Anne Marie Graham - Tall Annie: A Life in Two Genders

2023, Anne Marie Graham, English, USA,

Full title: "Tall Annie: A Life in Two Genders" by Anne Marie Graham.

"As a young male, Anne Graham became a Vietnam Veteran while serving in the U. S. Navy on a nuclear submarine. She opens with an incredible true story of her submarine’s rescue of a downed aircrew in the middle of a typhoon.

This is a story of how a transgender person came to be that way, and how they dealt with it while remaining a very productive and accepted member of society. Anne lays out her life from her formative years, through her time as a loving father and husband, and finally to the person she is now, a devoted and loving wife.

She deals with the formation of her sex and gender identities including no holds barred details of her transition from life as a man to life as a woman. Her story is that of a wrenching mid-life realization that forced her to deal with lifelong issues. Her insights into understanding her gender are gripping, embarrassing, humorous, and are fascinating reading."

"I had a professional career in both genders in the semiconductor and solar industries. I transitioned in mid-life while in a senior role for Intel Corporation. I have never been an activist and, in fact, was ‘stealth’ for most of my life as a woman. My husband and I now live in Central Oregon where people who love mountains and wish to avoid Oregon’s famous rain reside. My story is informed by my work experience which includes; U.S. Navy nuclear-trained submariner, Vietnam Veteran, Facilities Engineer, Director of Facilities, local politician, and semiconductor factory designer, with attendant international experiences including two years in China."

In 2023, I interviewed Anne and asked her about the book: "I read an article about Texas criminalizing parental support of gender-affirming care of their children. This was shocking to me and pulled my attention back to the awful things certain elements of our political world were doing to criminalize transgender folk. I also read a quote from Laverne Cox that moved me strongly. She points out that the world was not seeing ‘the real lived experience’ of transgender people. I decided to open my book with her full quote. For twenty-three years post-transition, I never used the term “trans” as I simply moved in the world as the woman I am.

As I saw more demonization of transfolk for political purposes, I realized that there was a need for people like me, who had smoothly blended back into society, to stand up and demonstrate that such a person is a worthwhile member of our society. For every transgender person who is exposed in the news cycle, there are thousands that are simply living fulfilled lives. I arranged a local radio interview along with my husband to demonstrate how ‘normal’ a person like me is. That was fun but gathered no feedback and I realized my best path to show that a trans person can live a worthwhile life, worthy of support, would be to write my life story. That behind me now, I am seeking opportunities to share the positive experience of my life with the world through any opportunity I can find."

Available via Amazon

Heroines of My Life

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