gaywrites:

The Social Security Administration announced Friday they will no longer require proof of genital reassignment surgery in order for a person to change the gender marker on their Social Security card. 

The SSA removed its requirement that transgender people wanting to amend their gender on a Social Security card provide proof of gender reassignment surgery, opting instead for more inclusive language simply mandating that a transgender person provide a passport or birth certificate reflecting their accurate gender, or a certification from a physician confirming that the individual has had appropriate clinical treatment for gender transition. The SSA’s revision brings its policy in line with changes made in the past three years by the U.S. State Department and Veterans Health Administration. 

“Most people may not see this as a big deal, but transgender people know that this seemingly small technical change will protect their privacy and give them more control over their own lives” said Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, in a statement heralding the announcement.

The SSA reportedly also issued guidelines for officials to abide by when interviewing transgender people, such as correct pronoun usage and asking respectful questions. Amazing victory. 

This is amazing news

turtlesexdungeon:

I’ve spent the last hour or so highlighting key points in a 100 page fucking leaflet about diagnosing transgenderism to take with me to my psychology exam tomorrow, because i am sick and tired of being thrown around inbetween different psychologists, psychiatrists, and inital assessors. ¬¬

SO. does anybody have anything important which they think may be able to help me tomorrow??

I got this one. Doctors don’t like to be told what to do.  They like to believe they’re a cross between House and Sherlock Holmes (and they tend to be avid fanboys of both).  Don’t tell them “I’m transexual because of X, Y, and Z.”  Make it into a narrative that they can decode.  Like: “Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve always felt X.  I knew I couldn’t let on because it would break my mother’s heart, but I wish that Y.  If I could wake up tomorrow and Z, I’d be in heaven.”  OK, so don’t lay it on that thick.  Disperse that kind of stuff in among the “tell me about your mother” type questions.  You can tell the shrink you did a little research and that you’re interested in gender stuff, but don’t go throwing around the Latin terms or DSM diagnoses.  They like to believe that stuff is secret.  Let them have their fun.  Steer ‘em a little if they get too far off track, and don’t be afraid to tell them about any depression or etc that you have along with it.  

I feel really disingenuous telling you to edit your life story to fit someone else’s preconceptions, but I have been gaming the system ever since I took the goddamn third-grade standardised tests, and I’m good at it.  Just never confuse the cleaned-up, edited version of yourself for the real thing.

Bonchance.

fiveyearsnotice:

Transgender Navy SEAL ‘Warrior Princess’ Comes Out

A former member of the elite U.S. Navy SEALs has come out to say she’s now a woman.

Kristin Beck, formerly Chris, served 20 years as a SEAL and fought on some of the most dangerous battlefields in the world, but after she left the service she realized she wasn’t living the life she wanted.

(Full Article here)

OK, I know it’s tacky to comment on how lovely a lady is, as if my personal sexual attraction were the most important accolade a woman could hope to garner, but there’s just something about a gal who could field-strip and reassemble any armament on Earth that gets me goin’.

chloechaud:

Right now I am doing a lot of research on HRT and it’s all confusing.  I need a therapist but I can’t afford one.  I don’t know what to do and how will I ever be able to afford a therapist.  It’s becoming so frustrating.  I really need things to start to fall in place for me.  I need someone that I can trust fully who can be a support system for me because I haven’t anyone I can really trust the way I want to.  It’s hard to talk about gender identity to people who are heterosexual because they become silent and it gives off such a weird feeling.

My mother is beginning to make me more upset everyday with her abusive words.  I can’t take dealing with her much longer.  Why was I even born to be put here and to have two disgusting parents. It’s upsetting and fucking depressing.

Hey, pardon me, I found this while bopping around the transgender tag, and I think I might be able to help.  Where-about do you live?  We can see about getting you hooked up with a sliding-scale shrink if you have any money at all, or with Medicaid (or non-US alternative) if you don’t.  My username is the same on GMail if you want to talk over e-mail.

unbridledbeast:

I’ve spent about two years in a relationship with a pre-op transwoman, and I must say, the porn for pre-op transwoman that isn’t categorized as “shemale” porn, or isn’t post-op is minimal to nil.

Most disappointing, and nothing out there that makes them seem like an actual woman, which I always did my best to do.

It’s always them either effing a guy in the b or screwing a girl in doggy style (which was NEVER a thing with me) I’m just severely confused by the lack of solid TRANS* porn, and I feel like some of the positions that we had basically perfected made us both feel like the gender we present and we could put them out there somehow to at least help trans* individuals be more comfortable with trying different things.

I just want to help and would like to know if there’s a market for FtM on MtF porn? ( the buck angel one was too much like him being a gay porno, the poor lady he was paired with)

I have a passel of porn at home by trans people, for trans people.  I can’t call the titles to mind now, but I’m reblogging this to remind myself to look it up.

its-diego:

I’ve been tagging my trans related posts with “transsexual” because afaik that’s the term for trans people who transition or plan to transition, while transgender is for those who don’t necessarily do that.

So today I actually looked into that transsexual tag and…. what the actual fuck. Just see for yourself. (if you dare)

Ugh… I think I’m going to untag all my posts.

I know, right?! On the whole, it reminds me of when I first searched for the term “lesbian” online (circa probably 1993), thinking that might be what I was and looking for some more information.  In a way that seems obvious now, but was unexpected as a high school freshman, I got a browser full of crude .gif pornography.  Right in the school computer lab, no less.  Content filters weren’t a thing, yet; I helped write one from scratch later that year.  Seems we have to keep changing our buzzwords just to keep the jerks out.  

gaywrites:

Earlier this month, the Pentagon quietly made history when it acknowledged a transgender veteran’s changed gender marker and updated records appropriately.

This is thought to be the first time the Department of Defense has recognized a gender transition for anyone affiliated with the armed forces, and it’s especially a big deal because trans people still cannot serve openly, even after the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.

In a short letter dated May 2, a Navy official told Autumn Sandeen, a veteran and transgender activist: “Per your request the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) has been updated to show your gender as female effective April 12, 2013.”

Sandeen’s military identification card now reflects the change, a move called “quite significant” by the head of OutServe-SLDN, a national organization for LGBT service members and veterans and their families.

“The fact that a process exists [to change the gender listed] indicates that there are people in the Department of Defense who are aware of the needs of transgender retirees and who are working to see those needs met. And, in that sense, the significance of this symbolic act for our broader work and for our goal of open service becomes I think a little bit more apparent,” OutServe-SLDN executive director Allyson Robinson told BuzzFeed.

Holy cow, this is a huge deal. Major congratulations to Ms. Sandeen for starting what will hopefully become a major change in how the Department of Defense treats its transgender veterans and service members. There’s no excuse for the kind of discrimination that has been perpetuated for so long. 

outforhealth:

This awesome free brochure from the Center of Excellence for Transgender Health at UCSF is a pretty unique resource.  Why, you ask? Well, how about that is says this awesomeness:

Sexual health is part of being human.

Like anyone else, as a transgender woman you want to feel great about your body. You want to have sex that is safe, feels good, and is rewarding.

Well done, UCSF. thanks!

And yeah, of course there’s a Sexual Health for Transmen too. And yup. It’s great too.  Same affiming language in both, for instance:

• Each transman is unique.
• You may or may not have had surgery.
• You may or may not take hormones.
• What you like to do when you have sex is unique to you.

Not too shabby SINCE THERE AREN’T ENOUGH GOOD RESOURCES ABOUT SEXUAL HEALTH FOR TRANS PEOPLE!!  More, please! Much much more sex-positive, pleasure-affirming information by and for trans people PLEASE!  

Handy information! I’ve seen far too many trans people give EACH OTHER the type of sex-ed misinformation that you’d expect from a pair of virgins in the 1950s. More pamphlets, including trans men’s health and Spanish versions, are here.  My one quibble is that they could’ve used some of the blank space on the transguy pamphlet to say “FFS stop with the Ace bandages.”

(via iftheresawill)

fuckyeahftms:

I’m a FtM transgender, who’s parents don’t accept them and never will. They won’t allow me to buy a binder, but I’m going to get a friend to buy me one and secretly give it to me without their knowledge. They’ve called me everything in the book, (“lesbian”, “you’re never going to be a boy”, “you have breasts, stop trying to hide them”). I’ve been in the closet for around 3 years, and finally came out to a few close friends; and of course it spread around the school. Everyone there is accepting, the only thing I dread is going home everyday to parents who make me hate who I am. I ended up donating 90% of my clothing from before, so all I have is a few tee-shirts that are super tight, and some jeans that are also tight. They allowed me to get my hair cut after 3 years of begging them. Then they tell me that “they’ll accept me and support me no matter what, as long as I’m happy”, as soon as they say that they start bashing my gender classification and I run back upstairs sobbing. That aside, I asked them if I can go shopping this weekend, and they said yes; just as long as I don’t buy any more flannels (it’s summer, why would I?). So, hopefully they’ll allow me to shop in the guys section. My question is, what stores sell guy clothing that isn’t super expensive, and also “FtM friendly”; I went to Marshall’s with my openly gay friend, and they were pretty rude to us (they called me a male, then corrected themselves; I just left after that.). And one last thing, I’ve always wanted a collar; I had one in the past but my Mom threw it out. They believe that it’s a fetish and that it’s the internet corrupting me.
Sorry for the massive vent, I just need people who can give me advice.
Thank you all for your time.

When I was sixteen, my parents said they weren’t buying me any more “dyke clothes.”  I started buying all of my own clothes at the thrift store.  You know how you donated all’a your clothing?  Somewhere out there is a trans girl who is donating all of HER unworn boy gear, or even just a guy who’s growing like a weed and keeps turning over his practically new, too-short wardrobe.  Sometimes people donate clothing that they should really throw away, but you can find some good stuff at Goodwill.  

This, of course, presumes that you have some money of your own.  It’s a bit difficult in this economy, but see if you can’t pick up a summer job- landscaping, mowing lawns, something outdoors. Not only will you gain money and independence, but you’ll also build some muscle.  

Also, you can use some of that money to rent yourself a post office box, which you can use as a shipping address when you order binders, dildos, and anything else you don’t want your parents to know about.

artoftransliness:

tree-boy:

Published on Apr 22, 2013

My Genderation / ‘Tranpa’
An older trans-gentleman provides a window on what it was like to transition back in the 1960’s. He requested for his identity to be kept hidden and his voice masked. Please take a moment to consider what life USED to be like for a transgender individual.
___

Filmed & edited by Raphael Fox and Lewis Hancox.
WIth thanks to Reuben Davidson and Sharon Kilgannon.

//FOX & LEW PRODUCTIONS//

**If you’d like to be a part of My Genderation, email us at mygenderation@gmail.com.
www.mygenderation.com

Interesting and a very sad story. It is important to remember the stories of those who have come before us.  

Reblogging to watch when I’m not working under a deadline.

fuckyeahftms:

Hey. So I’m finishing up my junior year of high school, and I bind regularly. Since it’s been pretty cold, I just wear a hoodie at home when I’m not binding. So that my parents don’t think, “oh wow where did those boobs come from” and notice the dramatic difference in my chest. But it’s not like I can bind 24/7, and a hoodie can get AWFUL during the summer. Do you guys have any advice for what I can wear/do when I’m not binding at home? I hope this made sense. Thanks!

Honestly? People you see every day hardly look at you. They register your presence, but they don’t investigate your appearance the same way a stranger would.  Wear woven shirts, not knit ones, slouch some, and they’ll never notice.

thetranssupportsystem:

GLAAD created an infographic that captures the past 60 years of transgender issues in honor of Transgender Awareness Week and Transgender Day of Remembrance.

Transgender Visibility Timeline….it hasn’t been that far into history that the transgender experience has been acknowledge/addressed. Something to think about.

I’m glad to see this timeline, but I don’t feel that it goes far enough or wide enough. Transgender experience hasn’t been INvisible for that long, only a few hundred years, and European culture has been the main culprit of erasure.  The turnaman, hijra, and two-spirit are all examples of non-European, non-binary groups that have been, and will be, just kind of hanging out.

(via artoftransliness)

Anonymous asked: Is it bad of me to feel very uncomfortable when I see young people petitioning strangers on Tumblr for money for sex reassignment masectomies? I know that many trans* kids don't have their families' support, but it seems really sus for anyone to be asking total strangers for money for cosmetic surgery. It's different if they're asking friends and family who know their psychological history, but getting/giving money for cosmetic surgery seems wrong.

You can feel however you are inclined to feel.  It’s not like you’re telling them to stop, or telling people not to donate, or just standing on the street corner screaming “BOOTSTRAPS!!” (Are you?)  This is a boundary issue, as are so many things on the internet.  They are (in my opinion) practising poor boundaries by asking strangers for money; you can model better boundaries by keeping your opinion, and your money, to yourself.

You didn’t ask, but I’d like to add that calling FtM chest reconstruction  ”cosmetic” surgery is rather problematic.  In a perfect world, where we judged people on the content of their minds rather than the shape of their bodies, the gamut of chest and genital surgeries would be merely cosmetic.  However, the reality is that our society is OBSESSED with bodies. You can’t be a “real” woman unless you look like X, can’t be a “real” man unless you look like Y, and never the twain shall meet.  Between the external pressure of total strangers making wildly unfounded assumptions, and the psychological pressure of having internalised this attitude, many trans people are desperate for gender-confirming (not “sex change”) surgery.  When something is that important, both to the would-be patient, and to society at large, calling it “cosmetic” is an understatement.

As to the psychological state of the people asking for money, that’s between them, their psychologists, and their surgeons.  The mere fact that the shrinks are involved at all is an example of how this isn’t merely cosmetic. If you want a face lift, or an ass lift, or even whatever the Hell Michael Jackson had done, you’re never asked to consult a shrink.  Heck, if I wanted BIGGER tits, I could go to a doctor tomorrow, and the only screening question would be “Visa or Mastercard?”  However, if I wanted to have such bosoms as I have whittled down an inch or so, I’d have to jump through all kinds of hoops to prove I’m not “going through a phase” or “going to regret it.”  

And as for “wrong” or “right…” damn, don’t ask me. The only moral criterion I have is “will it hurt someone, and might it help someone?”  It’s not wrong of the trans people to ask, but it isn’t wrong of you to refuse, either.

transthings:

gender pocketknife:

gender as an adaptable, multipurpose tool for any occasion

I think of myself as more of a multipurpose adaptor, but this works, too.

(via revcleo)

my-transition-as-a-trans:

As you all know, I had my appointment today at 4:15. Apparently the recommendation that I have from my counselor isn’t “elaborate” enough. The doctor told me that I should’ve gone through a formal evaluation and have taken a written test, to determine that I am precisely transgender. I honestly…

Hi, I saw this while boppin’ around the MtF tag, and was going to reply in an Ask, but frankly couldn’t find the “send” button on your Ask page. Hurr…

Anyhow, sorry your doctor is stuck in the 1950s. I’m FtM, and got my testosterone prescription on the basis of 2 months of therapy and my own say-so.  I know that some doctors even operate on an informed consent basis: you say “I’m trans, and I know what hormones do,” and they write the scrip. Where-about do you live? (You can tell me in an Ask if you don’t want to say in public.) I can see if my endocrinologist knows anyone with sense out your way.