more about the T.

When was the last time you were sitting in your GSA and someone brought up a transgender issue? Do you even know what transgender issues are? I think a lot of people forget about transgender issues in their GSA's because transgender kids aren't as prevalent in our schools as gay's and lesbians. The reason for this is that Transgender kids have a harder time coming out than other students. Being transgender involves a lot of money, time, commitment and emotional distress. Teenagers have a hard time doing this because they know it will be a long and hard process that might cause much pain to them and their loved ones. They are afraid to be themselves. Some are so afraid that they keep it a secret their entire lives. I have 2 stories I'd like to share with you so that you can see how different Transgender people's experiences can be. The first story I'd like to tell you is about a boy, lets just call him r. He is an FTM who started his transition last year. When he first told his parents, who are divorced they were not exactly supportive. But they came around eventually, buying him a binder and considering a name change. R has since started a you tube blog that talks about Transgender issues and is in the process of writing a bill that will allow students to have their chosen names on official school documents like yearbooks and ID cards. He is a shining example of a transgender success story and he is a really inspiring person to talk to, he has become a role model of mine, changing the transgender world one step at a time. The next story is about a girl, lets just call her C. She is an FTM that has not begun her transition yet. Being transgendered is all about the transition from gender of origin to gender of choice. C has told most of her friends that she is trans, but is afraid of what her parent's reaction will be. She is involved in the LGBT community and is getting help from the people around her, but she does not know when she will tell her parents. I don't think she keeps secrets, but I think she is afraid, the fear that keeps you from coming out.
Please take these stories to heart and share them, so that the world is afraid no more.

The T in LGBT

We talk alot about how this is an LGBT blog. But I dont think anyone talks enough about the T in LGBT. Transgender people suffer many hardships, just as much if not more than gay's and lesbians. Transgender people often dont feel comfortable with their own bodies and some cant even look at themselves in the mirror. They have to go through so much to make them feel and look like the other gender. Some struggle with name changes and being called their birth gender, others are not accepted anywhere and feel like they have nowhere to turn. I have a friend who I met on the internet who is trans. He is FTM (male to female) and struggles to be accepted by his family and in school. He made me begin to question my own gender. I have always had male and female qualities. When I was young, I always used to get mistaken for a boy. I sometimes still do. I love to hang out with the guys and talk about guy stuff. But I also love to dress up and feel pretty. I like having the guys take care of me and treat me like a lady. What I have concluded about myself is that I am like a tuffle . With a very beautiful, feminine, loving outside and a gooey, boyish, playful and inappropriate on the inside.  I am genderqueer. I am both a boy and a girl and I like the way I am. I sometimes wish I had male genitals but most of the time I am happy with my body. I love to joke and be tough and play sports (but in a very girly way, I am so bad at sports). I think that gender identity is something that the LGBT community should take more seriously. Combating Transgender bullying and harassment is important too. So is helping teens to combat dysphoria, which debilitates teens so often and no one even knows. It's sad to see people go through this. I want to help.

"here come the business men like a heard a cattle rumbling in the exchange has officially begun, and all the offices or buzzing the executives are busy bees, watch the keys turn in the employees" - Turn, Smile, Shift, Repeat, Phantom Planet