I am getting ready to move to a new state and town in the next year or so. When I go I am hoping to introduce myself from the get go as female. I understand that this will probably scare some people away but then again those are not the people I would want to get to know anyway right? I guess my question is, is it a good idea to be upfront with new people right away about being trans or is it likely to isolate me from the community before they have a chance to accept me?

Edited to add: Congress is in fact OPEN today (Saturday) and people CAN call their Reps NOW! I just called Speaker Pelosi's office in DC and they had people answering the phones. PICK UP THE PHONE AND MAKE IT HAPPEN, FOLKS!!! This is SERIOUS!

The Capitol Switchboard is RINGING BUSY, so go here to find the contact info for your reps: http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/mcapdir.html

Don't know who your rep is??? Go here to locate them by zip code (top left corner): http://www.house.gov/

Hello Friends,

Please forward widely!

This morning around 1am, Members of the US Congress House of
Representatives agreed to allow an Up or Down Vote TODAY to create
what would essentially become a "de facto ban" on abortion services
for private as well as potential public insurers. This is outrageous
and NEEDS TO BE STOPPED!

Where do your reps stand?
Check here: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/11/7/801738/-HCR-House-Debate:-The-Stupak-Amendment

Make sure to contact your Representative in the House and Senate via
email and follow up on Monday morning with a phone call!!!
Go here: http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/issues/abortion/access-to-abortion/health-care-reform.html

News from The NY Times:
http://prescriptions.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/07/abortion-fight-erupts-in-health-care-debate/
From The Hill (DC):
http://thehill.com/homenews/house/66789-stupak-to-get-up-or-down-vote-on-amendment-to-block-abortion-funding

In Pro-Choice Solidarity!

Pls. x-post!

Hi Friends,

On November 5, the US Senate held the first hearings on a fully
transgender inclusive ENDA Bill –
http://help.senate.gov/Hearings/2009_11_05/2009_11_05.html

Please call your Senators and encourage them to vote YES on the
Transgender Inclusive ENDA Bill – S. 1584, in the United States
Senate.

Where do your Senators stand?
See here: http://www.actonprinciples.org/enda-senate/

To find out who your Senators are, as well as ascertain their contact
information please see this link:
http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/general/one_item_and_teasers/contacting.htm

Thanks!

As anybody who has known me for any length of time knows, there is one food that towers above all my other favorite foods. It's not ice cream, not strawberries, nor even fresh asparagus: it is a little-known Japanese food that goes by the name of takoyaki. Takoyaki, Japanese for "fried octopus", it is a round octopus dumpling served at vendor stands all across Japan, particularly in the Kansai region.

Unfortunately, takoyaki is a downright rarity in the States - particularly so here in Minnesota, where we don't have a large Japanese population. To me, this is a crying shame – the Japanese themselves eat way more donburi, udon, ramen, soba, omuraisu, tonkatsu, takoyaki, onigiri, etc., etc. than they eat sushi, and yet all we get here in Minnesota is more or less a big heaping pile of mediocre sushi places. Hope is not completely lost - after all, Midori's Floating World Cafe sells takoyaki; it's not bad, but it's not quite the Ōsaka-style takoyaki that I pine for.


Octopus - how does it manage to simultaneously be so intimidating and yet so delicious?

Ingredients:
1 cup cake flour
1 1/4 cup dashi-flavored ice-water (I use a generous 1/2 tsp dashi powder + 1 1/4 cup water)
1 egg
1/4 lb octopus (one arm)
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1/2 tbsp ground sakura ebi (dried red shrimp)
1/2 tbsp shōyu (soy sauce)
1/2 tsp salt
oil (rice bran oil)

Toppings
katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes)
ground aonori (green seaweed)
okonomiyaki sauce
japanese-style mayonnaise (I use Kewpie brand)

Instructions:
Drop the whole octopus arm into boiling water. Boil for no longer than three minutes. Note to local restaurants: YES, THAT'S THREE MINUTES. THREE. NOT TEN, NOT FIFTEEN. THREE. Octopus is almost always improperly cooked. If you've ever had tasteless, chewy octopus - and if you've ordered octopus off a menu, then you probably have - that's because it has most likely been overcooked. Properly cooked octopus should be soft and have a buttery flavor. Anyways, after the octopus has boiled for about three minutes (three!), remove it from the water and chop it into bite-size bits.

In mixing bowl, combine cake flour, dashi-flavored ice-water, egg, soy sauce, salt, and sakura ebi. Mix lightly, until flour clumps are mostly gone, being careful not to overmix.

Heat your cast-iron takoyaki pan over medium-high heat. If you don't have a takoyaki pan - and most people don't - you can do what I do and use a well-seasoned traditional Danish æbleskiver pan. Coat both the top of the pan and the holes with oil. I use rice bran oil, because it has both a high smoke point and a neutral flavor, but regular canola oil works well in a pinch. Pour the batter into each of the holes, filling them almost to the brim. Then, drop a piece of octopus into each hole, and sprinkle in the green onions.


Æbleskiver pan, takoyaki pan, what's the difference?

Wait until the pan-facing side of the takoyaki has cooked, and then rotate them up to a 90° angle. After they've been rotated, quickly rotate them so that the open end is facing downward. This youtube video does a decent job of showing the proper technique.

After they've finished cooking, remove the takoyaki using your chopsticks and place them on a plate. Brush the top of the takoyaki with a generous helping of okonomiyaki sauce. I use Otafuku-brand Okonomi sauce; it is widely available and has no hydrolyzed pork protein. Then, sprinkle on your ground aonori flakes. Squirt on some Japanese-style mayonnaise, and then finish it off with the dried bonito flakes. Consume while hot and gooey!


It's Japanese fast food, but oh-so-delicious!

How would you define trans liberation, and a trans liberationist politic?
is it roughly a synonym for anti-cissexist?
I'm especially interested in any blogs or references that don't cite feinberg or koyama (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&hs=w4y&q=%22trans-liberation%22&aq=f&oq=&aqi=)

one of the reasons I am asking is I've been using "trans liberationist" a lot lately--somehow it crept into my vocabulary and I'm just wondering if I'm using it in a coherent way.

"Tampa council grants protections to transgender people"
By Janet Zink, Times Staff Writer
Posted: Nov 05, 2009 02:04 PM

TAMPA — The City Council on Thursday gave unanimous preliminary approval to expanding its human rights ordinance to protect transgender people from discrimination.

But does that mean cross-dressers are protected, too?

Specifically, the ordinance prohibits discrimination on the basis of "gender identity and expression."

"Is it today that I'm sitting next to Albert and tomorrow I'm sitting next to Alice?" asked council member Charlie Miranda.

( Read more... )

a few thoughts of my own:

- the title is misleading, because this was just a preliminary vote.
- so much of the article makes me want to *headdesk*
- the whole "crossdresser vs. transgender" false dichotomy is completely ridiculous on so many levels.
~so much of the banter from some of the council folks seems to be centered around this completely privileged position which just might set up trans* folks up for further scrutiny of their bodies in the name of "non-discrimination."
~who gets to decide whether one is "truly" trans* or just trying to cause a disruption or whatever? [just for clarity's sake, I am referencing charlie miranda's words here.]
~what would happen to people who are transgender and personally ID with a M or F label but are not considered to be "passing" by employees?
~etc...
- so many of the comments make me want to *headdesk* as well


a few [more positive] thoughts of my own:

- YAY! my favorite city council persons were among the ones who countered the derailing points about "cross-dressers" and what not.
- john dingfelder, one of those council folks, is running for county commissioner in 2010. last night, he told me that if gets voted in, he will be a solid ally in helping overturn the current county-wide ban on gay book displays in libraries. double YAY!
- despite the ignorance of some of those folks ... there was only only ONE dissenting vote! that's pretty damn exciting, eh?

...what's new with local news where you all live?

The empire strikes back

In recent weeks, we've taken huge steps towards blocking spam accounts on LiveJournal. In fact, we've suspended as many as 30,000 accounts in a single day! We've implemented several pre-emptive measures to prevent the creation of spam accounts, and we've honed our detection of suspicious content. Spam bots are a crafty lot, so we'll continue to refine our tactics and keep up the good fight to keep you safe from spam attacks on LiveJournal.

RSS feeds again

If you're addicted to xkcd_rss, icanhaschzbrgr, or other syndicated feeds, we're pleased to report that we've resolved the update error that was mucking up your RSS feeds. While content was being pulled correctly, it wasn't being posted to the feeds themselves. Late last week, we finally nailed down what we hope was the root problem, so content should post properly. We thank you for your patience.

Wii have killer CSI Deadly Intent contests!

c_s_i

If you're a gamer who loves CSI, have Wii got news for you! c_s_i is sponsoring killer contests. Simply post a question to a member of the CSI crew. The winner will get a free copy of CSI: Deadly Intent for Nintendo Wii (with a retail value of $39.99) and get their question answered by a member of the CSI writing team! There's also a fantastic monthly contest. To enter, join c_s_i, play the online version of CSI: Deadly Intent, and respond to a two-part query for a chance to win a Wii! Entries will be judged on composition and originality. Sorry, but you must be a U.S. resident and over 18 years old to participate. Check out the rules here.

Enveloped in postcards

Last week, we asked you to send in postcards to help us decorate our drab concrete walls. Here's a photo of the results so far! Thank you so much and please keep them coming! You can mail them to Frank the Goat, Esq., c/o LiveJournal, Inc., 539 Bryant Street, Suite 210, San Francisco, CA 94107. Be sure to include your username, since we'll be giving ten random users paid account credits.

Photos of the week

If you haven't visited our new LiveJournal photo community, you're in for an amazing visual trip. LiveJournal users from around the world will take you on a scenic journey to everywhere. Post your own pictures or kick back and enjoy at lj_photophile. You can view some of this week's awesome photos after the jump. Please start tagging with geographic location, since we'd like to track all the places around the world represented in this community. Keep on commenting too!
( Read more... )

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8330157.stm

Born in the wrong body
By James Fletcher
BBC News

Doctors in Britain are reviewing guidelines for the treatment of people under 18 with gender dysphoria. This is a condition where someone is born one sex but feels they are really the other. A key issue is the age at which young people can be prescribed drugs which pause puberty.


Around 1 in 4,000 people in the UK are receiving help for gender dysphoria

Sitting in her kitchen, 16 year old Nikki (name changed to protect her identity) looks and acts like any other teenage girl.

She gossips with her mum, teases her younger brothers, and giggles as she texts her new boyfriend.

The only difference is that Nikki was born biologically a boy.

"I've always felt like a girl," she says. As a child, she dressed up in girls' clothing, played with girls' toys, and gravitated towards other girls.

As she got older, Nikki realised there was a difference between what she felt and her body.

"It used to make me feel ill and so horribly down," she remembers. "I'd just wish that I wasn't around. Everything to do with me being male was horrible, I just couldn't stand it."

When she was seven Nikki was diagnosed with gender dysphoria. Her parents initially tried to steer her towards accepting she was a boy, but by eight she was living as a girl at home, and by nine was going to school as a girl.

"I loved it," she says, "people picked on me a lot, but it was amazing in my eyes because I was allowed to show everyone who I was."
( Read more... )

Just in via headline-sampler in my Yahell Mail...

Conservatives shop sex ops ban to GOP

The federal government would be banned from funding sex change operations and other services for transgender individuals if social conservative activists get their way.

 There’s no sponsor yet for an amendment to the health care overhaul – and it may remain in the dustbin of unrealized wedge issues – but culture warriors are shopping the proposal to Republican senators.  (Full article at Politico.com)


Obviously, it can't just be assumed that healthcare reform is going to be automatically inclusive of everyone who's heretofore been marginalized by the system -- political/rhetorical pressure needs to be applied by us, because it's imminently being applied against us, on the same "social values" grounds as the pressure already being exerted to ban any governmental funding of abortions via public healthcare option (I recall the topic coming up earlier here, but it wasn't necessarily seen as related to trans issues then, even though they are naturally lumped together by social conservatives).   Politicians need a good kick in the arse from their trans constituents and everyone else who cares about actual social equality, before this evasion has any chance to get slipped in and undermine any real healthcare reform. 
 

cross-posted to ftm

I live near Cleveland, and am looking for a physician or endocrinologist who works with trans people and who does informed consent (i.e., doesn't require a letter from a therapist.)  I don't feel the need for talk therapy--I've dealt with this own my own over the course of several years--and really am just ready to get started on hormones.

Does anyone know of anything in the Cleveland/NE Ohio area?

I don't have health insurance, so cost is a factor (though not necessarily a prohibitive one.)

Does anyone have any information on the adoption process? I know it varies from state to state. .... I'm from New Hampshire and I am trying to adopt my girlfriends son but I just wanted to know what kinds of ID is required.... basically I'm wondering if I can slip by the radar with my gender. I pass 100% of the time, so I am wondering if they will even catch on.... ? 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/glasgow_and_west/8342056.stm

Transsexual Jesus sparks protests

About 300 protesters held a candlelit protest outside a Glasgow theatre over the staging of a play which portrays Jesus as a transsexual.

The protest was held outside the Tron Theatre, where Jesus Queen of Heaven, in which Christ is a man who wants to become a woman, is being staged.

It is part of the Glasgay! arts festival, a celebration of Scotland's gay, bi-sexual and transsexual culture.

Festival organisers said it had not intended to incite or offend anyone.


Jesus Queen of Heaven is on at the Tron in Glasgow until Saturday

The Christian protesters gathered outside the theatre ahead of the opening night of the production on Tuesday.

Jesus Queen of Heaven, which runs until Saturday, is written and performed by transsexual playwright Jo Clifford.

The demonstrators sang hymns and waved placards.

One read: "Jesus, King of Kings, Not Queen of Heaven."

Another said: "God: My Son Is Not A Pervert."

Festival organisers described the banners as "fairly provocative" and said they could be viewed as inciting homophobia.

Glasgay! producer Steven Thomson said: "Jesus Queen of Heaven is a literary work of fiction exploring the artists own personal journey of faith as a transgendered person.

"Glasgay! supports the right to freedom of expression and offers audiences a diverse view of LGBT life.

"This work is not intended to incite or offend anyone of any belief system, however, we respect your right to disagree with that opinion.

He added: "We welcome genuinely interested audience members who wish to understand the artistic intention behind this work."

Glasgay! is described as "Scotland's annual celebration of queer culture" and is funded by the Scottish Arts Council, Event Scotland, Glasgow City Marketing Bureau and Glasgow City Council.

When I was little mom would fix me, my sister and brother a lovely meal of clams and white rice. Not long after the mid ninties Kroger stopped carrying these drooltastic creatures. We have craved these things ever since things and will do almost anything to eat them again. So in a mad search across the net I've found EXACTLY what we had eaten so long ago. New England Stuffed Clams! OMFG WANT!!!! So does anyone know why Kroger stopped carrying these things or where I might be able to find them in the Louisville area? I'm hesitant about ordering food on the net.

and i was thinking on the subject today and i came up with this theroy that apparently isn't well supported.. and i wanted to run it by you guys and cretique it and see what i've leaving out or not thinking of and getting opinions.

theres 3 levels:...

Sex - a choice that was made for you when you were born and isn't generally changed but it CAN be, it just takes a great deal of effort :/

gender- who you are, not a choice you make, it's something you discover. at different times in your life you may be more of less aware of it. and i don't think you can change it.....(?)

Presentation - a choice you made on a day to day level when you put clothes on in the morning and when you open your mouth and every time you move. for some people this takes no effort at all and for some it takes alot of effort to be seen as their gender, whatever that may be.

I've been trying to come up with a somewhat concise summation of all of this business not just for the queer community but something that encompases everyone because i think alot of the time "gender nonconformists" are seen as those people who use too many terms to discribe themselfs and it's too confusing to bother learning... or it gets over simplifyed to "they were just born in the wrong body" and i want something that includes gender conformists as well (and what's rly going on here) as well as gender queers and trans people.

I welcome critiques, and if this offends someone then i'm sry, that was not the intention, quite the opposite, that's why i'm asking for feedback.

Thanks

Hey again everyone.

I recently started testosterone, and I've been searching on google and in the tags in this community for websites and what have you that talk about the changes one goes through when taking testosterone. All I've been able to find is the short and simple sort of thing listing obvious things like voice deepening and fat redistribution. I was wondering if there was anything written that was more in-depth, like a diary sort of thing, or even something that has more than bullet points with the basics. I'm experiencing a lot of changes in the way I feel, think, and perceive things that are totally unexpected, and I'm interested in researching the general experience.

Thanks!

 Hi all,

After not really knowing where to come to to discuss my trans issues and experiences, I stumbled across this community. I decided that it can't hurt to make an account and learn more about myself and others, right?

Hmm, some information about me. Well, I'm 17 years old and have been on female hormones for a short while now. I don't really like to use labels such as 'mtf' to describe me because I don't really identify with them. I have no issue if someone does use those for themselves though. I have the support of my family and friends and my dysphoria has lessened since being able to start hormones. However, as it's not something I intend on telling new people I meet, I don't have many opportunities to openly discuss my situation.

Therefore I hope my presence is acceptable on this website and that I can finally find a place where I'm free of paranoia, worry and concerns. 

Hope anyone who reads this has a great week!

:)

Can someone please please help me to explain to my boyfriend what it's like to be uncomfortable in your own gender.

What it's like to sit with your male friends and know fine well that you're male but have them perceive you as female, and why this is horrible. And why you can't just live your life normally "for the time being" until your transition starts.

Why I can't just ignore what's happening to me. Why I can't just see that, oh one day I'll be happy, and then suddenly that after this realisation, I can be happy and comfortable in my gender for the time being?

Please someone help me explain this because no matter what I say, I never come close to explaining it right.

Sooooo I came out to my parents.

It took putting myself in a position where it'd be nearly impossible not to to get it done, but I did it. See, I went on over to the court and changed my name, knowing damn well that the document was going to be mailed to their house. Of course, this was supposed to take a few weeks, so I figured I had a little time before I had to mail them the big long coming out letter I wrote them. Naturally, I was wrong.

( A little story about that... )

Hi everyone.

I'm new to a lot of these groups and I'm also crossposting this. So please accept my apologies for my sudden, spammy start.

Sam, 24 year old ftm, pre everything. I'm hoping to start taking hormones in January. I've come out to friends and family and everyone overall has been very supportive and awesome. My final big hurdle is work.

I work at an elementary school. I'm not a teacher but I work in an after school program where I have my own classes. I know there's no reason I can't be trusted with these kids but I'm not ignorant as to the stigma that still surrounds the word 'transsexual' in some people's minds. I'm really worried about coming out at work, but I'm going to have to.

Has anyone ever come out in an environment like this? Any stories or advice to share?