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 Everybody is welcome in this thread! This includes trans* people, cis people, gender-nonconforming people, genderfuck people, people with intersex conditions, cross dressers, binary and non-binary identified, drag performers, and everyone else no matter your gender identity, expression, or sexual orientation. In the past, TMT threads were started as Ask/Tell threads but they eventually grew into places where trans people could talk about their experiences and questioning people could vent their frustrations and learn. I want to keep this thread as newbie-friendly as possible so I'll be adding frequently asked questions and resources to the OP as they come up.  
  There's a lot of jargon in the trans community and sometimes not a lot of agreement between trans people on what some of it means. If anyone in this thread wants to offer additional terms to add to this list, or revisions to what's here, let's talk about it in the thread or over PM.
  Please try to have some common courtesy when asking questions. There are tons of trans people on SA that are perfectly willing to answer your questions, but just be mindful that cis-privileged bullshit and stereotypes will probably offend us. Duh. For example, asking me to seriously consider the views of FOX News contributor Keith Ablow will probably piss me off. So don't do it! Don't ask personal questions or feel like you have the right to know someone's medical history. Surgery is a personal decision and you are not allowed to demand that anyone disclose anything they don't want to. There are lots of people that will freely discuss surgery and highly personal issues, but that is their choice. And try to avoid "debating" with obvious trolls. These threads have a history of attracting horrible trolls (on both sides) and nothing is served by multipage derails about poo poo that only you care about.   We are sick of drama arising from this thread. We would like it to be a valuable, reliable resource for the trans community and honest questions from cis folks. We would also rather see it go away if it becomes a constant source of poo poo. Sure, individual idiots will be probated and banned (and you know who you are), but we encourage all of you to contribute to a positive, helpful tone in the thread. If you really can't manage that, just don't post. Expect harsh penalties for idiocy in this thread. Thank you, back to the thread.  This section is broken up into general questions, questions about trans men, questions about trans women, and then questions from the questioning. If anyone has any suggestions for things to add to this section, feel free to contribute and I'll add it. Q: "What does 'transgender' mean? Who is considered trans?" A: The exact meanings of the terms like “transgender” and “transsexual” are hotly debated with constantly shifting goalposts based off of politics and ideologies. For the purposes of this thread, all gender-nonconforming people can and should be allowed to participate with the obvious caveat that, for example, a cisgendered drag performer not claim to speak for the experiences of all transgender people or vice versa. There are tons of great quotes from current and no-longer-posting TMT posters about what transgender and transsexual means to them. If you're interested you should definitely check out some of the previous TMT OPs. Q: "Is there a right way to be trans?" A: NO! If you are questioning and your personal experience does not mesh with many of the posts in this thread, do not despair. Everyone comes to terms with their gender, sexuality, and expression in their own way and on their own terms. Q: "What about disclosure?" AKA, the "Which bathrooms do they use?!?" question. A: It's none of your loving business! Disclosure is a tremendously complex subject and trans people feel pressure from all directions to conform to one standard or the other. But it's their loving choice. You do not get to demand or expect disclosure, ever. It's their personal medical history and you do not have a right to it if they don't want to share it. End of story. Every trans person decides for themselves when and where and how they disclose their trans status and/or aspects of their medical history. It's their personal choice and if you're curious about why they make particular choices then feel free to ask, but don't judge them if they don't want to answer or you don't like their answer. Q: "Should someone be out or stealth?" A: It's none of your loving business! Stealth, if you don't already know, is when a trans person decides to live their life mostly never disclosing to people about their trans status. Or maybe they don't disclose to their friends but they do disclose to their partner. Or maybe they don't disclose to most people but are ok disclosing to some friends. Whatever. It's their decision how they want to play it. Out trans people are not being more honest than stealth trans people, and stealth people are not "abandoning" their out brothers and sisters by being stealth. Q: "I know next to nothing about transgendered folk and had a couple of questions, and I’m a bit nervous about asking a dumb/rude question but was reassured by the OP... until I found that the answer to the 2nd and 3rd FAQ question is 'None of your loving business!' Can I suggest you modify the OP slightly?" A: Yes, you can!  The thrust of those answers is this: Don't ask individual people about personal medical issues like their surgical status, and don't dictate or ask leading questions about the "right" way to cope with the social issues that come with being trans. If your question isn't doing any of those things, you're probably OK to ask it. All we're asking for is a bit of mutual respect here.Q: "Is self medication safe?" A: This is up to an individual to decide for themselves. However, it would definitely be best to get medical supervision even if your are self medding just in case something rare comes up. If you can see a endocrinologist, that's even better.   Q: "What kinds of hormones are involved?" A: Testosterone, and only testosterone. Testosterone is the main male sex hormone. There are several methods of administration for testosterone:
A: The effect of testosterone depends partially on the person - if you're Asian or Native American, you probably shouldn't expect much body hair, but Italians can break out the gold chains to nestle into your new fur sweater! But here's an overview of some effects that will definitely happen:
Finally, a few things that will not happen:
There is also an alternative to testosterone, referred to as "natural transitioning," called DHEA. I don't know a thing about it, other than it exists apparently in the UK. Q: "How does binding work?" A: Binding is the practice of flattening and hiding one's breasts to create the appearance of a flat chest. In short, it hurts and is really uncomfortable. While it won't do you any permanent or seriously hurtful damage, it can leave marks that take a while to disappear, and over time your breast tissue will degrade and become saggier. If you're planning to get top surgery, that's obviously not a problem, but if you're unsure, you might not want to bind every day or too tightly. There are several methods of binding, some more effective than others, but the size of your chest is the real limiting factor. Some guys can just wear a sports bra and be passing as a 12-year-old in no time, and some guys can wear two commercial binders and still not convince anyone. Let's go through some possibilities:
Finally, there is a program called Big Brothers that allows trans guys, post-top surgery, to pass their old binders along to other guys who can't necessarily afford new ones. There's a small cost, but it's much cheaper than buying new. CK07 has passed along some of his old binders specifically to goons as well, and may find more as time goes on - watch the thread for updates! Q: "What sorts of things do I need to bring with me for top surgery?" A: Goatface Killa posted a list of useful things following his surgery.   Q: "What kinds of hormones are involved?" A:It depends on the person, but typically you're looking at some combination of the following.
The main reason why anti-androgens are used is because it allows estrogen to feminize the body more easily, without having to fight testosterone for the same amount of space and function. Without anti-androgens, high amounts of estrogens must be prescribed. High amounts of oral estrogens can cause blood clotting, cancers, and so on. While AA's aren't perfect, their side effects and potential damaging effects are far less than overloading on estrogens. And on the plus side, AA's also bring testosterone levels to normal female amounts. Typically, the following dosages are used.
If one has not undergone the "wrong" puberty, or wishes to shut down a currently-ongoing puberty, drugs such as Lupron can be taken (again, injection) to essentially shut off the hormone-regulating functions of the brain, therefore ceasing puberty before more damage can be done. “Puberty blockers” as they're known are generally not useful for any trans person over the age of 18 or 19, and instead anti-androgens should be used for trans women. Q: "What can I expect out of hormones?" A: It depends on the person. Some of the most noticeable (and nigh-universal) effects of female sex hormones and anti-androgens on male-bodied persons are:
Some of the bad effects:
A: The female sex drive is very different than the male sex drive. As opposed to it being “always on,” it takes more time to work up to a full erection or to be aroused in general. Sex is often less “rushed” and the orgasm doesn't become the centre-piece of the sexual act. Orgasm becomes something of a full-body experience, ranging from slightly more intense than a male orgasm to extremely intense and mind-blowing, depending on how well the body takes to it and how well the body was stimulated before hand. You most likely will still be able to get erections with a female sex drive, and your interests generally won't change too dramatically. The #1 sex organ is the brain. Estrogen might make you like certain things more than you thought possible (smelling the scent off of a boy will be very interesting the first time you do it, especially if you consider yourself to be lesbian). Q: "What about tucking?" A: Tucking is essentially cramming your junk downwards and wearing two pairs of elasticated panties over them. It can be very difficult for those of us who are well-endowed, but it gets easier over time. There are hyper-advanced methods of tucking, but essentially the easiest way to do it is to simply get panties with elasticated crotch areas and just shove it all down and towards the back. You might have to adjust it through the day, but it beats the poo poo out of wearing a gaff or taping/gluing (  ) your junk.Q: "Do you have any tips for voice training?" There's a Voice Lessons group that was just started by merrilyx4 for this sort of thing. Send her a PM and she'll invite you. Also, check out this post (archive's required) (pastebin copy here) for lots of helpful information. There's also a FREE, EASY program to help with your voice. I haven't used it myself, but MageMage says that it's better than human advice. Try it for like 6 weeks and see if it helps: Voicetutor. Spindrift posted:I can confirm that that program works very well. I used the audio exercise CD (titled "Finding Your Female Voice") she made and it really gets the point across if you pay careful attention and do what she is describing. It's on iTunes for $10, but it's a little lacking in instruction since it's meant to accompany the DVD that does most of the talking. The DVD she has helps with explaining certain things, and while I realize there's tons of free info on this topic online, if you're willing to pay $25 for it you probably won't regret the purchase. Q: "What do I wear?!?" The problem with writing universal women's fashion tips for anyone is that it is 100% subjective. Some trans women like being butch, or butch-y, or androgynously butch, or straight-up androgynous, or androgynously femme, or femme-y, or femme, and so on and so on. To go for any “universal” look is nigh-impossible. There are, however, some basic guidelines. Don't be afraid to show skin. Start shaving your body parts like your arms, and show them off. Don't hide your body shape even if it isn't particularly feminine – female clothing can and will accentuate the feminine aspects of your body shape, even if you're convinced you have none. Masculine and feminine body shapes aren't a binary dichotomy, so don't be extremely concerned with that – many cis women have narrow hips and broad shoulders and they get by just fine. Don't hardline to an ultra-conservative matron. It's a common practice for trans women to want to wear tons of layers and long skirts or baggy pants to hide their bodies. A lot of this has to do with our innate body dysphoria. Try to ease off of that and show more skin, and more importantly, dress more like other girls around you. If you're a 20-something girl living in a big city, you'll typically see girls wearing t-shirts or blouses during the summer that show off their arms. Don't start loafing around in a giant loving turtleneck sweater during the middle of July. It looks silly and brings attention to yourself. You're not ugly. Shut the gently caress up. While experimenting with stuff, you might find looks that kinda-sorta work, but not really. But go with it. Every trans girl has horrible wardrobe mistakes in their pasts that they look back on and proceed to place their hands over their faces for. Don't worry about it. You're practically growing up again so just have fun and learn from the mistakes. At the end of the day, you'll get better advice posting a picture here and going under the gaze of other trans women than you will reading a guide. Either post a picture here, or contact one of the SUPERFRIENDS to get some fashion advice.   Q: "I can't seem to find any gender specialists/therapists in my area, what do I do?" A: You don't have to find a gender specialist. A good therapist is many orders of magnitudes more helpful than a mediocre or poor gender specialist, and usually easier to find. Q: "I think I might be trans but I’m not so sure about hormones/surgery/transition/etc. Does that mean anything?" A: Medical transitioning is only a small part of transitioning. Transitioning is mostly a psychological endeavour to figure out who you are, what makes you happy, and to deal with any pain associated with what you perceive to be "lost" experiences. You don't necessarily need hormones to be trans. A lot of trans people don't feel they have the body dysphoria that would make them desire hormones. Many people who DO take hormones don't necessarily want to get something like sex reassignment surgery. It doesn't mean anything. Don't worry about medical transitioning or transitioning at all. Explore yourself until you find something that you think fits you well enough to go with. And don't worry about where you're going - the journey is the point of transitioning. Q: "Are you ever SURE?" A: If you're ever 100% sure of anything, you're probably not thinking about it. The fact you are unsure is probably a good indicator that you are thinking about it long and hard. Keep experimenting unless you are at least certain that your experiences make enough sense to you to warrant modifying your body. Don't make it about being “right” or “wrong,” simply try to improve your own quality of life, whatever path that may be. Never be ashamed of who you are.   IRC Good rules to follow when using IRC: Don't troll, no personal attacks, don't be extremely emo unless it’s warranted, and if someone's being creepy try and report it to the admins of the channel. Warning There are goony people in a goonchat! So people were assholes to you in irc? Got it. Please stop posting about it. I am not in control of irc, neither are any mods on SA, so don't PM us about it because there's nothing we can do. Server: irc.synirc.net Channel: #sass Server: irc.synirc.net Channel: #transchat Server: irc.spiesforthepatriarchy.org Channel: #spies Server: irc.synirc.net Channel: #hugbox "I've made a safe space irc channel if anyone wants to join it. Join #hugbox if you want to help out." -- Teabiscuit Other Threads Feminism and Gender Equality II: it lives! I firmly believe that feminism is busted without trans-feminist perspectives. Trans issues are feminist issues. Many trans people have experienced patriarchal marginalization or harassment due to their presentation, gender identity, or assigned sex. Feminism is a tool for understanding those processes and fixing them. Q: "I'm a trans woman. Am I reinforcing gender stereotypes by transitioning?" A: No. Not simply by transitioning. However it is useful to think about things critically. You're learning to navigate the world as a different gender, and you've been socialized for years about what it means to be that gender and how people of that gender should or should not preform. Basically: willing to settle posted:DO: do what you need to do to be comfortable in your body Fabgoon Megathread - Solidifying the Homosexual Agenda Unsurprisingly, some trans people are also queer!   People in this list will help give you someone to talk to, but don’t get into extreme personal detail on the first day. That would burn out the majority of the list too fast. Get to know people first. I've reset this list for this thread and the only people on there now are people that have specifically asked already. Anyone who wants to be added, just let me know in the thread. Or AIM and/or PM me. Names will appear in the order in which I add them. pre:Lexical Unit - Trans Woman Glasgow - Man, (Transgender)
Skype/AIM: lexicalunit Skype: morbidwombat
Gtalk/MSN: itfshoal
Boten Anna - Not bot; nice girl Accepts PMs
AIM: RobotAnna
Marshmallow Mayhem - Cis Woman RumbleFish - Trans man
AIM: emiwenis AIM: RumblinFishSA
Moinkmaster - Trans Woman merrilyx4 - Trans Woman
Accepts PMs AIM: fleurazure
Bigreddot - Cis Dude, or whatever Showcase SHODAN - Awesome Trans Woman
AIM: bigbigreddot AIM: Bragnanymous
AllisonByProxy - Trans Woman Tragedienne - Trans Woman
AIM: allisonbaker82 AIM/Yahoo: Tragedienne404
SuddenConsequences - German Trans Woman LtSmash - Cis Male
Accepts PMs Steam: dienestoo
teh winnar! - MtF RabbitMage - FtM. All that goodness.
Yahoo: goddessinsilver AIM: RabbitMage
Twitter: Sovereignhope
LemonLimeTime - Trans Woman quiggy - Trans Woman
Accepts PMs Skype: mathx314 (don't judge)
Email: quiggy. It's a Gmail account.
Amni - transgirl Stream: quiggy_b
Usually in IRC
Sir Quetzal - gay FTM ChikenOfALesserGod - FtM
anankylosaurussir -at- hotmail.ca Gmail: shinichiki
Porter_77 - pansexual trans girl Adnap - binary trans woman
AIM: Tybaar AIM/Yahoo: Lavenderadnap
AbsoluteLlama - trans woman cherrywood - trans girl
Accept PMs AIM: torrentialhugs
happy cabbage - trans woman Dawncloack - cis male ally
AIM: happycabbage107 Skype: dawncloack
Skype: ohemgee3 Accepts PMs
Collaterly Sisters - trans woman Lupus Rufus - transwoman
Gtalk: collaterly@gmail.com AIM/GChat: Chronikerdelta@gmail.com
AIM: collaterly
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  These are resources a trans person can use to stay informed about their situation and options regarding legal maters or medical issues. If anyone has anything to add to this section, please post about it in the thread. Toll Free Listening Lines - Talk to our trained volunteers about safer sex, coming out, where to find gay-friendly establishments, HIV and AIDS, depression, suicide, and anti-gay/lesbian harassment and violence. HRT For Trans People, With References - Forums user Helena P Blavatsky wrote up an excellent post that I have transcribed to Google Docs. The Sherbourne Transgender-HRT Protocols - by The Sherbourne Health Centre. The "protocols" are a published medical document that is written to inform physicians or clinics outside of the Sherbourne Health Centre who have trans patients of their potential healthcare needs. It is designed to educate physicians about the need for autonomy in the trans minority, and how to care for them in the form of Hormone Replacement Therapy. It is one of the best tools a trans person has about bypassing potentially discriminatory treatment by the psychiatric industry. (Some form of therapy is still mandatory, however, but it doesn't have to be a psychologist and no diagnosis is required.) The Standards of Care by WPATH - WPATH has established internationally accepted Standards of Care (SOC) for the treatment of gender identity disorders. These internationally accepted guidelines are designed to promote the health and welfare of persons with gender identity disorders. The Standards of Care are updated and revised as new scientific information becomes available. Basic TG/TS/IS Information - By Lynn Conway. A scientifically sound site, backed with tons of research and updated regularly. There's even a feed on there for the latest trans-related medical and media information. Transsexual Road Map - Some of the information on this site can be old and outdated but there's a mountain of useful information collected here. Endocrine Treatment of Transsexual Persons - This evidence-based guideline was developed to formulate practice guidelines for endocrine treatment of transsexual persons. Pill and Patch Identification Guide - Intended as a guide/reference for hormones for trans women if you find yourself going down the self-medding route. Even if you do so, it's recommended that you have regular checkups and blood work with a doctor, even if that doctor isn't prescribing your hormones.   John's Hopkins Sexual Behaviors Consultation Unit – Go here at your own risk! Trans people that have gone here are studied like lab specimens, interviewed by people who specialize in sexual predators, and literally berated for things like having a Facebook in their chosen name. Maybe there are some good people at John's Hopkins, but many still hold fast to antiquated ways of thinking about trans people. Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) – the guy who runs the CAMH GIC is a kind old man. If you take your small child, who has recently come out as trans, he will make them better and not trans anymore! And, if you are an older trans person over the age of 18 and no longer under the death grip of your parents, he will make you jump through hoops to even get a diagnosis of GID, let alone any form of HRT. Don't go to CAMH. Go to Sherbourne. If you are going to CAMH right now and you think they're helping you, trust me, they aren't, and any path they take you down is a cul-de-sac. Escape while you still can, even if they've started dangling the carrot of hormone blockers over your head. Transsexual.org - at first this seems like a mundane website run by somebody with no design sense but ultimately trying to be helpful. Then you realize that she's got no clue what she's talking about, she lives vicariously through a webcomic, and the COGIATI test is little more than a way of testing how you conform to her notion of what an MTF is (ie, traditional femininity). Because clearly, if you like math you couldn't possibly be an MTF. (Also she ran HappyPuppy.com back in the 90's and took the massive fortune she got from that and pumped it into anime DVD's and wall scrolls so now she's poor again but  )Anything related to Harry Benjamin Syndrome (HBS) HBSers believe that they have an intersex condition rather than transness. They believe that any kind of trans identity is fraudulent. If you don't blend perfectly, you're fraudulent. If you don't like men, you're fraudulent. If you didn't KNOW that you were (HBS)/trans from birth, you're fraudulent. If you don't conform to perfect 1950s woman's roles you're fraudulent. FTMs are not part of the HBS equation.   I want this section to grow over time, so send me your recommendations! The Phallus Palace: Female to Male Transsexuals - by Dean Kotula. Personal testaments from FTMs and contributions from a host of others place the subject of transsexualism into a historical, medical, psychological and cultural context. Whipping Girl - by Julia Serano. A popular book written from a trans-feminist perspective. There are things to like about this book and it is relatively easy to pick up. That said, willing to settle posted:I think Whipping Girl is an important book. The chapter on trans people in the media is basically flawless, but a lot of the rest of it is full of some shady poo poo, as are a number of her other works. It's really kind of time for trans feminism to start growing up. The second wave is difficult for us to access because of trans-exclusionary radical feminists, and the way they frame their arguments to deliberately exclude us. But the fact of the matter is that just because the second wave is (largely) transphobic, that doesn't mean that there's nothing valuable there. Transfeminism has largely ignored that whole area though, admittedly as a survival tactic, and that is a major, major weakness. Sex Educations: Gendering and Regendering Women - by A Radical TransFeminist. An excellent introductory article on transgender and transfeminism. Families In Transition - by Central Toronto Youth Services. It's essentially meant as a primer for parents of trans people/children who have come out as trans and who wish to transition. It's a very good book, professionally done, and can be downloaded freely (PDF on site) or a hard-copy can be bought for $10. I have a hard-copy and it's really well made, a good investment for anyone who gives a drat. Transpeople - by Christopher A. Shelley. Sociological primer on trans issues and intersectionality. It's not that hard of a read: if you've got a decent head on your shoulders and any interest in trans issues, this book will be a fast and good read. Transsexual Brain Study - by The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. An awesome medical journal article (concerning both MTF/FTM's, don't let the title trick you) about the brain structures of male-to-female and female-to-male transsexuals and how their brains are wired almost exactly the same as cisgendered people, for their perceived gender identity (MtF -> female brain type, FtM -> male brain type).   I want this section to highlight positive role models that people may not be aware of and provide links to non-lovely articles or blogs about or by trans people. Generally, I'd like to give more exposure to well written and stereotype-free stories about trans people than all the terrible tabloid level crap that seems to be published non-stop gets. This section is small now, and it's kinda experimental, and it could even turn out to be controversial, so I guess we'll see how it goes. For example, links to blogs could be controversial if people don't agree with some of the ideas expressed within them. I'll try to keep that in mind and not post only those links conforming to any one agenda or philosophy. So if you do see a link to a blog here that you disagree with, keep in mind that others might not feel the same as you and it might be helpful to them even if it isn't helpful to you.
   This is a collection of local resources for trans people. If you would like to contribute to this section just make a post and I'll merge it into the OP. General UK Guide Teabiscuit has made a document summarizing the medical process for transition in the UK. Teabiscuit posted:Ok so you live in the UK, congrats trans women are entitled to one free vagina and trans men get top and bottom surgery. Firstly, you have to be prepared to be really really patient, like you need god level patience the NHS is SLOW, like really slow! If you even feel remotely like you might need treatment go get this process started NOW even if you’re not totally sure, because you can back out at any point. Some people wait over a year to see a specialist. A pretty comprehensive list of therapists who deal with LGBT stuff: http://www.pinktherapy.com/ Vancouver, BC Vancouver Coastal Transgender Health Programs & Services Catherine White Holman Wellness Centre - Informed Consent, Counselling, Massage, Accupuncture. Managed/Run by mostly non-cis volunteers. St. Louis, MO There's a support group in the St. Louis, MO area open to trans individuals and their families, it's called TransParent. My mother joined it when I came out about a year ago. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tran...442152539159226 is their Facebook page, sadly there is nothing more official at the moment. If you're interested in joining the group, you can email transparenting@aol.com for info and meeting times and such. If anyone's parents need a support group, this is a great resource. Toronto, Canada The Sherbourne Health Centre – a trans-focused health centre. Offers informed consent treatment of trans people including HRT – they do not require a GID diagnosis for hormones. Supporting Our Youth (SOY) – a queer social support program including many different groups, for both gender and sexual identities (and their intersecting minorities or social groups). Central Toronto Youth Services (CTYS) – an organization that focuses on therapy for youth 26 and under. They offer many social supports for LGBQ and T youth, including counseling services for worried parents and family members. They also do many activist-y things, such as producing trans-positive literature. Ottawa (Ontario, Canada) Royal Ottawa Mental Health Center - much more uh reasonable than the CAMH in Toronto but very limited availability. Took me about 4 months from referral to first appointment. Making A Difference Counseling - Doctorate in social work. Not exclusively trans counseling but she is very GLBT friendly and can get you referrals to other stuff. I get the impression that most trans people in the city have been to see her at some point. Pretty expensive ($110/session) but she's flexible and most insurance plans (including OHIP) will cover at least a significant portion of it. Worth it since her availability is way higher than the psychiatry at ROMHC; I got an appointment a few weeks after I e-mailed her. Philadelphia, USA The Mazzoni Center - This is an LGBT clinic with a variety of services, including mental health, on a sliding scale. They handle basically every trans person in Philadelphia and a three-hour radius around it, and offer informed consent treatment. There are also a number of support groups run through Mazzoni, as well as the yearly Philadelphia Trans Health Conference. Boston, USA As a local resource Fenway Health in Boston, MA is worth mentioning. They are an LGBT health center that has many services for trans people and will help you get MassHealth and have free/reduced cost if you aren't eligible. Austin, Texas, USA There are a ton of great resources here in Austin. The Transgender Education Network of Texas is a fantastic organization that holds open meetings (welcome to all) and will not hesitate to help you figure things out. There's also The Central Texas Transgender Society which has monthly meetings (which is just an excuse to get together and eat some food and chat) and organizes other events. There's some overlap between this group and the central figures of TENT. CTTGS is also very accepting of cross dresses and late transitioners (as well as the baby transes). Kate at Central Family Practice has been a nurse for 23 years and a family nurse practitioner for 14 years. She does a ton of work with menopausal women and trans people. She will prescribe HRT but she will probably want you to procure a letter from a therapist at some point (maybe even before prescribing HRT, it depends). Shannon Sprung is a trans friendly therapist in the area that I have heard is very good and very interested in providing resources and help to trans people. The Waterloo Counseling Center is our local LGBT counseling facility. They offer a sliding scale for payments so they might be a good option if you're on a tight budget. Paula Buls is a trans therapist that is politically active in the community and offers counseling specifically for trans people. I've met her a few times but we didn't really get a chance to talk very much. I don't know anyone that sees her so I can't say for sure if she's good or not, but she seems very kind and knowledgeable. Portland, OR, USA Q Center - Has a big freakin tranny library and a bunch of support groups. Even for FtMs  Outside In - Technically a homeless shelter but they have a free trans clinic that does bloodwork for hormones. Sexual Minority Youth Resource Center (SMYRC) - Place to hang out with other trans people and play Guitar Hero or something (mostly highschool kids though). New York City, USA The LGBT Center of NYC - An all-inclusive community center. There are some support/discussion groups here, and free or sliding-scale therapy. Callen-Lorde - An LGBT healthcare center. I've heard mixed reviews - some people rave about it, and others absolutely hate it. They seem to be pretty unfriendly to people who are low-income/sans-insurance. They have two trans-related programs, one for people over the age of 24 (informed consent, I believe) and one for under 24 (minimum of 3 months of therapy). Bronx Community Healthcare Network - Low-cost/sliding-scale clinic with a trans program. Recently changed policies from informed-consent to required therapy, and also raised cost of services to those without insurance. They do, however, take virtually every type of insurance. Dr. Martinez at the Bronx-Lebanon Hospital - A friend of mine has strongly recommended her to everybody he knows, but I can't find an official website. The link is to her contact information. Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund's Name Change Project - These fine folk can appoint you a pro-bono lawyer to guide you through the name change process for free. NYC Healthcare Resources, Courtesy of the Gender Identity Project of the NYC LGBT Center Virginia, USA *PDF Warning!* - This is a transgender resource list for VA. Fan Free Clinic - A free clinic based in Richmond VA. They accept all transgender and questioning patients and will arrange psychological evaluations for entry into the program. If accepted nearly all treatment for HRT is provided free of charge. This includes all blood work and access to a nurse practitioner for prescriptions. It is up to the patient to pay for hormones. L.A., USA L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center - Offers a broad array of services for the entire LGBT community includes many programs developed specifically to meet the needs of both MTF and FTM transgender people. Fresno, USA Planned Parenthood's Fulton St. clinic in Fresno - They will do bloodwork and prescriptions on a mostly informed consent basis and they are very, very cheap. Central Florida, USA Spectrum Trans Awareness - Spectrum is a group of trans people and allies working to raise awareness around transgender issues in the Gainesville area. They have a list of trans-friendly health providers in the Gainesville, FL area. Atlanta, Georgia The Trans Health Initiative – an organization that offers reasonably priced medical service to "FtM, trans masculine, and intersex clients". Someone Cares, Inc. – a non-profit that offers services to trans people around job placement, housing, STI screening, and education support. TransIt (JustUsATL discussion group) – a weekly discussion group for trans and gender non-conforming youth (ages 13-28). It's a closed, peer-facilitated group, meaning that only trans and gender non-conforming youth are allowed to attend. Most of JustUsATL's leadership is trans, so the organization and all of its services/events are pretty good bets in general. T&F Transitionz – a bi-weekly trans-oriented discussion group for teens and young adults. It's an open group, meaning that partners, friends, allies, etc. are allowed to attend. TILTT – a bi-weekly discussion group for trans people of all ages and sorts. San Francisco, CA Transgender Law Center - Does name/gender change and legal services pro bono. Lexical Unit fucked around with this message at Feb 6, 2013 around 21:33 |
| # ? Nov 6, 2011 21:22 |
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I feel like I contributed to society with my guide I wrote while drunk
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| # ? Nov 6, 2011 21:23 |
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First! Didn't read edit: drat, beaten to the punch. I don't intend to contribute anything of real value to this thread apart from a cameo on the first page.
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| # ? Nov 6, 2011 21:23 |
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I'll post a video of my transition from fat goon into beautiful fat goonette butterfly. If it ever happens.
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| # ? Nov 6, 2011 21:26 |
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Ahhh, that new transgender megathread smell!
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| # ? Nov 6, 2011 21:29 |
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Yay new thread 
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| # ? Nov 6, 2011 21:34 |
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Wow, my very first new trans thread. Good job cleaning up the OP, Lexical Unit 
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| # ? Nov 6, 2011 21:42 |
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Figured I would repost this so it doesn't get lost in the shuffle between threads, as it is pretty good news: Glasgow posted:Here, have a thing.
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| # ? Nov 6, 2011 21:46 |
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oh look a new thread. Hello
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| # ? Nov 6, 2011 21:51 |
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Are there any statistics on what the breakdown of transexuals is. Like, how many Male to females there are and how many female to males there are?
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| # ? Nov 6, 2011 22:02 |
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tbp posted:Are there any statistics on what the breakdown of transexuals is. Like, how many Male to females there are and how many female to males there are? Lots of conflicting ones. Estimates generally range from 2:1 MtF:FtM to 1:1.
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| # ? Nov 6, 2011 22:05 |
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tbp posted:Are there any statistics on what the breakdown of transexuals is. Like, how many Male to females there are and how many female to males there are? There's been a lot of misconceptions about it over the years. For awhile it was thought that every 1:30,000 males and 1:100,000 females were trans going by how many sought SRS in the US. That was back in the early 90s. Now the accepted statistic is about 1:500 and the ratio between transmen and transwomen is a lot more equal.
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| # ? Nov 6, 2011 22:14 |
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Hey, a new thread.
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| # ? Nov 6, 2011 22:44 |
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Just want to add if there are any goons around the Phoenix area in AZ who want to go shopping, well, I have the fashion sense of a blind poodle but I'm always up for a trip to the mall or sitting still to be a guinea pig for makeup application or, well, whatever. add: I'm a ciswoman lesbian and used to write for ECHO magazine years ago. ECHO seemed mostly focused on just gays and lesbians; are there similar magazines for transpeople? Cowslips Warren fucked around with this message at Nov 7, 2011 around 15:06 |
| # ? Nov 6, 2011 22:50 |
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Oh hey, new thread smell.
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| # ? Nov 6, 2011 22:55 |
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1. Add Phallus Palace to the literature list. 2. There are no transman superfriends left, what the hell.
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| # ? Nov 6, 2011 23:01 |
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1. That book sounds pretty awesome from the Amazon.com description. Added. 2. You offering to be added? What's your contact info?
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| # ? Nov 6, 2011 23:27 |
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This is how I got started on transition in Ottawa (Ontario, Canada): Royal Ottawa Mental Health Center http://www.theroyal.ca/ - much more uh reasonable than the CAMH in Toronto but very limited availability. Took me about 4 months from referral to first appointment. Making A Difference Counseling http://www.making-a-difference.ca/ - Doctorate in social work. Not exclusively trans counseling but she is very GLBT friendly and can get you referrals to other stuff. I get the impression that most trans people in the city have been to see her at some point. Pretty expensive ($110/session) but she's flexible and most insurance plans (including OHIP) will cover at least a significant portion of it. Worth it since her availability is way higher than the psychiatry at ROMHC; I got an appointment a few weeks after I e-mailed her.
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| # ? Nov 6, 2011 23:34 |
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Great OP so far, really comprehensive and organized This should be added to the local resources for LA: http://www.lagaycenter.org/site/Pag...gender_Services
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| # ? Nov 6, 2011 23:35 |
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Lexical Unit posted:1. That book sounds pretty awesome from the Amazon.com description. Added. User: Glasgow AIM: mercurymaline Skype: morbidwombat Gtalk: itfshoal MSN: itfshoal Has PMs Identification: Man, (Transgender) I freaking hate AIM, why is that the standard? Ugh. I'd rather you text me at 3 am.
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| # ? Nov 6, 2011 23:37 |
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Glasgow posted:1. Add Phallus Palace to the literature list. I was on the list in at least one of the previous threads, but I seem to have disappeared. I'm up for being re-added, though as a fair warning, I'm not on AIM a whole lot these days. Info is in my profile.
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| # ? Nov 6, 2011 23:37 |
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Glasgow posted:
How else are we supposed to keep up the "rare unicorn" appeal of ourselves
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| # ? Nov 6, 2011 23:41 |
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Some California resources: The Tranvision clinic is a great resource for medical needs in the East Bay http://transvisiontricity.org/main.html Also, the Transgender Law Center has a lot of resources on changing ID, although their driver's license stuff seems to be California centered. http://transgenderlawcenter.org/cms/
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| # ? Nov 6, 2011 23:42 |
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tbp posted:Are there any statistics on what the breakdown of transexuals is. Like, how many Male to females there are and how many female to males there are? This is a pretty interesting breakdown. Dr. Conway estimates that one out of every 2500 people born male in the U.S. have undergone SRS to become female. This research was done a few years ago and the estimates may be rough, but they are educated. Actually, her whole website is quite scientifically sound and possibly the most factual resource online regarding all things Transgender. I've plugged it before, and since we are starting a new thread... *ahem* I hereby nominate it for the OP (here's a better link for our purposes: http://ai.eecs.umich.edu/people/conway/TS/TS.html)By the way, my AIM is "fleurazure", and if you catch me on there I'll be happy to answer any questions or offer my somewhat jaded advice. Also I'll be trying to get back into the Voice Lessons Group, although I think Lexical is right about doing things 1 on 1 rather than half a dozen bantering bitches at once. Hopefully we can at least facilitate a way to get more of us talking in real time - if anything it's nice practice for newbies. Send me a PM and I'll invite you. fe: Update on the Spiro dilemma, my doc wouldn't prescribe me Cypro (he suggested Finasteride, lulz) so now I'm back to ordering online again.  At least the E is cheaper from Callen Lorde.
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| # ? Nov 6, 2011 23:51 |
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Yay, ground floor. Oh, can I be a super friend? AIM name's Bragnanymous.
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| # ? Nov 6, 2011 23:54 |
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Whaddup new thread!
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| # ? Nov 7, 2011 00:10 |
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Just glad I'm in the OP  Never thought that would be me now, compared to last thread.
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| # ? Nov 7, 2011 00:15 |
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Huzzah, new thread. Maybe I'll post more this time around. Hopefully I'll have more to post. Actually, come to think of it, I do have a question. Is Facebook generally regarded as a good medium for coming out to family? Most of my family lives a couple hundred miles away from me, but now that I'm in the same city as some of them, it's worth considering whether Facebook would be better or face to face.
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| # ? Nov 7, 2011 00:18 |
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ground floooooooooooooor I'm hopeful that I'll be able to go out, at least part time, as a woman by the end of the year WOO (except I will probably cave and not do this, but who knows!)
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| # ? Nov 7, 2011 00:23 |
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Nice OP Lexical! also Hooray
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| # ? Nov 7, 2011 00:24 |
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Flagrant Abuse posted:Facebook? But what if they think someone's trying to impersonate you  Do whatever you're comfortable with. However, if eventually you're going to integrate them into your post-trans life, I would recommend a more personal approach.
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| # ? Nov 7, 2011 00:25 |
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Hello everyone! I'm going to use the new thread to reintroduce myself to those of you who don't know me and/or forgot who I was. My name is Allison and I'm a 29 year old trans girl from Ohio. I started transitioning at the ripe old age of 28 after talking to some of the wonderful folks in the previous thread. I've been on HRT now for about a year and a half, I'm out to everyone under the sun, and I'm feeling great. Also I'm always online and always happy to chat with anyone who may have questions so feel free to hit me up on AIM anytime day or night. I'm in the superfriends list. Hope this thread has less drama/arguing than the last one.
AllisonByProxy fucked around with this message at Nov 7, 2011 around 00:59 |
| # ? Nov 7, 2011 00:41 |
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I may as well throw some words on here too since it's been almost exactly 1 year since I came out to my family, and a month or 2 more since I came out to myself. Last year I was a grumpy guy who felt a bit sad whenever I was alone with myself thinking how much nicer it would be to be alone by myself, but as a girl. Now I'm happy quite often and don't think I look terrible at all, even if I still get "sir"ed all the time. 6'4" is a hell of a lot of height. I'm just glad this thread was here when I figured everything out and hope that other people can get the same benefit. When not full of petty bickering this thread is a great resource.
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| # ? Nov 7, 2011 01:01 |
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More for the OP. There is an alternative to testosterone, referred to as "natural transitioning," called DHEA. I don't know a thing about it, other than it exists apparently in the UK. Anywho, reintroductions for the first page or whatever. I'm Glasgow, and I'm an alcoholic. I'm also a big gay pansexual transexual. These points may be related to one another. I live and go to school in the flyover wasteland of the midwest, and as a transperson here I have no rights. I am from the west coast and am used to having rights, and have had to sue a former employer for some trans-related bullshit, so I have that experience. The Google-fu is strong with me, if you cannot find a doctor or whatever near you let me know and I will check it out, or if you're too nervous to call around and ask I can stand behind you and tase you till you do it, or can send an email for you or whatever. I've dealt with: namechange, some gender change stuff, endos, therapy and RLE, dating as a gay trans person, getting married as a gay trans person, and getting fired from a job as a gay trans person. If you have questions regarding these things or anything else, message me however you so choose. I blog about very personal poo poo while sitting about in my underwear; I am not shy.
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| # ? Nov 7, 2011 01:05 |
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Clairetic posted:Making A Difference Counseling Ahhhhhhh. This woman is incredibly touch and go. If you don't want therapy do not force yourself to go to her. There are other therapists in Ottawa and even doctors in Ottawa who will do informed consent (check out Dr. Douek if you can and there are others). Full disclosure: I hate therapy in general but she made me feel very uncomfortable and forced me to come out to my family before she would refer me for hormones. She then tried to push for me to have surgery following HER timeline and not mine, leading to immense pressure to miss 3 weeks of my final year of my undergrad in order to have it done. She is really good at lining up all the poo poo you need to "officially" transition but she has the attitude that everyone should want to do it her way on her timeline. I found her very hard to stand up to. Anyway, a quick about me. I'm a pretty gay FTM living in the capital of Canada. I came out exactly a year ago this week to my friends and went straight into presenting full-time. I've been on T almost six months and have an awesome manly voice now. I'm waiting on the return of my Ontario name change and will soon have first hand information on how much of a pain in the rear end it's going to be to swap over everything while trying to get as many gender markers as possible swapped over. I don't have AIM but I do have a hotmail at anankylosaurussir -at- hotmail.ca (yes, CA not COM)
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| # ? Nov 7, 2011 01:33 |
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Oh yeah, new thread! I only have to present male for five more days. And then it's all me all the time. I'm so anxious though  And seriously if my new drivers license doesn't come in the mail THIS time I am going to start punching people. "The replacement cards keep getting lost in the mail" is the dumbest loving reason for why I don't have an F on my license yet.
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| # ? Nov 7, 2011 01:51 |
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Yaaaay, new thread! And Teabiscuit: Thanks so much for your info on UK treatment, it informed me and made me laugh my rear end off in equal measure!
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| # ? Nov 7, 2011 02:19 |
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Hey, new thread. Nice OP! My stats are: 22, ftm, uk. Been on T for about a yeah and half. A weird thing happened the last time I went to see those wonderful people at CharingX. The doctor I usually see there is a transwoman herself incidentally. I'm incredibly embarrassed by it, but I've got an eating disorder and I attempted to bring this up when she asked me how everything was going. I'm really, unhealthily obsessed with my weight. In my head, any little bit of fat = feminizing, so I want to get rid of it all. Of course there's nothing wrong with wanting to lose weight but it's completely spiralled out of control for me in a whole bunch of horrible ways. Anyway, I bashfully tried to bring it up and she got very dismissive and seemed to think I was trying to 'put it on being trans', like I was using the fact that I was transgendered as an excuse for why I've got these body issues and that would be ridiculous? She pretty much told me to just get over it and that cisguys come in all shapes and sizes and I'd be fat when I was old anyway so why worry about it now. Which is true I guess, but it's not like my issues are all rational and I can just snap out of it. I don't know, maybe she's right and I'm just being a baby. Also, she compared it to other patients of hers who apparently 'blame the fact they never went to university on the fact that they're trans' when it's really just a case of them 'not reading enough books'. I dunno about that, because I did horribly at university before I started getting treatment, I was depressed and confused and had a really hard time. I ended up dropping out. Now I'm happy to say I'm back at university and doing very well because I am a much more together person! Ugh everytime I post in these threads it's a wall o' text. Let me clutter up your first page for you.
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| # ? Nov 7, 2011 02:58 |
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| # ? May 21, 2013 21:47 |
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Esselbei, your doctor sounds like kind of a jerk. In my limited experience, I have seen eating disorders coinciding with the trans for a LOT of guys. Either they want to lose their curves (even sometimes wanting their period to stop because they weigh so little and their breasts to atrophy), or they feel like their life is out of control, which is often a cause of eating disorders. So what I'm saying is, your experience is real and you're not the only one with it. In personal news I have my top surgery consult TOMORROW. Ahhhhhh. I am planning to set a date for January if possible. Now I just have to pry the rest of my inheritance out of my mother's hands...
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| # ? Nov 7, 2011 03:05 |
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