#happy testosterone tuesday to those who celebrate! | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

pup-play245 · 6 years ago

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Some people can identify a defining moment in their childhood - an incident that brings an idea to mind which is then indelibly fixed in the psyche. For Gelding - an adopted alias for the American internet guru to all wanna-be eunuchs - that moment came when he was 12 years old and thrown against an older boy in a packed bus. "Do that again and I'll crush 'em," said the older boy, grabbing his genitals. The pain was as piercing as the pleasure. And so began a lifetime's quest to be castrated.

In the UK, self-motivated castration mainly exists only in the most extreme S&M scene, while in America those aspiring to be castrated comprise a burgeoning and divergent tribe made up of both gay and straight men. Men who want to be castrated fit no stereotype, have no common neuroses or childhood experience. Some are androgynous types (thin and underdeveloped) who want to remain in a prepubescent, asexual phase, others are eroto-phobes who don't like to feel driven by their libidos and want to become surgically tranquillised. Some want to be feminised, a few - known as nullos or smoothies - want to become nullified by having their penis removed along with their testicles.

In Gelding's experience a quarter of those who get castrated continue to regulate their libidos with testosterone, which allows them to have full sex. But what compulsion drives grown men to be castrated in the first place? According to Gelding, for most men the desire to be castrated stems from puberty but does not develop into a fixation for at least 10 years.

This was certainly his experience. Now in his early 50s, he has been without his testicles for six years and is keen to point out that he has no desire to be feminised. Growing up in rural New York State, he knew he was gay from childhood, but it was only in his mid-20s, while working for the military in a top security position, that he discovered the gay S&M scene and a world where castration was honoured rather than abhorred.

One of his first boyfriends was a cutter - a man who worked in the netherworld of the gay S&M scene, cutting off men's testicles, consensually and safely. By 1991 Gelding's testicles had become an unbearable affront to him. The idea of cutting aroused him sexually, but more than that, there was an aching need to be rid of something that had begun to take a stranglehold of his life.

At first he tried to cut off the offending items himself by using rubber bands as a tourniquet and drenching his balls in ice water. But after an hour he ran out of adrenaline and went into clinical shock. In hospital a horrified A&E surgeon castigated him for trying to remove healthy tissue. Three years later he went to a cutter in California and got rid of them safely and efficiently. "I've never felt more myself, more complete or happy," he says, unemotionally.

In order to receive the testosterone that he requires to keep him functioning as a man (he has occasional erectile problems but can still ejaculate) he has devised a cover story which makes him eligible for medical treatment. The story is posted up on the web and tells how he lost his balls against his will in a gay S&M episode which went horribly wrong. "My cover story also means that if someone finds out I'm castrated they view me as a victim, or a brave stalwart rather than a deviant or psychotic person," he explains. As well as resurrecting the libido, testosterone prevents osteoporosis and reduces the flab that castration causes to the hips and breasts. (On the down side, it also increases the risk of prostate cancer.)

A self-confessed mother hen, Gelding has for four years been dispensing advice on his website to men who want, or think they want, to be castrated. In that time he's had 5,000 enquiries from both gay and straight men, all believing that their obsession is unique. Consultant psychiatrist Dr Russell Reid, of Hillingdon Hospital in west London, identifies castration fixation as "highly disturbed behaviour, in mainly gay men, whose self-hatred is directed towards their genitals".

Gelding's response to this interpretation is equivocal. "Yes, it's true that no normal person would do that, but then given that homosexuality has always been called a sickness, what's normal?" Reid's experience of this tender topic is predominantly with transsexuals (some of whom even castrate themselves) as well as with men who are hypersexed. "These men are led by their erect penises and some are driven to offend. Being castrated can be a huge release because they become pre-pubital, and sex is no longer an overwhelming preoccupation."

He finds the origins of the fixation perplexing but speculates that it might be a case of the fear of castration turned on its head to become a uncontrollable craving.

But eunuchs are nothing new. For 4,000 years they have represented some of the most marginalised and most honoured in society. In ancient India, eunuchs advised princes and guarded their harems, and the Biblical Daniel was a eunuch who rose to become prime minister of Babylon and later Persia. More recently there have been the Italian castrati of the 19th century - boys who sacrificed their manhood for the sake of singing careers in the opera houses of Europe. Today there are the cross-dressing Hijras in India and religious extremists such as members of the Russian Skoptsy sect who see the testicles as an organ of weakness. The medical profession understands this "syndrome" only in relation to transgender reassignment surgery or as part of body dysmorphia (a syndrome in which people become fixated with having a limb amputated). But Gelding disregards the connection with the body modification scene, believing the desire to be castrated is far more complex.

Nor can he relate to the transgendered, "some of whom get castrated just to get on to a gender reassignment programme". He is also reluctant to help those whose desire to be castrated hinges on the ritual of cutting: "Because if that's the overriding issue then most of these people are into fantasy and role play and don't have a true fixation." When castration is a true fixation, Gelding believes it is vital that surgeons treat the problem in a much more educated fashion. "There isn't a doctor in the world informed in this area, because nothing will justify to a physician the removal of healthy tissue."

There are several doctors in the US who will surgically remove testicles, but seldom before getting their patients to sign a consent form saying it is for gender reassignment. Dr Felix Spector, who advertises castration on his business card, has become something of a celebrity in the murky world of eunochdom, having performed his first castration in 1957. But the vast majority are amateur cutters, subject to prosecution for practising medicine without a licence, and desperately sought after on the net by men in urgent need.

Although these cutters offer a necessary service (reducing the instance of self-castration), for the most part they too find the act of cutting erotic. Talking about doing a DIY castration, one cutter described the "lovely crunching sound" a Burdizzo (a castration device) makes "like biting into fresh celery". Burdizzos, elastators and other animal castration devices can all be purchased on the net. The internet has become a sanctuary to these would-be eunuchs. There are numerous websites providing information, and chat lines link men from all over the world who share this compulsion.

When Gelding was delivering himself into the hands of the cutter there were no such support services and perhaps that's why it wasn't until he was in his 40s that he finally did what he had always wanted to do. Since then, he says, he has found some kind of inner peace, but at a price. He would have preferred to have been one of those who rationalised their way out of it, something he encourages all his correspondents to do. He considers those who manage it to be the lucky ones.

The others must join him among one of the most disenfranchised of groups. Men who are ridiculed, despised and misunderstood by a society which will never be able to make any sense of why they feel incomplete with their testicles and yet complete without them.

Hidden Love: Modern Day Eunuchs is on Channel 4 next Tuesday at 10pm

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number9580-blog · 7 years ago

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Butch, Genderqueer, Genderfluid, Genderfuck and Trans Blogs to watch out for

The big sexy, hot, smart, fierce, masculine, amazing, handsome, strong, sweet, thoughtful, bulging, turgid list of Butch, Genderqueer, Genderfluid, Genderfucking, Masculine-of-Center and Trans Blogs

The other day, I realized I had a hunger for new butch blogs to read. So I started trolling blogrolls and then realized ‘butch’ doesn’t cover all of what I’m looking for. What really peaks my interest are people talking about and living outside the gender binary. Though I started with a blogroll category of “Butches to Watch Out For”, I’ve changed that to “Bend it like …” because what I’m really trying to get at is the gender bending, defying the default gender system in favor of something that works for all of us.

I always feel a thrill when I find new blogs where the authors are exploring gender, pushing the envelope and redefining the definitions. Because my personal exploration is being done from the perspective of someone who started life female, bloggers who are on similar journeys appeal to me. I want to compare notes, I want to find new words, new ways of describing the smell, taste, sound and feeling of female-born masculinity. I now have a pretty good collection, some are friends I’ve met or chatted with, some are blogs I’ve found through the blogrolls of others. In each case, I’ve found s0me kind of kinship, something I can relate to and learn from.

It’s kind of funny that in the midst of building up my list of butches and others who bravely break stereotypes every day in diverse situations and lives, I found that ridiculous WikiHow article on How to Be a Butch. Clearly, the authors of that article haven’t met very many butches. I’m not going to be foolish enough to write a How To guide for butches, but I do invite you to visit these and look for others.

New as of 5/8/2014

Hudson’s FTM Resource Guide: now that I’m in the midst of evaluating options for medical transition, this website has become indispensable to me. Full of detailed, factual, non-judgmental information on all the things that come up for someone who is looking at options for transition from female assigned at birth to … something else on the masculine side. I especially geeked out on the explanation of the different formulations of testosterone, including chemical structure diagrams and the pros and cons of each formulation.

New as of 8/20/2013

NeutroisNonsense: I surprised myself the other day by finding out I hadn’t already added this blog, written by my friend Micah. Micah’s beginning to make a name around non-binary identities, asexuality and non-binary transitioning. Micah is one of my favorite people and has a lot of really smart, informative things to say about gender, identity and talks about the challenges and rewards of navigating through a binary world as a non-binary person. One of my trans* heroes,

Learning How To Tell You, BD Swain: This is a butch erotic blog after my own heart (or maybe somewhere lower). BD joins Sinclair Sexsmith and I in the very rare world of butch erotic writers and does it with pants tightening style. ”My name is BD Swain. I’m a butch dyke who enjoys writing queer smut – not just because it’s fun, but because sex and pushing my sexual expression is what makes me feel most alive. I am turned on by trust and by pushing the boundaries of it.”

New as of 4/12/2013

ButchOnTap: blogger Butch Jaxon says, “I see the world in a particular way. This blog is about how I see the world, both the good stuff (like beer) and the bad stuff (like idiots), but hopefully always funny.” Though I don’t always see eye to to eye with this blogger on all things butch, that hardly matters because it’s a big enough definition for all of us. This blogger has had a couple of articles on HuffPost (look for Tristan Higgins), will probably have more in the future, and is definitely a Butch to Watch Out For.

LGinDC: formerly the blogger known as G, of Can I Help You Sir, now in DC finding her way amongst the monuments and government entities, here’s what she has to say about herself and the blog, “I’m tall. I’m a smart-ass. I like eating with chopsticks. I’m butch. I love the Chicago Cubs and Bears. I’ve broken my nose twice. I love animals. I look horrible in yellow. I’m engaged. I love bourbon. I’m equally enamored with Beyonce and Ron Swanson. I’ll try just about anything once. I’m Irish. I live in Washington, DC. I’m a Scorpio. And I write about things.”

Genderqueer Pie Please: [no updates since 12/2013] blogger Jake Jacobsen says, “Genderqueer isn’t a new movement, it isn’t even a movement, or new, it’s been around a long, long time, as long as I can remember. Ways of being “out”, seen, heard, and conceptualized are continuously being created through our use of language, and not just by the so called sexual minority, but by everyone. Genderqueer is one of those fairly recent creative wordage attempts at redefining a lived experience of gender that is a reality for a portion of the population.”

The Brown Boi Project is a community of masculine of center womyn, men, two-spirit people, transmen, and our allies committed to transforming our privilege of masculinity, gender, and race into tools for achieving Racial and Gender Justice. These are great, energetic, dynamic people who are dedicated to their mission. If this is of interest to you, check out their website and get involved.

New as of 5/16/2012

Trans Vocals: [inactive] I’m glad to see my friend, Holden, is coming back to the blog-o-sphere. He’s got a new blog, Trans Vocals, and will be talking about his transformation and transition. I’m very happy to see this thoughtful, intelligent person generously offering to share his insights and progress with the rest of us.

New as of 05/12/2011

fuckyeahbutches: this is a tumblr on the theme of butches, from Jenny Shimizu, to old school butches to butches like, well, me. Check it out for eye-candy or for images of people who remind you of you and your friends.

Butch Wonders: this blog shows great promise with posts pondering the potential adverse effects of wearing a tie to interviews, defending her choice to wax and shave, and a great post on Butch Buddies.

New as of 04/19/2011

thoughts ON: [last post 12/2013] blogger Andy posted on the topic of being trans, but not enough to transition, for more on Andy’s thoughts on this ‘middleground’, read I AM trans. I just don’t try very hard. From Andy’s bio: Andy is a recent college graduate living in New England. When not engaged in queer activism Andy spends a lot of time kayaking, reading, and trying to change the world with a combination of twitter, church, and positive thinking while trying to decide on future plans which may, or may not, include ministry; but that’s the direction things are leaning right now. Andy works for various LGBTQ organizations and loves them all dearly.

(L)earned Masculinity: [last post 7/2012] this blogger used to post on a blog called Break it Down, Butch, but recently transitioned to this new space, acknowledging his passage from butch identified to trans identified. Add this one to your readers and follow DK on their journey down the genderbrick road. DK’s about page contains this line, one of my favorites found in anyone’s biography: My soul is blue and smells faintly of cedar.

Debonairgeek: I’m a nice guy. I am just trying to find my voice. Em wrote a post called,Deep Thoughts, talking about being butch and genderqueer and I really relate to almost all of what they’re saying. And, if you’ve ever wondered when and how to ‘pop your collar’ (and even if you haven’t), you should read this: entertaining, informative, funny.

MTF Butches (tumblr): This tumblr was inspired by the existence of other amazing tumblrs such as Fuck Yeah Cute Trans Chicks, Fuck Yeah FTMs, Femme FTM, as well as others. This page is meant to provide an additional empowering space for the multitude of trans* gender expressions. This is an inclusive space for the celebration of all butch, futch, butch-femme switches, grrls, genderqueer, genderfluid and other likewise MTF spectrum folk out there! Let’s represent some butch trans women!

Fuck Yeah FTMs (tumblr): Tumblr dedicated to FTMs, genderqueers, and others along that spectrum. Submissions are accepted, but moderated and you should follow the theme of the day: Muscle Mondays, Topless Tuesdays, We Wednesdays, Underwear Fridays, Fuzzy Sundays. Check the submission link for more information and guidelines.

New as of 01/25/2011

Gendercast: Our Transmasculine Genderqueery: Podcasts hosted by Sean Leao and Jessie. So far there are two podcasts, plus audio biographies from the hosts. Gendercast is a podcast looking to build community and we are encouraging participation at every turn. We speak to the entire transmasculine community, including genderqueer identified and beyond and of course, those who love them!

A Butch in the Kitchen. This blog gets into the nitty gritty of cooking butch with recipes, techniques and even some kitchen gear for the butch kitchen queer. She says she’s a novice but I’ll be her skills are just ready to be discovered. So far there are two recipes up: Cherry cobbler and ice cream bread. As a Butch Baker, I’m intrigued by these, but also looking forward to ideas in the appetizers and main courses categories. Butch in the Kitchen has a list of other food sites to check out and will also take submissions of recipes and photos from other cooks. I’m also wondering if anyone’s doing a Butch Cocktails site… hmmm.. maybe there’s a market for that. Follow this butch on twitter, as Butchndakitchen.

New as of 1/12/2011

Mixing it Up, JizLee.com: Genderqueer porn star, certifiably sexy individual, Jiz Lee says this about their blog — It’s a website and blog I run as a vehicle to share my experiences of sex and gender, film and photography. I hope it can provide a resource to queers and allies out there interested in my projects or wanting to find someone like themselves represented in the work I do and the ideas I express. Follow Jiz on twitter, check out their performances in the Crash Pad Series, the movie Champion and anywhere else you can. My personal connection is fleeting but squee worthy: I met Jiz at the New York City Sex Bloggers Calendar party in 2009 and mentioned I had this blog.. which Jiz totally knew about “Oh! You’re Kyle!” *hug* .. but that’s not all, Roxy introduced herself and got a very long, full body hug. I think that means Jiz approves of my taste in women

New as of 12/29/2010:

ButchLab: Sinclair Sexsmith’s latest contribution to the community: The mission of the Butch Lab Project is to promote a greater understanding of masculine of center gender identities, expressions, and presentations, through encouraging: 1. visibility, because we feel alone; 2. solidarity, because there are many of us out there, but we don’t always communicate with each other; and 3. an elevation of the discussion, because we have a long history and lineage to explore and we don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Follow @butchlab on twitter as well.

On Being Butch: a very new and shiny butch-oriented blog by J-Rob, “I’ve only recently come to realize that butch is my gender, not just a role I play, and that has opened a lot of space for me to be who I am. Again, it’s odd, I’m 33 and I have been who I am my whole life, but I’m only just starting to understand what “who I am” actually means.”

Butch.org: by Jenni Olson, director of e-commerce at WolfeVideo.com and an LBGT queer cinema historian. Author of The Queer Movie Poster Book (2005, Chronicle Books), Jenni was also one of the founders of PlanetOut.com where she established the massive queer film industry resource, PopcornQ. She continues to write about queer films, as well as curating, collecting, and creating them. Her feature debut, The Joy of Life is now available on DVD.

Added 11/16/2010

Lesbian Neurotica, by Ulla, a butch dyke in South Africa who writes and draws cartoons and leaves thoughtful comments on a lot of the blogs I read.

Added 10/12/2010

A Stranger in This Place, by Wendi, who describes herself as “a motorcycle riding butch lesbian, retired accountant turned photographer and writer searching for her purpose in life and learning to enjoy the ride.” Wendi’s working on a book and participated in the Gender/Queer Spoken Word event for BV PDX on Sunday. I’m looking forward to reading more from Wendi.

Words of a Boi, by Jessie. This writer read something written during Sinclair’s writing workshop that stuck with me.. so much so that I instantly recognized it when I saw it on their blog a few days later. It’s a beautiful work of prosecomparing gender to a flower. This writer uses poetry, wonderful imagery and an openness that is very engaging.

Added 8/2/2010

Andi HB’s blog. Andi is a butch I met through twitter and another person who met and fell in love with someone through twitter (hey hey, Missy). Yes, the west coast butch fell for the Nawlins femme… can’t wait to see the Disney version. Andi’s a fan of all things Irish, the New Orleans Saints and, of course, Missy. Her latest post featured a damn fine pair of butch shoes. You can follow her on twitter as @andi_hb.

bracketabracket: [a] is a new blogger, just discovering the world of butch, trans, genderqueer, poly, BDSM blogs, since mid-june ’10, has been offering insights and stories of his own. Check out [a]‘s blog for posts about Transgender issues, BDSM and kink, Sex, Love, Relationships, Theater, Art, Politics.

Added 6/25/2010

Bron’s blog, Duct Tape Tomatoes, is new since May of this year, but already has me pulled in with her charm and honesty. I really, really love reading stories about people becoming themselves, it’s not only inspiring, it refuels me. The latest one that I really loved was The Manicure… butch gets mani/pedi, freezes at nail polish choices and plays Mario Brothers with new little brother.

Dear Diaspora isn’t a new blog, and a lot of you probably already read it, but I’m new to S. L. Bond’s view of the world. And that view, as communicated on DD is that of a Jewish Dyke and art student living in New Mexico.

Bee Listy is another blogger who’s been at it a while, Bee is a crafty, savvy butch who writes on a variety of topics. One post that really struck home with me recently was You know what’s awesome?, where Bee speaks of her frustration over the Butch-Trans border wars and wonders why some people don’t think there’s enough masculinity to go around for all those who want to claim it. Bee tweets as Beelisty.

Original list

Sugarbutch Chronicles: my gateway into the world of butch blogging and one of the most popular blogs around. Sinclair Sexsmith’s blog is your guide to sex toys, gender awareness and butch sexuality. After stalking Sinclair through blog posts and twitter for a long time, was happy to finally meet her in person at the New York Sex Bloggers Calendar Party last November. Over two years ago, when I discovered Sugarbutch Chronicles, what first caught my attention was the idea of butch erotic writing, which eventually led to the existence of Butchtastic. Sinclair lent support, practical advice and encouragement and has been a great source of inspiration. Sinclair tweets as @mrsexsmith.

Packing Vocals: Holden is one of my favorite butch erotic writers, a family guy, a snappy dresser and a good friend. Married to one of my favorite femmes, Femmeismygender, Holden tweets as @packingvocals.

NattNightly: Natt isn’t blogging as much anymore, but if you love beautiful writing and honest accounts of self-discovery and gender, it’s worth your time to read through the archives. I’ve been moved to tears more than once, from the sheer painful rawness of some stories and also from a severe case of writer’s envy. Having met and spent time with this super cool, super smart butch, I can say without question, Natt is very tall and is a lot of fun to hang out with. Natt tweets as @nattnightly.

Just Like Jesse James: This Seattle butch is an unabashed Cher fan and will also discourse at length on the virtues of the Golden Girls, if you just give her half a chance. Jesse blogs about Cher, life with her girlfriend and dog and the various other critters who inhabit their lives. Another blogger I’ve had the good fortune to meet and hang out with in real life, we live close enough to do it again, and we’re gonna, so watch out world. Jesse James tweets as @justjessejames.

Mina Meow/Aiden Fyre: Depending on when you meet this blogger you might think.. “Wow, hot femme” or “Mmmgrrr, who’s that sexy boi?” and you wouldn’t be wrong either way. Mina/Aiden is exploring gender thoroughly and with the kind of bravery, poise and intelligence we all should aspire to. This blogger writes about gender, sexual politics and how it all fits into the life of a “try-sexual”. I count it as one of the high points of my life that I’ve shared a deep passionate kiss with this hot and sexy blogger (and watched a make-out session with my girlfriend — yes, you should envy me). Follow on twitter as @aidenfyreand/or @minameow.

Butch GirlCat: Leo McCool isn’t blogging anymore but he was one of the first butch bloggers I gravitated to and fell in love with. Leo’s sometimes heart-wrenchingly honest stories about love, relationships and the journey to find his gender home are a must read for anyone else trying to find their way between the gender poles.

X-Ray Introductions: I first became aware of Arron when he was my secret Santa recipient and I sent him a cool metal studded belt and belt buckle. I finally met Arron during a visit to see Roxy in San Francisco. Over the years, I’ve enjoyed Arron’s video product reviews and stories about life. Arron tweets as @amok_.

The Freezing Flames: Firebolt is a genderqueer youth living in India, dealing with the challenges of a family that doesn’t get it in a society that really doesn’t get it. Firebolt is way ahead of where I was at that age, and living under much more trying circumstances, and has my unswerving admiration as a result. Tweets as @fireboltx.

Bren Ryder: Bren is the butch creative genius behind GoodDykePorn and as such, deserves our unending gratitude. Bren works hard to produce real, hot, queer porn with real queers. Bren is someone I know I’ll get to meet someday in RL, and I’m really looking forward to that. Bren tweets as @brenryder.

Jess I Am: Jess is courageous, thoughtful and honest in telling the story of how he went from being a butch to a transman. Life has handed him a lot of challenges in the past couple of years, but with his wife, Tina, at his side, he’s handled those challenges with grace and strength. I almost had the privilege of meeting these two during my trip to NYC, but it didn’t work out, but I have a very strong feeling we’ll all meet up at some point in RL. Jess tweets as @JessIAmBlog.

How to Be Butch: One of the newer blogs on my reader, Harrison doesn’t really try to tell you how to be butch, because, as the banner says “There’s more than one way”. Instead, you get some fun and insightful posts on Harrison’s exploration of butchness and gender and life. Harrison tweets as @HarrisonTB.

Sartorial Butch: A blog about butch fashion, the culinary arts and all around butch goodness. Another of my newer blog habits, SartorialButch is now featured on Butch-Femme.com and tweets as @SartorialButch.

She Called Me Superman: Yondergen’s blog tagline is “writing myself down so I can be found, or followed” and that’s really the goal of most of us who blog, isn’t it? Yondergen explores the butch-masculine-queer gender mix that is the heart of the matter for me as well. Plus baking, relationships, the quandaries of how to express and understand it all.

Musings from the High Speed Rodeo: Rhett’s writing is rapid and rhythmic, filled with great observations, honesty and humor. Rhett is the Asphalt Cowboy, go on over there, y’all, you’re in for a great ride.

Can I Help You, Sir?: Going by the initial, G, this butch blogs about gender, butchness and identity. G tweets as @canihelpyousir and has (had?) a regular feature called the Swoon List.

Lesbian Dad: I’ve had the Lesbian Dad on my reader for a long time. LD writes about her family, posts the sweetest pictures of her daughter and son and talks about parenting, politics and popular culture. My Suburban Butch Dad Reports were inspired by the Lesbian Dad. Follow her tweets @LesbianDad.

The Butchelor: another brave, honest blog from the perspective of a butch lesbian starting to come out as trans. Even though I’m not trans, I find myself relating to guys like this who are born in a body that doesn’t completely match who they are on the inside. It’s personal, it’s real, you should check it out. Tweets as @thebutchelor.

Break It Down, Butch: a blog I’ve discovered recently written by a butch who isn’t afraid to get it all out there. I appreciate the passion and honesty of this blogger and look forward to reading more.

Transitional Life (Life in Transition): Emmett takes us on his journey from butch to trans complete with family drama, changes brought on by testosterone, new names and the other challenges of life. Emmett is a lovely guy, wonderful with animals (he’s a vet tech) and people (especially kids, kids love him) and I wish him all the best as he continues on his journey. He’s got a YouTube channel, labradork1 where he’s been tracking the changes brought on by his transition. Emmett tweets as @friendtopups.

Butch Boo: BB is one of my earliest readers, a Brit Butch Blogger in London who recently posted a lovely grouping of pictures featuring butch footwear.

A Gender Queer View: Natasha Yar-Routh’s place on the web. A married gender queer trans-woman who posts short little nuggets of political observation and thoughts on life. Tweets as @xiomberg.

Gender Me Softly: The only couple-authored blog on my list, this blog is brand new, they just started this month. T. J. and Rhylee Flint share love, lives and blog space. Thad is a butch, likes the word ‘queer’ (so do I) and enjoys cultivating a masculine look through binding and packing. Rhylee is a queer female who’s exploring her gender and gender expression from a more femme perspective.

Gender Outlaw: this is a blog chronicling Joshua Riverdale’s FTM journey. Even though transitioning isn’t for me, I’ve learned a lot from his blog entries, videos and tweets, and appreciate his wit and intelligence. If you are curious about transitioning, or looking for genderqueer related resources (think binding, packing, etc), consider this blog and his website, transguys.com, as great starting points for the personal stories and resources. He’s got some of the best sideburns ever.. I’m totally having some envy over those. Josh tweets as @transguys.

Genderfork: this is a community blog, who’s mission is to support community for the expression of identities across the gender spectrum. They tweet as @genderfork and post profiles of genderqueer/fluid/variant folks.

Get Off My Lawn: wow.. now that’s a pretty grumpy blog title. Read the About Me and see a lot of bullet points.. this blogger loves bullet points, and was highly influenced by popular culture icons such as Matlock, Hank Hill and Mulder and Scully. As grumpy as the blog title is, I find this blogger highly amusing and fun to read, go check it out and see if you feel the same way. Tweets as @benjamin_bex.

Just a Big Guy with a Fun Sense of Sin: S. Bear Bergman’s Live Journal. I got to see Bear on a book reading tour with Ivan Coyote, and bought his book “The Nearest Exit May be Behind You” that night. Bear is a transman, new father and a gifted story teller. Bear tweets as @sbearbergman.

Visibly Transparent: Bear’s husband, Ishai, has a Live Journal as well. He carried their son Stanley and I can relate to his stories about the fertility clinic, pregnancy, birth and parenting.

Love Kills Slowly (tumblr): tumblr account of Val, known on twitter as @rugby8. Val posts pictures of sexy women, and the occasional quote.

somewhere in the middle: Nezu says it best “This is my place for looking at the middle ground of gender identity and sexual preference. And who knows, probably other stuff, too.” I’ve just begun to explore this writer’s musings about butchness, gender, identity and relationships.

TG Stone Butch Journal: Corey Alexander is a well-known queer kink/sex educator and writer. He can be found all over the country at conferences teaching and speaking on topics as diverse as polyamory, butch faggot play, stone sexuality and a myriad of other topics around gender and sexuality. Corey tweets as @tgstonebutch, look for his queer BDSM erotica under the nom de plum, Xan West.

The Man Sam: Son of T: Former female Sam Peterson tells all in this blog about transition. Looking forward to his chest reconstruction surgery thanks to ChestFest2010, Matt is wonderfully honest, funny and self-deprecating — a combination I particularly enjoy. Follow him on twitter as @ThaManSam.

Transfaggotry: Faggot Boi blogs about pronoun anxiety, leaving the lesbian identity behind, and other topics around becoming trans.

Transifesto: Matt Kailey’s place on the web. Matt shares information and his thoughts on transgender and transsexual issues. He’s a nationally recognized speaker and author on transgender issues and tweets as @MattKailey.

Androgynanomous: DPR (Dread Pirate Roberts) is the sweetheart of one of my favorite online people, Scintillectual. DPR just started blogging not long ago, but has already established a rhythm with poetry, musings on gender and sweet, sensual tributes to her lover. Tweets as @dread_pyrate.

butchboi: this site is run by the infamous Leo, of the Big Pink House. This is a site for cruising and networking, for those who identify as butch, boi, trans, gender queer, stud, drag king & their friends. The free membership opens up some features: forums, events and cruising, videos and a chatroom. The Cruising feature is fun, you can hone in your search by age, geography with more features available to subscribers. Check out the tweets from @ButchBoiLeo and @ButchBoi and@BigPinkHouse to keep up with the ButchBoi happenins.

This is the list so far, I like the length and heft of it (heh!) and I really like the diversity. The bloggers on this list have a stories to tell, experiences to share and I will continue to learn a lot from them. The breadth of this group, from the more female identified butch to the more male identified trans, meet the needs I have to explore the many facets and identities within me. There are some super smart people on this list, and funny too… great writers, open-hearted honest people, sometimes frustrated, but trying to make the world a better place for themselves and others. It may be hubris on my part to count myself as one of them, but these people have nurtured, coached and supported my journey as well. Even if we don’t make the same decisions, or come to the same conclusions, we’re all asking the same kind of questions, and questioning the same assumptions.

I encourage you to visit these blogs, read their stories and add them to your regular rotation if they appeal to you. And if I’ve left someone out, someone you think would fit into this list, please be so kind as to introduce me to them.

SOURCE

#genderfluid tag

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