Ask a MtF TG a question

[coati]

Here's a link to a AMA session on Reddit regarding everything transgender with some super smart replies that made me want to hug the monitor.

With the school year just starting, our local community radio station in Tucson is doing a similar Q&A session on the air.

 

[stickygirl]

With the school year just starting, our local community radio station in Tucson is doing a similar Q&A session on the air.

Really?!? That's fabulous

 

[coati]

Really?!? That's fabulous

Yes, they have a regular half-hour show on the weekends, and also 5-minute spots during prime time on weekdays. The last one I heard was an interview about the spectrum of gender identification. I think it is called "Out Loud".

This public support makes it easier for young people to simply be themselves. Our downtown area is great space for freedom.

 

[stickygirl]

Here's an interesting article about disclosure by activist Jen Richards who reflects on the disclosure dilemma so often faced by trans women. She begins to turn it on its head by replying to "You should have told me" with "Should I have?"

The FB comments are quite interesting too

Maybe one day the reality that there are trans people in daily life will dawn, so that even the most fragile male ego won't have their heterosexuality shattered by having sex with gosh-gummey-gosh - a trans woman?
On the other hand
Probably not

 

[stickygirl]

I cover serious articles and topics in this thread, but sex is important too, so is flirting. We need a bit of each to make life interesting, we need super articles like this from Julia Serano Debunking 'Trans women are not women'

She makes stuff understandable and recharges my arguments-battery

 

[stickygirl]

I bought into a lot of those arguments, for a long time.
I think mostly out of a lot of "white women's viewpoints" and "white women's feminism". It took a lot of people smacking me with insight before I opened my eyes.

What is useful about the discussion, quite apart from debunking trans myths, is the light it shines on feminism and being any sort of woman

 

[coati]

What is useful about the discussion, quite apart from debunking trans myths, is the light it shines on feminism and being any sort of woman

The article by Julia Serano is information-dense, so it took me a while to think about it after reading it. Fortunately, I do not fear posts that are longer than 140 characters.

Most of the feminists I have known in the workplace are compassionate and positive humans who model the behavior they want to see in others. However, some tend to spend more of their time focusing on personal victimization rather than actual empowerment of themselves and other women. And, I suspect that the women who dwell the most on their own victimization might be likely to take it out on others.

ROLE MODELS:
When I see Gloria Steinem talking on TV or see Namoli Brennet in concert, I feel empowered because they feel empowered. They model the behavior they want to see in others. They appeal to others with their own humility and human-ness. Namoli was this way even when she was living out of her car, traveling from city to city on tour, carrying an important message about dignity and empowerment.

The cruelty by some feminists, as described by Serano, is obviously not the basis for a good role model. I'm glad she is taking the time and the care to respond to this bad behavior.

 

[Controlu69]

Nothing really to ask, just really enjoying the thread.

 

[Scentofawoman]

Hello Sticky!

Just slinking my way through Lit! A lot has happened to me last couple of years. Mainly I had a very sexy encounter recently with a MtF TG. It was at a BDSM party in Toronto, Canada. I made her comfortable enough to play and I was able to help her fulfill a fantasy of hers being dominated by a woman. I will admit being a heterosexual woman and not interested in woman, I was really nervous and unnerved at the time. Yet the night moved forward and I must say it was a lot of fun and memorable.

Hope you are having fun!

 

[stickygirl]

Hi Scent I'm going to come back and edit this reply but I have to go sit somewhere in the quiet for a while to process your update
laters

 

[stickygirl]

Woo! BBC tv has made amends for their last trans debacle by running a Horizon documentary about ... real trans people being... people
I couldn't see anything bad in the prog apart from the girl from Washington who had eyelashes big enough to take flight, but that just shows that even trans people can have poor taste and to be fair, she looked very glamorous. The UK people looked a bit frumpy by comparison They even featured my local clinic so it had to be a down-to-earth show!!
I know not many of you can view UK TV iPlayer but if you can, Horizon BBC2 26th Sept.

 

[Bramblethorn]

Poster here is looking for non-objectifying trans stories on Literotica. Anybody feel like giving them some recs?

http://forum.literotica.com/showthread.php?p=88104023#post88104023

 

[naughtyinsilk]

Hiya stickygirl

I hope life is treating you well my lil gorgeous.
Life is so busy these days that I never get time to come on here anymore which is a shame.

Aside from my usual London burlesque stage shows, I am now presenting a weekly music and arts radio show en-femme called A Low Life In High Heels With Gwen Ever. All those years of working on tour with bands is paying off, so I am getting top guests and last week for instance I had the only UK radio interview with Voice of The Beehive when they came over to play a reunion show for the first time in 15 years.

My next movie Witches Brew a comedy horror, premieres at the Horror On Sea Film Festival on 20th January, in which I play an elderly trans demon hunter. Was great fun to do, but as I did all my own stunts ended up really bruised and with pneumonia, after spending 3 days in a sub zero grave yard in my delicates .

I start filming my role in the new Queen movie next week, which by unplanned casting means I will actually be playing my old drag queen boss from the late 70s.

Still not dating, just cant be bothered to waste the little free time I have trying

How has life been treating you?

NIS:rose

 

[stickygirl]

What a lovely surprise and how good to hear your news! Impressive news too, but at least I can have the pleasure of being able to say, 'well I knew her before she was really famous'. I hope that your fame will not make a stranger of you, though I appreciate how busy you must be. Please do let us know some screening dates when you have them and what channel is your radio show on?
I am well, have a partner just now and I'm still working at the same place. I had a proper holiday a few weeks back - took a flight to the Canaries and joined family friends on a yacht ( not theirs ) for some sailing. I even avoided being seasick, though only because I was wise enough to take pills this time. We saw lots of wild life: small whales, dolphins and had some great food - sea food, which I love. Being able to pack just a few clothes and not worry about dressing up was a bonus - shorts and tee everyday
I've just glanced back at your words and I'm so chuffed for you, Well done. Crikey you deserve some recognition after all the troubles and hard work you've endured!
Stay well, stay happy and don't leave it too long next time

 

[Asian_Flower]

HI Sticky, I hope you dont mind me asking. I live in a part of Asia where trans is very common. I have even worked with some in the past and we always had very enjoyable times. I have heard that male to female take birth control pills for the hormones to assist with the transistion. Is this true? I hope Im not being rude.

 

[stickygirl]

Hi AF and thanks for your question.
You are half-right in referring to birth control pills and you may also hear the term HRT ( hormone replacement therapy ) being used describe the treatments for transitioning, which is more commonly known as a regime given to women to help with the effects of menopause. Like most drugs, hormones perform more than one function and one of the hormones normally used in birth control is estrogen, which is also a hormone needed to encourage female characteristics to develop in MtF trans women. The other hormone often used in BC is progestin, but that is not a MtF drug; instead progestogens are often prescribed to counter the body's natural production of testosterone. There are other hormones used in both treatments and their quantity and proportion depends on the individual, which is why self-prescribing is always a risk: what works for one person may give another blood clots. If someone goes out and buys birth-control drugs, they may be buying inappropriate or even dangerous hormones and the long-term effects may not be immediately apparent so people need to be very careful and find out exactly what they need and what is in the pills they are taking.

Once an individual gets to know the way their body reacts then they can probably decide if they feel 'low on E' and adjust their intake themselves. Switching between pills and patches is never straightforward because of the time it takes for the hormones to get to work etc.

 

[Asian_Flower]

Hi AF and thanks for your question.
You are half-right in referring to birth control pills and you may also hear the term HRT ( hormone replacement therapy ) being used describe the treatments for transitioning, which is more commonly known as a regime given to women to help with the effects of menopause. Like most drugs, hormones perform more than one function and one of the hormones normally used in birth control is estrogen, which is also a hormone needed to encourage female characteristics to develop in MtF trans women. The other hormone often used in BC is progestin, but that is not a MtF drug; instead progestogens are often prescribed to counter the body's natural production of testosterone. There are other hormones used in both treatments and their quantity and proportion depends on the individual, which is why self-prescribing is always a risk: what works for one person may give another blood clots. If someone goes out and buys birth-control drugs, they may be buying inappropriate or even dangerous hormones and the long-term effects may not be immediately apparent so people need to be very careful and find out exactly what they need and what is in the pills they are taking.

Once an individual gets to know the way their body reacts then they can probably decide if they feel 'low on E' and adjust their intake themselves. Switching between pills and patches is never straightforward because of the time it takes for the hormones to get to work etc.

Wow, your knowledge is amazing. Thank you for that very detailed answer. Does that also mean that with low testosterone they cant maintain an erection anymore? My friends husband had low levels and had to have as you described above HRT. She said it made a huge difference. Is the opposite then true?

 

[stickygirl]

Wow, your knowledge is amazing. Thank you for that very detailed answer. Does that also mean that with low testosterone they cant maintain an erection anymore? My friends husband had low levels and had to have as you described above HRT. She said it made a huge difference. Is the opposite then true?

I think there can be any number of reasons for erection problems (or what its owner perceives as a problem). Some problems can be temporary like a bout of flu, but they can be more persistent and could be due to stress or some physiological problem, which might include low testosterone. I read about low-T on the boards here quite bit and it seems to have become a go-to when looking for ED problems, when there is more likely to be some other underlying problem, like their general health. A doctor will normally look at a whole range of possible causes before tinkering with someone's T-levels.
I'm glad your friend got checked out and you're right, he had a version of HRT - it is only a general description of hormone treatment, not what is actually in the pills/patches/syringe.

I ought to buy myself a nurses outfit for these discussions but I'm only speaking as someone who is more familiar with hormones - I have no qualifications in this!

Incidentally I follow Caroland, who is a trans woman on YouTube and she recently switched from patches to injections for her estrogen and has developed bigger boobs ( and put on a little weight too ). Hmmm..... that's interesting!

 

[stickygirl]

Depersonalisation?!
Hardly a week passes when some new bit of jargon comes along, but this was an eye-opener for me
When you read something that kicks off with bullet points that have you saying "No way, this was me!" then you read on. There's plenty in this article by Zinnia Jones to keep most people interested who feel a sense of disconnect: like part of you is going through the stuff of everyday life, while the real you just kinda sits back and watches.

 

[coati]

Depersonalisation?!
Hardly a week passes when some new bit of jargon comes along, but this was an eye-opener for me
When you read something that kicks off with bullet points that have you saying "No way, this was me!" then you read on. There's plenty in this article by Zinnia Jones to keep most people interested who feel a sense of disconnect: like part of you is going through the stuff of everyday life, while the real you just kinda sits back and watches.

I wonder if the internet has caused an increase in these symptoms of feeling disconnected?

 

[stickygirl]

I wonder if the internet has caused an increase in these symptoms of feeling disconnected?

Hmmm... not sure that's the case Coati. I think it's allowed people to share those feelings more easily.

The other thing that's been aired/griped over just now is the apparent explosion of numbers of kids who claim to be trans - that it is ALL a fad. Well naysayers would say that wouldn't they? I suspect there is a grain of truth in the rumour: more kids are coming forward as 'trans' BUT there are still checks in place ( or should be ) to ensure they have proper counselling and guidance and are given time to figure things out. Insistent, persistent and consistent are the yardsticks by which a therapist assesses a kid and then they'll carefully nudges them to a conclusion that fits their nature.

 

[coati]

Hmmm... not sure that's the case Coati. I think it's allowed people to share those feelings more easily.

I definitely see your point about the upside of the internet for providing connected-ness, especially for unjustly stigmatized populations.

However, lately I also see the downside of the internet for providing a connection to reality. Just as easily as the internet can be used to share reality, it can be used to promote unreality or a virtual world of lies. If a disassociated person grabs onto the latter, things can get much worse. Witness the explosion of fact-denying trolls and the associated impact on elections.

I am currently reading this book written by a Vietnam War veteran, who was so traumatized that he frequently went into a dream state while awake, sometimes not being able to tell if he was alive or dead. He eventually found himself again by connecting with wilderness and nature. I really wonder if many of the aforementioned trolls are causing an explosion in humans who are disassociated from reality.

But, that is somewhat off-topic for this thread...

 

[stickygirl]

I see where you're coming from, but in the context of depersonalisation, as described in that article, it is more systemic than PTSD or similar. The symptom frequently described by pre-hormone MtF trans folk is one of going through our daily lives feeling like an observer to our own life (amongst other things). What has been reported, though cannot yet be substantiated, that those feelings disappeared within a few weeks of starting estrogen and that's something with which I concur. You'll perhaps have read how trans women have reported feeling in control of their lives for the first time? It had been supposed this was simply a feel-good from having finally started hormones, but there may be secondary biochemical actions promoted by estrogen, that offer an explanation. Oh dear... here the biology gets complicated and beyond me but... the is a recognised condition, unrelated to being trans, a symptom of which is this disassociation. Receptors in those brains are being interrupted and it is thought that estrogen kinda unblocks those receptors ( sorry - dreadful summation ).

I love that so much fresh research is now being undertaken to better understand processes in the brain in all areas, not just the trans one. But there are aspects of being trans the provide insight into other brain functions in the cis-gender population. You'd almost think we were the same old species after all

 

[Bramblethorn]

Hmmm... not sure that's the case Coati. I think it's allowed people to share those feelings more easily.

The other thing that's been aired/griped over just now is the apparent explosion of numbers of kids who claim to be trans - that it is ALL a fad. Well naysayers would say that wouldn't they? I suspect there is a grain of truth in the rumour: more kids are coming forward as 'trans' BUT there are still checks in place ( or should be ) to ensure they have proper counselling and guidance and are given time to figure things out. Insistent, persistent and consistent are the yardsticks by which a therapist assesses a kid and then they'll carefully nudges them to a conclusion that fits their nature.

I know several people who would've come out as trans in the 90s or earlier had they realised it was an option, and had they felt safe enough to do so.

Until my early twenties, I think my only awareness of transgender women was as a punchline/plot twist, Crying Game and that sort of thing. Trans men, several years after that.

 

[stickygirl]

Just a PSA that today is Trans Day of Remembrance 20th Nov 2017

Here's a post from Transadvocate, with a pamphlet attached listing the names of those murdered in the last year worldwide.

What should you do if you'd like to help? Look up a local LGBT or Trans centre, go along and stand with us