Ask a trans person!

[Logicaly]

First time posting in this thread, but been reading along quietly as I contemplate where I want to go with my life...

I know who I am, and what I am. I am male, but very much retain my queer identity at the same time. It is what works for me.

That being said, I have finally made the decision that I am ready to start seeing a therapist, and taking T so that I can move forward with who I am.

First question, how did you go about finding a therapist? I'm in the San Francisco bay area, so I am sure I have a lot of resources available to me, but I am also very secluded, and have for most of my life been a hermit, so I am very unaware of what my resources are around me.

Second question, has anyone looked into an alternative to shots? I have such a huge issue with needles, of any kind, that it is a big deal breaker for me unfortunately. I know there are options such as the patch, or a gel. Does anyone have any experience with these? I've been doing a little bit of reading up on them and it seems they might be viable options for me.

[Linus]

Originally Posted by Logicaly

First time posting in this thread, but been reading along quietly as I contemplate where I want to go with my life...

I know who I am, and what I am. I am male, but very much retain my queer identity at the same time. It is what works for me.

That being said, I have finally made the decision that I am ready to start seeing a therapist, and taking T so that I can move forward with who I am.

First question, how did you go about finding a therapist? I'm in the San Francisco bay area, so I am sure I have a lot of resources available to me, but I am also very secluded, and have for most of my life been a hermit, so I am very unaware of what my resources are around me.

Second question, has anyone looked into an alternative to shots? I have such a huge issue with needles, of any kind, that it is a big deal breaker for me unfortunately. I know there are options such as the patch, or a gel. Does anyone have any experience with these? I've been doing a little bit of reading up on them and it seems they might be viable options for me.

In regards to your first question, if it were me I'd start here: http://www.tgsf.org/ they likely have the resources and contacts you need.

As for the 2nd, once the 1st is addressed they can look into other mechanisms for getting T. I've heard that patch based T tends to be a "lower" dosage (lower being a relative term). There are also "pellets", although these are more expensive they last for 3-4 months at a time (not sure yet if the US allows for those yet). I don't know much about the gel other than it has to be done daily.

[Linus]

I was reading a POC TransWoman's blog (http://transgriot.blogspot.com/2010/...ual-white.html) and noticed that she is very right. CNN, although doing some decent work on presenting trans individuals, is leaving out a huge part of the community: trans individuals of colour. My own privilege blinded me to the fact that this part is missing. The reality is they often face greater socio-economic challenges that are otherwise missed by white trans individuals. From my conversations with some trans men of colour they face new challenges (I've heard of trans men being stopped more than white trans men). I honestly do not know of specific challenges that POC trans women face but I would imagine it is similar to WOC and yet, amplified.

Why is it that in our own trans community we ignore this part of the community? It's not a small part (at least not here in NYC in the groups I've been in).