#it's one part hormones and one part The Thing From March 2023 and one part just being a mushy pile of emotions

[theferricfox]

Rarely do I talk about real life stuff here, but I need to scream this at the top of my lungs.

We got a package from my mother today with stuff for our impending family addition (third trimester, here I come!). In it was the three blankets pictured below, as well as three newborn hats and booties.

She MADE these for us. My mother has Rheumatoid Arthritis and Sjögren's Syndrome and Fibromyalgia and some days, she can barely move in her own house because of swelling and pain and she still made all these things for the baby. And it just makes my heart soar to the sky and straight into space to burn in the sun. I'm so touched.

I can't wait to let my baby cuddle up in these and tell them their grandma made them, special, just for my little Bubs.

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Jesse Singal

Published: Mar 22, 2024

Yesterday CNN published an article by senior writer Tara John about the UK National Health Service’s newly skeptical stance toward youth gender medicine. The main takeaway, which is big news to observers of this debate, is that the NHS will no longer provide puberty blockers to young people, other than in research contexts. (As for cross-sex hormones, a relatively strict-seeming regime is set to be implemented, and they will be offered to youth only “from around their 16th birthday.”)

As myself and a number of others pointed out, the article contains a sentence that is, in context, rather wild: John writes that “Gender-affirming care is medically necessary, evidence-based care that uses a multidisciplinary approach to help a person transition from their assigned gender — the one the person was designated at birth — to their affirmed gender — the gender by which one wants to be known.” But of course, whether youth gender medicine is medically necessary and evidence-based is exactly the thing being debated, and anyone who has been following this debate closely knows that every national health system that has examined this question closely, including the NHS, has come to the same conclusion: the evidence is paltry. That’s why so many countries, including Sweden, Finland, the UK, and Norway have significantly scaled back access to these treatments for youth.1 So it’s very strange to see this sentence, which reads as though it comes from an activist press release, published in a news article in CNN, an outlet that generally adheres to the old-school divide between news and opinion.

There’s a strong case to be made that CNN’s sentence, as written, is false. Gender medicine is at best unproven, when it comes to the standards society (and regulatory bodies) expects medical researchers to adhere to. The situation with youth gender medicine is particularly dicey, given that this is a newer area of medicine suffering from an even severer paucity of quality studies.

It would be bad enough for this sentence to have appeared in one article on one of the most important news websites in the world. But here’s the thing: this wasn’t the first time. Rather, this exact sentence, and close variants of it, has been copied and pasted into dozens of CNN.com stories over the last few years, as a Google search quickly reveals. 

This sentence, and its close variants, appear over and over and over. I asked my researcher to create a list of all the instances he could find. Here’s what he sent back, in reverse chronological order.

1. England’s health service to stop prescribing puberty blockers to transgender kids by Tara John (March 15, 2024)

2. First on CNN: Major medical society re-examines clinical guidelines for gender-affirming care by Jen Christensen (February 26, 2024)

3. Record number of anti-LGBTQ bills were introduced in 2023 by Annette Choi (January 22, 2024)

4. Gender-affirming surgeries in US nearly tripled from 2016 to 2019, study finds by Jen Christensen (August 23, 2023) — start slightly modified to fit sentence structure, otherwise identical.

5. Trump-appointed judge blocks parts of Indiana ban on gender-affirming care for trans youth by Sydney Kashiwagi (June 17, 2023)

6. The debate on the American right isn’t about classified documents. It’s about fear of transgender rights by Zachary B. Wolf (June 15, 2023)

7. 19 states have laws restricting gender-affirming care, some with the possibility of a felony charge by Annette Choi and Will Mullery (June 6, 2023)

8. Alabama governor signs bill placing limits on transgender athletes in college sports by Rebekah Riess and Dakin Andone (May 31, 2023) — start slightly modified to fit sentence structure, otherwise identical.

9. Missouri attorney general drops controversial emergency rule that would have banned gender-affirming care for children and many adults by Andy Rose and Nouran Salahieh (May 17, 2023)

10. Maryland governor signs bills protecting abortion rights and gender-affirming care by Liam Reilly and Kaanita Iyer (May 3, 2023)

11. Oklahoma governor signs legislation banning gender-affirming care for minors by Jack Forrest and Joe Sutton (May 2, 2023) — start slightly modified to fit sentence structure, otherwise identical.

12. Missouri judge pauses enforcement of limits on gender-affirming care for trans youth and adults for 15 days by Devan Cole (May 1, 2023)

13. Transgender health care restrictions hit roadblocks in 3 states as gender-affirming care becomes marquee issue for state GOP leaders by Dakin Andone (April 27, 2023) — start slightly modified to fit sentence structure, otherwise identical.

14. The clock is ticking in Missouri as health care providers race to establish care regimens for trans patients by Alisha Ebrahimji, Kyung Lah, and Anna-Maja Rappard (April 26, 2023)

15. Missouri judge temporarily blocks limits on gender-affirming care for trans youth and adults from going into effect by Devan Cole (April 26, 2023)

16. Gender-affirming care, a ‘crucial’ process for thousands of young people in America by Jen Christensen (April 25, 2023)

17. Advocacy groups sue to block an emergency rule limiting gender-affirming care that’s expected to go into effect this week in Missouri by Michelle Watson, Claudia Dominguez, Taylor Romine, and Kyung Lah (April 25, 2023)

18. Utah state senator’s home vandalized in possible retaliation for transgender bill, police say by Rebekah Riess and Sara Smart (April 22, 2023) — start slightly modified to fit sentence structure, otherwise identical.

19. North Dakota governor signs gender-affirming care ban for most minors by Michelle Watson and Jack Forrest (April 20, 2023)

20. Indiana and Idaho enact bans on gender-affirming care for transgender youth by Sydney Kashiwagi (April 6, 2023) — start slightly modified to fit sentence structure, otherwise identical.

21. Kentucky GOP overrides governor’s veto of youth gender-affirming care ban by Jack Forrest (March 29, 2023) — start slightly modified to fit sentence structure, otherwise identical.

22. Kentucky governor vetoes ban on gender-affirming care for youth by Kaanita Iyer and Paradise Afshar (March 24, 2023)

23. Georgia’s governor signs ban on certain gender-affirming care for minors by Maxime Tamsett, Pamela Kirkland, and Jack Forrest (March 23, 2023) — start slightly modified to fit sentence structure, otherwise identical.

24. Florida sued over bans on gender-affirming care for transgender youth by Devan Cole (March 23, 2023) — has a slightly more measured framing, opening with “LGBTQ advocates and many physicians regard. . . ”

25. Missouri AG seeks to restrict gender-affirming care for minors by Raja Razek and Shawna Mizelle (March 21, 2023) — has a slightly more measured framing, opening with “LGBTQ advocates and many physicians, however, regard the treatment as. . . ”

26. New Mexico governor signs bill protecting access to reproductive and gender-affirming care into law by Paradise Afshar and Kaanita Iyer (March 18, 2023)

27. Minnesota governor signs order protecting access to gender-affirming health care by Chris Boyette and Jack Forrest (March 8, 2023)

28. Tennessee governor signs ban on gender-affirming care for minors by Shawna Mizelle (March 3, 2023) — has a slightly more measured framing, opening with “LGBTQ advocates and many physicians regard the treatment as. . . ”

29. Democratic AGs condemn DeSantis administration for asking Florida colleges for information on students receiving gender-affirming care by Devan Cole (March 3, 2023)

30. Mississippi enacts ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors by Devan Cole (February 28, 2023)

31. GOP lawmakers escalate fight against gender-affirming care with bills seeking to expand the scope of bans by Devan Cole (February 13, 2023)

32. South Dakota governor signs bill prohibiting gender-affirming treatment for transgender minors by Sydney Kashiwagi (February 13, 2023)

33. Woman faces federal charge for calling in a false bomb threat to a Boston hospital providing gender-affirming care by Sonia Moghe (September 16, 2022)

34. Boston Children’s Hospital says it’s gotten violent threats over care for transgender children by Jen Christensen (August 17, 2022)

35. Texas can continue investigating families seeking gender-affirming care for their transgender children, state Supreme Court says by Alisha Ebrahimji, Ashley Killough, and Raja Razek (May 13, 2022)

I haven’t triple-checked every single one of these, but it’s undeniable that effectively the same words have appeared in about three dozen CNN articles since May of 2022, which was already years after the present wave of European nations rethinking these treatments had begun. 

When I asked CNN about this, I heard back from someone there who explained on background that it’s standard for outlets to provide reporters with guidance about accurate and appropriate language. While that’s true, it doesn’t really answer my question. Sure, it’s not unusual for an outlet to have a house style, sometimes enshrined in a stylebook, that provides rules about how to refer to, for example, individuals in the United States who lack legal status. They used to be called “illegal immigrants,” and now they’re often called “undocumented immigrants,” or language to that effect. This is a fairly normal process by which language changes and, sometimes as a result of a push-pull between outlets and advocacy groups, outlets decide which changes to make and when. So you may or may not agree with the fact that many outlets have switched from “biological sex” to “sex assigned at birth” when discussing trans issues, but the underlying process of switching from one phrase to another is standard and occurs in many areas. 

This is quite different. You do not generally see the same complex sentence pasted over and over and over into news stories written by different authors and published in different sections. I asked CNN if it could provide me any other examples of CNN.com publishing the same sentence in multiple stories by different authors, and posed the same question in an email to Virginia Moseley, the CNN executive editor who, according to the website, “oversee[s] international and domestic news operations across platforms.” I didn’t hear back about this.

This copy-paste job is journalistically problematic for a number of reasons. For one thing, it suggests that CNN has decided, at the editorial level, that its institutional stance is that youth gender medicine is “medically necessary” and “evidence-based.” While they’re being used somewhat colloquially in these articles, these terms have fairly specific definitions in certain medical and legal contexts, and treatments only qualify for such designations if they have exceeded a certain evidentiary benchmark based on solid published research. That is not the case here — far from it, actually. As written, this is a deeply misleading sentence.

The language also puts CNN writers in an awkward position. Does each and every bylined author of these stories believe that youth gender medicine is “medically necessary” and “evidence-based”? Maybe they do (which would be disturbing), but the fact is that they didn’t write these sentences — they, or one of their editors, grabbed that language from somewhere else and pasted it in. They are effectively outsourcing their own judgment on a hotly contested controversy to their employer. This is not what journalists are supposed to do, and, at the risk of repeating myself, it’s significantly different from a reporter rolling their eyes when using language like “undocumented immigrant” or “sex assigned at birth,” rather than their own preferred verbiage. Those are rather small-stakes linguistic quibbles, different not only in degree but in kind from the question of whether or not youth gender medicine is medically necessary and evidence-based. And it goes without saying that a CNN reporter who does develop doubts about youth gender medicine is likely to be deterred from investigating further by the fact that their bosses have already decided that this is the way they’re going to cover this subject — say the line, Bart. Why bother?

It’s a pattern, unfortunately. Many outlets dug themselves into a deep hole on this issue by simply acting as stenographers and megaphones for activist groups rather than doing their jobs. And now that there is ever-mounting evidence undercutting the loudest activist claims, climbing out of this hole is going to be awkward. But there’s no other option, really. Because right now there’s absolutely no reason to take CNN.com seriously on this issue — the site has proven, demonstrably, that it doesn’t take itself seriously on this issue. 

--

1 The sentence doesn’t specifically mention youth gender medicine, but that’s clearly the context in which it was presented. The sentence wouldn’t be accurate as applied to adult care either, anyway — an independent systematic review commissioned by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health came back with rather dismaying results about the quality of research there as well, more info on which here.

==

It's nothing but a religious recitation.

[haberdashing]

I feel like one thing a lot of transphobes don't appreciate is how many hoops you have to jump through to medically transition even in an area that's largely pro-trans with laws that reflect that.

I live in the suburbs of Chicago, in Illinois, a bright blue state. So going on hormones should be easy as pie, right? Just hop into a doctor's office and get my T fix?

Not quite.

I'm not going to count the years spent wondering whether going on T was the right choice, or figuring out my gender identity. This is just about what it takes to get hormones when I want them.

And before any of this, I got a legal name change and got top surgery, so it's not like this is the first step I'm taking to transition, either.

Here's how the process has gone for me:

Start to wonder if I'm considered low on testosterone even for someone AFAB, and if that could be causing/contributing to some of my chronic health problems, even aside from gender stuff.

So I make an appointment with my primary care doctor.

This is September 2022.

She says "well maybe" and orders some blood tests.

I get blood tests, they show I have borderline-low testosterone even for someone AFAB.

This is October 2022.

I decide this is a sign, I should pursue testosterone.

I make an appointment with an endocrinologist. It's not for a few months out, because that's all they have available.

I meet the endocrinologist.

This is January 2023.

She says "well maybe, but I don't do that kind of thing."

Does she know who DOES do that kind of thing? No, no she does not, except "maybe in the city".

She orders more blood tests just to confirm the low testosterone and check a few other hormone levels just in case.

Results come back, still borderline-low testosterone, everything else is normal. This blood test costs me $300 out of pocket by the way. Not like I'm bitter or anything.

This is February.

I try to find someone who actually does this sort of thing in the medical systems I'm used to, but no dice. They don't do that.

If I want T, I only have a handful of options in the whole Chicago metropolitan area, I find when I look into it. A few are in the city. A few others are in the suburbs, but not the part I'm in. The closest one is half an hour away, on a good day.

I give them a call. They're booked up this month. What about next month? Well, they don't have next month's schedule together yet. Try back in a couple weeks.

I try back in a couple weeks. Now they have times available. A few weeks off, but that's not the end of the world.

I go half an hour's drive to the nearest place where I might be able to get T.

This is March.

I meet the nurse practitioner. She's lovely.

Takes my vitals, which takes a couple tries for some reason. Takes a blood test to check my hemoglobin levels. Listens to me and says "sounds like testosterone would work for you, what kind do you want?"

I say not needles because needles wig me out, she puts in a prescription for T gel.

A week later I call them, or they call me, for some clarification about the order. I forget the details, and checking my visit summary isn't helpful. Whatever.

Two weeks after that I call them. They're still dealing with my insurance.

This is April.

Three weeks after that I call them. They're still dealing with my insurance.

This is May.

A couple days later, they call back. Good news: insurance got back to them. Bad news: they won't approve the gel until I've tried the needles, unless I have some documented severe medical reason not to try them. "Looking at needles going into skin makes me feel nauseous" does not count. I'm getting the needles.

A week later, they call and get the details and send in a prescription for the needles. I pick it up, but just the idea of injecting myself wigs me out. I need the gel.

A week later, I get the actual letter from my insurance and notice that they didn't say I needed to try the needles specifically, just that the formulary only covers some specific kind of testosterone gel, which is presumably not the one initially prescribed. I call them. They send in a prescription for T gel.

Right now it's June. It's been over two weeks since my prescription got sent in. According to the pharmacy, they are "reviewing my prescription". I don't know what the issue is this time--whether it's that I picked up the needles so they won't give me the gel until a certain amount of time after that, or if my insurance won't approve this prescription for the gel either for whatever reason, or if my insurance is just dragging its feet again for whatever reason.

That's nine months since I started this journey. Three months since I saw the nurse practitioner. And I still don't have T in a form that doesn't make me feel sick just thinking about administering it. (Something about seeing needles go into skin, it just messes with me...)

But sure, tell me more about how every kid who decides they're a boy or a girl or a dinosaur can pick up hormones at their friendly neighborhood doctor's office before the week is out.

[bardicbeetle]

(content warnings for mention of death, gun violence, transphobia, and suicide)

This is something I wrote for my own personal socials + also to email to some relatives who do not use them. It's for tomorrow, so mind the dating.

I.

If you are part of the queer community, if you feel like reading then take a breathe, take care of your heart. I am writing this not to be unkind to my own blood, but to remind them where we stand. Apart or otherwise.

Today is March 31st.

Transgender day of Visibility.

My name is Larkspur.

My pronouns are they/them/theirs.

I am transgender and nonbinary.

Happy is not a word I would use to describe transgender day of visibility. It’s not one I would have used even before now, but this year has an especially sharp edge to that. We are not visible by choice, it is so often not being open as an act of self expression, or as pride. It is a scrutiny inescapable. We are told to either stay down and shut up, or die—we are vilified for simply existing. We have escalated now to hearing cries for our extermination, to being branded as child abusers, pedophiles, and now *terrorists*. To people being allowed and even encouraged to call CPS on the parents of transgender children citing transition itself as abuse, and states threatening to forcibly remove cisgender children from their families if they have transgender parents or siblings, even if they cross state lines to do so.

I cannot pretend to be hopeful.

My heart is heavy with the ongoing attempted genocide of my community. With the 41% jokes. With the people saying “It’s not *that* bad”. Wake the fuck up. It is that bad. As of today, nearly 500 bills have been introduced in 2023 alone that aim to legislate trans people out of public existence. I say public existence because regardless of what is done to hold us to the ground, we are NOT going away. The shooting in Nashville has spawned an outcry amongst Republican officials and news sources NOT over this country’s long and bright red history of gun violence, but a whipped up violent hysteria that claims transgender people are coming to kill your children and destroy your religion. I would love to say that is a surprising outcome to this newest tragedy, but that would be a lie in the extreme.

The things we do to make our bodies feel more our own are policed at every turn. When you are young you are “too young to think about that”, when you are an adult then “why bother starting now”. For the small percentage of us who seek medical transition, the procedures we seek are often trivialized and barred from us, but easy to access for cisgender people (Hormone Therapy, Breast augmentation, hairline reconstruction, etc). We are told that puberty blockers are poisoning children who “don’t know any better” when they have been prescribed to cisgender children since the 1980s. We are vilified for surgeries that are both cost prohibitive and never granted to anyone under the age of 16.

I want to make one thing very clear, if nothing else. This is MY community. I am transgender. I am no different from the rest. I am not an outlier. I am not special. The false beliefs weaponized against my community are weaponized against me. If you believe transgender people are inherently wrong, you believe I am inherently wrong. If you believe we are sick, you believe I am sick. If you believe we are against God, you believe I am against God. If you believe we are violent, you believe I am violent. If you believe we are a danger to children, you believe I am a danger to children. If you believe our existence is a threat to you, then you believe I am a threat to you. If you think because you know me that means I am different, that your beliefs and prejudices will not fall on me? You could not be more wrong. I will carry the weight like everyone in my community, I will hold each one in my chest like a stone.

I say none of this to be a thorn. I say it because I am hurting, and afraid, and *angry* and so SO tired.

I am tired of being brave. I am tired of being special. I am tired of the burden of being some people’s only mark on the board for knowing a queer person well enough to consider them “good”. I am tired of watching the people I love carry disgust and disdain in their hearts for people like me, who aren’t me. I am tired of watching the country I am supposed to call home close walls around me until the place I was born is one of the only states left that counts me as a human being and not a disease to be eradicated. I am tired of the world putting a target on the backs of my siblings just for being themselves. I am tired and heartbroken from adding more names to the list of those who have died for being themselves, either because someone decided they deserved it, or because it was their only perceived escape. I am so tired of losing people to the tide of hatred and vitriol that is spewed like a burst pipe from the heart of the world.

That is not all to say I am hopeless. I have faith in my community to fight for change even if I do not have faith in those who control how fast and how far that change goes. We are tired, but we are not backing down. We have been here the whole time, and we will continue to be here until time runs humanity into the ground. Gender diverse individuals can be traced back as far as 4500 BCE. We are not going to lie down and die over this. We are not going to stand by and be erased.

Today is transgender day of visibility.

For better or for worse, I am making sure that you see ALL of me.

[dezz111]

It’s Murder Before Birth, Everything After is Statistic

“All day, every day, therapist, mother, maid, nymph, then a virgin, nurse, then a servant. Just an appendage, live to attend him so that he never lifts a finger. Twenty-four-seven baby machine, so he can live out his picket fence dreams. It's not an act of love if you make her. You make me do too much labour…

(Paloma)

”

     On March 23rd, Paris Paloma released a song that had taken the women of TikTok by storm. It was everything we as women wanted to say to the patriarchy. We, the women (or anyone in possession of a uterus) have the oh-so-wonderful “duty” of bearing the next generation.  Whether by choice or by force. With the overturning of Roe V Wade last year, our rights seem to be doing a moonwalk into medieval times. The Supreme Court claimed to be Pro-Life and was backed by thousands of self-righteous people who most definitely don't want to adopt your baby like the hypotheticals profess. All they really cared to do was “protect their houses, protect their friends, protect their wallets. But women is where it ends…(Romeo).” Because they're not the ones losing nine months of their autonomy with a minimum sentence of 18 years if they decide to keep little Timmy out of some guilt-ridden form of responsibility. The decision to actually ban abortions was left up to each individual state, because God forbid they take full responsibility for their actions. Which has been anything but fine and dandy, especially if you live in Texas. Or the South in general, really. But lo and behold, a white man did what white men do best and swung his proverbial dick named Audacity. And of course, he's from Texas.

(Sorry Sandy, no defending Texas now.)

   Enter Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk, the cherry-picked pick-me of the Texan government. Cocksmark issued a preliminary ruling invalidating the Food and Drug Administration’s 23-year-old approval of the abortion pill mifepristone. Mifepristone is a drug best known for being the safest option for abortions, something lawmakers have an issue with unless the hot secretary needs one. It also has been studied alongside cancers, the drug has proven effective in blocking progesterone, a hormone that helps some cancers grow (Koide). But that’s just cancer, something that kills living children and their parents. No, what Cocksmark is worried about happens before the brain has even developed. Or hasn’t developed. Or is even viable? It really just comes down to if the egg was ever fertilized. It doesn't matter if it's an ectopic pregnancy, your womb goes septic or your baby is born without a skull. Not even the permanent loss of function for your fallopian tube (which you kinda need to make a baby) isn’t enough (Zernike).

Now this drug has been around for as long as I’ve been alive and if it ain't broke, why change it? Because. That's simply it. Because. There’s no rhyme or reason to it. They change it because they can. For men who are quickly finding their privilege coming into question and their egos in check, there's a level of control they feel they must impose as their testosterone levels drop and the blue pill waits for them in the back. There’s an archaic part of their brain that never made it out of the sixties that desires to see the world below their feet and pesky things like reproductive rights make it hard to keep Barbara at home pregnant with the kids. There’s a status quo they wish to maintain built upon a weaponized belief system. 

But that’s just speculation.

What’s not speculation is that while they say we can’t “kill our innocent kids”, someone else definitely will. Because I’m writing this on April 16, 2023, and just yesterday there were 9 mass shootings in the United States of America. On April 10th, there was a mass shooting in Louisville, Kentucky that killed five people and left four injured. Out of all the mass shootings I could have chosen, this one, in particular, is special. Because this shooting marked the 146th mass shooting in 100 days. Now, I’m really bad at math. But I'm pretty sure that means that there were more mass shootings than days in the year. Six days later and we are at 163 mass shootings. That means in less than a week, we’ve had 17 mass shootings (Gun Violence Archive). 

Since this whole gun control thing seems to be a joke, let's tally up the score:  

Mass Shootings: 163

Mass Murders: 15

Children (Ages 0-11)

Killed: 75

Injured: 172

Teens (ages 12-17) 

Killed: 434

Injured: 1,503

Defensive Uses: 306

Suicide: 6,996

Total Injuries: 9,506

Total Deaths: 12,246

   There has been a grand total of 12,246 deaths due to gun violence this year. And what do we win?! A Gucci belt to go with our third-world title! (Cue thunderous applause.) Because we have to be winning at something if there’s no change.

Gasp!

I finally get it. With this younger generation not wanting to bring children into a world that gives them nothing but trauma, the government will just force them to do it. Because who will buy more guns for us to shoot each other with if no one replaces the kids we kill? It's the Circle of Life! Hakuna Matta, your life is worth less than a wartime law unless you're still in the womb.

Or you're a dog. Then, you can have an abortion.

                                                    Works Cited

Gay, R. (2023, April 11). The Audacious Roundup. The Audacious Roundup - by Roxane

Gay.RetrievedApril13,2023,from https://audacity.substack.com/p/the-audacious

-roundup-806?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=237330&post_id=112139115&isFreemail=true&utm_medium=email

Gun violence archive. Gun Violence Archive. (n.d.). Retrieved April 16, 2023, from

https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/reports/mass-shooting

Koide, S. S. (n.d.). Mifepristone. auxiliary therapeutic use in cancer and related disorders. 

The Journal of reproductive medicine. Retrieved April 13, 2023, from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9693404/

Paloma, P. (2023, March 23). Labour. YouTube. Retrieved April 13, 2023, from 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvU4xWsN7-A&ab_channel=ParisPaloma

Romeo, R. (2022, July 6). Fuck the Supreme Court (rant song). YouTube. Retrieved April 

13,2023,fromhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z55f_B7QbqE&ab_channel=rioromeo

Williams, K., Holpuch, A., & Robertson, C. (2023, April 10). Gunman kills 5 co-workers at 

Louisville Bank on Livestream, police say. The New York Times. Retrieved April 14,2023,from https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/10/us/louisville-kentucky-shooting

.html?smtyp=cur&smid=tw-nytimes

Zernike, K. (2023, March 7). Five Women Sue Texas Over the State’s Abortion Ban. The 

NewYorkTimes.RetrievedApril14,2023,from https://www.nytimes.com

/2023/03/06/us/texas-abortion-ban-suit.html 

[lnenvs3000w24]

Unit 08: THE SUN

One of the most amazing things about nature that I enjoy. It’s ability to impact our health and mentality is impressive to say the least. Do you ever find yourself wondering why the minute you step outside into the sunlight, your bad mood goes away and you feel happier? Mental health is a large part of our everyday lives and one of the most beneficial medications is the sun!

Sometimes I wonder if we are more closely related to plants than anything else, we love when the sun comes out! I believe that the amount of time we spend outside in the sun correlates directly to our health and mental health. The sun affects your vitamin D production, produces the happy hormone serotonin in your brain, helps your sleep pattern and can also be linked to a healthier immune system.

The sun boosts vitamin D production, a nutrient that is essential for bone health, immune system function, and mood regulation (Buscha, 2023). The sun provides enough vitamin D during the summer seasons but when winter rolls around, we are told by healthcare providers to take supplemental vitamin D to ensure we are supporting our health and immune system. 

The sun causes our brains to make the happy hormone serotonin, a chemical messenger that travels between nerve cells in our brains and throughout our body guiding our bodies to perform various tasks (Cleveland Clinic, (n.d.)). Serotonin helps with mood, memory, focus, bone health, wound repair and sleep. High levels of serotonin are good while low levels lead to depression. This is why seasonal depression is a thing. We are deprived of long sunny days in the winter and therefore become seasonally depressed. A study by Lambert et al. (2002), tested serotonergic activity in the brains of healthy adult males, and found that sunlight is directly correlated to brain serotonin levels and therefore mood seasonality disorders are a result of low sunlight exposure (Lambert et al., 2002). 

Sleep patterns are a direct result of serotonin levels. Serotonin and dopamine affect how well and how long you sleep for. Melatonin, a sleep regulation hormone, is made with serotonin (Cleveland Clinic, (n.d.)). Therefore for a better quality sleep, get more sun! Additionally, our internal day:night clock, called the circadian rhythm, is regulated by how much daylight you are exposed to. If this clock is imbalanced by days spent inside in the dark versus outside in the daylight, your sleep will be affected.

In a modern world that often warns others against the dangers of sun exposure, it is important to remember that the sun is not our enemy but a key source of health and happiness. It is essential to get enough sunlight in your day to be able to ensure all of your body’s needs are met. Sun is important for internal body health and also mental health, which is key to a happy life.  I am making the effort to enjoy more time outside because I know the benefits of sunlight. I have been walking to school rather than taking the bus, to not only increase my cardiovascular health but to take in as much sunlight as I can before spending a day at the library. It's sometimes hard to get outside since we are busy doing our everyday tasks such as going to school, heading to work and staying home, but I think we should all take a moment out of our day to ensure we get some sunlight. Whether that be sitting outside for your morning coffee or going for a short walk at lunch time. We should all embrace the sun responsibly and incorporate it into our daily routines. So, step outside, bask in the sun, and let its warmth nourish both your body and mind.

Have you noticed your mood changing during the winter months from seasonal depression? What are some ways you cope with it? 

I have included a song that reminds me of the joy that comes along with seeing the sun. 

Lea

References:

Buscha, F. (2023). Curious Kids: why do I feel happier when the sun is out? The Conversation. Accessed March 15th 2024 from: https://theconversation.com/curious-kids-why-do-i-feel-happier-when-the-sun-is-out-198200 

Cleveland Clinic. (n.d.) Serotonin. Accessed March 15th 2024 from: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/22572-serotonin

Lambert, G. W., Reid, C., Kaye, D. M., Jennings, G. L., Esler, M. D. (2002). Effect of sunlight and season on serotonin turnover in the brain. The Lancet, 360, 1840-1842. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(02)11737-5

[micahthemoon]

December 31 2023 It’s New Years eve, the last day of the year. And what a year! I’ve experienced so many great things in my transgender journey this year. To honor those accomplishments, I’ve dedicated today’s entry to highlighting one post from each month and what I consider the most significant experience, good or bad. Here’s to a new year full of yet more great opportunities to grow, to learn to love myself and find myself. Micah is checking out. See you in 2024.

January = Sickleave I was not-forced-but-kinda-forced to go on sick leave from applying to jobs. Honesty, I fear that starting therapy would ruin my chances of starting hormones someday. But I don’t think I can wait any longer. I might need to bite the bullet and find a therapist. Pray to whoever that this doesn’t take away the progress I made in medically transitioning. Or worse make people invalidate my gender identity because ‘Mentally Ill ™’ (01/04)

February= Second appointment and BMI wakeup call After four months of waiting, I finally had my second appointment at the gender clinic! All went well except the scales. I don’t own a scale at home – I won’t risk hating myself more because of a number. Thing is, I am around 15-20 kg heavier than six years ago and at least 5 kg too heavy for top surgery atm- And I fell into my own trap of feeling horrible about my body because of it. (02/14)

March = Legally changed gender It happened! I finally got the message that my gender id is legally changed now! It feels so surreal! I’m honestly filled with so much adrenalin I didn’t even have time to second guess writing to my Banks, insurance and other important systematic institutions in need of the news! Gah, I want It all to be fixed now but it takes time and really, I am just overjoyed! (03/02)

April = Starting minoxidil First day using minoxidil!! I got it yesterday yet decided it would be fitting starting on a Monday. My daily routines are getting so crowded now both including minoxidil and tattoo aftercare. I think it’s a good thing in terms of making a routine to when I hopefully get testosterone. By then hopefully I’ve learned from all my past mistakes – like this morning where I put minoxidil on before eating my breakfast. Take it from me, minoxidil doesn’t taste great. (04/17)

May = Third appointment, reached weight goal You know you’ve mastered your mascara game when your gender therapist is wondering out loud whether you’ve started HRT without him knowing. I really enjoy how confused my mascara beards can make people. But alright back to the gender identity clinic appointment I had today. It went well better than I’d expected and if all goes well, I might be able to start testosterone way earlier than I’d expected too. And the cherry on top I am now under the cut off weight for top surgery!!! (05/15)

June = Starting a positive relationship to my body (image) Something strange happened when I was going to bed yesterday. For some random reason I started feeling my torso and I didn’t feel disgust about it? I touched every little bit of stomach, waist, and hips to figure out why it felt this neutral maybe even good suddenly. I have never liked how this part of me felt or looked so this was such a surreal experience. The feeling disappeared as quickly again when I lay down, but it did make me want to try to do some morning stretches. Success, I guess? (06/01)

July = Getting my gender validated by somebody I trust Today the camper that has been here the longest (she had 20th anniversary this year) told me that back when we first met, she couldn’t connect with me. Like I had a wall up to the world. Now that wall was gone, and she could finally see me. And she almost felt attracted to who I was now. Coming from her this means so much to me. I might not need people’s permission to transition but at the same time knowing what I do seems right to others is a huge relief. Thank you so much for telling me. (07/20)

August = An almost-approval for HRT I got the answer from the gender clinic about t. The answer is ‘maybe?’. One person was on holiday, and he needs to look at my case before the team can approve it. Don’t get me wrong I’m glad that everybody else seemed on board. However, I am a bit annoyed given that the team knew when they’d discuss my case for two months and they didn’t make sure everybody was present. Or at least let me know beforehand if not everybody could be present, so I wouldn’t get nervous without reason. (08/10)

September = An actual approval for HRT Guys!! GUYS!!!! It happened!! I am now gotten approved for testosterone!!! I am so happy I spend way too long trying to make an ig post about it!!! Sure, I still must wait for preparation appointments and blood tests and all of that but just knowing I am officially approved and on my way to get started is amazing. I even bought myself a celebratory licorice even tho I try not to snack (felt only half bad eating it)!!! (09/11)

October = Participating in baseline meassurements for HRT study I was at some pre-t tests for a study I’m participating in. We went through different physical tests, muscle strength, lung capacity together with scans of the heart and bones. Overall, it was alright especially given how awkward I’ve felt about the EKKO scan of the heart (first time since my ex I had no shirt on in front of another). What ended up being the worst was the CT because I got the dizziness side effects from the drug, they gave us. Glad I did the test but wow I am tired now. (10/31)

November = Starting HRT And so it starts fr. Here is my first (if not counting the pre-t one) testosterone update!!! I think I should maybe for the next ones try to do it before doing my mascara beard just to see if you can see any difference in my 'clean face' over time. (11/23)

December = Finding new way to measure voice pitch I got myself a new toy: a voice pitch analyzer app!! I was suggested this app by a trans friend as another fun way to document my transition and so I just tried it to make a sort of late baseline. It says my pitch is on average 173-178 hz (depending on language) which is in the female range (feminine voices tend to be classified as between 165-255 hz while men’s around 85-155; I googled it). Looking forward to seeing the changes over time. Maybe it can become a tool for gender euphoria! (12/17)

[pashterlengkap]

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear tells Jen Psaki that trans kids “children of God”

Newly re-elected Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) recently explained why Republican ads decrying his belief in trans rights was a losing strategy. Speaking to MSNBC correspondent Jen Psaki, Beshear first emphasized his passion for protecting trans kids. Related: Democrats introduce resolution to recognize Trans Day of Remembrance “I will never waiver in the effort to ensure that all trans individuals can live without the constant fear of violence and hate.” “All children are children of God, that’s what my faith teaches me, and I was going to stand up especially for the most marginalized children who didn’t deserve either a state legislature or an entire campaign and all these super PACS picking on them.” Get the Daily Brief The news you care about, reported on by the people who care about you: Subscribe to our Newsletter In March, Beshear vetoed a sweeping anti-trans bill that included bans on gender-affirming surgeries, puberty blockers, and hormone therapy for minors, as well as a mandate that doctors stop treating young patients who are currently receiving gender-affirming care. It also banned Kentucky teachers from using pronouns that “do not conform to a student’s biological sex as indicated on the student’s original, unedited birth certificate,” bans instruction on sexuality in grades K through six, and bans discussion of gender identity and sexual orientation at all grade levels. Kentucky’s Republican-dominated legislature voted to override Beshear’s veto. When it came time for the gubernatorial election, an outside organization spent millions of dollars on ads attacking transgender people to support GOP candidate and state Attorney General Daniel Cameron. One of the ads funded by the American Principles Project PAC (APP-PAC) said that Beshear would send the FBI to take trans kids away from their parents if their parents didn’t accept their identities, which was not a part of Beshear’s platform. Another ad showed a drag queen and accused Beshear of pushing “child sex changes with permanent consequences.” The ad was removed from YouTube under the platform’s hate speech policy. In several other ads featuring former University of Kentucky swimmer and anti-trans activist Riley Gaines, APP-PAC attacked Beshear for vetoing a bill to ban trans kids from participating in school sports. The Republican legislature ultimately overturned his veto. Speaking to Psaki, Beshear explained why he believes the Republicans conducted a losing campaign. “The way these Super PACS and my opponent went about their campaign was just mean, and it was gross, and it was cruel,” he said. “And people don’t like that. That is not who we are, and this oughta be a message that you can’t scapegoat people just to get folks angry, and it’s wrong. He went on to discuss how trans kids suffer more mental health issues and are more at risk for suicide. “We oughta be in the suicide prevention business and not further harming kids who are going through too much. I did it because it was the right thing.” He concluded, “This can’t be right and left; some things have to be basic right and wrong… There’s gotta be limits. This can’t be a rule-less type of game because it’s so much more than a game – ask any of these kids.” Gov. Andy Beshear (D-KY) on his re-election and vetoing anti-trans bills: "All children are children of God … I was going to stand up for the most marginalized children who didn't deserve either a state legislature or an entire campaign picking on them." pic.twitter.com/SBBNSGPjsL— Heartland Signal (@HeartlandSignal) November 21, 2023 http://dlvr.it/SzMhY2

[prnlive]

Gary Null’s Show Notes 05 01 23

If you listen to Gary’s show, you know that he begins with the latest findings in natural approaches to health and nutrition. Starting this week, we will make some of those findings available each weekday to subscribers to the Gary Null Newsletter.

Brain decline comes later than thought? Scientists now say it starts in our thirties

Use of melatonin linked to decreased self-harm in young people

Vitamin C 10 Times More Effective Killing Cancer Stem Cells Than Pharmaceuticals

Monday Recipe

Brain decline comes later than thought? Scientists now say it starts in our thirties

University Medical Center Utrecht (Netherlands), March 22, 2023

Some people report a decline in their memory before any drop in cognition is large enough to show up on tests. This and other factors have prompted scientists to think brain decline starts really early. But new research from University Medical Center Utrecht shows the opposite. Instead of it happening after turning 25, it turns out that it does between the ages of 30 and 40.

The finding is welcome news for those who fear all those brain farts and forgetful moments are a sign they’re doomed to early onset of dementia.

“Our brain continues to develop a lot longer than we thought,” says clinical technologist Dorien van Blooijs from UMC Utrecht, in a university release.

The Dutch team discovered that our brain connections actually become faster with time. In 4-year-olds, connections move two meters per second while between 30 and 40, they move four meters per second. In other words, they doubled with age, and it’s only until sometime between 30 and 40 that things start to slow down.

The researchers also noted differences between brain regions. For example, the frontal lobe, the largest part of the brain important for thinking and task performance, takes a longer time to develop than an area responsible for movement. “We already knew this thanks to previous research, but now we have concrete data,” says Van Blooijs.

Scientists findings offer noteworthy information on the central nervous system and concrete numbers representing the speed of our brain connections. These are things scientists have been trying to map and understand for years. Now, field experts can look ahead to making more advanced and realistic computer models of the brain.

Use of melatonin linked to decreased self-harm in young people

Karolinska Institutet (Sweden)

Medical sleep treatment may reduce self-harm in young people with anxiety and depression, an observational study from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden suggests. The risk of self-harm increased in the months preceding melatonin prescription and decreased thereafter, especially in girls. The study is published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.

Melatonin is a hormone that controls the sleep-wake cycle and is the most commonly prescribed drug for sleep disturbances in children and adolescents in Sweden. Melatonin use has dramatically increased in recent years, and it is available over the counter in Sweden since 2020.

"Given the established link between sleep problems, depression, and self-harm, we wanted to explore whether medical sleep treatment is associated with a lower rate of intentional self-harm in young people," says Dr. Sarah Bergen, docent at the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, who led the study.

The study identified over 25,500 children and teenagers between the ages of 6 and 18 who were prescribed melatonin in Sweden. Over 87 percent had at least one psychiatric disorder, mainly attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety disorders, depression, or autism spectrum disorder. Self-harm was about five times more common in girls than in boys.

The risk of self-harm increased shortly before melatonin was prescribed and decreased by about half in the months following the initiation of treatment. Risk reduction was particularly evident among adolescent girls with depression and/or anxiety disorders.

As it was an observational study, it cannot establish a causal relationship between melatonin and reduced self-harm rates. To check whether the use of other medications might have affected the findings, analyses were also carried out which excluded antidepressant users. The results were similar.

"This suggests that melatonin might be responsible for the reduced self-harm rates, but we cannot rule out that the use of other psychiatric medications or psychotherapy may have influenced the findings," says Dr. Marica Leone, first author of the study and former Ph.D. student in Sarah Bergen's research group.

Vitamin C 10 Times More Effective Killing Cancer Stem Cells Than Pharmaceuticals

University of Manchester (UK),  March 17, 2023 

A study by UK scientists openly claims that vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is more potent than some pharma drugs at killing cancer stem cells – the pervasive cells that “seed” new cancer cells, feed fatal tumors and often evade treatment.

The study, published in Oncotarget, is the first evidence that supports that vitamin C be used to target and kill cancer stem cells (CSCs).

In order to find out which substances might target stem cells, researchers needed to find a way to disrupt cancer cell metabolism.

Focusing on energy-transfer, they measured the impact on cell lines in a laboratory of seven substances:

•    The clinically approved cancer drug, stiripentol

•    Three experimental pharmaceuticals: actinonin, FK866 and 2-DG.

•    Three natural substances: caffeic acid phenyl ester (CAPE), silibinin and ascorbic acid

While they found that natural antibiotic actinonin and the compound FK866 were the most potent, the natural products also inhibited cancer stem cell (CSC) formation, with vitamin C, outperforming 2-DG by tenfold in terms of potency.

Dr Michael P. Lisanti, Professor of Translational Medicine at the University of Salford, said: We have been looking at how to target cancer stem cells with a range of natural substances including silibinin (milk thistle) and CAPE, a honey-bee derivative, but by far the most exciting are the results with Vitamin C.

This is further evidence that Vitamin C and other non-toxic compounds may have a role to play in the fight against cancer.

Monday Recipe

About Gary Null

An internationally renowned expert in the field of health and nutrition, Gary Null, Ph.D is the author of over 70 best-selling books on healthy living and the director of over 100 critically acclaimed full-feature documentary films on natural health, self-empowerment and the environment. He is the host of ‘The Progressive Commentary Hour” and “The Gary Null Show”, the country’s longest running nationally syndicated health radio talk show which can be heard daily on here on the Progressive Radio Network.

Throughout his career, Gary Null has made hundreds of radio and television broadcasts throughout the country as an environmentalist, consumer advocate, investigative reporter and nutrition educator. More than 28 different Gary Null television specials have appeared on PBS stations throughout the nation, inspiring and motivating millions of viewers. He originated and completed more than one hundred major investigations on health issues resulting in the use of material by 20/20 and 60 Minutes. Dr. Null started this network to provide his followers with a media outlet for health and advocacy. For more of Dr. Null’s Work visit the Gary Null’s Work Section or Blog.GaryNull.com In addition to the Progressive Radio Network, Dr. Null has a full line of all-natural home and healthcare products that can be purchased at his Online Store.

Find articles, videos, back radio broadcasts, books, and more at GaryNull.com.

https://garynull.com

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Disclaimer

While we have thoroughly researched the information we provide, and indicate its sources, information in this Gary Null Newsletter, and all Gary Null Newsletters, is for educational and informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or other condition. Consult your medical professional before choosing any treatment or course of action. Gary Null Newsletters are not liable for risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information it provides.

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[themomsandthecity]

Kylie Jenner Opens Up About How She Navigated Postpartum Depression

Mom and mogul Kylie Jenner has made no secret of the challenges that come with pregnancy. After experiencing postpartum depression with both children, she urged others going through it to "not to over-think things" as much as they can. "Stay inside that moment, even if it is painful," the 25-year-old shared in her March 2023 issue cover interview with Vanity Fair Italia. She also acknowledged that every pregnancy is different - even between children. "The first time was very difficult, the second was more manageable," she said, commenting on her pregnancies with daughter Stormi Webster, 5, and son Aire, 2, both of whom she shares with Travis Scott. "My advice is to live through that transition, without fear of the aftermath. The risk is to miss all the most beautiful things of motherhood as well." "I know, in those moments you think that it will never pass, that your body will never be the same as before, that you will never be the same," she continued. "That's not true: the hormones, the emotions at that stage are much, much more powerful and bigger than you." And she's right. Postpartum depression can be a roller coaster of emotional highs and lows including frequent crying, fatigue, guilt, and anxiety. It's also more common than many first-time parents might assume, with PPD affecting one in seven new parents after delivery, per Cleveland Clinic. Jenner's also not the only celebrity mother who's broken the silence recently around postpartum depression - from Julia Fox to Hayden Panettiere, there has been much-needed acknowledgment for the severe mood disorder. Thankfully, while postpartum depression can sometimes last up to a year after giving birth, with professional help, almost all people who experience the disorder can overcome their symptoms. "My advice is to live through that transition, without fear of the aftermath. The risk is to miss all the most beautiful things of motherhood as well," Jenner said. "Live all the emotions of that moment to the fullest." But for Jenner, early motherhood wasn't all baby blues. She also shared the moments that excited her the most about becoming a mom. "Finding myself in the hospital alone with a new and unknown creature in my arms," she told VF Italia. "It's such a unique and special situation and it's all about building with these little beings that you're learning about." Her favorite part was heading home from the hospital. "There is another magical moment, though: when you bring your children home. It is perhaps the most beautiful moment." When asked who inspires her today, Jenner answered: "My children. And my family." The entrepreneur got a little emotional speaking about her babies. "I am surprised by their personalities: They already know what they want, they are so determined," she said. "They are so tender and at the same time so strong." On parenting, she said she tries to offer Stormi and Aire choices. "I am interested in the idea of imparting to them an education in how to take control and accept responsibility for their choices," she said. "I think that is very important." https://www.popsugar.com/family/kylie-jenner-postpartum-depression-49096107?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=tumblr