss how you can utilize these new opportunities to strengthen your own financial preparation for retirement. You’ll have more control over taxes with RMD changes – The SECURE 2.0 Act changed a wide variety of retirement regulations, with many changes impacting Required Minimum Distributions (commonly referred to as “RMDs”). If you’re unfamiliar with this term, RMDs are amounts you must […]
The Language of Catering Explained – Part 1
One of the most daunting tasks about planning a wedding is hiring a caterer. There’s a lot of money involved, and caterers have their own language, which can be difficult to understand. Here, then, is a glossary of the wedding industry language used by caterers, and how to use it to get the wedding you want. Off-premise – The caterer travels to your location – home, wedding venue, wherever – with all that they need to set up, prepare, and execute your event. They generally bring staff, kitchen equipment, food, and beverages. In Maryland, they need a special license if […]
Resilience or Perseverance?
As I look forward to resuming this column and thought about the last five years, I wanted to ask: Think back to 2018, or even early, 2019 – what was your life like? What kind of changes do you see, now, in how you handle relationships, work, or mundane everyday routines? This does not mean we dismiss changes over time, in whatever context they may appear. Getting older, accumulating different experiences, making new connections, losing others, are all what passage of time brings. But we all lived through an unexpected period of illness, quarantine, working “remotely,” isolating, masking, or vaccines, […]
Chubby Love
I recently received a note on my “Ask the Doc” blog from a gay man who wrote: “I became fascinated with fat people at a very young age, and after I discovered masturbation at 13 years old, I realized those feelings were sexual.” He was angry because his friends think his sexual attraction is crazy. Society has a prejudice against fat people. The idealized male body is one with 10% body fat, V-shaped, and muscular. Our culture sees fat people as lazy, unmotivated, and undisciplined. Because we are all exposed to that culture, everyone incorporates these stereotypes. Because society adopts […]
Strategies for Tax Season
Upcoming community session dives into the details By Aaron Cahall Chase Brexton Health Care Tax preparation can be a challenging, confusing, and even dreaded obstacle for many, but help is available! Individuals seeking some simple strategies for tax season, or looking for resources to get help, can find the answers they need at the next LGBTQ Community Connection session. The workshop is scheduled for Thursday, March 9th from 1 to 2:30 pm and will be hosted by the CASH (Creating Assets, Savings and Hope) Campaign of Maryland. Learn more about the session and how to join at Chasebrexton.org/LGBTQCommunityMar2023. We asked […]
Time’s Up for Tik Tok Diet Trends
By Dr. Terri Griffith Picture this: You’re scrolling Tik Tok when you find a “What I eat in a day” video. A 20-something-year-old influencer, clad in fluffy white Skims and perfectly coiffed hair to match the never-lived-in aesthetic of her home, shows you everything she eats in a day to maintain her “healthy” lifestyle. She also shares a workout routine that she swears by to maintain her physique. She is thin, gorgeous, and seems to have it all – and she promises that if you follow her diet and fitness routine, you too will be thin, gorgeous, and have it […]
The Benefits of Sex After 50
LGBT elders shouldn’t let Valentine’s Day pass them by—there are plenty of exciting ways to spice up their love life and keep the passion in their relationships. Everything LGBT elders need to know will be uncovered at an upcoming LGBTQ Community Connection online seminar on Thursday, Feb. 10 from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. The session will be presented by Jacq Jones, owner of Sugar on The Avenue in Hampden. For more information on how to join, visit www.chasebrexton.org/LGBTQCommunityFeb22. We asked Jacq for a few teases of the intimate advice she’ll share with attendees. What are a few health benefits […]
Beating the Wintertime Blues
The wintertime blues can be a very real and very difficult experience for many, draining our energy and cutting us off from sources of support just when we need them the most. But there ways to cope and find brightness and joy even in the colder months. Kate Bishop, Education Coordinator for The Center for LGBTQ Health Equity, and Randall Leonard LCSW-C, a staff therapist with the Center, recently discussed how to beat the wintertime blues: Kate Bishop: Randall, I know you’ve seen a number of clients recently who’ve been struggling with mood and motivation. What is it about this […]