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Interview in Time
Part 1
I have been writing stories and poetry from the moment I learned how to write and I recently came across some old computer files. I began to scan through them and the more that I read, the more I realized how much I have changed.
My curiosity really did not subside as I finished the last file so I had to locate my really old stuff, the stories that I had tucked away in my work file. It was then I realized that yes, I do write mostly fiction but there were some very odd non-fiction work in that file.
After several hours I realized I had gotten reconnected to someone I had thought I had lost years ago. I am sure that part of the disconnect I had with my younger, now non-existent self could be attributed to youth, the rest probably originated when I began to transition. That was when I decided I should not let this opportunity slip by without interviewing the person who is no longer with us.
Based on hundreds of hours of written stories, poetry and personal journal entries, I present Kendra Chelsea’s interview of Kenneth Goodson.
Chelsea-Thank you for being here, I really appreciate it.
Kenneth- My pleasure, as you know, meeting new people can be difficult for me at times but I knew this was important so I made the trip.
Chelsea- First could you tell me a little about yourself, what you like to do, your age, the things that interest you.
Kenneth- Well I am 33 years old, married and work at the University of Maryland. I am married, her name is Kimberly James. As far as things that interest me, not much…I mean I like TV, spending time with my kids oh and I love talking politics.
Chelsea- I would love to start off by asking you about your wife but I really want to come back to that. Since I came out as transgender I have been telling everyone that I knew since I was 8 years old, since I realized there was a difference between girls and boys. My question, probably one of my more important questions, do you believe you are transgender?
Kenneth- Honestly, I believe that is a self-control issue. I am bisexual and sometimes I do dress up as female but it is nothing that is too important to me. I can take it or leave it.
Chelsea- So you don’t maintain a collection of clothes and makeup?
Kenneth- No I don’t. I will say, I have in the past but when I feel like it is getting out of control I just get rid of it, no harm. See, a self-control issue.
Chelsea- Exactly how long have you been putting on girls clothes?
Kenneth- I answered your question, I am bisexual, it is not important to me but if you must know, yes, first time was when I was about 10, I think, my babysitter played dress up with me.
Chelsea- So tell me about Kimberly- do you love her?
Kenneth- She is my best friend, of course I love her. We do everything together; I cannot imagine my life without her.
Chelsea- Okay, let’s be a little honest here; you know exactly why I asked for an interview, can I have complete honesty now, don’t hold back. No one will ever see your answers, this is 2017 and by the time anyone does, you will already be out and proud.
Kenneth- For fuck’s sake I hate that term, ‘out and proud’ you sound like a left wing fanatic, why do all you gay people have to be so in your face? Can’t you just be normal and keep your business to yourself?
Chelsea- wow… just wow… sweetie, I am not gay, I am straight, in fact being a self-admitted bisexual man and that would make you gayer than I am.
Kenneth- Straight? I highly doubt that but I will play your game; I will give you complete honest answers from now on.
Chelsea- Okay thank you for that, so truthfully now, how is your love life?
Kenneth-We are doing okay, but as you know we are married and like all married people we are in a rut now but it is nothing out of the unusual.
Chelsea- If you don’t mind me asking, how long has that rut been going on?
Kenneth-This is…What August?... My birthday last year, 11 months I think.
Chelsea- But when you do have sex with her, you enjoy it right?
Kenneth- It is nice yes.
Chelsea- And you don’t feel gay?
Kenneth-Gay? Jesus Christ, gay? It’s a little weird but I wouldn’t say gay.
Chelsea- weird?
Kenneth- Don’t look into that, it’s just weird.
Chelsea- But being bisexual you have had sex with other men right?
Kenneth- It is just sex, none of that kissing or romantic stuff.
Chelsea- Of course. You mentioned you like politics, how would you describe yourself on the political spectrum?
Kenneth- I am a conservative libertarian, probably a liberal like you would think I am extreme right.
Chelsea- So basically you are okay with the Republicans inserting themselves into your bedroom?
Kenneth- I am not a Republican, I am a Libertarian; I could not care less what you do in your bedroom as long as it doesn’t affect me.
Chelsea- The last thing I wanted to talk about was your family, could you tell me a little about them?
Kenneth- I have an amazing family; my mom would do anything for me, my kids are kind hearted, loving, I think they are going to grow up to be amazing parents. In fact we go to my mom’s house every Sunday for dinner and we stay the entire evening.
Chelsea- Wow that sounds like a close knit family, what do you do while you are there?
Kenneth- Eat, play games, talk sometimes even take a nap and then of course we eat again. We are just a very close family, no one or nothing could ever come between us. I would die for them and they would die for me.
Chelsea- Even if you came out to your family as bisexual?
Kenneth- That is none of their business, seriously, why would you tell your mom about what you do in the privacy of your own bedroom?
Chelsea- That is not what I am asking, would it still be a strong relationship if somehow they found out you were bisexual?
Kenneth- I am sure we would work through it; if I found out something horrible about my kids it wouldn’t change the way I saw them or how I felt about them. They are the most important people in my life. Thinking that would change just because I was different makes no sense at all.
Chelsea- That is all the time we have and I want to thank you again for being here. I hope I handle my interview with you as well as you handled yours with me. Thank you.
Interview in Time
Part 2
Kenneth- Thanks Chelsea, I know I came across a little harsh in our last interview but it’s obvious we have our differences, hopefully we can get past that. So tell me a little about yourself, your age, things that interest you.
Chelsea- Well I am 53; I work at the University of Maryland, I live with the love of my life in Montgomery Village and my biggest interest is my boyfriend, my friends and my cat Anam Cara.
Kenneth- Cat? I am sorry, I don’t want to be dismissive but isn’t a tranny with a cat a bit stereotypical?
Chelsea- Seriously? That is your first question to me? No, no it’s not.
Kenneth-So basically you are a gay, what do you people call yourselves, transmen?
Chelsea- Transgender women and no I am straight. Just for the record, I know you don’t think like that, remember, I was you once…a very long time ago. I am not your friends or family you are trying to fool so let’s get serious okay?
Kenneth- Sorry, it’s instinctive, tell me a little bit about the man you call the love of your life
Chelsea- You mean my favorite subject, absolutely. He is 22 years old and to be totally honest, he is the best looking man I have ever seen. His eyes are both innocent and seductive at the same time and his smile is real not fake like so many people flash now a days.
Kenneth- Wait, he is 30 years younger than you? Don’t you think that is a little much?
Chelsea- At first I did, not anymore, Taylor has a beautiful soul, he is my life and I can’t be with anyone else until the day I die.
Kenneth- How does your mom and kids handle that? Actually how do they handle everything?
Chelsea- They aren’t. I haven’t talked to my kids in a month and my mom really doesn’t want to hear from me again.
Kenneth- To be honest, I can understand them completely. Why? Why would you put this on them? You could have kept your private life private but you had to put this on them.
Chelsea- See here is where I have an advantage on you, I know you aren’t happy. You put up a good front but deep down you are just passing the time away. Sure you have fun with your family and your wife but deep down life is eating away at you. Every day that passes you feel like another piece of you has died. With that said, let me answer your question with a question, “Imagine 20 more years of that, imagine all of those pieces being ripped away from your soul and then ask yourself how will you feel.”
Kenneth- So mom has no contact with you at all?
Chelsea- None, not in a year. I hate to come down on you like this but it’s the end result of a lifetime of brainwashing coming from the conservative religious group. She thinks if she supports me she won’t get into heaven. Utter nonsense…
Kenneth- Wait, so you don’t believe in god?
Chelsea- Not her god, no. I do believe in god though, just one that more reflects the bible, not the hateful ideology the brainwashed people believe in, nothing irritates me more than people manipulating god’s word into their own vile little reason to hate
Kenneth- So no one supports you at all?
Chelsea- Of course they do, just not blood relatives.
Kenneth- That sounds horrible, you must be miserable.
Chelsea- I am happier now than I have ever been in my life. My best friend’s Marcie and Jamie are always there for me; my ex-wife Kim has been one of my biggest supporters and my boyfriend is my rock, they are my family, the rest of them, they were a house of cards.
Kenneth- It can’t be as simple as that, I think you are the one putting up a front now.
Chelsea- Love me or don’t I don’t give a damn…Seriously I mean every word of it.
Kenneth- So is that why you are a liberal?
Chelsea- I don’t think I am a liberal, per say, I am still a libertarian but I am very much in the center; even so me being transgender is only a small part of me moving left. I am going to say that Donald Trump is probably the biggest reason. He made me realize how ignorant the Republicans can be.
Kenneth- Donald Trump? The rich guy? What does he have to do with your political views?
Chelsea- You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.
Kenneth-So you have a vagina now?
Chelsea- I do, I do, yes.
Kenneth- Okay so seriously, I cannot even imagine having my penis cut off, what was that like?
Chelsea- Okay so seriously, you can imagine it, you do imagine it and you have imagined it since you were 8 years old, next question.
Kenneth- Damn, I keep forgetting you have a bit of an advantage on me so all pretenses aside, what is it like to have sex as a woman?
Chelsea- I cannot even have intercourse before my birthday, surgery was August 1st but I will say the sex I have had has been- well, normal. I do not have to worry about feeling- well, like you. I don’t have to worry about feeling gay, or how did you put it? Weird”
Kenneth-Wow, seriously, so this is how I turn out? So I am a little chubbier but you really do not look your age, seriously you do not look more than a couple of years older than me, how do you do it?
Chelsea- Truck loads of facial products, but age comes for everyone, eventually age catches up to all of us.
Kenneth- So no women huh?
Chelsea- Nope
Kenneth- No guilt?
Chelsea- Nope
Kenneth- and you are happy?
Chelsea- Sweetie, I felt love for the first time 5 months ago and I am 53 years old- how do you think I would feel?
Kenneth- Thank you Chelsea for giving me the chance to interview you too, I wish I could say I agree with everything you said but you have opened my eyes on a lot of things. I just wish you would tell me how some rich guy made you swing hard left.
Chelsea- He is the President of the United States in 2017
Kenneth- Okay now you are just making stuff up.