This group makes me really happy: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=170306267875&ref=nf

However, the comments people are leaving don't. I've been commenting back trying to get them to realise that they're being really (for lack of a better word) stupid.

Join the group; have it gain support. Report the spammers and call them out on their failure.

P.S. New York :(

The mayor of Vallejo, California stirred up controversy when, in a New York Times interview he declared that gays are "committing sin and that sin will keep them out of heaven." He claimed his remarks were taken out of context; the Times responded by posting the audio and full transcript of the portion of his interview pertaining to gays.

Some background: Vallejo is a distant suburb of San Francisco, with about 117,000 people. It's just far enough from San Francisco that commuting is a pain, so house prices are cheaper than you'd find in suburbs nearer to the city and Silicon Valley. Its population boomed during World War II as a result of the Mare Island Naval Shipyard. I have quite a few family ties to Vallejo: my parents both spent their teenage years there, my late grandfather worked on submarine construction there, and a handful of people on my mom's side of the family continue to live there.

Much of it is very typically suburban, with lots of strip malls and big box retailers. Some of it is blighted; some of it—particularly the old, pre-war parts—is being restored and gentrified. The closure of the shipyard, after the Cold War ended, is something from which the city has only begun to recover. It's an ethnically diverse city. A little over one-third of the population is white, about one-quarter is black, one-sixth is Hispanic, and it boasts the third highest percentage of Filipino-Americans in the US. It's hard to think of a Bay Area city that seems less cool or fashionable than Vallejo; for a time, it had the Bay Area's only Wal-Mart. In recent years, the gay population has grown, as gays fled San Francisco's astronomical housing prices and discovered a rich inventory of charming Victorian houses crying out for restoration. A part of West Vallejo is now referred to as "Lavender Hill."

The 2007 election for mayor of Vallejo was hard-fought and contentious. The two main contenders were former County Supervisor Osby Davis, a straight, black, evangelical Christian real estate attorney and Vice Mayor Gary Cloutier, an openly gay, white civil rights attorney. The race was nonpartisan, but both men are Democrats. The initial count showed the two candidates literally tied at 5,158 votes each. After some counting of provisional ballots and whatnot—during which Cloutier was arrested for public intoxication outside a gay bar in Palm Springs—Solano County officials declared that Cloutier had won the race by four votes. Because of the closeness of the race, Davis, on the advice of some Democratic heavy-hitters, including former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown and former California Secretary of State Kevin Shelley, insisted on a recount.

The recount wasn't complete by inauguration day, so Cloutier was sworn in, making him the first openly gay mayor in the Bay Area.

The recount concluded Davis actually won the race by two votes. Oops. Days after being sworn in, Cloutier was removed from office and Davis sworn in as mayor, making him Vallejo's first black mayor. Davis promised to unify Vallejo; Cloutier challenged the recount in court, but dropped his challenge after losing his first bid for a court order.

So yeah, the whole thing left relations between the black and gay communities in Vallejo in less than ideal shape. To make things worse, in the last year, there have been a number of fights between evangelicals and gays over how homosexuality is treated in the curricula of Vallejo's schools.

Shortly after Davis was inaugurated, the City of Vallejo declared bankruptcy, resulting in all kinds of political messiness, including an ugly battle to void Vallejo's exceptionally generous union contracts with its public safety workers, and the firing of the fourth city manager in seven years, so it's unclear whether Cloutier lost an election or dodged a bullet.

And now Davis's remarks have set off both pro-Davis and anti-Davis demonstrations in Vallejo. So much for Davis's promise to unify a divided city.

Hi, I'm an mtf hoping to start on HRT in the next few months and I have a question about international travel. I'm a college student in the US majoring in Japanese and am really hoping to study abroad at the end of next year to get the most out of it as I feel I'm getting close to academic fluency. I'm also concerned that this could very well be my last chance to live there longterm as it's already hard to find work in Japan and once I transition it will probably be harder still.

Does anyone here have experience with living overseas on HRT? What difficulties am I going to face, and what am I going to have to know?

Thanks.

After the NY Senate chose to vote 'no' on equal marriage rights, I wrote this little piece and posted it on my FB:

Today the NY Senate voted 'no' to gay marriage and preserved the sanctity and future of traditional marriage. Gays and lesbians are the number one threat to marriage today. It is a little known fact, but homosexuals are responsible for 100% of ALL divorces in NY. Either by causing spouses to outgrow one another, or by messing about with married people's bank accounts so that they have financial problems which cause friction, there is a gay person behind every divorce.

( Cut for mention of domestic abuse )
You may ask, "What about spouses who cheat? Surely THEY are responsible for their own actions and the subsequent cheapening of marriage?" Well, my friend, I'm sorry to tell you, but you have been suckered in by the propoganda of the gay agenda. It's a tempting fiction, but here's the truth.
FACT: every single person who cheats does so with either a gay man or lesbian woman who has strategically placed themselves in that person's life to compel them to break their marriage vows. It is all part of the master plan of the gay agenda.

So I congratulate the NY Senate on their decision today. They are defending and upholding all that is good and right in this world. My only question is, is it really enough? We are still at risk here, people. As long as there is one homosexual allowed the same rights as we real people to walk freely in this country, I'm sad to say I'm not sure we'll ever be truly safe.

This is Naarah-Blue Meath, an upholder of TRUE marriage rights, saying "Goodnight New York, and well done."
********In case anyone missed it, this is dripping with sarcasm and bitterness*********

I'm getting more and more dysphoric about my breasts. Now I can hardly stand looking at them and they're always in the way. I've tried binding, but they're size D and it hurts like Hell. It's depressing, really. Wish there was an easier way.
I kind of hope they turn out to be milk tits that will eventually fall off ... Though I'm not sure I'd like a visit from the Tit Fairy. Or have an EVEN larger pair grow out instead:S
... Anyone know what kind of binder, you should get, if you have large breasts?

Well this time next week I will hopefully be legally Melissa! My court date is next Wednesday, and I am full of emotions! I am excited and nervous at the same time. I have been having mild anxiety attacks and eye twitches over the last week. I really can't wait till it's over, but at the same time I feel like I might be going too fast for my family. My parents found out about me in July, and here it is December and I am changing my name! I was thinking I would do this early next year, and that would give them time to adjust some more.

Anyways for those who have gone through a name change do you think I am moving too fast, and what kind of emotions did you go through before the court date and after?

Peace

Melissa :)

Okay so for english, I had to write a position paper. I chose to write it on pro-same-sex marriage. I'm posting some of my thoughts from this paper on here for all of you to read. So enjoy.

So this battle over same-sex marriage has been going on since the nineties. If you ask most religious people, they will tell you that it is a sin. That would just be them discriminating against same-sex couples. Now, not all religious people are like this. Hell, most non religious people think this way too! To me, same-sex couples are no different then myself and other straight couples. They go to work, listen to music, ride bikes, read, write, go to school, ect. They are still normal human beings. Because of their beliefs, others decide that they don't fit into our society so they discriminate. So these people are discriminating because the Bible says that it is a sin for same-sex couples to get married or even exist for that matter. Well, not everone follows every single rule int he Bible. In the bible, it says that we shall not kill, lie, judge or steal because those are all sins. Every single day, someone lies, someone steals, we all judge and someone kills, all breaking the rules of the Bible creating sins. The funny thing about today's society is that people are so hung up on discriminating against same-sex marriage and making sure that there is no law passed while we should be way more worried about other things like, killing and stealing. Discrimination is a huge sin and so therefore if people are discriminating and saying that same-sex marriage is a sin just tell them "Hey did you know that discrimination was a sin too? So you are just as guilty as I am for breaking rules of the Bible." That will catch them off guard. Even though only 6 states have passed this law, that is still 6 states more than there used to be. Don't give up hope. In the future I guarentee you that we will definitely be seeing more states passing this law and it may not happen until I am in my 40's and I'm 18. Same-sex marriage could be routine in the future. Everyone has there own way of defining marriage. It's crazy. Some may go by what the Bible will say, some make up their own definition, I think personally that marriage should be a bond between two people man to man, man to woman or woman to woman who are in love, happy and wish to spend the rest of their lives together. I think that should be fair enough. Anyways, times change, ideas change, laws change and the definition of marriage will change. If homosexual couples can convince the government and those against it, that marriage is a bond between two people who are happy and in love and not only what the Bible says, they can change a definition, a law, an idea, and possibly the world as we know it. Many are against it now, but in the future, that may only be a thing of the past.

Thanks for reading.

I keep replaying this, wondering what it would be like if the numbers on the vote were reversed. :\



Edit: Crap, uploaded the wrong clip. It's fixed now.

I, like all the rest of you, was disgusted by today's vote against gay marriage in New York. For me, this is the last straw- i am determined to be more involved in the struggle. This unjust defeat has shown me that it is not enough just to be vocal. I can't bear it that so many people i care deeply about have had their civil rights stomped on today...

I know that there is a rally going on in Times Square this very moment- but i am nowhere near NYC. I live on LI. My question to the rest of you is whether anyone here knows if there will be a rally closer by? How can i help out? Where can i go?

http://www.dayofsilence.org/index.cfm

How many of you have participated in DOS previously?
Also, I coordinated it at my previous high school for 2 years,but since it had never been done before there wasn't a lot of participants. Now that I graduated I don't think anyone is heading it up, and the number of people participating is low.
I've gotten Emails from a few students asking questions about it, so I'm thinking of going back this March and April and organizing it but I want it to be a bigger deal this time, with at least a lot more community awareness.
I'm trying to think of ways to go about it (assuming my old HS will allow me to!), and I was just wanting suggestions on g ways to get the community involved as well as the students.
Hmmmmmmmm.
Thanks :)

~JoLynne

100 people get Swine Flu & everybody wants to wear a mask. A million people have AIDS & nobody wants to wear a condom.

If this is out of place feel free to remove it.

Call for Submissions
LITTLE BOY LOST: True Adventures of Men without Boyhoods

Editor C. Michael Woodward is seeking submissions to Little Boy Lost (working title), an upcoming anthology by transsexual men on the longer-term psychosocial impact of transitioning from female to male.


A note from the Editor
( Read more... )


SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
( Read more... )


About the Editor

C. Michael Woodward is a writer, musician, speaker, consultant, political advisor, peer counsellor, and social justice advocate — in no particular order. He led the Southern Arizona Gender Alliance (SAGA) for more than five years and worked in variety of roles at Wingspan, southern Arizona’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, and Transgender community centre.

Woodward currently serves as Co-Chair of the City of Tucson Commission on GLBT Issues and Chair of The University of Arizona President's LGBTQ Advisory Council. He is a former Board member of Female to Male International (FTMI) and is profiled on Lynn Conway's Successful Transmen, a prestigious website recognising leaders in the international Transgender community. Michael was a keynote speaker at the 2008 Southern Comfort Conference.

Since 2003, Michael has presented training and information about LGBTQ and allied concerns to thousands of people across the country. In 2009, he formed lgbtQ&A Diversity & Inclusion Consulting, providing sexual orientation and gender identity cultural competency, best practices, and transition planning services to organisations and individuals nationwide. For booking information, contact michael@lgbtqa.com.

In addition to more than a dozen how-to books on computer software, Woodward has published magazine articles, blogs, op-eds, and other writings on a variety of non-fiction topics. His latest book, Little Boy Lost: True Adventures of Men without Boyhoods, is currently in progress.

I am a young trans guy who is in and out of the asexual community. I started my testosterone shots about a week and a half ago *hands out celebratory cookies* and I've been wondering about some of the effects.

I have been told, and I have read extensively, that one of the effects of testosterone is a sharp boost in sex drive. I'm curious how this might affect an asexual person- creates a "normal" sex drive? Higher drive, but still no attraction to other people? No noticeable effect? I mean, I can ponder the possibilities all day, but what I'd really like is information from real trans people who identified as asexual before and/or after taking hormones about how they affected their sex drive and sexual identity. As an FTM, I've got a more personal stake in learning about testosterone, but I'm curious about the other asexual hormone experiences as well.

Originally posted this question to asexuality, but got a limited response (mostly pre-T trans guys with the same question), so trying here to see what y'all have to say on the matter.

Interesting conversation with Ken Zucker from CAMH, a mother of a gender variant child and Hershel Russel, a trans male psychologist around the issue of gender variance in childhood. It's long, but at least check out around the 12:30 mark, where they discuss the controversy of GID diagnosis. Russel suggests replacing GID with Gender Expression Deprivation Disorder. The problem is not with trans people's genders, it's the anxiety that comes from not being able to express one's gender.

Also, great when Russel calls him and his clinic out for what they're actually doing- which is running a reparative therapy clinic.

edit: to fix typo

( Video under cut )

I play badminton every Monday and the woman I play with insist that we shower there before we go home. And normally it's just me and her, which is fine as I'm used to that, but today there were about 10 other women there and it creeped me out! I'm usually rather shy around women and I felt sooo weird and self-concious, but I didn't know how to say no to her. It may seem like a small problem, but it grows and grows inside my head. It felt so bad and I'm strangely ashamed of myself. Yikes! Definitely have to learn how to say no.

I know that there are many strong opinions (and worthwhile ones at that) on this forum, and that is why I am posting this here. I want to get an honest opinion. From my IRL friends on here, to people I only keep in touch with every so often, even stretching to those I have never met, but hope to. I have a fire lit under my ass about this. Have had the motivation to do it right for a long time. And now, I finally have the guts to ask this community for its story. And so, here goes nothing:

I don't know if anyone else feels this way, but when I first considered transitioning, books and movies written and/or starring transpeople really kept me going. Yes, it sounds silly, but it worked for me. However, after getting further in transition, I have noticed a trend in trans film: the token trans person; the butt of all the jokes or a "shocking revelation" that becomes a plot point. I am tired of this. I am trying to become a filmmaker, and filmmakers create what they can relate to. I would love nothing more than to create something that would speak the minds of our community as people, not others. What I am asking for, here, is this: what story would you want to tell? Yours? A friend's? A stranger's? Would you like an adaptation of a popular webcomic (I've read most of them myself)? Any and every suggestion is welcome. I want to create a story that is true to life; one that doesn't focus on surgery, but what we go through up and until surgery. A story that will truly capture what it is like to transition. I'm not talking an MTV True Life special. I'm talking the nitty, gritty, beautiful contradiction that can be transition.

For the mods, if this is an inappropriate post I will gladly remove it, but I think our story needs to be told, in a truthful, heartfelt manner. That is my only goal. If this is not the correct place to post this, please feel free to pm me for contact info. I can not promise any acting roles as of this moment (because, well, it's just an idea at this point), but anyone who contributes will be acknowledged (including negative feedback if allowed).

I want to thank you all for not covering me in tar and feathers. I just......I don't know. I want to help. And this is the best way I know how.

Hi everyone! I don't post much, but this is one question I definitely need some help with. I run a number of forums/websites, and one of them is a forum and social site geared toward teens, which has a section for helping with the typical growing-up problems/questions. It's not specifically a trans-oriented site, so there aren't a lot of other TG members besides myself, but we do get them occasionally, and I try to do a good job with helping them out.

One of our members is FtM, and he posted asking about groups to talk to other FtMs. Specifically, he wanted to know about transition-related resources relevant to his race, because he has some specific concerns regarding things like hair, as well as questions/issues regarding African-American masculinity. This isn't exactly an area I'm familiar with, and I've spent the last few hours searching, but all I could find was a Yahoo group and an LJ community of uncertain activity.

So, does anyone know of other groups/communities/forums/websites/whatever that might be relevant to this guy? I referred him here, of course, and to some other general LJ communities, but for something specifically geared toward minority transition interests, I don't have a clue, and Google seems to be drawing a blank. Thanks so much!

I know the numbers seem to be shifting all the time (typically in our favor), and polls are only so reliable and accurate, but I thought this graph was neat:

( Cut for size )

It's a demographic waiting game, as we already know. As far as how specifically accurate these statistics are, I don't know, but I would be willing to give it the benefit of the doubt.

Hey everyone.

So does anyone know how trans friendly NYC is in general? I'm just wondering since I plan to move there in a few years and begin transition there. Also, how would costs be like for hormones, laser/electro, etc? I'm not originally from NYC so I don't know how this will effect me or my insurence. Thanks!

Today, I was basically outed to my father (after successfully coming out to my aunt.) Which started a fight, in which I was told to "Stop denying the truth", "You're schoolmates are going to think you're a fucking weirdo when you're an adult and they remember this stage", and other such bits. He also decided that he's taking away my binder as soon as we get home (currently being in another state with my aunt.)

Dad won't read anything I send him, but he might read things my aunt (his sister) sends him, so I'm sending her links. I've sent her several new articles and trans family/kid sites, but I'd love more links.

And, is there really anything I can do on the Dad front? We've got no money (less than 700 a month from unemployment with at least 200 of that going to my brother's medication before anything else), I'm a minor, and my school counselor doesn't speak with students.

I'm a 19 year-old trans man living in a small Midwestern college town, and am having difficulties transitioning. I have lived full-time as male for the last year and a half, though I have not legally changed my name.

1) No doctors nearby. This is not a town known for its stellar medical care, and it houses no doctors who specialize in transition-related care.

2) Iffy therapist. I am seeing a therapist for free at the health center, but I only have four more sessions left available to me. She is sympathetic and polite, but knows nothing about aiding in transition.

3) No money and little transportation. There are two bigger cities nearby, but I lack the time and funds to commute and pay for care there.

My immediate concern is getting a letter from a therapist so that when I can access medical treatment I'll be able to do so right away. However, I know nothing about the procedures for this. Do letters have to be addressed to someone specific, or are they general, "To who this may concern" letters? Is there an expected format? Is there a good way for me to convince my current therapist to do this for me, and defeat her possible argument that she doesn't know what she's doing? I'm self-reliant enough to do all the work therapists are supposed to do according to the SOC, so I'd just be using her signature for this.

I've tried looking through the tags, but didn't see anything. Help?

-Tobias

Hey, so I'm Nikk; it's short for Nikolai, but nobody ever calls me that. I'm seventeen years old, and I suppose that I roll with the FtM label. Suppose because I try not to be too sure of anything. Suppose because I'm not so sure that adopting labels is conducive to living my life. Labels make things complicated. I have a female body, but the rest of me is distinctly not-female and I want to have male anatomy (along with the little things like voice). If that makes me an FtM, so be it.

We still have these labels though, and I always want to know why. Don't bother denying that labels don't exist. If they didn't exist, why are you in a trans community? If I didn't consider myself transgender, I wouldn't be posting this, you wouldn't be reading it, and in fact, we'd probably live very "normal" lives - no fear, no transition, just lives. If that's the case, then why do we feel the need to call ourselves transgender? If we didn't call ourselves transgender, what would we be?

We call ourselves transgender, creating a dividing line between ourselves and everyone who's not transgender. We are [for the most part] proud of our identity and are determined to turn it into actuality. For all the trouble we've actually gone to make our wants surfacebound, I have to wonder if it's worth it? Is it worth segregating ourselves from the cisgendered community? What would happen if labels disappeared altogether and there was nothing left to tie the trans community together but experience: would we still face the amount of segregation from the "norm" that we do?

I'm sorry if these questions are a bit... philosophically obscure. I'm just curious. I realize that my questions might not be the clearest (since they aren't exactly the easiest to articulate), so if you have any clarifying questions, please ask.

I just had a curious thought. I myself identify as female, but I have a question for the guys here. When taking T over an extended period of time (years or more), is male-pattern baldness a common occurrence? I was mostly just curious.

A friend of mine is doing an "Ask the Expert" thread on trans* issues for a general interests message board here. He did one of these before and the response was very positive. This time, he's going to be having others contributing to the thread with their own experiences. The goal is for it to put more information out there and educate, as well as to offer support to one another.

However, the problem with this is that all of the people contributing are FtM and also very early in transition. A woman's perspective would be really helpful, as would a more experienced voice.

If anyone is interested in joining the discussion, the site is free to join. Also, you can post to the thread without registering there, though comments will be moderated.

I'm sorry if this is a stupid question but I have been wondering for awhile now. Anyways, everything I read says most of the effects of hormone replacement therapy is irreversible. Like the deepening of the voice (for FtM), fat redistribution, etc. So why do you have to continue taking it? If the majority of the secondary characteristics (at least that is what it seems to be to me) are generally not reversed by stopping the hormone replacement then why do you need to continue? Just curious.

Hi,

I have a question concerning the impact of estrogen on weight, but also on fat distribution.
( Click to show my dilemmas concerning regime and hrt )

My name change thing went up (200 bucks down the drain for ONE DAY POSTED), and a friend of my grandparents (the Everton's, aka Dad's side) brought it to their attention. So today, at my Aunt's House (which I refuse to attend, I really don't think hanging around alcoholics is a pleasant gathering), they brought it up with my Mother.

My mother has told them before about it, so of course they forget.

But see, this is why I wanted to avoid the whole newspaper thing to begin with.

THANK YOU MASSACHUSETTS!

P.s: The link is of the actual newspaper thing. Notice the use of her and she.

P.s.s: cross posted in a few different areas, apologies.

So I have been reading about lots of things in relation to gender transition lately, and one of the things which I have read about is hormone therapy since that is what causes the most physical changes towards making one look like a guy (or girl for MtF) and whatnot. However, as someone who dates women but has tried dating men in the past, one of the things that I like a lot more about women than men is their odour. Women have a gentle and sweet odour, whereas men have a much more harsh and musky odour.

So this raises a question which may seem weird to some people and I feel slightly silly asking it, but here it goes anyway.... For those of you who have started hormones and prefer a member of the opposite sex than your target gender for a partner, are you at all repulsed by your new odour? I know that for the most part we rarely smell ourselves since we're around ourselves all the time and our noses adjust, but in the event that you smell something from yourself in an area you normally are not near, does it repulse you at all, do you like your new odour or something else?

Anyone know if there's more to this story than what's being reported?

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&client=opera&rls=en&hs=3EH&num=100&newwindow=1&q=%22Biological+Mom+Ordered+to+Give+Up+Child%22&aq=f&oq=&aqi=

A Vermont judge rules Lisa Miller must turn over her daughter to her former lesbian partner.

Superior Judge William Cohen ruled last week that Lisa Miller, a former lesbian who is now a Christian, must hand her daughter, Isabelle, over to her former partner, Janet Jenkins by Jan. 1.

Miller conceived Isabella through artificial insemination while she was in a civil union with Jenkins. About a year later, Miller left homosexuality.

Jenkins sued for custody, even though she has no biological tie to the child.

Miller admits she made mistakes, like signing a custody agreement while still in the relationship with Jenkins, but Mathew Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel and legal counsel for Miller, said that wouldn't stop him from appealing the decision to the Vermont Supreme Court.

"This judge in Vermont ultimately ruled that he is going to switch custody from Lisa Miller," he said, "and take her own biological daughter Isabella and move her from Virginia and put her into an activist lesbian household up in Vermont with a person she really doesn't know, who's not her biological mother, and frankly who's not acted as a parent."

The courts had ordered to spend time with Jenkins in the past, and Miller complied until her daughter complained.

"Every time that the visitation actually occurred, Isabella had violent reactions, because Janet exposed her to the lesbian lifestyle," Staver said. "(Jenkins) tried to convince her that she has two moms and even tried to scare her by saying that she was going to be taken from Lisa and transferred to Vermont."

Eventually, Miller refused the court-ordered visitations.

Historically, courts have sided with the biological mother in custody battles, and Staver said the judge has never questioned Miller's fitness as a parent.

"How can a third party, a stranger," he asked, "interfere with the parental rights of a biological parent when that parent is fit?"

Rena Lindevaldsen, professor at Liberty University School of Law, said it's another example of where activist courts are taking the culture.

"To have the first reported decision in the country stripping a biological mother of her child," she said, "solely because she has refused to give visitation to a legal stranger, is shocking.

"There's a lot of talk nowadays about drawing that line in the sand and understanding that government can't order certain things. When you're ordering a child to be stripped from her biological mother, you've got to wonder, has the court overstepped its bounds?"

Cross-posted from ftm_youth.

Anyways, hi. I'm Louis, male-identified, and sixteen. I've had this question on my mind since I last applied for a job (unsuccessfully). Although my parents don't try to sabotage my transition, they do not support me-- so I have not had a legal name change, and will be unable to get one until I'm eighteen. How do I bring this up to potential employers? On my last application, I put down my birth name with my male name in parentheses, then explained the situation in brief to the employer during my interview. Is this the best way to go about it, or would it be possible to put down my male name and only explain the situation if I get hired? Or should I only put down my birth name? Does it make a difference if the application states the company will not discriminate based on gender identity?

Thanks.

Hi everyone.

I have a couple of questions about FtM changes whilst on T.

Firstly my forearms, i know with muscle growth they will get a bit bigger but will having a small bone structure limit that?

Secondly im 5ft 2, someone somewhere did mention that if your growth plates arent fused yet you might gain a bit of height from taking T. Im not sure if thats correct and really im ok with my height but i've heard guys get a lot of stick when they are short. I was wondering if anyones had that problem and how they delt with it?

Finally my voice. It is HIGH, im 19 but if i get someone ringing the house (from like a bank maybe) and i answer they always ask me to put my 'mummy or daddy on the phone' its embarrasing. I will never be able to pass with this voice and im worried when it breaks it will still be high. Anybody else in this situation? any tips to get it lower maybe?

Thanks =]

I originally posted this in my personal page, but I figured it was probably best to be raised in a community chat where people might actually look at it. heh

-----------------------

I was talking in a tinychat earlier with some people from the site called trapchan, all of which were MtFs except myself and some cis guy. For a while I did not have the balls (haha) to turn on my webcam, since I don't exactly look the most masculine since I still have a fairly feminine hairstyle and such, but after a while I decided I would sort of stuff my hair back into the hood on my hoodie and see how things went.

So some time went on and we talked about various things, and I was told by a trans woman in the channel that if she had not been told of my FtM status that she would have just thought I was a guy when I had my hood on (not so much when I let out the hair I guess heh), which I thought was pretty awesome since I have not made any permanent steps towards looking like a guy yet.

Then I decided to turn on the mic so I could say some stuff and see if perhaps my voice sounded a bit masculine (I have lived as a butch lesbian for a while, so I don't exactly sound like a cheerleader haha), and suddenly the aforementioned trans woman jumped on me and said "you're no FtM with that voice." At first I thought she was making fun of me for sounding like such a girl, but then it went in a totally weird direction and she private messaged me in the tinychat and said something about "having her fooled" and that they "would not tell anyone."

Supposedly, my voice tipped her off in some weird direction which made her think I was a trans woman rather than a pre-transition trans man. So I sort of thanked her, since I suppose it was sort of a compliment (depending on how the trans woman sounded), but things were really awkward as she fought me on my identity trying to say that she "had been around a lot of traps in her lifetime" and had me totally figured out, or whatever.

The entire thing was really awkward and alarming, albeit rather humorous. Currently I am not really certain how to take it, since when I asked her what made her think that way, she just kept pressuring me to "drop the act" or whatever. Has anyone else experienced something like this?

Well I want to go swimming but I wont without my binder.

So does the water ruin the binder or anything?

It's a double front from underworks.

Adam Lambert performed what was essentially a gay bondage orgy at the American Music Awards last night.

The video, for all of you who are curious, is here. Not the best quality, but you can see all the good bits. (Edit: NSFW unless you work somewhere with very liberal views on what is socially acceptable as far as sexual expression in the workplace.)

Many people are saying it went too far - which it probably did - but amazingly few of them are critiquing it because the thrusting was male-on-male; they object because it was thrusting. And simulated fellatio. And that bit where he walked several backup dancers on a leash. But not the fact that the keyboardist he kissed was a guy. Personally, I think it was over-the-top and kind of for shock value, especially because none of it really went together (Earlier I said it looked like the monkeys at the beginning of Wicked if you put them in a mid-90s Madonna video), but that doesn't stop me from watching it...quite a bit.

And it seems to come at a good time for him, after he was being lambasted by Out magazine last week for "not being gay enough." No better way to solve that than to hump and make out with guys on national television, right?

Hey everyone!

My name is Michael. I'm ftm transgender and this is my first time posting to this community on LJ. I actually just got involved in LJ and someone recommended that I join this community asap. I'm also on TrueSelves (michaeldavid is the name there) for anyone that is also on that forum.

I'm here mainly to get some sort of support system going for myself. I have a little bit of one currently, but there are some issues with it. One of my friends is transgender, but she has a hard time helping me with everything because she's having a hard time in her transition process and isn't used to ftm transitioning.

Thus far I'm pretty much pre-everything. I've picked a name (as you could guess my parent's didn't name their "girl" Michael), have started wearing men's clothing and am planning on cutting my hair. I haven't done anything beyond that and it will probably be a while before I can. I can't really afford therapy right now, but I'm going to try to work on that soon. As for transitioning in general, I'm really interested in starting HRT once I start therapy and come out as well as having chest surgery.

Anyway, I would love to get to know everybody and I look forward to learning more about the community.

So in a little under a year I'm getting married, and I want to look good in a dress. I'm not thick by any stretch of the imagination, but there is a little toning that can be done around the mid section. And a little exercise is just good anyway, especially during the winter months to help stave off cabin fever, depression, it's goog for you, blah blah blah, etc. etc. etc. So the question is this. Are there any nation gym chains that are trans friendly or any local Nashville gyms that are trans friendly, specifically MtF friendly?

hey all was looking for female type rings in like a size 10, anyone know where to find such. thanks for any help. by female type i am meaning an engagement ring of sorts or wedding band.

(right click > view image to see bigger!)

A social justice final project of mine, which I organized with a group of
Rutgers students is happening in two weeks!!!! Come help us make a statement in NJ!

RSVP HERE or HERE

I'm an author and is currently writing a novel about transgenderism. It's going to be about an ftm (since that's what I know about) teenager. I do think there are too few books on the subject (in Denmark, anyway) I'd love to get some input from you guys. Any issues I should remember to cover? I'd like to make it as realistic as possible.
Thanks for reading:)

My father called. He screamed at me for 31 seconds. Apparently my college has been sending him mail with "Aden" on it. He asked if I had changed my name. I told him no. He told me that he had tried to go along with this, but when it enters his house he has a problem with it. He told me I was rubbing it (my gender identity) in his face, and he can't put up with it anymore. Called me back, then texted me saying he would shut my phone off if i didn't call him back. I texted him back saying that I couldn't, because he hurt me, and that I would have Simmons not send them mail or call the house for Aden.

My problem at this point is that it is coming time to go home for Thanksgiving, and I would avoid Thanksgiving as I have other invitations for dinner. It is however coupled with my birthday which makes things complicated. I'm barely making enough money for my bills, and am hoping for some gifts to help with my lack of funds. I also need to go to the bank for more money (it's a local bank). My dad was a reagan era drill sergeant, and has not seen me much since I started t. So, I'm rather afraid of the fighting, which consists of him yelling at me until I cry. However, I also am afraid of the drama of my not coming home.

If I had the funds, I would gladly give up the securities they offer me.

x-posted to ftm

Today's edition of The Observer newspaper in Britain carries an article which begins:

Brussels says churches must lift ban on employing homosexuals

EU decides British government was wrong to allow exemptions under equality law

The government is being forced by the European commission to rip up controversial exemptions that allow church bodies to refuse to employ homosexual staff.

It has emerged that the commission wrote to the government last week raising concerns that the UK had incorrectly implemented an EU directive prohibiting discrimination on the grounds of a person's sexual orientation.

The ruling follows a complaint from the National Secular Society, which argued that the opt-outs went further than was permitted under the directive and had created "illegal discrimination against homosexuals"
...

(Read the full article)

Hi this is my first post (outside of the occasional comment) and I wanted to introduce myself before asking a quick question.

Lets see here. I'm an aries who likes to take long fast bike rides through congested urban streets. I also love cyclocross and bike polo. It's not surprising that this is my third year working in a bicycle shop. I'm also working toward a degree in psychology. I like gnocchi... a lot.

I was male assigned at birth, but live as a female identified anarcha-artisto-feministy-type queer. I prefer female pronouns. I've been on hormones for a little over a year and a half. I'm out to everyone. I'm introverted, but have extroverted moments and love to be social. Luckily, I'm pretty consistently read as my identified gender.

I tend to be radical (ie promoting an ideology that is outside the current established system) with my views, especially on a lot of trans and queer issues. Sometimes my sentence structure and concise writing can come off a bit harsh, please call me out on it, because my intent is never malicious.

I go by both evie and ryan (it's a girls name too!)

Here is my question:

I have to go to my Grandfather's funeral on Monday. This will be the first funeral that I have been to in almost 8 years... so way before anyone knowing about trans stuff. Although all of my family knows, I am certain that most of my home town, including all of their friends, doesn't.

I'm conflicted on what to wear. I no longer own any clothing that would be male appropriate funeral attire. I don't even know what would be considered female appropriate funeral attire. Also most of the clothing that I own tends to be... well, Marla Singer bike messenger chic.

Does anyone have suggestions? What should I wear? Although my family hasn't said anything I feel like there is this unspoken expectation for me to present male. I really don't want to, plus at this point I don't think it would be a realistic option.

Although i don't feel like I owe it to them to look a certain way, I think it's sort of crappy to just show up, surprise the hell out of about 300 hundred + people, and then leave my parents/family to deal with the aftermath. Ideally it shouldn't be a problem, but also I know transphobia.

halp!