Premiering at SHOT 2019

This photograph, taken by me in 2012 and appearing in Kel-Tec's 2019 catalog:

Late last year, Oleg Volk called me up and said "Congratulations! You sold a photograph!"

My reply was "Blarghle?" or something similarly intelligent, as I had no idea what he was talking about.

"One of the pictures you took of me during the hog hunt," he explained. "Kel-Tec wanted pictures of the RFB for their catalog and they didn't like any of mine, but they loved yours. Since you took the picture, I paid you a licensing fee."

"Huh," I garbled while checking my PayPal. It's uncouth to discuss how much I received, so I'll just say that it went a long way towards easing the pain of Christmas bills.

If I'm being honest, I prefer this picture:

It's a lot more dynamic and really captures Oleg's personality. But I get why Kel-Tec chose the other photo: they want to showcase the rifle, not the shooter, and the one they picked does exactly that.

For the story of how I was part of a hog hunt with Oleg Volk, go here.

Owning It, Part II

I'm back from the NRA Annual Meeting, and am pleased to report that the post-con drama has splashed on someone else this year.

However, some of you will remember what happened last year, and how I made a promise that

Perhaps I will become the poster girl for all the queer, transvestite and transgender gunnies out there (oh, they do exist, and probably in greater numbers than any of you imagine). And once again, I will be doing it to promote our cause, showing that gun owners, as a whole, are accepting of alternative sexualities and genders and lifestyles

It's not quite a year later, but behold the fruits of my labor: a poster inspired by my idea, and exucted by none other than Oleg Volk.

http://olegvolk.net/blog/2015/04/15/strength-in-diversity/

Now, I rather doubt this picture will "break the internet". I do, however, hope it causes more than a few brains to implode (or explode; I'm not picky). I would LOVE for this poster to be used as rhetorical ammunition against the folks who believe that “Guns are only for straight white males.” This ought to shut them up fast, and maybe get them to re-think their positions.

Inasmuch as you need my permission to post this picture to chat rooms, Facebook statuses and other online arguments, you have it. If they express doubts, just send them here and I'll happily tell them:

That's me, in the middle: the witch* with the beard.

Yes, I am biologically male. Yes, I identify as a woman and wear women's clothing whenever possible.

Yes, I am also pro-gun, pro-self-defense, and pro-liberty.

I do not see any conflict between these two viewpoints.

It is my sincere hope that this will encourage a change of thought from the folks who believe that "Guns are only for straight white males," because clearly they aren't.

For those who would like to learn more about me and my situation, I encourage you to read these blog posts as they will hopefully address most of your questions:

1. Confession Time
2. Duality
3. My Origin Story

If you have any other questions about who I am or how I identify, I will be happy to answer them as I consider this a "teachable moment." Any legitimate question, no matter how poorly phrased, is welcome.

So, there you have it: I've taken last year's mockery and turned it into a powerful message about the diversity and inclusion of the gun community. 

Your move, haters.



* It’s the costume I wore on Halloween of last year. The convergence of “witch costume” and “Avada Kedavra on my rifle” was just too rich to ignore.

Still Alive

Yeah, I'm still here. Sorry for missing a few days. Let me bring you up to speed:

On Sunday, Oleg posted a casting call for models in Apopka, FL. I immediately emailed him with

It's only an hour's drive for me. But I expect you'd want someone prettier?

And he replied with

You would do fine, plus we'd get to socialize!

Which surprised the heck out of me, because I figured Oleg could make pretty models materialize out of thin air. But hey, I like the guy, so I packed up my stuff and drove to meet him.

As it turns out, Oleg CAN make pretty models materialize out of thin air, because he bumped into the manager of the hotel that he was staying at, and not only is she drop-dead beautiful, she's also a gunnie (has a CWP, shoots trap & skeet).

And she has this amazing ability to go from "sweetly adorable" to "I'm going to kill everyone in this room" and back in the blink of an eye.

So I wasn't really needed that night, but I don't mind. She really knew her stuff (she modeled as a child) and it was a pleasure to watch her work. She also laughed at all my corny jokes and got all of my nerdy references. We talked about Star Trek, Babylon 5, MacGuyver and Walking Dead.

Unicorns exist, folks. I met one that night. I shall not see her like again in my lifetime...

(I apologize for my face in that link, but it was necessary to prove that I was in her presence.)


So that was Monday. Today was less pleasant:  my allergies were really bothering me, so I took a Benadryl on top of my regular allergy medicine. It worked, but it also made me very tired... combine that lethargy with the onset of my my mid-month blues and Christmas overload, and I just felt the need to hide in my room for most of the day.

Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

Monday Gunday, Photo Edition

So, this past week Oleg Volk was in my neck of the woods, and because he likes me for reasons I can't quite explain, he invited me to hang out with him, meet interesting people, and shoot some cool guns that aren't yet for sale.

Twist my arm, I said.

Warning: Below the jump are pictures of Kel-Tec guns which might cause jealousy.  Also below the jump are pictures of my face, which might make people uncomfortable.  You Have Been Warned.