geteilt von: https://lemmy.ml/post/24679007

> Remember it is important to repeat the messaging to the degree it is amplified to population segments that are the least likely to have heard those already. > > Make no concessions regarding the basic facts, the stronger the harder the longer it engages the target. > > # Remember this is an attack to Reason, to Scientific Inquiry, to Democracy, to the Environment, to Women Rights, and to Racialized People. Surrender no inch to the corporatist fascists. > > > Gender dysphoria: A concept designated in the DSM-5-TR as clinically significant distress or impairment related to gender incongruence, which may include desire to change primary and/or secondary sex characteristics. Not all transgender or gender diverse people experience gender dysphoria. > https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/gender-dysphoria/what-is-gender-dysphoria > > > DSM-5 aims to avoid stigma and ensure clinical care for individuals who see and feel themselves to be a different gender than their assigned gender. It replaces the diagnostic name “gender identity disorder” with “gender dysphoria,” as well as makes other important clarifications in the criteria. It is important to note that gender nonconformity is not in itself a mental disorder. The critical element of gender dysphoria is the presence of clinically significant distress associated with the condition. https://www.psychiatry.org/File%20Library/Psychiatrists/Practice/DSM/APA_DSM-5-Gender-Dysphoria.pdf > > > Major medical associations agree that gender-affirming care is clinically appropriate for children and adults with gender dysphoria, which, according to the American Psychiatric Association, is psychological distress that may result when a person’s gender identity and sex assigned at birth do not align. > > Though the care is highly individualized, some children may decide to use reversible puberty suppression therapy. This part of the process may also include hormone therapy that can lead to gender-affirming physical change. Surgical interventions, however, are not typically done on children and many health care providers do not offer them to minors. https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/03/politics/tennessee-gender-affirming-care/index.html > > > For transgender and gender-diverse youth who have gender dysphoria, delaying puberty might: > > - Improve mental well-being. > > - Ease depression and anxiety. > > - Improve social interactions with others. > > - Lower the need for future surgeries. > > - Ease thoughts or actions of self-harm. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/gender-dysphoria/in-depth/pubertal-blockers/art-20459075 > > > >Regardless of the controversy on how and when to administer treatments to trans and nonbinary kids, psychological science is very clear that gender-affirming care helps trans kids, said Singh. “It is unconscionable that politicians would label it as child abuse,” said Edwards-Leeper. A study out of the University of Washington discovered that among 104 trans and nonbinary youths ages 13 to 20, gender-affirming care lowered the odds of moderate to severe depression by 60% and suicidality by 73% (Tordoff, D. M., et al., JAMA Network Open, Vol. 5, No. 2, 2022). Another study, which used data from more than 27,000 people collected by the National Center for Transgender Equality’s 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey (PDF, 2.22MB), showed that transgender youth who began hormone treatment in adolescence had fewer thoughts of suicide, were less likely to experience major mental health disorders, and had fewer problems with substance misuse than those who started hormones in adulthood (Turban, J. L., et al., PLOS ONE, Vol. 17, No. 1., 2022). https://www.apa.org/monitor/2022/07/advocating-transgender-nonbinary-youths > > # Defy Sex Binary > > > Sex, gender, and sexuality are all distinct from one another (although they are often related), and each exists on its own spectrum. Moreover, sex cannot be depicted as a simple, one-dimensional scale. In the world of DSDs, an individual may shift along the spectrum as development brings new biological factors into play. https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/sa-visual/visualizing-sex-as-a-spectrum/ > > # Misgendering, harassment not protected speech > > > The court went to great lengths to stress actual discrimination cases will continue to turn on their specific facts and that ‘gender critical’ speech, including but not limited to speech that misgenders trans and/or non-binary people, will continue to be subject to the laws of the land, including the provisions of the Equality Act. In practical terms, the impact of the decision is limited. In particular, the protected right does not extend to speech constituting harassment or discrimination against trans people. https://criticallegalthinking.com/2021/06/29/not-a-nazi-but-forstater-v-cgd-europe/ > > # Detransition myths > > >The study, conducted by experts from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, examines reported regret rates for dozens of surgeries as well as major life decisions and compares them to the regret rates for transgender surgeries. It finds that "there is lower regret after [gender-affirming surgery], which is less than 1%, than after many other decisions, both surgical and otherwise." It notes that surgeries such as tubal sterilization, assisted prostatectomy, body contouring, facial rejuvenation, and more all have regret rates more than 10 times as high as gender-affirming surgery. https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/landmark-systematic-review-of-trans > > # Trans Athletes > > >As Katrina Karkazis, a senior visiting fellow and expert on testosterone and bioethics at Yale University explains, “Studies of testosterone levels in athletes do not show any clear, consistent relationship between testosterone and athletic performance. Sometimes testosterone is associated with better performance, but other studies show weak links or no links. And yet others show testosterone is associated with worse performance.” The bills’ premises lack scientific validity. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/trans-girls-belong-on-girls-sports-teams/ > > # Misc Videos > For the most part of this video Vaush debunks every argument that puberty blockers are an experimental treatment https://invidious.nerdvpn.de/watch?v=HhYruaFZEOI > > Vaush The best pro-trans arguments https://invidious.nerdvpn.de/watch?v=sB6YNRn2pQQ > > Vaush 2 hours of pro trans arguments https://invidious.nerdvpn.de/watch?v=HhYruaFZEOI > > Jon Stewart destroys ignorant GOP lawmaker for criminalizing youth transition https://iv.datura.network/watch?v=NPmjNYt71fk

Abstract

Purpose: Chronic gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) with sublingual estradiol (SLE) has not been studied. We aimed to compare GAHT with SLE only, to combined oral (CO) estradiol and cyproterone acetate, in treatment-naive trans women.

Methods: Twenty-two trans women enrolled into either the CO arm or the SLE-only arm (0.5 mg four times daily) in this 6-month prospective study. Anthropometric and laboratory variables were collected at baseline and 3 and 6 months. At the study beginning and end, body composition was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and bioelectrical impedance, and gender dysphoria, sexual desire, and function were assessed by validated questionnaires.

Results: Subjects in the SLE were older, 26.3±5.8 years versus 20.1±2.3 years, p=0.006. All anthropometric, body composition, and laboratory variables were identical at baseline. Although dysphoria appeared greater, and sexual function lower at baseline in the CO group, this canceled out after age adjustment. Both treatments induced similar biochemical and hormonal changes. Creatinine, hemoglobin and cholesterol decreased significantly, while testosterone was suppressed to the same level in both groups: 3.22 [1.47-5.0] nmol/L in the SLE group and 2.41 [0.55-8.5] nmol/L in the CO, p=0.65. Significant changes in body composition toward a more feminine body were noted in both groups. Dysphoria did not significantly improve in either group, while sexual desire and function decreased at six months in both, p<0.001.

Conclusions: Both treatments achieved similar clinical changes. At this stage, SLE, which repeatedly induces alarming excursions of serum estradiol throughout the day, appears to offer no advantage over the CO approach.

cross-posted from: https://beehaw.org/post/17983418

> A great video about how cis people should stop playing trans characters especially if the actor is the gender they are transitioning from not to.

Estradiol monotherapy. Started HRT 3 months ago with 2mg Estradiol oral tablets. Have a doctor appointment in a few days and wanted to ask to double my oral prescription, split up 4mg into 4 doses sublingual every day. Not sure if my Estrogen levels are too high and my doctor will deny my request.

• Pre-HRT Estrogen (TOTAL IA): 181 pg/mL
• Pre-HRT Testosterone (Total IA): 246 ng/dL
• Levels this week Estrogen Total IA: 438 pg/mL
• Levels this week Testosterone Total IA 115 ng/dL

From what I understand I feel like I'm definitely not achieving Testosterone suppression. https://transfemscience.org/ recommends T levels around 10 ng/dL. But having E levels of 400 pg/mL is the right range for E.

Can I convince my doctor to double my dose if my E is already at >400 pg/mL?

Edit 01: I did not take my daily dose until after my blood was drawn. Blood draw was already 24+ hours since last oral dose.

Edit02: Thank you all for your responses. My doctor approved the prescription doubling. My idiot brain realized after the fact that I didn't even need the doubling in the first place (I guess I get to stockpile now). I intended to follow the 0.5mg four times a day protocol shown here https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38130980/ . Really could have just cut my 2mg pills into four pieces.

I get a considerable ammount of ingrown hairs when I shave, with some being quite nasty (very inflamated and sensitive, laser is out of reach for now, I was considering waxing and epilation but still a out of reach now, I mostly want a way to help prevent ingrown hairs from appearing in the first place or making them go away faster

cross-posted from: https://beehaw.org/post/17883633

> Title really says it all, warning for mentions of 'crossdressing' etc and disliking labels.

I'd like some advice on jewelry I can wear out and about when I'm presenting as a man. Preferably something that wouldn't get too many looks on a 40 year old.

Simple gold or silver chains are an obvious choice. Bead mala bracelets too.

Hai! I'm new-ish here. I've known for a bit I'm trans, but barely started anything substantial really. I'm easing into it, but I've had this thing stuck in my mind recently.

Whats something relatively small or cheap/easy that helps make you feel girl? I have a few loungey clothes and stuff and been working on body hair removal but I'm looking for something... Else? I'm not sure what. Just thought this could be a good place for ideas or advice.

I'm just looking for new easy ideas that might help me feel more 'at home'? Idk I wanna be a comfy chill relaxed girl.

Firstly, I don't mean any harm by this post and if you think any of this is wrong please let me know. This post is based of my own research, but not necessarily my own experience, as I haven't done all of these, YMMV.

Contents

• Gaining/Losing Fat
• Gaining Muscle
  • Strength Training
  • Cardio
• Artificial
  • Clothing
  • Hip Pads
  • BBL

Gaining/Losing Fat

There's no problem with simply gaining some bodyweight especially if you're underweight or gain within the 'healthy' range of BMI. In that case you might instead see some benefit from losing fat for a smaller waist to ass ratio. But do keep in mind that if you are currently not on Estrogen/T-blockers, gaining weight might add them to the wrong places, or places you might not want like your gut/ or arms. Estrogen also makes you gain weight, but this usually does this to the butt and legs, which makes gaining weight when estrogen more reliable, but even if you're not on it you might have some good results without being on E depending on your genetics.

Gaining Muscle

Whilst this might not be something you initially think can make you more fem, it does work. I recommend some form of Resistance Training(Weights, Calisthenics). Personally I like Weights due to simplicity of structure, but you can and will gain muscle with both. If you're AMAB consider risks of training your upper body since androgen receptors there are more dense and you can more easily gain upper body mass. For unrelated reasons(testosterone being anabolic(muscle promoting) you can also more easily put on muscle if you're not on hormones. If you are on hormones, then you still can gain muscle but less than if you weren't.

In regards to specific workouts I can only speak from my own experience. My personal preference is for training with weights. If you're looking for something simple and full body, then Allpro's routine is pretty good. You can also check reddits /r/fitness for their recommendations. If you want to do just legs, then you can check out /r/strongcurves. Personally I prefer the fewer workouts from Allpro, so I just don't do the upper body but following the same progression scheme, and I added in a more leg work(Hip Thrust + Hip Abduction machine). Exercising takes time, but it is a sure fire way to increase the size of your butt/thighs. On a side note cardio is incredibly healthy for you to do and great for burning calories, but too much will make you have slower leg gains relative to just strength training. If you go from sedentary to cycling/running/any cardio you will still gain leg muscle. RP Strength is a great resource for info on this.

Other

I would like to preface this by saying that I have no experience from the below two, hip pads or BBl, and that these are just a couple of things that came up in my research.

Firstly are hip pads, you can buy these, or make your own, They work. BBL is a surgery where they take out fat from somewhere else (usually your midsection) and then re-implant it into your butt and thighs. I found the Mamaswole video on this to be informative

The easiest and fastest way is with clothing, you can make you legs seem wider by E.g. wearing baggy joggers, or skirts which flare out at the waist, or jeans which start high and are loose at the hips, or with flared bottom accentuating legs. ICKY has some great videos on this.

TLDR: Workout, Clothes are your friend, and other options exist if you want even more.

That was it, the extent of my knowledge. Since I don't have reddit I'm okay with this being cross posted there for more eyes on lemmy. Any other tips are appreciated!

So today I'm getting chest dysphoia really bad, and I feel sad and upset. I'm hoping I can get on HRT soon but I know it'll be a long time, especially since I just came out. So I wanted to ask, how does everyone here who hasn't started HRT yet cope with chest dysphoria? Is there something I can do to maybe feel better, even just temporarily?

Yes I included beard and mustache stubble on purpose. I like my little fuzzy bits of beard and mustache and I plan to keep them even as I transition and become more feminine, though I'll likely always present and act more masc since that's what I like.

My only real source of dysphoria at the moment is towards my flat chest and the fact I lack any breasts, it makes me sad and I hope I can get on Estrogen soon so I can begin to change that.

I've been closeted for years now. It's not safe for me to be/express who I really am, and I have no idea if or when I'll ever be able to develop into an actual person. I intend to survive anyway, if only for the hope that I might somehow, someday make existence a little more bearable for others.

I find that I'm a bit more motivated to keep going when I've watched/read/listened to stuff that reminds me why I even try. Stuff that's beautiful and/or believes that it's worth it. Stuff that reminds me that I'm not the only one to do this, that I'm connected to everyone who came before and will come after, and that we're not alone.

What helped you survive what you went through? What helps you now?

Can be anything really, as long as it's something I can get my hands on via the internet. Preferably stuff without too much of a time investment (neurodivergence means I effectively have very little productive time), but honestly, I just want to hear from you.

I feel like the world has placed an challenge on my shoulders I cannot and will not overcome, from a young age I’ve been considered unattractive, people treated me as if I wasn’t human, people used to use tissue paper to hand me things, make faces at me and treat me as if I was sick. On top of this I have abused by my father, when I was 14 I realized I was a women and thought hrt would fix me if I just held out long enough to start it, unfortunately after 3 years hrt, a year on injections many elements of myself are horrible, the only difference is I get the same treatment mixed in with transphobia, i feel like the only reasonable conclusion I can come to is death. I’m sorry I feel like the world wanted me to prove you don’t have to be attractive to be trans. Unfortunately that weight has proved way to much, I’m sorry to my friends I know they tried and tried, but I know normal people can only do much. I’m sorry to society, I know my life was supposed be some learning lessons but fuck I’m a human bein

I currently need something like that but there is no equivalent I've found on here (Lemmy)

>"OutFront has worked with people from 20 states, including states like Texas and Missouri, along the Interstate 35 corridor and southeast states Florida, Tennessee and Georgia, Rohn said.

>Minnesota’s relatively strong job market and economy are a draw for those seeking access to care"

Due to confounding factors, I can only say this is probably a good statement for those arriving with some savings, or had the time to find a job before the move. I have not had this level of luck myself, but this is the first city I've ever lived in where I have felt a desire to set down roots.*

>"A November attack on two trans women at a light rail station in downtown Minneapolis, with cheers from onlookers, deterred a few people Charley spoke with who had been considering a move to Minnesota. He said it was hard on many members of the Twin Cities Transplant group.

>“To me, (bystanders cheering) was the most devastating part,” Charley said.

>A place to call home

>Housing is a considerable obstacle for many transplants — the housing crisis in the Twin Cities affects everybody, but the absence of a dedicated LGBTQ+ shelter is a risk for anyone relocating without guaranteed access to housing, Charley said.

>“And you can’t sleep in your car,” Charley said. “I talked to a transplant last year who was talking about doing anything to get out of Texas and mentioned in February living in a car.”

>Charley said the “Catch-22” of finding a job without a local address is another challenge because employers might eliminate out-of-state applicants. To secure an apartment, one needs a job and proof of income, he said."

I don't know for sure if I am the actual person this interviewee said they had spoken to, but I may be since every description fits, and am willing to share and answer and questions you may have down in the comments.

To start off with what was mentioned in the article:

• There actually are dedicated services for unhoused younger transpeople (the oldest age that is included by any of the groups is 25).

• I have been living in my vehicle at various areas around the MN metro since bailing on Texas becoming a decent place July 4th weekend 2023 (more detail im the comments)

• I have had 0 interactions with anyone here that made me feel LESS safe due to my identity or presentation. And after learning some terrifying lessons on some things to not do, I haven't had any interactions at all overnight with the exception of 1 police check up every 1-2 months for the last year...(notes and qualifying stuff in comments)

If you are wondering If Minneapolis, or Minnesota overall, is worth the move, then I would say yes to anyone with a well laid plan and a small savings for comfort.

And you're saftey is at risk because you live in the worst areas, I can say 1.5 years of car life in MN has without a doubt been way better for my mental, physical, and spiritual help than 1.5 years back in texas under even a million dollar roof(frankly because I'd be hanging from it one way or another long before the year mark)

I've been 10months on HRT so maybe it's still too early to tell but I genuinely believe I won't pass unless I get FFS, my face was quite masculine before HRT and I think it's not possible to change some stuff without surgical intervention. I have a prominent brow ridge, my jaw is square and my chin is cleft. No matter how hard I try with makeup, voice, eyebrows and hair, I still get sir'd once people see my face. Sorrowfully without much hesitation. It makes me feel terribly illegitimate to call myself a woman when I look like this.

My dysphoria has lowered a lot since starting though and I actually feel alive for once in my life. But maybe it would be better identifying as a femboy until I can get FFS...

Hii,

I am a freshly cracked mtf egg.

TLDR at end

My parents are raging transphobes. Like the level of crazy where both are anti vax, one is flat earther, and I've had arguments with them where they claim that there are a lot of people out there who identify as a helicopter and people who identify as something they weren't born as should be in mental asylums.

My youngest sibling won't be an adult until 15 months from now and still lives in their house. I don't know what my parents will do once I'm out, but I doubt it will be supportive and I'm sure it would ruin my sibling's life. They're immigrants who hold citizenship in another country, so leaving the US ("which infected me with the woke mind virus") with my youngest sibling is quite possible. Which is why I want to pass in boymode until they graduate high school (may 2026) and can get out.

My question is, when do I start HRT and at what dose? Do I start low dose at x months before I want to be out? Do I start regular dose y months before I want to be out? I plan to move to a blue State in a few months, so I would be living in a different State for the last few months before my youngest sibling gets out. So I can make excuses and not go home and just need to pass over video call after about feb 2026.

omg, that was so so long. Feel like I had to get some of that off my chest. Thanks for reading!!!

Additional info to consider:

• My weight is about 25% of the way from the lowest normal BMI to the highest normal BMI.
• My natural voice is already androngenous and I've been called m'am on the phone many times, so any vocal changes will likely fly under the radar.
• My hair is receding, idk if starting a low dose earlier instead of an avg dose later would help me keep more of it?
• I would be 23 for most of 2025. I heard the body can keep developing until 25, so does that mean I need to start earlier to make more of that last stage of development go in a fem way instead of a masc way? Or does it not really make a difference?

TLDR: trying to pass in person for ~12 more months and pass over video call for ~18. Heard something (maybe myth?) that it would be better to start earlier since I'm still in my low 20s. When do I start and low dose or normal dose?

It's been a bit over a year since I last shared my transition progress on here so I thought I want to update you all.

Here is my last post: https://phtn.app/post/lemmy.dbzer0.com/7781431

Forgot to add:

• first pic is 0 laser sessions
• second pic is 6 laser sessions
• third pic is 9 laser sessions

(This is a throwaway alt for my main lemmy account because I don't want to doxx myself. I'm an ally, and my daughter is transfem, but I understand I am not. If I need to remove this post, please let me know.)

Hey all

Early this year I came out as enby. The day I came out, I decided to do something with my mid-back length long hair to feel more femme. As I combed it and actually looked in the mirror for the first time in years, I saw I had thinning hair, looked with an additional mirror/my phone, and sadly came to the realization I had the first few steps of male pattern baldness. I can still 'hide' it by combing my hair back, using a small-tooth comb, etc, but soon I won't be able to hide it.

To my surprise this caused me a massive amount of dysphoria, and I realised that I had only ever been 'clocked' as feminine due to my hair, so I had made the connection between the two. I can't use the hair foams because they are toxic to cats and I would rather die than hurt my cat. I tend to react negatively to a fair number of medicines so the pill options are pretty scary, particularly with 'permanent E.D.' being out there. My doctor said I was a good candidate for microneedling/hair transplants, but those are far, far too expensive for me.

My male friends just told me to buzz it off and be done with it. My female/enby friends told me to keep it long for now and go back to my hairdresser when it becomes harder to hide.

I wanted to reach out to my transfem sisters and siblings to see:

Do if any of you had any advice for someone who feels at least part feminine, but doesn't know what to do to be more femme when shaved headed, or like when to shave their head, etc? Should I just work on my makeup/earring/accessory skills?

Thank you so much <3

Forgot to say I am from Canada if that helps any.

So, uh, hi. I've never posted here before, and I'm not entirely sure how I wound up here to begin with, but, well, details. I'm here for, well, maybe some advice but also to share some positive news when so much is going on in the US and UK.

On some level, I've known I was trans since, god, probably 2006...but for various reasons I never really moved forward with things, instead trying on various personas and occasionally crashing into severe alcoholism, then basically spending 2017-early/mid 2024 as a miserable urban hermit, just autopiloting to and from work. At that point, something in Baldur's Gate 3 of all things tripped something in my head, the drive to Do Better. This led to taking better care of myself, vitamins, better antidepressants, some lion's mane, and...well, it wiped out the fog that had been in my head for so many years. And without that fog, and refusing to drink again, I had to eventually do something about the black hole of dysphoria.

The first people I came out to were my three older sisters, on US election day. Yes, I know, I'm a comedy genius. But, you know what? Fuck US politics, I'm not letting some shits in Florida and Texas scare me into hiding another 15-20 years, and I live five minutes away from the state with the strongest LGBTQ protections in the country, in case things get dumb and shitty.

Since then, I've...actually a friend made a list, one second. "you went from very nervously mumbling that you thought you were maybe kind of trans to me to, what? Shaking off the post-election doom and gloom? Doing a bit of DIY HRT and confirming, 100%, this is what you want? Coming out to basically everyone you know? Starting therapy and getting good things out of it? Reconnecting with lots of friends you'd kind of ignored while you were depressed and dysphoric? Meeting up with IRL and online support groups? Finding an HRT (or GAHT, I guess) specialist, then starting on HRT for real? All in about 30 days?"

And even better, nearly everyone I've told has been nice at worst and incredibly supportive at best. My boss outright laughed at someone trying to out me, my co-workers have said how much more alive I look and seem, and I actually, gasp, have friends now! Socializing and talking to people is fun! I'm the closest I've been to two of my siblings in...ever, probably. I just can't believe how much having the right hormone for my brain has helped me in every way. And whatever challenges lie ahead, actually being ALIVE for the first time is pretty damn amazing, and makes things a lot more manageable!

Oh, and I was texting back and forth with said siblings, and signed off with a "love ya!" at the end. Both of them were stunned: apparently I've NEVER told either one I love them before. Ever. Yeah, this is the real me. Any lingering doubts I had vanished that moment.

I'll stick a question on here. One of the people I've been hoping to bring to...well, maybe not happy, but at least accepting, is my mom. Thanks to shitty right wing TV, she seems to be hung up on all of this being a sex or fetish thing and not much else. Assuming she's willing, would something like the page on biochemical dysphoria (that's the one that's closest to my personal experience) from the Gender Dysphoria Bible be a decent thing to get her to read?

Oh yeah, the image. It's just a couple of pins I stuck on my vest at work. They're so cute that even the couple of chud-types at my job love them, though they probably have no clue what the colors mean.

Heya,

I've been looking into razors and trimmers to take care of facial and body hair, including sensitive areas. Just looking up these products shows that pretty much anything as explicitly male or female marketed, including not just stereotypical elements like colour and such, but also explicitly calling themselves "for men" or "for women".

Is there anything to this label? Does it actually make any difference or are these just arbitrary visual differences?

Also, do people here have good recommendations for what to go for? It'd be nice to have something that maybe makes it a little easier than using disposable normal razors, as that's associated with some major constant effort and has some less fulfilling results in sensitive areas.

Thanks for reading!

i started hrt through planned parenthood almost 3 months ago, i feel like it was one of the best decisions i ever made, i feel so much more like myself. although it can sometimes be a lot harder, i am much happier overall, and now look forward to life and the changes i can make, and astonished at how much i have already changed.

i didnt really feel safe relying on using planned parenthood for getting my hrt, and i had already explored the option of getting it from my doctor, but they wont even give me an appointment for 6 months, so who knows how long that will take. i ended up going for injections, rather than oral or transdermal methods, given it being much cheaper. i ordered from a seller i found through some recommendations of friends, lots of stock issues, cant imagine why lol. the hardest part was getting the crypto, my payment methods just did not want to work for some reason. after i purchased some, i made an order, and waited for it to arrive. shipping took about two weeks, but i bought from an international seller.

i went to a friends house, they are also trans and have done injections on themselves many times, so they walked me through the process. i had seen people inject all sorts of things, so i was familiar with it, but i just wanted somebody experienced there. im glad i did, because i just couldnt do it, it just feels wrong to stab myself, i just was building it up in my head a whole lot. i asked them to do it for me, it was very simple and over quick. i think that now i have experienced it, i know what to expect, i will have a much easier time doing it to myself.

im happy i took this step, knowing i can do this has helped ease my anxiety quite a bit. im also glad to get off the spiro and start monotherapy. now all i need is some more cute outfits (and things that are considerably less exciting than cute outfits, but nonetheless important) and ill be ready to tackle the world.

Looking for a alternative to TikTok right now that has a good wide audience from LGBT people and neurodivergent people. I only ever used TikTok because it always gave me good LGBT and nerodivergent people who can relate to me. Instagram just gives me people who sell things and YouTube shorts just gives me annoying YouTubers.

Anybody have any good suggestions?

Um. So. I've been wearing a lot of tight sweaters recently and starting to show a bit too much nipple, so I bought some bras. Why just now? I guess I felt I didn't really "deserve" one, or I'd be "dressing up", or something, and wanted to wait for a good reason. Or two :3

Anyway, it's super comfortable, the padding really helps with sensitivity, and I looove what it does for my silhouette. BUT. I've been dressing somewhat androgynous up till now to give my hair / face time to catch up, and to me at least this is a big step into "this person is obviously dressing fem (wearing a bra)" territory. Which is kind of scary.

I'm not really sure what I'm asking here, sorry. I like presenting fem; I want to be perceived as fem; but I guess I'm kind of scared I look like a man in drag? Is anybody actually going to notice?

I haven't posted in a bit but I'm now over a year in. Just started injections a month ago, on progesterone since month 6 and been taking spiro of course.

Closed out my social media accounts while I prepare for some pretty major life changes, but I wanted to share my progress again since I haven't for a while. Life has been hard, but I'm happy.

Be strong, friends.

I have recently become involved in the "Trans Housing Network" which was started by xilliah@beehaw.org. I am in the midst of restructuring this into a broader "Trans Solidarity Network", a network of mutual aid communities across the United States. Due in large part to a rapidly evolving political situation in the US trans people are going to have to rely more and more on community to provide aid to them. The government of the US cannot be trusted to provide that aid. Trans people in deep red states may need to escape from them, many of whom do not have the resources to do so on their own. Trans people arriving in blue states will need help finding their feet and accessing care in their communities.

In that vein I am interested in building communities of trans people in localities across the US. You do not have to have anything to be a part of a mutual aid organization. Mutual aid means the community coming together and providing for each other. It means support networks without hierarchy, where your action has a direct impact on the lives of others.

Those with means are important here. Cisgender people can also be part of our mutual aid communities. We need people with a spare room, people with cars, people who can invest a few hours of their week checking in on their community members and giving food and emotional support to those that need it. Don't bother if you're close-minded or you're not open to being corrected on transphobic behavior. We are creating these networks to liberate trans people and protect them from violence. It goes without saying that transphobic people are not welcome, and that a level of scrutiny will be applied to new comers.

This whole thing is an entirely new project that I have been working on since the results of the election were declared. I am following principles of mutual organization and assistance. This is not a charity organization by any means. It is a way for trans people and allies to come together in light of extraordinary circumstances and help each other to be safe and healthy and secure.

The plan I have is (eventually) for communities to be relatively cut off from each other, and to be based around region. Right now in our earliest stages people from all over will be brought together, and as numbers grow will be divided into smaller regional groups. Keeping people geographically close to each other in touch and building networks of communication that extend longer distances. Financial contributions would be person to person, not person to entity to person. If you have money and want to contribute the best way to do so is by joining yourself and becoming a part of this network. I do not have interest in making a formal non-profit or charity organization. This is about private individuals helping each other when the government will not help us (or actively tries to harm us). I am looking for ways that international aid can be provided as well. If you live outside the US you can join the broader mutual aid network but what we need most of all is those who can provide direct assistance.

I am also looking for people who have experience with mutual aid, people who have experience with self-hosted technology, and people who are connected with groups on other social media to promote and spread word about this solidarity network. We need diverse skillsets to provide support to those who need it. Nothing is categorically unhelpful in a mutual aid group.

If you are interested in joining my efforts (which are very early on in terms of development) please message me on Matrix @ladyautumn:chat.blahaj.zone or email me at TransSolidarityNetwork@proton.me.

well i understand because my parents will notice if i'm taking hormone blockers

yay?????

So I started DIY a few months ago using estradiol gel for monotherapy (2.5g 0.06% gel applied scrotally twice a day for a total of 3 mg estradiol / day). I saw plenty of expected effects, including nipple sensitivity and no more spontaneous erections (after a month or so even direct stimulation was starting to get less effective). No blood tests, but I conclude estrogen levels are probably OK-ish and testosterone must be somewhat suppressed.

This month, I get on prescription injections instead at last. The standard course here is monotherapy, 10 or 20 mg estradiol valerate (Progynon) as an IM depot injection every two weeks. Different schedules, progestogens, anti-androgens etc are available but I'm probably going to have to advocate for that myself if necessary. First injection, 10mg; I stopped using gel that day. All seems OK, but a few days in, I start getting erections at night again. Weird, but I assume it could be an occasional thing. By day six, they're happening every night, sometimes getting semi-hard during the day too. Nipple sensitivity has pretty much gone so I conclude the injection has worn off and go back on gel. Everything reverts to "gel normal" as above.

Injection two, two weeks after the first, I get 20mg this time. Stop gel again. After a few hours, boom lots of breast sensitivity / swelling. I'm guessing this is a pretty good indicator of E levels. That's slowly dropped down to gel-like levels over the subsequent few days and what do you know, the erections are back again. I conclude peak levels were a bit higher than gel, but dropping off rapidly again and probably not going to last the full two weeks. (This is consistent with the simulator on transfem science).

I'll be asking for blood tests next time and checking with the doctor, but I'd like to get a straw poll: does anybody see random erections even with T suppressed? Am I overthinking things? I'm not seeing a massive return of BO or anything, so I assume T isn't getting that high, but god damn I hate waking up to that thing.

It really is never too late! After watching that TV Glow movie my egg cracked while listening to Red Wine Supernova.

Once that happened it was about 30 days to get my first patch. My cholesterol was awful and they said i was probably going to need statin drugs and no monotherapy until I got it fixed.

I asked for a chance to fix it through dietary changes . They told me it was possible but unlikely. Well i did it. All I had to do was give up meat, dairy, weed and alcohol and restrict calories a bit and exercise a bunch. Easy! Well it was because I wanted to be a girl more than anything else. I switch from the patch to monotherapy in a couple weeks!

It is never too late, dare to be your true self and delight in gender euphoria every day if you can get it!!!

I was at Epcot the other day and suddenly the globe, the trees, the new little park, and all the Magicbands began to glow pink, silver and blue. The globe was an especially obvious trans flag (sorry if that isn't the correct term). I stopped and paid attention to the song that was playing and it was from their flop "Wish".

>Have you ever wondered why you look up at the sky for answers?\ \ >Well, you don't have to look too hard\ >We're here for all your question marks\ >If you're try'na figure out just who you are\ >Don't look far

>In the sky and your front yard\ >In your heart and in your scars\ >If you really wanna know just who you are\ >You're a star

Nice move Disney. 10/10

Hey y'all, transfemby here. I've yet to start HRT (not sure I want to rn), but I really wish I had thicker hips. Today was a shitty dysphoria day about it, and it made me realize how bad I want this. Do you have any recommendations on how to achieve wider hips (and/or hourglass shape) without HRT?

I'm thinking of taking my dosage of 6mg a day down to 4mg a day so I can stockpile 2mg each day in case of an emergency. Or maybe every other day to stockpile 1mg each day.

I'm worried though about it negatively affecting me mentally, but I also know that if I do run out and don't have a stockpile, it'll be much worse.

Or maybe I could ask my doctor to prescribe me extra so I can stockpile without reducing my dosage?

Anyways, what are your thoughts on doing this? I know Erin Reed recently put out an article which mentioned it being done (which is what inspired me to make this post).

[Requesting Engagement from transfems]

(Blahaj lemmy told me to put this up top, so I did)

I did not expect this to happen. I followed FairyPrincessLucy for a long time, cuz she's real nice and seems cool.

Time passes and I noticed how I would feel very bad when watching her do stuff. I was like > damn, she so generally okay with her situation. Wish I was too lol

So I stopped watching her.

Just now I discovered another channel, Melody Nosurname , and I really, really like her videos! She seems very reasonable and her little character is super cute <3 But here too I noticed how watching the vids made me super uncomfortable. The representation is nice, for sure, and her videos are of very high quality, I can only recommend them (as in - the videos).

I started by noticing > woah, her tshirt is super cute, I wanna have that too!

Then I continue with > heyo her friend here seems also super cool. Damn wish I had cool friends

And then eventually the classic > damn, I wish I were her

At that point, it's already over. I end up watching another video and, despite my genuine interest in the topic, I stop it in the middle, close the tab and open Lemmy (and here we are).

Finally I end up watching videos by cis men, like Scott the Woz. They are fine, and I end up not comparing myself to them (since I wouldn't necessarily want to be them). I also stopped watching feminine people in general online, as they tend to give me a very similar reaction. Just like > yeah, that's cool that you're mostly fine with yourself, I am genuinely happy for you that you got lucky during random character creation <3

I also watched The Owl House, which is a really good show (unfortunately owned by Disney) and I stopped watching when...

Spoiler for the Owl House

it started getting gay <3 cuz I started feeling way too jealous of them just being fine with themselves and pretty and gay <3 and such

I wanted to see where the show was going, and I'm sure it's real good, but that is not worth risking my wellbeing, I thought.

So anyway...

have you had a period like that before? How did you deal with it? Do you watch transfem people? Please share your favs! <3 I also like watching SimplySnaps. Her videos are also really high quality, I just end up not being able to watch them for too long before sad hits :(

additional info about me, if anyone cares

I currently don't take hrt, but I'm on my way. I'm attending psychological therapy with a really nice tharapist here in Germany. I struggle to find good words to describe how I feel but slowly I find better words for it. I'm currently 19 and present myself mostly masculine still, while trying to act very nice, generally acceptable and friendly. So kinda in a way which makes both super sweet queer people <3 <3 <3 <3 and hetero cis queerphobes accept me as just another character. (I work at a school with very mixed ideologies, so I kinda have to). But oh boi do I have social anxiety, even at home with mother...

EDIT: Changed info about SimplySnaps EDIT2: Added The Owl House example

Like in 2016 a rising tide of conservatives emboldened by the Republican victory are starting to crop up online. Hate speech and random attacks directed at the trans community in online spaces will continue and most likely grow louder in the coming weeks. For our safety and mental health I encourage everyone to avoid online spaces that are not strictly moderated. Avoid social media where transphobia and misogyny are tolerated. The effect of constact exposure to hate speech is profound and horrific. We need to shelter ourselves from it as much as possible. I know it doesn't sound very brave to say that but its the truth. We need to look after each other of course, but first of all we have to look after ourselves.

Like everyone here I've been through a chaotic mess of emotions over the past couple days. I am furious, heartbroken, terrified, and sick with anxiety. I have picked apart everything thats happened in the past few months and tried to make sense of how this could happen. The hows and whys of it dont matter though. This is the reality we are confronted with and we have to exist within it. There is no use in praying for a different world. There is no use in lamenting the reality as it exists.

Trans people have made it through so many eras of open hostility towards us. Our community is built on the foundations laid by those who came before us. We persevere because of our solidarity, our empathy and our unity. We must now turn our attention to how we can fight back against this system. We must move our focus to how we can persist within a new world. Trans people still need hormones. We need ways out of hostile communities. We need protection and we need security. Our focus must change to how we can provide those things without the help of institutions. We need networks of supportive cisgender people throughout deep red states. We need supply chains for bringing hormones to people who cannot access them. We need communities online oriented around supporting our most vulnerable.

I am committed to this community supporting all of those efforts, and am looking to become personally involved in organizing efforts as time goes on. Channel your anger and your fear into action. Process your feelings together, support each other, and remember that youre not alone. We are not alone. Things aren't okay. They won't suddenly be okay tomorrow. But we can look after our community. We can push back. It's our duty to do so, for trans youth and vulnerable trans people who can't advocate for themselves and are subject to the whims of the system.

What are your thoughts on getting your health records wiped? Yay/Nay?

>My Therapist asked if I wanted my medical records wiped..... > I was asked if I wanted my medical records scrubbed of any mention of being trans or gender dysphoria. She indicated I could ask the same from all of my doctors. >It feels disgusting but some part of me says it's a good idea. I could just be a woman on Estrogen which isn't really unusual. >I wanted to share with the community, this is a personal choice you should consider. >permalink by Shadowfoxx757

I'm leaning more towards that they'll make it legal to "we retain the right to refuse service to", or your boss can fire you because you are trans, rather than poring through medical records to fuck people's lives up.

Notable comments in my opinion:

• Once your trans status has been wiped from medical records (I've not done so, but I'm seriously considering it), you can then tell doctors that you've had a hysterectomy, or that you happen to have a birth defect where your uterus never formed. This covers why certain things like PAP Smears don't apply to you, even though they apply to most women. ⏤ by lirannl
  • My medical record already seems to not say I'm trans, but it does have the line "congenital absent uterine cervix" ⏤ by Xunae
• Look, everyone should absolutely do what they feel is best for their safety, full stop, no questions asked. My own feeling though, is that A) I honestly don’t believe our worst fears are going to come to pass. Why? Do you remember Trump’s first term and what a chaotic mess it was, even from the GOP’s perspective? Remember when the GOP squandered their House majority on infighting? They are going to be so overeager with everyone trying to ram through their pet hate legislation and trying to kiss the ring, it will be like a traffic bottleneck when lanes close on the interstate during rush hour.B) even if our worst fears do come to pass, I have no energy left to hide who I am. I did it for 30+ years of my life, not only with this but with autism/ADHD as well, and I just will not go back. I cannot go back. The future is scary yes, but ultimately we do not know what will happen. I do know, however, what will happen if I go backwards and I am certain that place is as scary for me personally as anything they can do to me. ⏤ by Different-Yam-736