#are the ones who specialize in gender affirmation surgery

[lazulisong]

the guy at the clinic solemnly swore that he would follow up about the paperwork not showing up yet. do i believe him? no. but i'll wait till friday before i become their worst nightmare.

[endtimers]

love hitting characters with the transgenderfication beam. shadowheart is soooo transgender. alfira is transgender. gale and wyll are also very transgender no quastion. smacking Wulbren Bongle witj the shitty transmasc gun.

[otherkinnews]

Republicans introduce a 7th anti-furry bill and work to undermine student freedoms on a wider scale

(This blog post was written by Orion Scribner and N. Noel Sol, originally posted on February 18, 2024 to the Otherkin News Dreamwidth, at this link.)

Content warnings: Rated G. An urban legend that describes an unsanitary situation. Sexism against transgender people, including attempts to prevent them from participating in sports and using facilities like everyone else, and attempts to stop them from transitioning.

Summary: In 2023, Republicans began to propose laws (bills) in the US that would be against people who identify as animals. They base these on an urban legend that says schools provide litter boxes for students who identify as animals. Republicans made up that legend in parody of transgender students asking to use school restrooms (Scribner and Sol, 2024). The newest of these bills is Missouri House Bill 3678 (MO HB 2678). It’s the third such bill in 2024, bringing the historic total of these bills up to seven. This bill was written as part of a Republican effort to undermine public schools (which can’t ban transgender students from using the right restrooms, and students have First Amendment rights) in favor of religious charter schools (where students aren’t protected in those ways). The following blog post is a seven minute read.

What the Missouri bill says

Missouri House Bill 3678 (MO HB 2678) has the title “Prohibits students from engaging in ‘furry’ behavior while at school.” You can read this bill and see the latest actions on its official site, the Missouri House of Representatives, or on a third-party legislation tracking site, LegiScan. This bill was introduced this week, on February 13th, and read a second time on the 14th. It would add a law into the Revised Statutes of Missouri (RSMo). It would go in the part of the state laws about education, in Chapter 167, titled “Pupils and Special Services.” It would say:

“A student who purports to be an imaginary animal or animal species or who engages in anthropomorphic behavior consistent with the common designation of a ‘furry’ while at school shall not be allowed to participate in school curriculum or activities. The parent or guardian of a student in violation of this section shall remove the student from the school for the remainder of the school day.”

The same as the other bills like it, this bill is based on an urban legend, not on anything that was done in real life by students, furries, and/or people who identify as animals (McKinney, 2022a). This bill's wording looks like it was based on a bill from another state, Oklahoma House Bill 3084 (OK HB 3084), or its predecessor last year, Oklahoma Senate Bill 943 (OK SB 943). It shares their inaccuracies: though there are real people who identify as animals, surveys show that most furries don’t, and the dictionary definition of the word “anthropomorphic” means resembling a human, not resembling an animal (Scribner and Sol, 2024).

Who wrote the bill, and what is its context with that author’s other motivations?

The Missouri bill’s only sponsor (writer) is Cheri Toalson Reisch (she/her). She is a Missouri Republican who has supported anti-transgender bills in the past. One of those is MO SB 39, which would ban transgender students from participating in their gender’s sports division (both in private and public schools, up to and including in colleges and universities). Another one is MO SB 49. It would bar minors from accessing gender transition related surgeries or medications, removes adult coverage of hormone replacement therapy and any gender-affirming or transitioning surgeries from the Missouri Medicaid program, and denies prisoners and inmates access to any surgeries related to gender transitioning. She described both these bills as a “great move in the right direction,” and has been vocally critical that they were not harsher (Central MO Info, 2023).

Reisch is familiar with the urban legend started by conservatives of students using litter boxes in school bathrooms. She has posted about it on Facebook, telling her constituents that it is actively happening in Missouri and accusing the Columbia school district of taking part in it, stating “This is happening in Columbia Public Schools also. Yes, the janitor has to clean the litter box” (McKinney, 2022a). That's never happened. Schools say they have not been providing litter boxes to students in this way, and even deny that they have had any students identifying or behaving as animals, according to reliable fact checking resources (Reuters, 2022; Palma, Snopes, 2023).

Reisch has a history of being especially critical of the Columbia school district, which is one of the largest and most successful school districts in the state (McKinney, 2022b). She’s used this urban legend to attack the district’s legitimacy. This may be because Reisch prioritizes independently-run charter schools over standard public schools. Earlier this year, she sponsored MO HB 1941, which would allow for charter schools to operate within the Columbia school district without the district’s sponsorship.

Why are Republicans criticizing public schools and favoring charter schools?

In the US, the normal types of schools for children up to about age 18 are called public schools. Families don’t have to pay for their children to attend them. They represent the ideal that everyone growing up in the country should have equal access to school, regardless of income, class, race, religion, or ability. Because public schools are government establishments, the US Constitution protects the students’ rights there. The First Amendment of the Constitution protects the freedom of speech and religion of everyone, and that’s for students in public schools, too. In the landmark 1969 case Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, students sued because they had gotten suspended for wearing black armbands to protest the Vietnam War. The Supreme Court decided that it would be as tyrannical to prevent students from expressing political opinions within public schools as it would be in any other government establishments. The Court said students don’t “shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate.” In 1948, McCollum v. Board of Education had decided that public schools can’t give religious instruction during the school day. In 1962, Engel v. Vitale decided they can’t make students pray (Pew Research Center, 2019). Public school dress codes often aren’t as fair as they should be, but for the most part, their students can wear what they want and what their parents allow.

In contrast, what are known as charter schools in the US are privately owned, so they’re allowed to have requirements or education goals which would be considered a violation of the First Amendment. Some of them have religious affiliations and may be owned or operated by religious organizations. This can affect the way the school is run. For example, Oklahoma charter St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School has planned Catholic religious instruction classes, and the school’s active and intentional participation in what it refers to as “the evangelizing mission of the Church” (Fitzpatrick, 2023). Charter school dress codes can be much more strict. They are often segregated by gender stereotypes, forcing girls to wear skirts and boys trousers, no exceptions. This has been challenged in some places against specific schools, such as in North Carolina earlier this year in a lawsuit against the Charter Day School Inc (Chung, 2023). These challenges are the outlier and not the norm, however; gender-segregated dress codes are still a very common practice for charter schools overall. Charter schools also require applications and choose students based on random lottery systems. However, studies find that charter schools are more likely to ignore parents inquiring about the enrollment process if the student has a disability or other special needs (Darville, 2018). Unlike public schools, they don’t welcome everyone.

The freedom of expression in public schools is important for transgender students. In 2020, the case ​​G.G. v. Gloucester County School Board decided in favor of transgender-friendly restroom policies in high schools. This precedent helps protect transgender students’ rights in public schools, but doesn’t apply to charter schools. During the course of the case, the Conservative Legal Defense and Education Fund told the Court why to decide against transgender rights. In an effort to invalidate transgender people, the Fund compared transgender people to otherkin. The Fund used the word “otherkin,” and described them at length, mostly accurately but derisively (Brief Amicus Curiae, 2017, G.G. v. Gloucester Cty Sch Bd). This case was part of what inspired the Republicans to later make up the litter box urban legend. We don’t know if that particular brief inspired the legend too.

Republicans may be promoting charter schools because this would give them greater control over impressing their views about gender, religion, and politics on young generations. They may be undermining public schools because the separation of church and state limits their power to do so there. The urban legend and these bills are part of that.

Background about all of the furry bills and the urban legend that inspired them

To learn about this year’s first two anti-furry bills, read our post about them from last week (Scribner and Sol, 2024). That post also summarizes the four anti-furry bills last year, and the litter box urban legend. For further information about those aspects, you can watch our lecture about last year’s bills and what you do about bad bills (Chimeras, Scribner, and Shepard, 2023), and watch Chimeras’s lecture about the litter box urban legend (Chimeras, 2022).

What happens next with Reisch’s anti-furry bill?

The bill is at 25% progression toward becoming a law. The House heard the bill twice, but it hasn’t been voted on. At the time that we write this blog post, they haven’t scheduled the bill’s next hearing.

About the writers of this blog post

We are Orion Scribner (they/them) and N. Noel Sol (she/they), a couple of dragons. We never write articles with the assistance of procedural generation or so-called artificial intelligence (AI), and that type of content isn’t allowed on Otherkin News.

References

“Brief Amicus Curiae of Public Advocate of the United States, U.S. Justice Foundation, and Conservative Legal Defense and Education Fund in Support of Petitioner.” Gloucester County School Bd. v. G. G. ex rel. Grimm, No. 16-273, 2017 WL 192454 (Jan. 10, 2017). http://files.eqcf.org/cases/16-273-amicus-brief-public-advocate-et-al/

Central MO Info (May 19, 2023). “Representative Toalson Reisch Disappointed in Senate’s Version of Trans Bills.” Central MO Info. https://www.centralmoinfo.com/representative-toalson-reisch-disappointed-in-senates-version-of-trans-bills/

Chung, Andrew (June 26, 2024). “US Supreme Court turns away case on charter school's mandatory skirts for girls.” Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/legal/us-supreme-court-turns-away-case-charter-schools-mandatory-skirts-girls-2023-06-26

Darville, Sarah (Dec. 21, 2018). “Want a charter school application? If your child has a disability, your questions more likely to be ignored, study finds.” Chalkbeat. https://www.chalkbeat.org/2018/12/21/21106398/want-a-charter-school-application-if-your-child-has-a-disability-your-questions-more-likely-to-be-ig/

Engel v. Vitale, 370 U.S. 421 (1962). https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/us-supreme-court/370/421.html

Fitzpatrick, Cara (Sept. 9, 2023). “The Charter-School Movement’s New Divide.” The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/09/charter-schools-religion-public-secular/675293/

G.G. v. Gloucester County School Board. 972 F.3d 586 (4th Cir. 2020). https://casetext.com/case/grimm-v-gloucester-cnty-sch-bd-8

House of Chimeras (Aug. 12, 2022). "Litter Boxes in School Bathrooms: Dissecting the Alt-Right’s Current Moral Panic." OtherCon. https://youtu.be/WVjXOmN2IlU

House of Chimeras, Orion Scribner, and Page Shepard (2023). “Litter Box Hoax 2: Legislature Boogaloo.” OtherCon 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsXy_ctC4Jc&t=1425s

Legiscan. MO HB 2678. https://legiscan.com/MO/bill/HB2678/2024

Legiscan. MO HB 1941. https://legiscan.com/MO/bill/HB1941/2024

Mccollum v. Board Of Education, 333 U.S. 203 (1948). https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/us-supreme-court/333/203.html

McKinney, Rodger (Aug. 25, 2022). “State Rep. Cheri Reisch criticized for 'unwarranted' claim that CPS students use litterboxes.” Columbia Daily Tribune. https://www.columbiatribune.com/story/news/politics/elections/local/2022/08/25/state-rep-cheri-reisch-criticized-for-unwarranted-claim-that-cps-columbia-students-use-litterboxes/7895082001/

McKinney, Rodger (Feb. 6, 2022). “State Rep. Cheri Reisch states 'Columbia sucks' when referring to public schools in education hearing” Columbia Daily Tribune. https://www.columbiatribune.com/story/news/education/2022/02/06/cheri-reisch-states-columbia-sucks-when-referring-to-cps-in-education-hearing-mo-leg-basye/6662719001/

Missouri House of Representatives. MO HB 2678. https://house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?bill=HB2678&year=2024&code=R

Missouri Senate. MO SB 49. https://www.senate.mo.gov/23info/BTS_Web/Bill.aspx?SessionType=R&BillID=44407

Missouri Senate. MO SB 39. https://senate.mo.gov/23info/BTS_Web/Bill.aspx?SessionType=R&BillID=44496

Palma, Bethania. (January 30, 2023). “How Furries Got Swept Up in Anti-Trans 'Litter Box' Rumors.” Snopes. https://www.snopes.com/news/2023/01/30/how-furries-got-swept-up-in-anti-trans-litter-box-rumors/ Archived on March 30, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230330232007/https://www.snopes.com/news/2023/01/30/how-furries-got-swept-up-in-anti-trans-litter-box-rumors/

Pew Research Center (Oct. 3, 2019). “Religion in the Public Schools.” https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2019/10/03/religion-in-the-public-schools-2019-update/

Reuters Fact Check (October 18, 2022). “Fact Check-No evidence of schools accommodating ‘furries’ with litter boxes.” https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-furries-rogan-litterbox-idUSL1N31J1KT Archived February 13, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230213110524/https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-furries-rogan-litterbox-idUSL1N31J1KT

Scribner, Orion, and N. Noel Sol (Feb. 9, 2024). “Will Oklahoma Call Animal Control on Students?” Otherkin News. https://otherkinnews.dreamwidth.org/92680.html Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, 393 U.S. 503 (1969). https://openjurist.org/393/us/503

[human-blob-nessie]

The french senate on medical transition for trans and gender diverse youth

There was a vote today (28th of May, 2024) at the french senate concerning the law around medical transition for trans youth.

Context here

To be clear : THIS LAW IS NOT GOING TO BE ENACTED YET. IT HAS TO PASS THROUGH THE ASSEMBLÉE NATIONALE, WHICH HAS THE POWER TO MODIFY IT AND HAS THE FINAL WORD OVER WHETHER IS PASSES THROUGH OR NOT

Now, having said that, the debate at the Senate was very interesting. It was the first overview of the text by the political class, and was a good moment to observe the position of the varying groups involved, as well as what is important to each.

It's important to note that the Senate is heavily right-leaning, the most right-wing political assembly in the country, in fact. That's mostly because they're representative of the groups in charge of the communes, regardless of population, and our rural areas are heavily right-leaning, which makes for a lot of communes for a relatively low population.

With this context established : The text passed with a relatively wide majority (180 in favour, 136 against), which if translated to the Assemblée Nationale, would be way more disputed. (Center and left-wing being larger there). In this case, right-wing was in favour, left-wing against, and the center was very divided.

What does this text do

It contains 4 articles :

1 : The first bans HRT for minors, as well as any form of gender affirming surgery. It also calls for the creation of regional, specialized clinics, which do not exist here yet. The catch ? The list of said clinics has to be determined by the minister of Health. (To my surprise, nobody even discussed this part, which is, in my opinion, horrendous, as it could open the way to a future minister removing these clinics at any time.) It also includes a mandatory delay of 2 years between the first appointment and the prescription of puberty blockers, and its conditions include the nebulous "evaluation of the minor's capacity for discernment"

2 : It punishes any doctor ignoring these rules to 2 years of imprisonment and a 30 000€ fine

3 : The third article calls (in a very unclear manner) to the elaboration of a national strategy in child psychiatry, to try and give children the best means for their mental health. It has been heavily debated, as transitioning in France is not considered a psychiatric affection since 2010 (for context, this is before the DSM-5), although this has had very little effect in practice.

4 : This law has to be examined again in the 5 years after its (eventual) adoption.

The discussion

This is a very heavy blow to trans youth. The ban has direct measurable effects, and the creation of specialized clinics cannot be a redeeming quality as long as their existence directly depends on the Health Minister's will. It also opens the way for more bans, including for trans adults. (There are talks about the 25 y/o mark, just as in the Cass Review) Only 294 trans minors (according to the numbers cited today) in France are on puberty blockers, but the amount of minors on HRT has not been cited and is probably way higher. The text does include a line saying that people currently on it would be allowed to continue, but it would effectively stop anyone under 18 from benefitting from it in the future.

The question of surgery has been discussed, with cited cases of mastectomies on people younger than 18 (but never younger than 17), with at least one for which the doctors judged it to be taking priority due to the risk of self-harm is nothing was done. To that, the draftsman, who directed the revision of the text before it was brought the the Senate, responded (translated) "17 or 18, in my opinion there's no big difference" (clearly ignoring an example where doctors clearly thought it could have been a life or death difference)

The common factor among the defenders of this law was "protect the children" (of course), with arguments directly taken from the Cass Review, and debunked stats about detransition rates or the idea that "most kids grow out of their gender diversity". They also showed a huge distrust of trans youth in general, highlighting several times how they think children cannot know themselves in such a significant way better than parents would. They intensely rejected the idea of self-determination in general. Even the ones who said they accepted trans people defended a view that reeks of transmedicalism (i.e. "if you don't need medical transition, and most of you don't, you're not trans and you're falling to a trend")

The absence of trans youth themselves in the 300 page report behind the law project pushed some (left-wing) people to read or mention testimonies from trans people themselves, in an effort to actually bring us to a conversation that's about us but entirely decided by cisgender people. This was opposed with the argument that testimonies from detransitioners are just as moving, implying that this is just not an argument (totally ignoring the ratio of trans people to detransitioners, which makes one of them way more relevant when it comes to deciding for everyone)

A very important part of the discussion was whether or not the government should even try to pass laws on the subject. Most of the people against the project argued that these decisions should come from the HAS (High Authority of Health)'s recommendations, and not from politicians. The answer to that was to argue that this was "prudence until the HAS decides on the topic" (which implies that if they have recommendations, these would probably be in a restrictive direction). I want to highlight that someone on the left did bring up the fact that most interrogated experts do no feel like there is a need to change the law for this particular topic. (However, there is also a push to make legal sex change easier, which also has to be discussed by the Senate, but let's face it, will probably be rejected).

The pushback in several countries (Denmark, Finland and Norway were mentioned without any form of precision ; The Cass Review in England was precisely cited several times though) has been used as an argument to push this decision, arguing that "some of the most progressive countries are rolling back on this topic" and we should listen to what their experiences tell us. Interestingly, I heard no mention of the USA either way, except a weird mention of the US Declaration of Independence, which I can't make sense of in this context.

What next ?

Now we wait for the Assemblée Nationale to decide. This can be an extremely complex process, which can call for revisions, examinating whether or not it conforms to the constitution, and various ways to contest a decision.

The schedule for that is not set as I write this, as the Senate's decision was just made.

There are still strong chances for this to go either way, so now is the time to actually talk about it publicly. For that, I believe the timing might be decisive, as Pride Month is just around the corner and people will talk about this issue in this context. Whether that will turn opinions in favour or against that law, I cannot predict, but public opinion definitely can affect the final decision.

I will continue updating on this post as this develops.

France is currently in a decent place when it comes to the right to transition. It's relatively easy to see a specialist, though it highly depends on where you live, and the process can be relatively quick ; plus a lot of it is free, or at least partially covered by social security. It could be better, for sure, but this is actively making it worse, following the trend coming mostly from the UK.

Please reblog this.

(tagging my mutuals in hope it helps it be seen : @lenaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa @dog-with-anxiety @confused-ladybug @atomicdinosaur6969 @moonys-roof @hyalgor @elsulasnotdonewithyou @dirt-juice )

[psychoticallytrans]

The vast majority of people have scars, and people have a range of feelings about their scars. Some people are proud of their scars, as a sign of their actions and/or survival. Some people are fond of their scars, smiling at ones that have good memories attached. Some people hate their scars because they bring up bad memories, or because the tissue limits their ability to move. Some people are neutral about them, viewing them as just something that happened. Most people's feelings fluctuate depending on which scar they are considering.

What the emotions in the first paragraph have in common is that they are generally associated with the event that caused them, or with the physical effect of the scar. In contrast, anxiety and self-consciousness about scars is almost always caused by the reactions of others.

Some scars are significantly more stigmatized than others. Heart surgery scars, for instance, are usually viewed neutrally, because there is not a major stigma attached to heart surgery and surgery scars usually heal neatly, making a "clean" scar to look at. The usual reason for heart surgery scars causing anxiety and self-consciousness is that on women and people perceived as women, they can be considered a blemish on the chest, disturbing those that feel that women should be decorative at all times.

Burn scars are the stereotypical "ugly" scar. Bad burns can cause severe damage to all layers of the skin, and it can be impossible to restore the skin to the state it was in before. The skin can be wrinkled, warped, and discolored. Burn scars mainly cause anxiety and self-consciousness because of their appearance being considered unsightly at best, and gore at worst. It's particularly hurtful that many people consider those with burn scars to be "a sight not fit for children.", which can result in them avoiding public spaces if they can't cover or disguise their scars. Any kind of "disfiguring" scar can have this reaction to it. Burn scars are just the most well known.

Appearance is not the only reason scars are stigmatized. For instance, scars related to gender affirming surgery, particularly the distinctive ones resulting from top surgery, are stigmatized due to transphobia. Self harm scars, particularly the classic and often recognized ones on the wrists, are stigmatized due to ableism. C-section scars are stigmatized where vaginal birth is considered part of womanhood.*

There are some scars that fall into multiple categories. Acne scars are perhaps the best known example. They are both considered disgusting to look at, and are often considered the fault of the person who has them. The propaganda of the skincare industry has done a remarkable job convincing us of that.

People with scars that people react poorly to often adopt strategies to hide or disguise them. Makeup is commonly used to hide flat scars and ones with only a little texture. For scars that are hard to reach or too raised, clothes are the most common tool used. Scarves, long sleeves and legs, and, more recently, masks, are all useful tools for people who want to hide their scars. Some people seek out permanent solutions for their scars. The two primary permanent solutions are tattoos and cosmetic surgery.

The after school special solution to this is usually "Be proud of your scars, and ignore anyone who says anything about them!". But It is not the fault of people with scars that people react poorly to them, and instructing them to have a more positive attitude does not solve the issue of being refused access to public space and respect as a human being because they did not adequately disguise themselves. Anxiety and self-consciousness are reactions to a hostile situation that are intended to protect you from further harm.

So, what next, then?

Don't belittle or tell off anyone for either their scars OR for hiding or disguising them. How people choose to deal with their scars is their choice, up to and including permanent solutions.

Don't recommend any kind of method to hide or disguise scars to someone who hasn't asked for one, and don't recommend a permanent method to someone currently using a reversible one unless they want one.

Don't stare at or ask about scars unless invited to do so.

Don't avoid looking at someone's scars like they're indecent, or avoid touching them in a situation where you would normally touch another person, like holding hands or hugging. Visible scarring should be treated like you would normally treat that section of someone's body if it was unscarred.

Don't lament how someone's scars could have been avoided, or how much better they looked before they were scarred.

Don't tell people how they should feel about their scars.

If someone else does any of the above, bring up that you thought talking about/to someone like that was rude. If they know the person with scars and that person considers it alright, then the person with scars will usually laugh it off and tell you it's alright. If the person making comments was being rude, then that often shuts up the rude person. Either way, it's useful for clarifying the situation without embarrassing anyone unnecessarily.

If someone is hiding their scars and what they were using to do it is damaged, lost, or stolen, and you can offer something to replace it, make the offer. Do not attempt to put an item on a revealed scar without asking unless you know that person well and know they are okay with you doing that.

In short, be polite.

*These spaces and groups tend to doubly stigmatize c-section scars on people who aren't women, because transphobia and misogyny focused on the body go hand in hand.

[kaluxsims]

If things were better, I could be all "Happy Pride!" here, but Pride Month is tough this year. I'm not happy. I'm sad, scared, and angry. Right-wing American politicians are doing everything they can to endanger trans people. The main focus of their attacks is trans kids. There are all kinds of lies being spread about what it means for children to be transgender and what gender affirming care for them looks like. Like all children, trans kids are figuring themselves out. Supportive, compassionate parents understand this and let them dress how they want. That's what's at the heart of my first Pride Month post this year.

Today's download lets ALL children wear ALL EAxis children's clothes. I did this to go along with all of my child CC being CU from now on. (Well, from a month or two ago on.) I have more to say about real life trans kids, so please read on after the download.

It's very simple. All EAxis kids clothes are now unisex. Many of them should have been from the start. What's masculine about a dark red Western shirt? And why can't a boy wear pink if he likes it? All kids should be allowed to express themselves how they like.

There's no swatch here, so have some Body Shop previews:

There are similar mods out there, but mine doesn't require any special installation (just put it in Downloads) and there's an All-In-One option if you have UC or all EP's and SP's. I got so much help from @goingsimcrazy and @potentialfate-sims while I was working on this. Thanks again, both of you!!

Note: DO NOT USE THIS IF YOU USE DEFAULT REPLACEMENTS THAT CHANGE THE MESH. It works fine with replacements that only change the texture.

'Nother note: Several EP's don't add any children's clothes, so there isn't a package for those EP's in the pick-n-choose version. Nothing's missing except for the xmas elf costumes, because...I hate them. Sorry. They're mostly unisex already, I think. I have hiders for them in my game.

Download:

UC/All-In-One: SFS or MediaFire

Pick & Choose: SFS or MediaFire

So back to my rant about trans kids...

Anti-trans propaganda will try to tell you that evil queers are out to convert your kids. That's a lie. We don't want to make cis kids trans. We want trans kids to live to be trans adults. You can't make a cis kid trans any more than you can make a trans kid cis. Kids are who they are. I was once a femmy little boy in an AFAB body, roughhousing in a princess dress and happier playing with boys than girls most of the time. My parents, and everyone else, saw it and called me a tomboy...despite the princess dress. I'm very lucky to have had parents who let me express myself and didn't care if I ran around in the woods, as long as I took my tights off first. Trying to suppress or change kids just makes them miserable, and sometimes miserable kids die. It breaks my heart that there are parents who would rather have a dead child than a trans child.

If I could get one message to everyone this month, and have it sink in, it would be that NO ONE is doing gender confirming surgery on children. (Unless they're intersex and get mutilated without consent, in the name of conformity.) Even teens, who may be on puberty blockers or other hormones, don't have access to gender affirming surgeries. In America, it takes years and lots of money to have these surgeries. It's not something that's done lightly or on a whim.

That's an aspect of anti-trans rhetoric that bugs me deeply, "What if it's just a phase?" It almost never is. Gender affirming surgeries have some of the highest patient satisfaction ratings of any surgery. Higher than hip replacement and many other completely accepted surgeries.

Surgery is, again, beside the point when we're talking about trans kids. Say a nine year old realizes they're trans. All that changes is their clothes and hairstyle, and maybe their name. As they get a little older, they might be put on puberty blockers. Puberty blockers were developed for cisgender children who start puberty too soon. All these medications do is delay it. Once they're stopped, puberty starts back up. If the child changes their mind, it's as simple as not taking the blockers anymore.

A related truth is that trans people aren't the only ones who get gender affirming care. A cis woman who gets breast implants and a cis man taking testosterone for "low T" are both receiving gender affirming care. They don't face the stigma or roadblocks that a trans woman getting breast implants or a trans man taking testosterone face. I don't hear about American politicians trying to outlaw Viagra or Brazilian butt lifts or any of the other things cis people are allowed to do to feel "more like a woman" or "more like a man". Why should it be different for trans people?

I'll try not to go off on a tangent about how transitioning while young leads to "passing" (looking cisgender) more easily, but it does. And that can mean safety and acceptance. Passing shouldn't matter, but it often does. Forcing a young person, especially a trans girl, to go through puberty twice is cruel and potentially dangerous.

Going back to my personal experience for a moment, the idea of female puberty and "becoming a woman" horrified me as a kid. If I'd been offered the option of puberty blockers, I'd probably have taken them. I started developing breasts when I was nine and was forced to wear bras when I was ten. My adolescent and teen years were pretty horrible overall, and gender issues were part of that. I had the "not like the other girls" feeling, but knew by then that I wasn't 100% boy either. Maybe that would have been different if I hadn't gone through puberty with estrogen. I think sometimes about the man I might have been if I was younger and grew up in a world with more trans awareness. I had no idea about genders beyond the binary back then, but I recognized that there was something boy-ish about me. My friends, family, and other people saw it too. I was who I was, who I am. I'm so very lucky that my parents didn't try to force me to be girlier. Those years were hard enough.

Childhood is hard, and repressive, oppressive adults make it so much harder. I hope all the trans kids out there either have support at home or find it where they can. I wish we lived in a world where we could all just accept each other and live our lives. I want everyone to be safe and feel loved.

I could go on and on about various trans issues, but I think I've made my points about trans kids. Respect and protect them. They're valid and they deserve to grow up to be who they know they are.

[I have zero tolerance for transphobia. I will block and report anyone who replies to this with anything anti-trans.]

[jesterwriting]

I saw your requests are open and I wanted to ask if you could write headcanons or drabbles (whatever you feel like) about how Zoro, Sanji and Law would take care of/help a trans masc Reader having a bad gender dysphoric day? Thank you so much and I hope you have a wonderful day/night! ♡

(not sure if you write for Mihawk but if you end up making headcanons and write for him, it'd make me really happy if he were among them as well 👉👈)

pairing: zoro x reader, sanji x reader, law x reader, mihawk x reader (separate)

contents: transmasc!reader, gender dysphoria, clueless but he tries zoro, ‘it’s not dysphoria, it’s dysphoriUS’ sanji, talks of gender affirming surgery in law’s

word count: 1.5k words

note: so personally i don’t experience a lot of dysphoria besides some chest dysphoria, so this might not be the best. just know that i tried VERY hard and i hope you enjoy these headcanons all the same :3 i love to put out trans centered content when i can hehe <33

playlist: rabbit in a headlight - autoheart

Roronoa Zoro

Zoro, bless his heart, doesn’t get it. To him, you look perfectly masculine and it’s hard for him to wrap his head around the fact that you think otherwise. His first instinct is to invite you to work out with him; get your endorphins going. (There’s nothing more masculine than getting sweaty with another man.) Zoro will give you tips as to what muscles to train to get a build you’ll be happier with. If you need it, he will even help write up a training regimen for yourself, especially if his original plan of working out helps you. Zoro won’t go easy on you, he knows your strengths and weaknesses enough to know what you can handle. That said, he may end up overestimating your abilities in an attempt to get you to push yourself. In terms of taking care of you, Zoro might bring you a glass of water, maybe a plate of food if you missed a meal. It took him a lot of effort to keep enough food away from Luffy to fill your plate, so you better be thankful. Give him a smile and watch his ears turn pink.

Words of affirmation are not his strong suit. If you need to vent, he’ll be there, of course. His replies will be blunt and to the point as he leans against the side of the ship, one eye open as he listens to you. Zoro might come off as a little insensitive with his words, but ultimately, he wants you to understand that he doesn’t view you any different from any other man he knows. If anyone misgenders you, may god have mercy on their soul. They will have a very unhappy swordsman barking up their tree within seconds. Afterwards, Zoro will remind you not to listen to idiots who don’t know what they’re talking about.

Black Leg Sanji

Unlike Zoro, words of affirmation are Sanji’s speciality, second only to acts of service. Listening carefully to your words, he will interrupt every so often to compliment you, or to remind you of how handsome he finds you. He can feel his heart crack at the thought of you feeling ill at ease with your body, taking it a bit more personally than he needs to. Sanji loves you deeply, and the fact that you are hurting while there is little that he can do about it is enough to drive him batty. As you’re explaining how you feel, you can see tears well in his eyes. It’s a little awkward, if not sweet that he cares about you enough to take your feelings to heart. You won’t be expected to move a muscle so long as you’re feeling bad. Sanji brings your meals to you, each one hand made with as much love as he could muster. He hopes you can taste it.

As soon as you want to get up, you’ll notice that every mirror on the Sunny is covered by a blanket so as not to cause you any unnecessary stress. Sanji treats you as if you are made of glass, and is more than a bit dramatic with his attempts to help you. The entire day, he follows you around, offering declarations of how handsome you are at every step. It would be somewhat annoying if his attempts weren’t entirely in earnest. Like Zoro, Sanji doesn’t quite understand dysphoria. How you perceive yourself and how he perceives you differ enough that it confuses him, and he feels like he’s not doing enough as a partner to make you feel comfortable in your own skin. You’re going to have to explain to him that it’s something entirely out of both of your control. You just have to ride the wave when it arrives. Sanji understands that, at least. On bad days, you will have your very own cheerleader, entirely willing to wait on you hand and foot.

Trafalgar Law

Like Zoro, Law is very solutions based. He is a doctor, not only does he understand how you feel — at least in a medical sense — he comes equipped with solutions other’s aren’t able to offer. If he catches you avoiding mirrors or wearing baggy clothing more often, he will sit you down and offer said solutions to you. You are aware that it’s not outside of his capabilities to perform gender affirming surgery, right? He is more than happy to provide if it means you’ll feel euphoric rather than dysphoric. Of course, any surgery is a big decision. Take time to discuss it with him and yourself, Law is patient and more than willing to help explain the process if you want him to. If you decide against it, Law understands. It’s a very big, very permanent decision, though he assures you he’s available if you ever change your mind. To help assuage your fears, Law will offer you one of his textbooks that detail gender affirming care, openly explaining any medical term you’re unfamiliar with and processes you don’t understand.

In terms of taking care of you, Law is more than a little awkward. He gives good, albeit stiff, hugs. His arms are long enough to fully wrap you in his embrace and hold you against him for however long you need. (That said, you can feel him start to get antsy once you pass the sixty second mark.) If you’re having trouble showering, Law offers to share the bathroom with you. Of course, he would have his back to you, he assures. It would just be easier to get done if you have someone in there distracting you from any negative thoughts. If you want to spend the day in bed, Law will join you throughout the day, laying next to you and quietly reading when he has down time. He enjoys sharing space with you, and if you want, he will even absentmindedly run his fingers through your hair as you lay next to him. It’s hard for Law to properly take care of others when he can hardly remember to eat half the time. For you, however, he is attentive and caring, treating you like a patient until you feel 100% yourself again. Every thirty minutes, Law will ask you on a scale of one to ten how you feel, never judging you for your response.

Dracule Mihawk

Like Law, and unlike Sanji and Zoro, Mihawk understands your dysphoria. While he’s never experienced it himself, he’s lived long enough to know what it is and what it entails. Lending you a listening ear, he is quiet as you speak, fully absorbing the weight of your words while you vent to him. He lays next to you in bed, an arm wrapped around your shoulder, his thumb gently stroking your skin. Once you’re done, he offers cool words of affirmation, a balm for your aching soul. Afterwards, like Zoro, he offers to help you train your body to be one that you’re able to feel euphoric about. And if that doesn’t sound appealing to you, Mihawk is more than happy to pull some strings and get you to meet Ivankov. They are far more equipped to help you than he is. Of course, if you much prefer comfort over solutions, Mihawk is capable of that as well. He will make you a cup of tea, pour himself a glass of wine, and sit by your bedside for hours, simply sharing the space with you, his golden eyes studying every inch of your frame for any obvious signs of distress.

Mihawk thinks you look wonderful, no matter what you wear. If you find comfort in baggy, oversized clothing, he will think you look just as good now as you do in elegant suits, perfectly tailored to fit your body. His only preference is for you to wear soft fabrics. Something he can run his hands over when he passes you by in the halls or when he’s greeting you in the kitchen. Cashmere and velvet are two favorites of his. In the days that follow, Mihawk will run his calloused palm along the sides of your face, placing a chaste kiss to your lips, before he tells you how handsome you look today. It’s not the first time that he’s complimented you, but it certainly comes as a surprise. After learning that there are days you are more ill at ease with your body than others, Mihawk makes more of an effort to compliment you. Reminding you that he sees and appreciates the man in front of him.

[sandwichsugarbong]

While there isn't a single definitive "first record" of a transgender person, various historical accounts and cultural practices provide insight into the existence of transgender individuals throughout history.

One notable example is Elagabalus, who reigned as Roman emperor from 218 to 222 AD. Elagabalus was known for defying traditional gender roles and norms, reportedly expressing a desire to be referred to and treated as a woman. Historical accounts describe Elagabalus dressing in women's clothing, wearing makeup, and even marrying men.

Beyond Elagabalus, various cultures throughout history have recognized and accepted individuals who do not conform to traditional gender roles or binary notions of gender. For example, many Indigenous cultures around the world have long recognized the existence of Two-Spirit people, who embody both masculine and feminine qualities and often hold special spiritual or societal roles within their communities.

One notable figure from around the Nazi era who is sometimes discussed in the context of transgender history is Lili Elbe. Lili Elbe was a Danish transgender woman who was one of the earliest recipients of sex reassignment surgery. Born as Einar Magnus Andreas Wegener, she underwent a series of gender-affirming surgeries in the early 1930s under the care of pioneering sexologist Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld in Berlin, Germany.

Another notable figure who has been identified as a transgender man from around the Nazi era is Karl M. Baer. Born in Germany in 1885, Baer is believed to have undergone a hysterectomy and legally changed his name to Karl in the 1920s. Baer was a writer and editor who contributed to various publications.

Some reputable sources for transgender history include:"Transgender History" by Susan Stryker"Transgender Warriors: Making History from Joan of Arc to Dennis Rodman" by Leslie FeinbergJSTOR and Google Scholar for academic articles on transgender historyWebsites of LGBTQ+ history organizations and archives, such as the GLBT Historical Society and the Transgender Archives at the University of Victoria.

These resources can provide a more comprehensive understanding of the historical record of transgender individuals and the complexities of gender identity throughout history.

Being transgender is nothing new. Trans people have always existed and will continue to do so. Die mad about it.

[zinniajones]

These "expert" pediatricians were paid by a far-right legal group to come up with evidence to attack the WPATH transgender standards of care

What this is: Leaked documents show the anti-LGBT legal group Alliance Defending Freedom paying manufactured experts to attack WPATH’s transgender standards of care, asking them to find evidence for harmful anti-trans myths that they knew were baseless and unsubstantiated. This is an original finding and report by Zinnia Jones (she/her), a transgender Florida resident of 11 years whose access to HRT is now jeopardized by the enactment of state law and policy based on work from these same experts.

Detailed summary: From 2019 onward, states across the US have been faced with an intensely active wave of reused anti-trans experts, recurring characters who keep repeating the same spurious arguments against gender-affirming care in court cases, legislatures, and other policy bodies. Where did they come from, and why did this start happening?

Due to the Florida-based anti-LGBT hate group American College of Pediatricians choosing to set one of their Google Drive folders to be publicly viewable by anyone, files were released this month showing the contents of their staff’s communications and other working notes over several years.

These documents included records of the Alliance Defending Freedom - another hate group who are also responsible for bringing the mifepristone case with ACP as a plaintiff - approaching ACP's leaders in 2018 and 2019 to offer them a grant of $10,000 or more. The ADF wanted the pediatricians “to draft a white paper that refutes the WPATH Standards of Care”, “for use in litigation and should also benefit many other allies at State and Federal Level”.

ACP’s president Quentin Van Meter and executive director Michelle Cretella promptly got to work on this “Special Project”, and the ADF hosted expert witness workshops at ACP's conferences. ACP members including Van Meter went on to present anti-trans testimony in several ADF-litigated cases and ADF-involved trans youth care bans.

In May 2022, Van Meter authored a sham report for Florida Medicaid to justify their trans coverage exclusion, mostly drawing from previous ACP position statements; court filings later revealed Michelle Cretella was recommended by the Florida governor’s office, and she pointed the way to all the other anti-trans experts hired by Florida in 2022 to support the Medicaid exclusion of transition care.

One notable document found in the ACP’s drive contains “Transgender Research Requests”, with the ADF asking Cretella and other ACP leaders to “substantiate” now-commonplace anti-trans talking points. These included bizarre claims by the ADF such as “it is normal during adolescence for children to go through a phase when they identify (to some degree) with the opposite sex”, and “For those who have undergone hormone therapy and genital change surgery, a paper that says they are no happier (and perhaps worse off if the research supports it)”.

The ADF was asking this anti-trans group to come up with anything that could support the arguments they were already planning to make.

This appears to be one of the very sites where those baseless myths about suicide, social contagion and other supposed harms, now regularly repeated in court cases and testimony and uncritically accepted by the mainstream right wing, were conceived and gestated.

These same experts then substantially reused these work products in their reports for Florida Medicaid, a public health agency whose accepted standards determination process is supposed to be a transparent and open-ended evaluation of peer-reviewed medical evidence.

Altogether, these documents appear to demonstrate a paid smear by a hate group and right-wing law firm against a leading professional transgender healthcare organization following the best available evidence and medical practices, as well as misconduct on the part of ACP experts who reused this work in their reports for a Florida public health agency.

(asks are open)

[transgenderteensurvivalguide]

Hey, so I'm a cis(?) guy who really wants to go on estrogen, but i also really do not want to have breasts. Is there any way that i could get all (or most, i guess) of the other effects of estrogen without developing breasts?

Lee says:

Hi my friend! Navigating your gender identity and the decision to undergo hormone therapy can be complicated.

It's sometimes possible to start hormones if you're 100% sure that you want hormones, even if you aren't 100% sure what your gender identity is, but support from a therapist who specializes in gender identity issues can be invaluable.

They can help you explore your feelings about your gender and your body, expectations, and concerns about taking estrogen and the changes it brings, and I would really recommend looking into finding a supportive therapist.

You don't always need to be diagnosed with gender dysphoria by a mental health provider to access HRT if you see a provider who uses informed consent, and not everyone feels therapy is helpful in this area-- it really depends on whether you can find a trans-friendly, competent, and affirming therapist.

But if you don't see a therapist (And even if you do!) finding support from the trans community can be super helpful if you're questioning being trans, or considering medical transitioning.

Looking for local support groups that meet in-person or online can be a great opportunity to hear from people who have similar experiences as you do because they can provide useful insights and helpful information.

With all that said, it isn't possible to pick and choose what changes you will get when you start hormones. It's an all-or-nothing thing. If you choose to start estrogen, you may experience some breast growth. For reference, this chart lists some of the major changes that you can expect from estrogen!

You can't anticipate how much chest growth you'll get- some people have minimal growth and others develop a C cup or larger-- so if the breast growth is a deal breaker, estrogen may not be the right option for you.

There is a type of medication called SERMs which might allow you to take estrogen without breast growth, but there isn’t enough research on the effect of taking SERMs and I don’t have personal experience with it either, so I can’t provide much information on that— you’ll need to speak to a medical provider about it.

Because the effects are not fully known, I would assume that there’s a chance that even if you take them you could still have some amount of breast growth, and make your decision based on that assumption unless your provider says otherwise.

You may choose to wear a binder for the rest of your life if you get breast growth and remain unhappy with your chest, but you might be swapping one form of dysphoria for another, so you should really consider whether all of the desired changes that you'd get from estrogen are more important to you than the one big change that you don't want.

You could also start estrogen and wear a binder until your chest has stopped developing (at least ~2 years) then undergo top surgery to get a flat chest again if you are uncomfortable with the breast growth from estrogen therapy. This is a significant decision and requires thorough consultation with both your hormone prescriber and a plastic surgeon.

If you feel that having breast growth isn't worth the other changes, you could explore other things.

While estrogen can slow down the growth of new facial hair, it does not typically eliminate existing facial hair, even though facial and body hair may become lighter and grow more slowly. It also doesn't reverse hair loss that has already happened, although it can slow or prevent future hair loss.

So removing facial and body hair with laser hair removal and electrolysis, and reversing and preventing further hairline recession and balding with a hair transplant, minoxidil, and finestride might mimic some of the hair-related changes that you might see from estrogen.

Similarly, facial feminization surgery and body contouring surgery can help to mimic the body fat redistribution that you'd experience on estrogen without also creating the chest growth that you don't want to experience.

However, these surgeries are more invasive than estrogen, so if you're considering estrogen, you may want to wait until after you've been on it for a couple of years before you decide whether you still need surgery or are satisfied with the changes.

If you're confident that you don't want estrogen then you could hop straight to those surgeries, but they may or may not be covered by insurance even with a diagnosis of gender dysphoria; some policies recognize that they are medically necessary interventions and others deem them cosmetic.

As you may have guessed, the vast majority of people who were assigned male at birth and express interest in taking estrogen are not cisgender men. Many end up identifying as transgender women or non-binary people. That doesn't mean that you are trans for sure, but just considering the overall probabilities, I'd say there's a good chance that you have more to explore to figure out about your gender.

But even if you don't end up identifying as part of the community, you can still consider medical interventions even if you identify as a cisgender man. It's your body, and you should do whatever you need to do to feel comfortable in it.

It's okay to look into starting estrogen (or any other medical transitioning step) while identifying as male. Just make sure you get the support you need from your medical providers so you know all the options available to you and the risks of each choice.

[allthecanadianpolitics]

have you read about alberta's new anti-trans legislation? there's a section stating "Province will work to attract one or more medical professionals who specialize in transgender surgery to ensure adults transitioning get the care they need. Build a private registry of medical professionals who work in this field." (taken from The Canadian Press). I'm worried this is a step taken to create legislation after this requiring all trans people in Alberta to go to a singular private clinic to get surgery that won't be covered by alberta health insurance due to being private, but I'm honestly not sure if that's all too different from gender-affirming surgery currently.

~~~~

[princess-kennys-fanfics]

Oblivious (probably from autistim)Trans male reader x pc Kenny w the context of them being childhood besties PLEEEEASE

— @2000sferrfgg

Post COVID Kenny x Trans Male! Oblivious! Reader - Childhood Bestfriends to Lovers

Note: I am TERRIBLY sorry for just dying on you guys so much has happened for me in these past few months but i found time to write some !! Sorry for any inaccuracies!! I am personally NB, but not on the masculine gender spectrum and I know autism can be varied differently from person to person.

•You and Kenny really hit it off when you were younger. Your chemistry was great, and you were the first person to not make fun of him for his socioeconomic status.

• Kenny has always had a thing for you even since you were little. Although he talked about girls and his perverted attraction to them, when you started transitioning, he still felt attraction towards you. He loved you for who you were and not by your AGAB.

•If you choose to do so, Kenny will support you emotionally and even financially with things such as HRT and gender affirming surgeries.

•You also had a thing for Kenny, and the feeling grew stronger as you both aged. You knew everything a person could possibly know about him. But you felt that he didn't feel the same.

•This couldn't be further from the truth. Kenny would constantly compliment you. You were wearing an outfit that made you look masculine? Compliment. You talked about your special interest with him? "You are so passionate it's inspiring" he would tell you.

• Assuming you have the inability to mask, if you were in a group of people and others offhandedly didn't jive with you, Kenny would make sure you felt like the most important person there. (Because in his eyes you were LOL)

• No matter the amount of compliments or times that Kenny would put himself before you after all these years, you never seemed to pick up the hint.

•One day, Kenny took you to a place that fueled your special interest. With little artifacts and merchandise to be bought at the very end of the function. Kenny bought a little stuffed toy of your favorite animal, with a note tied around the torso of the animal. Once the time was right, he gave it to you. On the note, he confessed his feelings to you and it asked "Can we count this as our first date?"

•You felt yourself become overjoyed and stimmed a little because of the overwhelming feeling. You nodded your head excitedly giving him a tight hug and a peck on his cheek where his mass amount of facial hair didn't cover.

•He took off his sunglasses for a moment allowing you to clearly see into his eyes. They smiled at you, and you smiled back.

[coochiequeens]

If they allowed one TIM in because he had the surgery and legal documents changed then it would open the floodgates to other TIMs in various stages of transition.

Females-only app that banned trans woman says it was creating a 'safe space'

This is the first time a case alleging gender identity discrimination has been heard by the Federal Court.

Roxanne Tickle was issued a birth certificate stating she was female a year after undergoing gender-affirming surgery in October 2019. Source: AAP / Bianca de Marchi

KEY POINTS

Trans woman Roxanne Tickle was banned from female-only social media platform Giggle for Girls.

Her lawyers argue this is discrimination on the grounds of gender identity.

Giggle's barrister Bridie Nolan said the app was created to give women a safe space.

Lawyers for trans woman Roxanne Tickle have argued she is a woman and was discriminated against when she was banned from using a female-only app.

The question of whether someone is a woman is not just biological but also social and psychological, a court has heard on the first day of a landmark trans-rights lawsuit.

Trans woman Roxanne Tickle is suing female-only social media platform Giggle for Girls after having her access to the app revoked in September 2021.

The app and its founder, Sall Grover, illegally discriminated on the grounds of gender identity, Tickle's lawyer Georgina Costello told a Federal Court hearing in Sydney on Tuesday

"The evidence will show that Ms Tickle is a woman," Costello said.

"She perceives herself as a woman. She presents herself as a woman."

'An online refuge'

Giggle's barrister Bridie Nolan said the app was created to give women a safe space, free from "male online digital violence".

Grover experienced sexual abuse during her time working as a screenwriter in Hollywood and had undergone trauma therapy, the court was told.

The app offered a range of ways for users to connect, including finding roommates and engaging socially or romantically.

"The vision was to create an online refuge," Ms Nolan said.

"It would be a place without harassment, mansplaining, d*** pics, stalking, aggression."

Nolan argued the app was not in breach of sex discrimination laws, which allow for "special measures intended to achieve equality".

The app created greater "equality between men and women in public life" by creating a safe space for women online, she said.

Therefore, excluding Tickle, who Nolan argued was a man, would constitute a "special measure" under the laws, she said.

Lawyers for trans woman Roxanne Tickle argue she was discriminated against when she was banned from using a female-only app. Source: AAP / Bianca De Marchi

Costello labelled Giggle's arguments "artificial, after-the-fact justifications" for discrimination against transgender women.

Tickle was issued a birth certificate stating she was female a year after undergoing gender-affirming surgery in October 2019.

Costello told the court in her opening statement that "gender is not merely a biological question, it is partly social and partly psychological".

"Ms Tickle was assigned male gender at birth but she has changed to being a woman and that fact is clear in this case," she said.

Representatives from the Australian Human Rights Commission, including Sex Discrimination Commissioner Anna Cody are assisting the court by providing submissions about the "meaning, scope and validity of relevant provisions of the Sex Discrimination Act".

"The commissioner is not a party to the proceeding and has not made submissions about whether Ms Tickle was in fact discriminated against," the human rights commission said in a statement.

It is the first time a case alleging gender identity discrimination has been heard by the Federal Court.

'Unwilling to tolerate any view contrary to their own'

Supporters for both sides gathered outside the Federal Court for the start of the proceedings, protesting within metres of each other.

Justice Robert Bromwich said the court would not tolerate any "intimidation or harassment" either within the courtroom or outside it.

Protesters against transgender rights gathered outside the Federal Court of Australia in Sydney. Source: AAP / Bianca de Marchi

"I appreciate that the issues from this case give rise to strongly held views and emotions," he said.

Some members of the public had shown they were "unable or unwilling to tolerate the existence of any view contrary to their own", Bromwich added.

Justice Robert Bromwich said the court would not tolerate any "intimidation or harassment" either within the courtroom or outside it. Source: AAP / Bianca De Marchi

In a statement filed with the Australian Human Rights Commission in December 2021, before the Federal Court case was launched, Tickle outlined the alleged discrimination.

"I believe that I am being discriminated against by being provided with extremely limited functionality of a smartphone app by the app provider compared to that of other users because I am a transgender woman," Tickle wrote.

"I am legally permitted to identify as female."

The hearing continues.

Published 9 April 2024 3:56pm

Source: AAP

[nat-1-whump]

🌈 Pride fantasy prompts

Pride writing ideas no. 1

(Little to no angst or whump here, I wanted to focus on happier stories this time around.)

Mages use transformation spells as a magical method of gender-affirming surgery. One mage who specializes in such magic travels across the land, helping anyone from tiny fairies to gigantic dragons be their true selves. Nothing brings them more joy than giving their client a mirror after the spell is done and watching their face light up. And when someone needs that spell, the mage will find a way to do it, no matter who or what they have to challenge in order to do so.

Asexual succubi and incubi find non-sexual ways to seduce their targets. A character hears a noise in the middle of the night and goes to the kitchen to find a demon-like creature baking them a cake that reads, "Come to the darkest pits of the underworld, please? 🥺" With the layers upon layers of chocolate fudge, how could anyone resist?

A gay mage learns a teleportation spell to bring their crush on a date without anyone else seeing, because they are worried about what people will think. However, the spell backfires and ends up teleporting them to the wrong place. As they work together to find their way home, the two overcome challenges for each other and realize that their love really does conquer all.

A trans character finds out that they're trans by accessing some sort of magic that only another gender is supposed to be able to access. For example, a transfem sailor thinks she's a cis guy until she is the only one on the ship who can see an island that is magically hidden from everyone except women. She had always felt a bit "off" but kind of pushed it to the side, attributing it to literally anything except being trans. The island beckons to her and confirms the feelings she had ignored for years. (I thought there was an island like that in the Odyssey but I can't find anything about it so I may be wrong.)

When a gay couple adopts a child, they weren't expecting to bring home a dragon egg. But, that won't stop them from being the best adoptive parents anyone could have. They spend nights deep in the library, set on learning everything they need to raise their dragon child. (Or, alternatively, a dragon couple ends up adopting a human or otherwise non-dragon child.)

Due to their association with rainbows, magic, and self-expression, unicorn derbies become widely celebrated events during pride festivals. A particularly clever unicorn escapes right before the derby, and magical shenanigans ensue.

While others their age are asking their crushes to dances and peeking at raunchy magazines, an aroace teen is busy training swordfighting with a dragon that they keep hidden a little bit away from their house. Their parents find some evidence of their teen sneaking out and assume it's with some romantic partner. When their teen reluctantly agrees to introduce them, they weren't expecting to come face to face with a gigantic reptile. They said they wanted their teen to be with whoever makes them happy... But this is awkward.

Immortal characters who've been around for centuries don't necessarily understand the newer labels and identities, but they're excited that their children are able to express themselves in ways they weren't able to a few hundred years ago. They do their best to support their kid's identity... Possibly to the point of embarrassing their kid with their enthusiasm. They mean well though.

A genderfluid character who can shapeshift uses their ability to transition on the spot whenever and however they feel like it. They kind of take this ability for granted, until their non-shapeshifter friend wants to transition and can't just do so by snapping their fingers. This shapeshifter does their best to help their friend find clothes and hairstyles that might have the same effect. They end up having to be a bit creative with what they have, but it's a lot more fun than either expected.

To represent the strength of their relationship, a gay swordsmith forges a sword as a surprise present (or proposal, like a ring but cooler) for their beloved. They decide to gather gemstones from the place they first met (or some other place that is significant to them), but getting the gemstone proves to be a difficult quest. They end up asking for their partner's help, all while keeping it a secret why they need it. When they finally get the gemstone and forge the sword, the colorful pieces in the hilt tell a story of their journey together.

Elves and other androgynous creatures completely demolish outdated standards of what each gender is "supposed to" look like. Some people are frustrated with how hard it is to assume an elf's gender, but lots of trans and nonbinary people are inspired by the magical genderfuckery. (I know I am, lol. Legolas was my first gender envy.)

(Feel free to add on!)

[nolanhattrick]

here is a a bullet point explainer of my top surgery day (like when i was actually in the hospital) because i feel like if i had something like that i would have been less horrifically life-endingly anxious

day before:

we drove to the city it was in because we were staying with family and wanted to get settled. we left around 10 ish? in the morning and it took us 3 or so hours to get there with all the bathroom stops we made

i received a call from my surgeon's office at 10:30 in the morning giving me the time i needed to show up at the hospital. i was to show up two hours before my surgery time (5:45 am ; 7:45 am), and i was first on the schedule

we showed up at my cousin's house and got settled, i was fasting as required and took my special soap shower at around 9pm. i needed to show up at the hospital at 5:45am but my cousin lives less than 5 minutes away from the hospital so i could afford to go to bed late.

day of:

i woke up at around 2 and went back to bed at around 3:30, woke up at 4:30 and took my second hibiclens shower. i got dressed in clean clothes and we drove to the hospital at 5:30 am

we had never been to the hospital before so we fucked around and found a place to park. we walked in and were confused until we looked around and found check-in. they didn't ask for ID or insurance, just my name. they scanned my advanced directive and medical power of attorney, told me to wait in the surgery waiting area, and told me that someone wld come find me! i was also given a hospital bracelet with my real name on it not my government name which is cool.

we waited for a little bit. there were two other people there. we were all in pajamas. it was great. the waiting area was full of local indigenous art. i wish i would have taken pictures now.

a nurse called my name and verified my date of birth and that i was there for gender affirming double mastectomy. she took me and my mom back to the preop area and took me to a preop room with a bed.

i was weighed and given a urine sample cup for pregnancy testing. this sucked bc i was NPO for like 12 hours and dehydrated as fuck but if you still have a uterus and ovaries you will have to do this.

she gave me a six pack of hibiclens wipes and instructions on how to do the surgery wipe down. neck to toes. one for neck and shoulders, one for chest and torso, one for back, one for arms, one for legs, one for groin and glutes. there r details on the paper. this is recommended but not required depending on ur surgeon. u do it urself. ur nurse does not touch u.

u put on ur gown and then ur given an IV with saline. i was given an oral anti inflammatory and 1000mg tylenol with a teeny bit of water. this is when they blew the valve in my hand. i COVERED my preop nurse with blood and almost threw up. it was great.

she went over some mental health questions and some physical health questions - are u depressed when did u last eat and drink etc. they were concerned because i hadn't eaten solids since the ninth and my surgery was on the twelfth but it was okay.

they asked me who my favorite music artist was because apparently listening to your favorite music while in surgery improves recovery outcomes. i blanked and then told them my chemical romance and the 1975. i hope they enjoyed that whiplash of a mix.

i was taken down and my mom was kicked to the waiting area. the elevator broke and we had to wait. awkward.

i sat in the real preop bay and started crying. got rly nauseous. a preop nurse gave me a puke bag and opened my fluids completely. i think this is where the additional damage to my arm happened but we're not sure. she was really nice but REALLY busy. she needed help lol it was just her for four people :(

she came and verified my name and date of birth. she gave me these sleeves that squeezed my calves to prevent blood clots. she put a warming blanket on me. she gave me consent forms to sign. she moved me to a private corner so my surgeon could draw guidelines on my chest. she put a scopolamine patch behind my ear and then dipped to do more work. love her

my anesthesiologist came by. she asked me my pronouns - the only person to do so (they're charted but still)! she checked my heart and lung sounds and complimented my lung capacity. she asked me what my fears were regarding anesthesia and told me that i was safe with her. she read over my consent and my preop EKG i got in weeks prior. she said that she considers me zero risk and that she is unconcerned which was a big calm down moment. she went to go do pre surgery things.

my surgeon came by. he unhooked my warm blanket and had me stand up so he could draw lines on my chest. he double checked my consent papers and then put me back under my warming blanket and gave me my puke bag back and then went to go do pre surgery things.

about 10 minutes later i was being wheeled into the surgery room. this is around 7:45am. it was actually REALLY close to preop. and it was very cold.

they had me put myself on the table. i was introduced to the rest of the surgery staff. they were literally all women. so cool. my head was going to be sitting on this jello bundt cake looking thing. i laughed and pointed that out. then i got hooked up to an oxygen mask by the anesthesiologist and it smelled like playdough. i commented on that and she laughed and that's the last thing i remember before

i woke up! i was groggy as fuck. first words out of my mouth in recovery were "oh that's exciting, i woke up" and the recovery nurse looked Very Concerned. she was nice to me. she also sprinted when i asked for a puke bag.

i was there for about two hours. one asleep, one awake. they needed to watch me eat and not throw up and i Succeeded and i also needed a bed to return to, which they didn't have.

my surgeon came by to check on me, said i did great! i don't remember much of this.

i went back to the same preop wing at, like, noon-thirty ish. i got to see my mom at one. my postop nurse was a SAINT. he monitored my immediate pain levels and the instant it got above a four he tried to get me pain medication, but was stonewalled by my surgeon.

he got me more food. i had like 12 ounces of apple juice and some cheese and crackers. he let me look at his tattoos and he told me stories while we waited for my mom and for discharge papers.

we got discharge papers, i got dressed mostly by myself. mom gave me my phone back so i could text my friends that i was alive. mom was also handed a 10 pack of gauze with nipple cut outs and we were told to open my swelling reduction binder and change them out once a day.

i was also instructed to empty my JP drains once or twice a day depending on fluid level and given urinalysis cups to empty them into. i never got more than 12mls out of them so this wasn't an issue

you just kind of pop them open and let the oily blood drain out and shake them a little and then squeeze and close them again. yes u can feel it sucking when u close it. it's not painful just weird.

then we went back to my cousin's house! and i devoured a burger and slept kinda shitty

i was up and walking normal same day. i got up slow and did circles around her living room. it was helpful.

[astriiformes]

Sending love. Hope you’re okay.

Oh! If this is because of the MRI I mentioned, fear not -- it was a totally precautionary procedure, and I already got the results and they're in the clear. It's actually another box checked on my journey to top surgery next month (!!). I'm genetically high-cancer risk and have been talking to my surgeons about an approach that will be both gender-affirming and minimize my risk of problems later on.

That said, I will take this chance to say to my followers!! If you, too, are someone with a scary family history of breast cancer and are contemplating top surgery, there are options open to you! I knew it was a real risk for me and was able to get genetic testing covered by my insurance before talking to my surgeons, and my top surgeon then talked with me about the various options I had at my initial consult. I'm specifically opting for a procedure that's a little more intense than a standard gender-affirming surgery but not quite a full double masectomy, and it will be done jointly by two surgeons, one who specializes in gender-affirming procedures and one who usually works with cancer patients and/or patients looking to have preventative surgeries.

Anyways not to throw my medical history at the internet, I just feel really strongly about this, in part because I've had multiple people I've talked to about my own top surgery process tell me they had similar worries and didn't know there were options for people looking to combine gender affirmation with preventative care. I want to watch out for my fellow trans and gender non-conforming folks, especially considering how much the healthcare system can suck for us, and there really are health professionals who take this sort of thing into account with their patients!