Ok folks, many doctors are afraid to prescribe P for transwomen because they claim, and perhaps rightly so, that there are no formally-recognized proven studies that indicate that P actually works. Yes, perhaps, but there are also no formally-recognized proven studies that indicate that P does not work.
P is designed to help with the maturation of breast development in transwomen. in natal females, P levels play a major role in the menstruation cycle.
The most common rule of thumb i have seen suggests that transwomen not start P immediately, but go with just estrogen for a period of 2 years post-op (or post-orchi). if suitable breast development hasn't occurred, then introduce P. go with Prometrium - which is natural, if you can get your hands on it.. as synthetic provera / microgest has more risk of side affects.
in just 10 months on P (including 3 on synthetic and 7 on natural), i have seen significant maturation of breast development, as they have gone from cone shaped to breast shaped. i have also seen my areolas double in size. my nipples have only grown slightly. but the overall mass has grown so much that i literally have stretch marks all over my breasts!
rule of thumb suggests that i should stay on P for 2-3 years, and that should max out what it can do for me.
side affects of P - further challenges of what estrace does - loss of strength, speed, energy, worse metabolism - body weight gain (38 pounds in 10 months). and emotional issues such as masculine-like rage or temper tantrums.
but yes, it does work, at least it did for me!!!
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Jan 29, 2012 - Air Canada confirms they must comply with transphobic law
This just in from a friend of mine..........
We understand your concern, however, we hope you will appreciate that we cannot comment on what other airlines' policies are. Air Canada is bound by federal law and as such we must comply with the regulations that if a passenger's face or gender does not match the government-issued photo identification, we are prohibited from carrying that passenger. Again, if you have a concern regarding this, we respectfully ask that you pursue this with Transport Canada.
We are sorry we cannot provide a more positive answer for you but wish you the very best with your transition process.
Best regards,
Jan
Customer Relations Lead
------ Previous Message ------
To: support@help-aircanada.com
Sent: 06/01/2011 09:41:23 PM
Subject: Issue#:ABDA-8PMGS0:12/22/
As part of the transition process, there is a medical requirement to
live in the target gender for at least 1 year. During this year,
gender markers on government identification are not changed in all
provinces (as some provinces will only change gender markers after
surgery)
According to your email, during that 1 year, people will not be
allowed to fly Air Canada. Can you confirm this?
I've flown on other airlines within Canada and have not had an issue
and know dozens, if not hundreds of cases where people have flown
without an issue. I'm unclear as to why it seems to be an issue to Air
Canada and not other airlines.
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Issue#:ABDA-8PMGS0:12/22/
documentation question.
From: support@help-aircanada.com
Date: Thu, 06 Jan 2011 13:07:52 -0800 (pst)
> ==========================
> Please do not change the Subject Line - Veuillez ne pas modifier le
> Sujet de ce courriel
> ==========================
>
> Dear Ms. Jones,
>
> Thank you for your patience and understanding while awaiting my
> response. I have been advised the following:
>
> Air Canada is bound by federal law and as such we are complying
> with the regulations that if a passenger's face or gender does not
> match the government-issued photo identification, we are prohibited
> from carrying that passenger. If you have a concern regarding
> this, you can address your concerns with Transport Canada.
>
> Thank you once again for allowing us this opportunity to review and
> respond to your concerns. We trust you will continue to travel
> with us and your experience will be pleasant and trouble free.
>
>
> Sincerely, Leslie Anne
>
> ------ Previous Message ------
>
> From: support@help-aircanada.com
> Sent: 03/01/2011 02:36:40 PM Subject: Issue#:ABDA-8PMGS0:12/22/
> 02:45:42:transgender documentation question.
>
>
> ==========================
> Please do not change the Subject Line - Veuillez ne pas modifier le
> Sujet de ce courriel
> ==========================
>
> Dear Ms. Jones,
>
> Thank you for your email.
>
> We appreciate your patience and understanding while we look into
> your enquiry.
>
> Hopefully I will have the answer in the next couple of days.
>
> Thanks once again. Happy New Year.
>
>
> Sincerely, Leslie Anne
>
> ------ Original Message ------
>
> From: Sent: 22/12/2010 12:45 AM
> Subject: transgender documentation question.
>
>
> Subject : transgender documentation question. Message : Hello, I am
> writing about this one statement on your website. ?legally required
> to compare a customer?s full face against the photograph shown on
> any government-issued identification ? which must also include the
> name, date of birth and gender. Boarding will be denied if the
> customer does not resemble the photograph on the government-issued
> photo identification.? As a transsexual person, I am concerned
> about whether or not this will exclude me from flying with Air
> Canada. As I go through my transition, my appearance will continue
> to change and I'm worried that I might be denied boarding even if
> replace my ID card every few months.
Jan 28, 2012 Canadian Government BANS transgendered from Flying!
Sec 5.2(1)(c) of the ID screening regs of Aeronautics Act! "An air carrier shall not transport a passenger if the passenger does not appear to be of the gender indicated on the identification he or she presents."
http://laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/SOR-2007-82/20110729/P1TT3xt3.html
For those of you who may not know, it is much easier for a Government to amend a Regulation than an actual Act, and this is what Stephen Harper's Government has done. Pure bigotry and hatred against the Trans community here.
For those of you affected, i urge you to file complaints with the Federal Human Rights Commission upon refusal to board.
Jenn
http://laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/SOR-2007-82/20110729/P1TT3xt3.html
For those of you who may not know, it is much easier for a Government to amend a Regulation than an actual Act, and this is what Stephen Harper's Government has done. Pure bigotry and hatred against the Trans community here.
For those of you affected, i urge you to file complaints with the Federal Human Rights Commission upon refusal to board.
Jenn
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Rainbow Flags fly at Margaret Court Arena 1/16/2012
39 years after she won her last grand slam tennis tournament, australian tennis legend Margaret Court continues to run her mouth with hateful bigotry against the LGBT community. Well, we've heard enough Margaret! Today at day one of the Australian open, many tennis fans brought rainbow flags into Margaret Court Arena to express concern and protest over her comments against gay marriage. Furthermore, many prominent athletes are calling for her name to be stripped from this Arena. the sporting world has often lagged behind in terms of LGBT acceptance, but many tennis players have been out since the 70s - including the greatest of all time, Martina Navratilova. I encourage all LGBT people who are involved in sports to please stand up, speak out, be seen, be heard, and be proud! here is my direct message to Margaret on my vlog.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Jan 14, 2012 - Shameful Tennessee
yes folks, this is 2012. not 1950. but in recent months, the state of Tennessee has turned back the clock. first, they implimented a bill that made it against the law to use the word 'gay' in schools. Then they created a bill that essentially made bullying legal, if the target of the bully was LGBT people.
Furthermore, they refuse to allow transpeople to have their birth certificate modified, even if they have full sex reassignment surgery. Yet, when Andrea Jones, a transwoman who is legally recognized as a male, was charged with public indecency and incarcerated for three weeks for baring her chest.
Now, a Republican politician named Richard Floyd, has introduced a 'bathroom bill' that would obligate people to use public accomodates on the basis of birth certificate sex. what this guy doesn't realize is that while he may keep transwomen out of women's washrooms, he is putting transmen in them! What he obviously isn't aware, is that testosterone makes transmen very passible in a very short period of time. in 3 months, most transmen attain deep voices, muscular physiques, and facial hair. females who are now completely passable as men will be in these women's washrooms. and this will likely create a problem that never existed before.
if that's not bad enough, Floyd declared war on the trans community by hypothetically threatening physical violence by stating he would 'stomp a mudhole' in any transwoman he happens to meet in a women's bathroom. hmmmm, a bold statement for a 67 year old out-of-shape senior citizen.
it is sad to see a state that has so much history, has a beautiful smoky mountain national park, and has the amazing city of nashville - the home of country music; expose so much hate and bigotry.
c'mon americans. 2012 is election year, and it is time to get with the times and stop voting in people like this! your political reps act as embassadors to the world on your behalf. putting Floyd in office will only serve you harsh global embarassment and critisizm!
Furthermore, they refuse to allow transpeople to have their birth certificate modified, even if they have full sex reassignment surgery. Yet, when Andrea Jones, a transwoman who is legally recognized as a male, was charged with public indecency and incarcerated for three weeks for baring her chest.
Now, a Republican politician named Richard Floyd, has introduced a 'bathroom bill' that would obligate people to use public accomodates on the basis of birth certificate sex. what this guy doesn't realize is that while he may keep transwomen out of women's washrooms, he is putting transmen in them! What he obviously isn't aware, is that testosterone makes transmen very passible in a very short period of time. in 3 months, most transmen attain deep voices, muscular physiques, and facial hair. females who are now completely passable as men will be in these women's washrooms. and this will likely create a problem that never existed before.
if that's not bad enough, Floyd declared war on the trans community by hypothetically threatening physical violence by stating he would 'stomp a mudhole' in any transwoman he happens to meet in a women's bathroom. hmmmm, a bold statement for a 67 year old out-of-shape senior citizen.
it is sad to see a state that has so much history, has a beautiful smoky mountain national park, and has the amazing city of nashville - the home of country music; expose so much hate and bigotry.
c'mon americans. 2012 is election year, and it is time to get with the times and stop voting in people like this! your political reps act as embassadors to the world on your behalf. putting Floyd in office will only serve you harsh global embarassment and critisizm!
Work It is out of work Jan 14/2012
Well, perhaps the worst television show in world history has been put out of its misery after just two episodes. ABC was harshly critisized for trailers for sit-com Work It which depicted two men dressing as women in a mockery, in a ficticious world where women ruled the work force. while trans communities expressed the most concern leading up to the launch, the pilot episode featured content which offended women in general, as well as a reference to Pueto Ricans being drug dealers.
Hopefully the outrage and poor ratings will send a message to the entire entertainment industry, that this is 2012 an it is no longer socially acceptable to mock women, racial minorities, or trans people.
thanks and congrats to all advocates who stepped up to the plate and put pressure on ABC to pull the plug.
Hopefully the outrage and poor ratings will send a message to the entire entertainment industry, that this is 2012 an it is no longer socially acceptable to mock women, racial minorities, or trans people.
thanks and congrats to all advocates who stepped up to the plate and put pressure on ABC to pull the plug.
Monday, January 9, 2012
January 9, 2012 Christin Milloy takes Feds to Human Rights Commission over Gender/Sex Dichotomy
Kudos to Christin Milloy for taking the time, and dealing with the frustration of a nightmarish bureaucrats mess, in order to fight for trans rights.
Seems many government departments do not understand the difference between sex and gender. for those of you who might not be aware, they are not the same. to put it simply and frankly: sex is between your legs, and gender is between your ears. sex is penis/vagina. gender is masculine/feminine. sex is what you are, gender is what you perceive yourself to be. gender may or may not be expressed outwardly based on how we present ourselves in terms of physical and social presentation and communication.
anyway, the government of canada's social insurance program insists on using Gender as a form of personal information that they collect for the purpose of identity proofing. the problem? there is no legal definition of gender.
when we are born, our sex is recorded on our record of birth, which is then used to issue a birth certificate by the provincial government. by legal definition, those born with a penis are deemed male, those without a penis are females.
the issue? government is inappropriately assigning gender to individuals based on a model of cis sexuality. i.e. they assume all males are men and all females are women. this clearly constitutes discrimination on the basis of gender.
they called me a man, based on me being born with a penis, but how wrong they were! I am a woman. i have always been a woman, and no biology can change that. yes i have had sex reassignment surgery, but i am no more woman after surgery than i was the day before. sex and gender are not the same.
anyway, what makes this case very important is that many politicians refuse to allow amndments to the human rights act for gender-based discrimination, under the arguement that it is the same as sex. well, this clearly puts this to the test! technically, Christin is filing her complaint under the grounds of sex, when in reality, this is specifically a case of gender discrimination.
in lieu of a formal legal definition of gender, it will be very interesting to see where the human rights commission goes with this. ultimately, Christin should win this, and the government should be forced to change theirn policy from collecting gender, to collecting sex.
meanwhile, the legal definition of sex is also very contentious among the trans community, as many argue that sex is more than anatomy, but also includes things such as hormones.
anyway, most importantly, i want to give thanks and credit to Christin for being the first trans person to not only file such a complaint, but to go public with it.
in conclusion, i write this article under the assumption that folks reading this already know who Christin is. if not, she became famous for being the first ever publicly-out trans-identified person to run for political office in Canada at the provincial level.
Seems many government departments do not understand the difference between sex and gender. for those of you who might not be aware, they are not the same. to put it simply and frankly: sex is between your legs, and gender is between your ears. sex is penis/vagina. gender is masculine/feminine. sex is what you are, gender is what you perceive yourself to be. gender may or may not be expressed outwardly based on how we present ourselves in terms of physical and social presentation and communication.
anyway, the government of canada's social insurance program insists on using Gender as a form of personal information that they collect for the purpose of identity proofing. the problem? there is no legal definition of gender.
when we are born, our sex is recorded on our record of birth, which is then used to issue a birth certificate by the provincial government. by legal definition, those born with a penis are deemed male, those without a penis are females.
the issue? government is inappropriately assigning gender to individuals based on a model of cis sexuality. i.e. they assume all males are men and all females are women. this clearly constitutes discrimination on the basis of gender.
they called me a man, based on me being born with a penis, but how wrong they were! I am a woman. i have always been a woman, and no biology can change that. yes i have had sex reassignment surgery, but i am no more woman after surgery than i was the day before. sex and gender are not the same.
anyway, what makes this case very important is that many politicians refuse to allow amndments to the human rights act for gender-based discrimination, under the arguement that it is the same as sex. well, this clearly puts this to the test! technically, Christin is filing her complaint under the grounds of sex, when in reality, this is specifically a case of gender discrimination.
in lieu of a formal legal definition of gender, it will be very interesting to see where the human rights commission goes with this. ultimately, Christin should win this, and the government should be forced to change theirn policy from collecting gender, to collecting sex.
meanwhile, the legal definition of sex is also very contentious among the trans community, as many argue that sex is more than anatomy, but also includes things such as hormones.
anyway, most importantly, i want to give thanks and credit to Christin for being the first trans person to not only file such a complaint, but to go public with it.
in conclusion, i write this article under the assumption that folks reading this already know who Christin is. if not, she became famous for being the first ever publicly-out trans-identified person to run for political office in Canada at the provincial level.
January 9, 2012 - Australian Tampon Company's Transphobic Ad leads to strange alliance for me
UPDATED:
well, another week, and another inadvertant thoughtless assault on the trans community by uninformed businesses. this time, Libra, a company that sells tampons, collaborated with an apparently well-known Australian gay male drag queen (who many mistakenly thought was depicting a transgender or transsexual), to put together a 30 second spot for new zealand tv. the ad depicts a ciswoman, and a non-ciswoman, standing side by side in a public washroom. they take turns trying to one up each other in a competitive process to see who can appear more womanly. make up, eye shadow, lip stick, bra adjustment.. and then, boom, the ciswoman whips out a tampon and the other walks away in defeated shame. while their intent was to poke fun at a female impersonator, they inadvertantly offended trans people by implying that they are not real women unless they have functioning ovaries.
when they realized they had offended, Libra realized their error, pulled the ad, and appologized.
Interestingly enough, the actor spoke out publicly too. Sandee Crack, who is a drag queen by profession, was not initially appologetic. in fact, she released a statement on her website stating that she is a gay man who dresses up as a woman for a career, that she does not identify as trans at all, and felt that the portayal of a drag queen in an ad such as this brought positive attention and awareness to isses faced by drag queens. Sandee even went so far as to suggest those offended were dragphoic.
while i disagree with being considered dragphobic, this is a very interesting example of how and why the 'transgender umbrella' does not work. drag and trans are as different as night and day. for anyone to imply that we belong under the same label is totally ridiculous.
but at the same time, i think both myself and Sandee need to realize that we are stuck under this umbrella label, whether we like it or not.. and the only way to get away from it, is to educate society. yes, we recognize that we are different from cis/heterosexual people, but we are not all the same.
i don't think anyone has a right to tell me when, why, or how i should or should not be offended. bottom line, i was offended, and many others were. as i mentioned in my vlog, we need to learn to understand each other, and stand up for each other. if a body of work offends some of us, then we all need to be patient, understanding, and together in our quest to overcome the insult.
i am pleased to announce that Sandee has responded to my invitation to communicate, and i hope that we can form a unique alliance that will help make this world a more respectful and accepting place for all.
well, another week, and another inadvertant thoughtless assault on the trans community by uninformed businesses. this time, Libra, a company that sells tampons, collaborated with an apparently well-known Australian gay male drag queen (who many mistakenly thought was depicting a transgender or transsexual), to put together a 30 second spot for new zealand tv. the ad depicts a ciswoman, and a non-ciswoman, standing side by side in a public washroom. they take turns trying to one up each other in a competitive process to see who can appear more womanly. make up, eye shadow, lip stick, bra adjustment.. and then, boom, the ciswoman whips out a tampon and the other walks away in defeated shame. while their intent was to poke fun at a female impersonator, they inadvertantly offended trans people by implying that they are not real women unless they have functioning ovaries.
when they realized they had offended, Libra realized their error, pulled the ad, and appologized.
Interestingly enough, the actor spoke out publicly too. Sandee Crack, who is a drag queen by profession, was not initially appologetic. in fact, she released a statement on her website stating that she is a gay man who dresses up as a woman for a career, that she does not identify as trans at all, and felt that the portayal of a drag queen in an ad such as this brought positive attention and awareness to isses faced by drag queens. Sandee even went so far as to suggest those offended were dragphoic.
while i disagree with being considered dragphobic, this is a very interesting example of how and why the 'transgender umbrella' does not work. drag and trans are as different as night and day. for anyone to imply that we belong under the same label is totally ridiculous.
but at the same time, i think both myself and Sandee need to realize that we are stuck under this umbrella label, whether we like it or not.. and the only way to get away from it, is to educate society. yes, we recognize that we are different from cis/heterosexual people, but we are not all the same.
i don't think anyone has a right to tell me when, why, or how i should or should not be offended. bottom line, i was offended, and many others were. as i mentioned in my vlog, we need to learn to understand each other, and stand up for each other. if a body of work offends some of us, then we all need to be patient, understanding, and together in our quest to overcome the insult.
i am pleased to announce that Sandee has responded to my invitation to communicate, and i hope that we can form a unique alliance that will help make this world a more respectful and accepting place for all.
Monday, January 2, 2012
January 2, 2012 - McCreath Resigns from CPATH
While it may seem ironic that I am leaving an organization after spending a year trying to make it easier for more members to have a say in how the org operates, I have decided that due to some slight conflicting values and priorities, that it is time for me to move on.
Canadian Professional Association for Transgender Health (CPATH) is a non-profit professioinal Association that is run by and for trans health professionals. Initially, voting membership was exclusive to credentialed doctors, steps were taken, with my help, to create a policy that would open the door for non-credentialed health professionals to attain voting rights, thru membership or association with organizational health providers.
For taking such a cutting edge risk, I applaud CPATH. But at the same time, I am not a health professional. I am a patient and I am an advocate for patients' rights. While both myself as an individual, and organizations I represent, have an interest and stake in CPATH's work, I feel it is best to work along side them, as opposed to being part of them. There exists a dichotomy of what's best for the doctors and what's best for the patients - and when that dichotomy leads to a dilemma, you know I will have to side with the patients. Afterall, I often refer to doctors as "gatekeepers" as opposed to experts, and I still firmly believe that the trans patient, not the doctor, knows what's best. Unfortunately, we do have a few dilemmas.
Overall, my involvement with CPATH would have to be classified as a success, as they got what they wanted out of me in terms of policy writing work, and I got the experience of not only writing a valuable policy that was accepted by an org of this magnitude, but the satisfaction of feeling that I have made that organization stronger. I leave on good terms, wish them the best, and offer to keep lines of communication open. But for the record, I am no longer an official member.
Canadian Professional Association for Transgender Health (CPATH) is a non-profit professioinal Association that is run by and for trans health professionals. Initially, voting membership was exclusive to credentialed doctors, steps were taken, with my help, to create a policy that would open the door for non-credentialed health professionals to attain voting rights, thru membership or association with organizational health providers.
For taking such a cutting edge risk, I applaud CPATH. But at the same time, I am not a health professional. I am a patient and I am an advocate for patients' rights. While both myself as an individual, and organizations I represent, have an interest and stake in CPATH's work, I feel it is best to work along side them, as opposed to being part of them. There exists a dichotomy of what's best for the doctors and what's best for the patients - and when that dichotomy leads to a dilemma, you know I will have to side with the patients. Afterall, I often refer to doctors as "gatekeepers" as opposed to experts, and I still firmly believe that the trans patient, not the doctor, knows what's best. Unfortunately, we do have a few dilemmas.
Overall, my involvement with CPATH would have to be classified as a success, as they got what they wanted out of me in terms of policy writing work, and I got the experience of not only writing a valuable policy that was accepted by an org of this magnitude, but the satisfaction of feeling that I have made that organization stronger. I leave on good terms, wish them the best, and offer to keep lines of communication open. But for the record, I am no longer an official member.
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