Trans People Are Not Up For LGBT Debate

You  know, I don't want to spend a hell of a lot of time on this because it's just going to frustrate me, but reading the asinine comments in the Advocate about how "Work It" is totally not offensive to trans people because the characters aren't trans people has really gotten to me.

I just want to say that I'm sick of LGB groups acting as if trans people are or should be a subject of debate.

I'm sick of the fact that the Advocate seems not to moderate comments to get rid of cissexist minimizing about how trans people shouldn't be offended by things that are offensive.

I'm sick of the fact that there are lesbian blogs in which it is considered perfectly OK to write nasty hate bile about trans people where it would be considered absolutely appalling to write similar critiques about sexual orientation.

I'm sick of the fact that even Bilerico's Bil Browning seemed to kick and scream in 2009 before he'd take a transphobic article off of his website because it happened to be written by a gay civil rights leader.

I'm sick of the fact that I've had to sit through LGBT meetings where people turn down all ideas for trans inclusion because they aren't "marketable."

I'm sick of the fact that the HRC has actually given people poorly written surveys in order to "prove" their membership doesn't consider our freedoms important and to justify not fighting for trans people equally.

In short, I'm just getting really fucking sick of the fact that it's not just an issue of ignoring us and keeping us invisible,  I'm sick of being a topic of debate.  I am not your topic of debate any more than you should be mine.

Welcome to T-Land, Jack...

I have been kind of freaking out since I got my T prescription on Friday because I learned at that appointment that my doctor and/or nurse was not going to be there for my first shot. I'd mostly heard from guys who had their first couple shots done by their doctor, and plus, those needles are fucking huge in case you didn't see them before.

And I'd really built myself up thinking this was going to SUCK but that I'd just begrudgingly do it anyway because I wanted to be on T so bad. I went to my aunt's house (you can hear her and my cousin in the background) because she also has to do injections (I mean, not this kind, but injections nonetheless) and I wanted somebody there for support.

It all went really fast. Like, the video I am posting right now is about nine minutes long, a lot of which is filling the syringe, and even that would have been much shorter had I not hit a blood vessel my first shot:


So, well, that was easy. And I am now officially on testosterone as of yesterday morning! Huzzah!

Guess what I got!

I will give you two guesses, and they'd better both involve huge needles.

Yesterday was my last pre-T appointment with my therapist.  She gave me my T letter for my appointment with an endocrinologist for today.  I stayed at a friend's house because both were in the same area, rather far away from where I live, and bright and early the next morning there I was.

It was a lot easier than I thought.  They basically did a regular physical, then wrote out a prescription.  Then, after I already had my prescription, they took some blood for a baseline reading.  Interestingly, I hear all these stories of guys who have their first several shots at their doctor, but mine literally just told me how to do it and as soon as I fill the prescription I'm supposed to just, you know, pick it up.

I'm on .5 mL every seven days.  The needles in the picture are actually my practice needles.  I mean, they're the same needles and they're sterile, but they were given to me so I could practice and not to use for T.  Those needles I get when I buy them from whatever pharmacy I buy them at.  I get paid on Tuesday, so that'll probably be when, and I'm going to give myself the injection on Thursday because I'm meeting my aunt.

So that's that!  I'll keep you posted!
Happy Trails,
-- Jack