#nonbinary people menstruate

[trulynamelessworld]

"Menstruation is the only blood not born from violence, and yet it is the one that disgusts you the most."

I think about this image a lot. I first came across it when I was fourteen and just being introduced to feminism via Pinterest. That's right folks, I was radicalized on Pinterest. The place where I now make collages for my future lesbian wedding and collect free sewing patterns. Pinterest made me punk.

This image came to mind again today as I am enduring one of the worst periods of my life. It is currently day eight with no sign of stopping and the pain still comes in hour long waves. I was watching my blood run down the drain of my sink as I washed my hands. I haven't been able to get my mind off politics so my mind wandered, wondering if these American law makers had ever held their wives on the floor of their bathroom while they dry heaved, or gently helped them into the shower, or changed stained sheets from a midnight mishap.

The answer is undoubtedly, no.

They likely pretended it wasn't happening, an ignorance born from the world telling you that you are superior from the day you are born. That the blood spilled from a broken nose builds character, but what comes from your mother, sister, wife, is a defect best kept private.

[burningsolarsystem]

I hate periods. Fucking hate them. But sometimes it feels like I don't have the right to complain. So, I guess imma give some love to those whose symptoms might not get attention.

Obviously, sympathy to those who get debilitating cramps. I'm lucky mine are average.

Shout out to those who have mental disorders who symptoms get worse with their periods. My depression and anxiety always seem to spike when I'm on mine.

Shout out to those with chronic illness who get flare ups and worse symptoms when on their period.

Shout out to those who are like me who get upset stomachs and digestion problems when on their period. I know for me, it feels like having a stomach bug on a good day. I've had times where I've questioned if I ate something bad because my stomach is rolling like it did that one bout of food poisoning I got. (It was minor food poisoning, don't worry)

Shoutout to those who get strong cravings, but I also want to shout out to those who lose their appetite or desire to eat when on their periods. Sometimes, I feel like I'd rather die than eat anything.

Shout out to those who experience hot flashes. I don't get them often, but they suck when I do.

Shout out to anyone who gets a period. There are so many symptoms we don't talk about that make things suck.

Your issues are valid. Even if they aren't the ones mainly talked about. Even if they aren't "severe enough." Even if you can function fine but are still experiencing discomfort. You are valid and your discomfort or pain is valid. You can complain even if you aren't one of the people who get extreme cramps. It's okay. You are valid.

All the love and sympathy to you.

Feel free to reblog with any other symptoms you experience that people don't seem to talk about.

(And sorry if this seems too much like a vent. I am, probably obviously, on my period and suffering.)

[frameacloud]

A Masterpost About Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives (LARCs)

During the upcoming presidency, it is likely that people in the US will lose many options that keep them from getting pregnant (contraceptives). The right-wing Project 2025 is against birth control pills, abortion, emergency contraception, and the government-provided health insurance ("Obamacare," Medicaid, and Medicare) that helps people afford these.

If you or your partner are concerned about the possibility of losing access to those options soon, you can ask your doctor or Planned Parenthood about getting a Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptive (LARC). The two kinds of LARCs are IUDs and the implant. If you get a LARC right now, it can protect you for years, without you having to do anything to maintain it. A LARC isn't permanent, so you can get rid of it if you later decide that you're ready to have a baby.

Hormonal Intrauterine Device: 3, 5, or 8 years of protection, depending on brand

An IUD is a T-shaped object that a nurse or doctor puts into your uterus. It's tiny, just a little more than an inch. The procedure for getting an IUD isn't surgery, it lasts just a few minutes, and it goes much better if you ask for an anti-anxiety medicine and the right type of painkiller.

Hormonal IUDs work because they slowly release progestin. That's the main hormone in birth control pills. Like pills, they can make your periods get lighter or stop, which is helpful for people who need to get rid of cramps and PMS.

Of the brands of them in the US, the FDA currently approves of using Kyleena for up to five years, Liletta for eight, Mirena for eight, and Skyla for three. Kyleena and Skyla are smallest and therefore easiest to insert.

I have more info in my tags about IUDs.

Copper IUDs: 12 years of protection

The other type of IUD is a copper IUD. Instead of changing your hormones, it works because copper makes the place unfriendly to sperm. Another difference is that this kind can make your periods heavier. Its brand name is Paragard. The FDA approves of using it for ten years, but studies show it's still good at twelve or longer. More info in my tags.

The birth control implant: 5 years of protection

It's a rod the size of a matchstick. A nurse or doctor uses an applicator to put it under your skin in your arm. There, it will slowly release progestin to protect you from getting pregnant. It can make your periods get lighter or stop. The FDA approves of using it for three years, but a study shows it's still 100% effective five years later, and so does another study. Its brand name is Nexplanon, which has improvements over the older Implanon, such as being visible on X-ray. More info in my tags.

Some honorable mentions

There are some other contraceptives that last a long time but aren't considered LARCs. The diaphragm and the cervical cap are two kinds of plastic cap that you put on your cervix each time before sex, and you can keep using the same one for two years. The birth control ring, Annovera, lasts one year. Each injection of the birth control shot, Depo-Provera, lasts three months.

Only barrier methods such as condoms, internal condoms, and dental dams can protect against sexually transmitted infections. The right wing wants to stop people from getting condoms, too. That's another problem, but LARCs can help us get through the next four years without unplanned pregnancies.

[flintoaster]

Why the FUCK does only one womens bathroom stall have a trashcan 🤦

[frameacloud]

Gabriella Ferlita (February 23, 2024). "A third of trans men can ovulate after undergoing gender-affirming treatment, study finds." PinkNews. https://www.thepinknews.com/2024/02/23/do-trans-men-on-testosterone-ovulate/

tl;dr: This is about transgender men and other transmasculine people who had been on T for at least a year, and had stopped having a period. A third of these people continue to ovulate while they are on T, even though they don't have a period. The type or amount of T doesn't matter, so we don't know why this happens for some people and not others. It's more proof that being on T doesn't protect someone from getting pregnant. People who don't want to get pregnant need to use actual birth control or other methods of contraception.

Here's the full text of the study that the news article is about:

Joyce D. Asseler, Julieta S. del Valle, Susana M. Chuva de Sousa Lopes, Marieke O. Verhoeven, Mariette Goddijn, Judith A.F. Huirne, Norah M. van Mello (February 22, 2024). "One-third of amenorrheic transmasculine people on testosterone ovulate." Cell Reports Medicine 5, 101440. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xcrm.2024.101440 https://www.cell.com/cell-reports-medicine/fulltext/S2666-3791(24)00063-6

[hazelfoureyes]

would Alastor have sex with a girl on her period? I feel like he’d like it cuz the blood but I wanted to ask the expert ❤️❤️

EXPERT?! Look what you did!

Hazel imagines….

Alastor would see your fidgeting, the way you crossed your legs and squirmed in your seat while listening to people talk around you.

He’d catch you in the hall, twirling his microphone staff, “Why the pout?”

You’d frown, “It’s personal, Alastor.”

“Ah so it’s related to your menstruation.” He said it too casually, you stopped so quickly he nearly fell forward when he stopped too. Alastor read your face, “Smell, dear. I’ve got quite an impressive nose.”

Mortified, “Everyone can smell me?”

He shrugged leaning against his staff, “Who knows? I didn’t care to ask.”

Your eyes looked to the left and down, “That almost makes it worse.”

“As much as I love guessing games,” his eyeroll said he did not in fact love guessing games, “care to clue me in to what we’re talking about?”

“It’s per-,” you couldn’t finish.

“A broken record is no fun, darling.” He closed the distance between you, “I can smell many things. So why not be forthright with it, hmm?” His head cocked to the side, a flash of his threatening radio dial eyes beaming down at you.

“My partner wont touch me, but I’m when I’m on my period I get so -,”

“Aroused.”

His blunt reply with that high toned accent was a punch to your gut, “Yeah. I already feel like shit and they wont even let me in bed with them.” Your chin quivered, emotions sensitive.

Alastor lifted your downcast face with the rounded back of his microphone, tutting, “Has the hotel run out of towels?”

You shook your head, confused.

“No more hot water?”

Another shake.

“Well I don’t see the problem then.” His face leaned down, back curving to lower to your much shorter height, “I’ve never shied away from getting a little bloody.”

༻Masterlist༺

I think if he was down to fuck for whatever reasons he had, the embarrassment reader had of their period would just enhance his enjoyment. If they weren’t embarrassed, he’d still not be offended by the sight and smell of blood, quite nostalgic if nothing else. 👀

∰ Summoning the Horny Little Deer Cult (general tag list):

@cxrsedwxrlds , @nonetheartist , @tsunaki , @janchei , @wettiny-in-smutland , @moonmark98 , @hoebihoeshi , @pansexual-opera-house , @polytheatrix , @lorddiabigmommymilkers , @backinthefkingbuildingagain , @harley2223-blog , @coffee-colored-hopeless-romantic , @poinappel , @midnightnoiserose , @spookieroz , @missmidorima , @ivebeenthearchersstuff , @downbadforfictionalppl , @xx-all-purpose-nerd-xx , @sleepylittledemon , @aether-th3-enby , @dontfuckbutimfab , @breathlessaura , @aperfectidiot , @certainlygay , @jth12 , @star-kujo-platinum ,

@ivebeenthearchersstuffn, @rubyninja1 , @simphornies , @alleystore , @readergirlstuff , @berry-demon , @chirimeimei , @fairyv-ice , @olive-frog , @thonethatflies620 , @tiredkiwiii , @ilikemyteawithmilk , @whateverlololo , @psipies , @howabouticallyou , @roxxie-wolf , @ive-no-idea-what-to-call-this , @fizzled-phoenix , @fjorjestertealeaf , @phobophobular , @surusurusuru , @mariaclarade-la-cruz1 , @whateverlololo , @simplyonehellofanotaku , @xixflower , @i-am-nonbinary-bean-deal-with-it , @roxxie-wolf , @a-case-of-attachment , @multifandomfanatic02 , @watereddownmilk , @raynerrold , @crazii-saber-wolf , @valkyrie-expeditions , @bontensbabygirl , @sillyb0nez , @oo0lady-mad0oo , @jazzmasternot , @pseudobun , @fraugwinska✨, @alitaar , @straows , @alastorssimp , @angelicwillows , @b-o-n-e-daddy , @one-and-only-tay , @asleeponelmstreet , @tremendoushearttaco , @mutifandomkid , @sapphirecaelis , @itzzzkiramylove  @saccharine-nectarine , @viannasthings

@looking1016 , @ultimate-duck-king-lucifer , @blakeaha , @astraechos , @sailorsmouth /

[frameacloud]

Image description: A box of tampons, still sealed in their original wrappers. Description ends.

Can I safely stop my period forever?

Someone asked us:

Is there a way I can stop my period safely that won’t make me permanently infertile?

Yep, totally! A bunch hormonal birth control methods can make your periods lighter, shorter, or completely gone while you use it — without messing up your ability to get pregnant later on when you’re ready.

Some of the methods that can take credit for making your period disappear are:

The Mirena, Skyla, or Liletta IUDs: these IUDs deliver a low-dose of hormones to prevent pregnancy. Many hormonal IUD owners stop having their periods altogether within 6 months of getting one put in. *Note that this is NOT true of the ParaGard (copper) IUD, which doesn’t have hormones.

The implant: Like the IUDs listed above, once you have this birth control method put in, you’re getting a low dose of hormones all the time, which means your period may stop within a few months. Within 1 year of using it, 1 in 3 people stop having their period.

The shot: Many shot-users stop having their periods after several months of using the shot. Within 1 year of using it, about half of people stop having their period.

The pill or ring: You can use these methods continuously without breaks to skip your period either every now and then, or all the time. With the pill, you just skip the placebo (sugar) pills and move right to the next pack. For the ring, you can just keep it in for 4 weeks at a time and then just replace your ring every month without a break or ring-free week.

It’s normal to get some random spotting with these methods, and there’s no way to totally guarantee that you’ll 100% lose your period. However, the hormones in all of these methods are known to make periods lighter and shorter. So if you do end up having periods while you’re using one of these methods,  they’ll be easier to deal with.

Ready to give your period the boot? Visit your nearest Planned Parenthood health center to find the right method for you.

-Emily at Planned Parenthood

[our-trans-punk-experience]

Shout out to the following tonight

Gay men with short hair

Autistic nonbinary whimsigoths

Anyone who has pirated media in the last 48 hrs

People who have gotten clean from active addiction

Dykes with noodle gfs

Noodle gfs

Lesser Elseworld Entities and minor faelords

The Void

People who want a long cry, a good wank, a strong drink, or possibly all three

The spider in the corner of the bathroom (any bathroom or spider)

Anyone still waiting for me to release the HOW To Make a Punk Jacket post. It's getting there

People menstruating against their will

My cat, provided he stops biting me

[reasonsforhope]

"Spain’s Catalonia region rolled out a pioneering women’s health initiative [at the beginning of March, 2024] that offers reusable menstruation products for free.

About 2.5 million women, girls, transgender and nonbinary people who menstruate can receive one menstrual cup, one pair of underwear for periods and two packages of cloth pads at local pharmacies in northeast Spain free of charge.

The Catalan government said that the initiative, which is called “My period, my rules,” was meant to “guarantee the right to menstrual equity.” The regional government cited statistics that said 23% of women polled by Catalonia’s public opinion office said they had reused hygiene products designed for a single use for economic reasons.

Tània Verge, Catalonia’s regional minister for equality and feminism, called the program a “global first.”

Scotland’s government passed a law in 2020 to ensure period products are available for free to anyone who needs them. But in comparison with the Catalan program, in Scotland the products are for single use and are distributed through schools, colleges and universities, not pharmacies.

“We are fighting menstrual poverty, which affects one in four women in Catalonia, but is also about gender justice. We are fighting the stereotypes and taboos about menstruation,” Verge told The Associated Press. “And (...) it is about climate justice. We need to reduce the tons of waste generated by single-use menstrual products.”

The distribution of reusable products is also aimed at reducing waste. The regional government said that Catalonia produces about 9,000 tons of waste from single-use menstrual hygiene products.

The reusable products are acquired by the public health care system, which covers the entire population, and distributed by Catalonia’s 3,000-plus private pharmacies. The program cost the regional government 8.5 million euros ($9.2 million).

“I am completely in favor of this initiative,” 29-year-old graphic designer Laura Vilarasa said. “It will give women a product that is absolutely necessary to have for zero cost.”

Spain’s national government passed a law last year granting women with debilitating menstrual pain the right to paid medical leave."

-via AP News, March 5, 2024

[genderqueerdykes]

ik there's a lot of examples of why transandrophobia is "valid/real" and whatever. but I think one that stands out to me is when people make comments like "men shouldn't rest or feel safe until menstruation products are free/men have 0 say in any laws surrounding uteruses/men can't ever know what it's like to be a *insert traumatic experience commonly happening to young girls*" and stuff of the like. just conversations that ignore a large portion of the tmen/masc communities existence (and probably some intersex folk too yh?? and enbies who are like man-aligned or js like. yeah transandrophobia effects a lot of ppl) and experiences and I'm like. so what word do I use to describe this? "just use transphobia" what if I want a word to describe my unique experiences for once that isn't an incredibly broad one for the whole community?? Maybe I want one that quickly describes this unique forgeting tmen exist completely js so you can angrily yell at men without repercussions.

what if I'm sick of yelling "transphobia!" just to be told "oh... no I'm talking about CIS men" as if I'm not actually a man, that cis men are more man than I will ever be and like this is a good thing. or being told I'm being hostile and are proof testosterone makes you evil. what do I call it then. you can't separate the man from trans, I'm a TRANS. MAN. and I deserve a word to describe the things I've experienced just like transfems and transwomen and nonbinary people without being told I'm "speaking over anyone"

idk, food for thought maybe infighting and attacking your own community isn't the way forward. maybe hating men, trans or not, will never be the liberating progressive feminist movement you think it is. maybe just maybe hate is not something you're immune to just because you're hated. maybe we all need to calm the fuck down and revaluate some shit and process our own bigotry /nay

this is a great ask, thanks for taking the time to send this, i appreciate you for telling your story and giving feedback. this is the exact reason i made a post a few days ago about how we have to stop holding back on having genuine conversations about queer experiences and the diversity and struggles transness bring. no trans person has it easy. none. we all suffer because cisheteronormative patriarchy hates the concept of transness. it hates trans men and mascs too

just conversations that ignore a large portion of the tmen/masc communities existence (and probably some intersex folk too yh?? and enbies who are like man-aligned or js like. yeah transandrophobia effects a lot of ppl) and experiences and I'm like. so what word do I use to describe this? "just use transphobia" what if I want a word to describe my unique experiences for once that isn't an incredibly broad one for the whole community?? Maybe I want one that quickly describes this unique forgeting tmen exist completely js so you can angrily yell at men without repercussions.

This entire line of thinking has been so pointlessly rude for no reason this entire time. This is legitimately one of the dumbest, pettiest things I have ever seen in my life and I'm saying it like it is: trans women and transfems do not own the concept of having a specific kind of oppression when it comes to transness. Whether or not you want to accept that trans men are also oppressed under patriarchy isn't our business. But it's the truth. And getting upset because transmascs and men wanted to coin "transandrophobia," what exactly is that solving? Genuinely how is that talking over trans women.

what if I'm sick of yelling "transphobia!" just to be told "oh... no I'm talking about CIS men" as if I'm not actually a man, that cis men are more man than I will ever be and like this is a good thing. or being told I'm being hostile and are proof testosterone makes you evil. what do I call it then. you can't separate the man from trans, I'm a TRANS. MAN. and I deserve a word to describe the things I've experienced just like transfems and transwomen and nonbinary people without being told I'm "speaking over anyone"

Absolutely, you and every other transmasc and trans man and related person deserve to be able to discuss your struggles and experiences. Let's have an honest conversation about it for once. Creating a term, and thus a space and forum where people can go to to have a conversation, share experiences and identify with one another means that there is now a dedicated space to having that conversation. That space is not built directly on top of transfem and trans woman spaces. It is built beside it, laterally. This means that if people want to talk about the specific forms of transphobia trans men, transmascs, and some intersex, nonbinary, genderqueer, genderfluid, bigender, agender and other queer people, there is a specific space to do it, reducing the amount of people who are in specifically transfeminine spaces talking about struggles that are not the same.

Having different terms is a very good thing because it means that people who share the same experiences can come together. This means that trans men and mascs now have a place to talk that lowers the chances of them accidentally or even intentally talking over trans women and transfems. This has never been a bad thing. It's a good thing. If transfems and women get to make specific spaces for ourselves, so are transmascs and trans men. They don't have to "just use transphobia". What they're experiencing is unique to them and you don't have the right to tell them what they are and are not experiencing.

If you as a trans woman or transfem do not want to hear about how transmascs and trans men have it, please feel free to go to spaces that are focused around transfems and trans women where you can talk about the similar experiences you have. Don't take our space away from us just because you don't want to listen, though. Trans men still deserve to be able to talk. You don't have to shut up trans men in order for trans women to be heard.

[starlightsuffered]

we NEED more wonka smut 🙏🙏 mbe js try it gn no (reader can still have a pussy tho)

A/N - I think it would be interesting if Wonka was nonbinary. For this GN reader I included a pussy but a more masculine chest. I used the pronouns they and them. I also made Wonka a little crazy which I enjoy doing from time to time

Elixir of Life

Info - mean boss, dom Wonka, GN reader, reader with pussy, menstruating reader, eating period blood, fingering, on display sex act, collecting period blood

I sat on his lap, legs spread, lips spread. My head laid back on his shoulder.

“My beautiful specimen,” Wonka cooed in my ear. His hands ran up my muscular chest, squeezing my pecks and caressing my Adam’s apple.

“Must we keep extracting?” An Oompa Loompa asked.

I looked down dizzily at the being. My sight was blurred from how much I’d been pleasured today. My clit was swollen to twice its usual size. My stomach puffed out and sucked in as I gasped.

Wonka lifted his digits to his mouth. He sucked off the mixture of slick and blood. I keened, burying my face in his neck.

“You can bite if it helps little lamb,” crooned Wonka.

“As for you!” He snapped at his employee. “This is the most precious time of the month. We must extract the nectar for our special batch of life extending candy. I don’t know how you can be naive enough to ask if we must keep on!”

As he spoke the harsh words his long fingers ran through my wet heat. I whined like a wounded animal and latched onto his neck with my teeth. I was shaking.

“Mmmmm, mmmm, Willy,” I whispered.

“It’s okay, I know you’ve got more,” Wonka purred at me.

“I just wondered if they were tired. They are covered in sweat and their body looks spent.”

“Can you take it for me y/n?” Wonka asked.

Every month, when I began menstruation, Wonka would milk my cunt for the expanse of it. Blood, juice, and any slick that accompanied it would be collected by the employee’s of Wonka. This cocktail would be used in candy that provided extended life to the elderly. Wonka made millions off this. He professed that he wanted to help people but I suspected he also loved plunging his fingers in my cunt and seeing the way I writhed and cursed and begged.

“Yes Sir, anything you want. I’d do anything for you,” I breathed. Wonka’s hand splayed over my skin and dragged it up and down.

“Thank you my love, you are going so much good,” he sucked my earlobe.

“You’re welcome,” I answered.

“You are- FUCK!” I tried to reply again, but he had began to milk me again. His long digits were pumping he squeezed my nipples and I was arching, ready for the overstimulation and to produce the life elixir I’d be providing from my core.

@pmak2002 @softhecreator @plutoispurplw @sp1deyyf4ngz @seungcheol17daddy @jesschalamet @vvsdreaming @lovelyrocker @therealbeabodoobee

[yourfaveisintersex]

Hi! Not a headcanon... I wanted your opinion, since I think you have trustworthy takes on intersex issues. I hope it's alright to ask you for advice...

When I was 14, I was told by my gynecologist that I had "more testosterone than a female should." So, this entire time I believed that I had hyperandrogenism, likely PCOS or NCAH because my symptoms matched up. I have thick, dark body hair, and I grow hair on my chest. I also have the other symptoms like irregular periods, acne, oily skin, and unfortunately ovarian cysts... A partial fused labia & well I accidentally tore my hymen.... while engaging in activities I won't detail. 🫠 I also had a very early puberty. I developed body hair before everyone else at around 6-7 years old and started suffering from premenstrual pelvic pain at 9, and had my first official bleeding menstruation at 10.

I was bullied a lot, called the h slur, the t slur and excluded a lot from things with girls because I was seen either as a freak, or a boy pretending to be a girl. I faced a lot of issues through my life for having androgynous features. When I was told that I had "more testosterone than a female should" by my gyno at 14, I was put on estrogen based birth control.

I've been active in intersex spaces and even said I was intersex myself. I was so sure that I was intersex because of my personal experiences and symptoms.

But now I'm confused. Apparently my PCP did a testosterone test on me without my knowledge when I was 18. I was not informed about this test, nor prepared to get any labs done. It was late in the day, and I had not fasted that day... which you're supposed to do before you get labs. I was also on estrogen based birth control. I just recently saw the results from these labs when checking my chart, and did some research. Based on the numbers recorded, I would have hypoandrogenism, not hyperandrogenism... and that doesn't... sound right??? I would not be this hairy if I had low androgens, right??? Right???

I plan on getting this retested because this doesn't sound accurate. Is it possible that my PCP deliberately fucked with my test results by not instructing me to fast and having me on estrogen? Even if I somehow turned out to have hypoandrogenism as a "female" (which I doubt) am I still intersex? Also, side note, is it possible to have normal testosterone levels while having symptoms of hyperandrogenism?

Thank you in advance for your response... <3 /p

Okay, this is long so let's break this down + yeah you're fine to ask for advice I practically solicit it in my FAQpost

So uh. Hey you just happened to ask for advice by someone who had hypoandrogenic total T levels while having symptoms of (mild) hyperandrogenism lol lmao. Get your SHBG (Sex-hormone binding globulin), albumin, free & bioavailable testosterone tested ASAP.

Hypoandrogenism CAN be an intersex trait, but you also have like... hyperandrogenic symptoms still. And faced direct intersexism as a result of that. If you're doubting you can contribute your voice, of course you can??? I'm so sorry your Dr.s seem to be Weird. I don't know much about estrogen messing with T levels much (if anyone can contribute info it'd ve appreciated), but I know a Bit about T converting into estrogens because. Happens to me. Nonbinary estrogen levels moment. Obviously get a proper retest of total T when you can, and yes estrogen Miiight fuck with your hormonal test results but just like. By default if you're on hormonal medications your test results are prone to being altered. Can't rely on my FSH and LH because I have the birth control implant lol

I think the most important think to point out is that you very much still have the intersex experience. You can't suddenly like. Not be intersex. Same way perisex ppl can't "become/transition to intersex", and the thought intersex people can become perisex is like. The goal of society to erase intersexuality.

[frameacloud]

Buck E, McNally L, Jenkins SM. (Updated May 24, 2023). "Menstrual Suppression." In: StatPearls (Internet). Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK592411/

tl;dr: This article is all about ways to stop someone's menstrual period, the effects of doing so, and reasons why people choose to do that. Periods can be distressing for transmasculine people. Taking puberty blockers (GnRH agonists) or testosterone can stop their periods. Neither of these stop them from being able to get pregnant. Transgender children can start taking puberty blockers before their first period, so that they won't get one. Other methods of stopping periods are taking birth control and other contraceptives.

[alexseanchai]

[image: Tumblr tags: #i mean anemia is still a big thing in menstruating people today #esp young people]

There was a TikTok post about an advertisement for “blood-making pills for weak women” someone found in a newspaper from the 1890s and everybody seemed to think it was just an example of the weird misogyny of the day and age but no. Anemia was a massive public health concern. It always has been through history but part of the reason we have this idea of old timey women thought history being physical weak, chronically cold and pale and fainting is because they often they were. Anemia was also a massive problem for men in that day but even now it disproportionally affects people who menstruate. So tonics full of stimulants and “healthful vitamins” were marketed at young women in pages upon pages of advertisements in every newspaper. People generally felt like shit all the time back then.

[anamericangirl]

Kinda crazy how trans people not only want to control how we perceive them (trans woman/man, nonbinary instead of male or female) but they also want to control how we perceive ourselves (chestfeeder, menstruater, birther, penis haver, etc). And how identifying just as a man or woman instead of forcing us to identify as a cis man or cis woman sets them off.

Respect their pronouns and their identity and at the same time change how we identify and our perception of ourselves to be more inclusive to them because if we don't conform 100% to their will and give them everything they want it's literally genocide.

[doberbutts]

I think the terms TMA/TME work best when they're used as rules of thumb, rather than expected to function as strict categories. They're often helpful, but occasionally they can become obfuscatory, and there are edge cases where they can't be neatly applied. In those cases, they should be set aside, but with an understanding that they will be brought back into conversations when helpful.

To give a personal perspective - I'm a trans masc individual who has, upon occasion, experienced misdirected transmisogyny. I was on T for 5 years, then came off it (partly due to health problems, partly due to starting to identify as nonbinary rather than as a man) and began presenting in a more feminine manner, and people would regularly mistake me for a trans woman.

When people thought I was a trans woman, I did notice an increase in hostility, harassment and unwelcome advances from strangers. Groups of men would shout at me in the street, mothers would glare at me and physically pull their children further away from me if I came near. I also started getting catcalled and couldn't enjoy a night out in a club without being groped. I'd experienced some of these things as a trans man and as a girl, but probably never at such a high frequency or so intensely.

I definitely think I got a taste of transmisogyny and people do still assume I'm trans fem from time to time. But I still wouldn't describe myself as TMA. I don't shout it from the rooftops, but if it feels relevant in the context of a conversation, I will say I'm TME. Because I think the terms are about overarching dynamics, rather than whether or not an individual has ever faced a single instance of transmisogyny.

For me, there was always a sense of distance between myself and any negative experience, that came from knowing they'd misread my AGAB - "that lad just called me a chick with a dick! How funny! I'd be so lucky!" / "You're harassing me for using the female showers at the gym when I am literally menstruating. Are you going to stop being a creep, or do I have to show you my bloody tampon?" There's a degree to which I can sidestep or disavow their idea of me in a manner trans women can't.

I also don't know what it's like to deal with many other elements of transmisogyny, or deal with it as an overarching narrative in one's life rather than a freak episode.

I think it's fair to say I have at times been a grey area and I could use my experiences to argue against the validity of TME/TMA, but I don't want to do that. I don't like it when the terms are just used as a way to say AFAB/AMAB while being perceived as less problematic. But I think it is helpful to have little shorthand reminders about specific power dynamics that do have an impact in our communities. I have absolutely seen transmisogyny play out in queer spaces, both online and IRL, and I think it's worth having vocabulary that emphatically reminds people to check themselves and to not assume they don't have internalised bias against trans women just because they're trans masc.

Trans women are a boogeyman in popular culture and the collective unconscious in a way trans men never have been (at least, not to anything like the same extent). Trans women face an intensity of monstering that I think most people won't understand unless they spend a lot of time sharing space with and listening to trans women. The rapid adoption of TMA/TME feels like an attempt to fast-track that understanding en masse. Maybe it's a bit clumsy, but I do think it's having an impact and important conversations are happening. I don't know if the terms will stick or fall out of use. Having been in the trans community for over a decade and seeing how our vocabularies evolve, I'm inclined to think they'll stick around for a few years and then largely disappear. But I feel that while trans women are finding them useful, we need to be respectful of that fact.

Idk sorry to rant in your askbox, I wanted to give my two cents. Feel free to ignore lol

I'm going to be a bit blunt here: in the span of time I've been off tumblr to, you know, sleep... I've gotten 20 different asks trying to convince me to like the usage of tma/tme and also several transphobic asks about my top surgery. The transphobic ones I blocked and deleted because I'm literally 3 weeks out and will not be dissuaded. But I'm simply not willing to continue arguing a point I've made very clear that I don't love the usage of this particular theory the way it's currently being used.

You can like it for yourself. I have said this over and over again. I do not like it for me, and do not think it is accurate for my life or my experiences or the reality that is what I have to go through on a regular basis. True to everything else that I've posted, I don't really care what you call yourself. If you want to call yourself TME and you believe that framework works for your experience, more power to you. Just don't label me that, because I don't think it works for mine.

Trans women are absolutely a boogeyman in a way that trans men often aren't. That is, unfortunately, one of the ways that hypervisibility is such a curse. Everyone knows what a trans woman is, and a good majority of those people also think the only good one's a dead one. That's bad. That's transmisogyny, and we should ally with trans women to help fix this problem.

Also unfortunately, as trans men become more and more visible to the world, instead of facing mass erasure and dying in silence or escaping to live in stealth, trans men are also beginning to become a boogeyman as well. Now we are a social contagion, a craze, with rapid onset gender dysphoria, mutilating ourselves and ruining our precious bodies, carving out our wombs, simultaneously debasing ourselves and also becoming predators lurking to snatch daughters up and forcefeed them our ideology, betraying women by becoming a mockery of men. What's worse, we tend to politically close ranks with trans women and cis women alike so it's harder for transphobic lawmakers to divide and conquer as they're used to with cis men, so instead they have to demonize us to prevent any further allyship.

That's the conversation trans mascs are trying to have.

Genuinely, I do agree that trans women face an othering that most people do not grasp without understanding transmisogyny theory, which is why I think everyone should have at least a basic understanding of it. But I also think that's true of many other demographics, and that if we want to get out of the pit that bigoted society put us in, we've got to work together to do so. It was, after all, the combined efforts of Marsha P Johnson AND Storme de Laverie that brought us out in the open. And among me friend group, we have people from all different races and backgrounds and genders and more locking arms to ensure the safety of each other, wanting to understand and know each other, lifting each other up.