EVERYTHING You Need To Know About Autogynephilia

The main problem, as I see it, is that while some trans women (…) probably are aroused by their erotic imagery of their bodies as female, so are other women, cisgender women (or women assigned female at birth) who might identify as straight, or bi, or lesbian.



This is a re-post from Jack Molay's Trans Express site.  Go there and you'll be redirected to the full post, by Jeana Jorgensen, which is well worth your time to read.

A Plea for the Unconventional

I look around at the customers who patronise my coffee cart and not one of them is conventional.  One of the pleasures of being an Indie pop-up coffee business is getting to know your repeat customers. Superficially conventional, they all have interesting aspects to their lives, some tragic, some amazing.  Conventionality is a myth.  These people are wonderful in their quirks, idiosyncrasies, flaws, talents, imperfections and feelings.  They are human and beautiful. Being Trans is just one more quirk in that wonderful world of difference. Taking your clothes off in front of the camera is another.

Oh, I love what this girl has to say.  A plea for the Unconventional, from Jane, is well worth reading!

Does a Training Bra Provide Any Actual Training?

There is only one assured way of getting something that actually fits you well......






Well, this one is an unusually long post, from Nadine.  It's entertaining, fun to read, and educational, however.  Oh, and just what is the only assured way of getting something (in case, not only bras) that actually fits you well?   You'll just have to go to, Does a Training Bra Provide Any Actual Training?, to find out.

I‘m Beside Myself… An Interesting Duet.

For us trans women our voices do not change, once the vocal cords are stretched there is no going back but for trans men their voice does change and that creates an interesting opportunity.


Diana has come across a very interesting duet between a transman and himself.... before and after HRT.  Turn on your speakers and take a listen.  Thanks, Diana!

Gender Dysphoria…

It boggles my mind the people who think parents choose this for their children, like being trans is some sort of trend. Like instead of buying a Cabbage Patch Kid, we’re going to have a real live Trans Kid. It’s just as much fun as having a Cabbage Patch Kid and comes with bonuses like “where will my kid pee?”, “what do you mean you can’t use her pronouns?”, and “blockers cost HOW much?”



Michelle rocks.  She's a super-mom (and fabulous), and she gets it.  Julie is so lucky to have her for a mother.  Gender Dysphoria is another good one to read, from Super-Mom.

Transgender Patient Care

Heading to the doctors as a trans person is stressful. This stress can be compounded by feelings of embarrassment, shame, anger... I could go on but why bother. 



Katherine, our Silly Trans Woman, has done a serious post about Transgender Patient Care.  She includes a link to a University of California article on the topic, which will be helpful to both transwomen and transmen.  This link will also be posted in the T-Central Articles and Papers section.

Transitioning 401

I found quickly, there was a huge difference between looking good as a cross dressed man and a transgender woman seeking a level playing field in the world.







Cyrsti takes a look at her levels of transition as if they were college courses.  Read Cyrsti's post to discover just what the class content is in Transitioning 401.

Heroes

The thing is, as someone who does hide who they are, it can be quite tiring. I'm so glad I don't have to pretend when I'm around the Ever Lovely Mrs J. The fact that I can be just me, rather than putting on the mask of male behaviour, is incredibly liberating.



Like the last post, from Nadine, Lynn mentions her understanding wife in, Heroes.   There's an analogy with superheroes in this post.....something about hidden identities.....something many of us are familiar with. 

White Tunic

Besides, have you ever noticed that the standard female outfit these days is jeans?  Well I have.  It tends to be a bit odd while being the only one in the nail salon wearing something except for jeans!  But frequently that is where I find myself. 



There's really not much to this post, from Nadine, and that includes mention of the white tunic.  Nevertheless, it's significant that she and her wife can take time to get their nails done together at a salon.  What a wonderful relationship. Oh, and she looks just fab in that tunic!

More on Clothes

I'm coming round to the viewpoint that people (especially men) who limit themselves to their "designated" clothes are just plain weird.






A few comments about clothes - old and new, from Jonathan.

the hot pink bra

“Every woman needs a pink bra” the young sales girl tells me.






Against her better judgement, Joanna bought a pink bra.  Why?  Read the hot pink bra for a feel-good blog post.

Feminine Differential – Treated Nice

How was I dressed? – White pants, off-white knit sleeveless sweater, high heels, and I had just left my hairdresser. Could I change the tire myself? Of course – I have done it many times and even taught my family members to do it. However, changing the tire myself was going to make me late at best and would likely ruin the outfit.  



Rhonda had a flat tire.  Was the Feminine Differential a help or a hindrance?  The answer may just be in the title, Treated Nice, but do go to Rhonda's post just to make sure!

3 months on testosterone

Changes have been occurring at a comfortable pace.  I’ve gained maybe 8 pounds, mostly in my abs, shoulders, and pecs.  I get more dark hairs on my chin and upper lip, which just means I gotta use the tweezers more often!  My voice definitely dropped within the last month – I’d say that is the most noticeable thing. 



And, there's much more to report after 3 months on T.

Two years on…

Crossdressing affected my life – for a very long time – a number of years, then not for the best part of 12 months, then intensely so for the best part of five months.   I really can’t imagine going back now.  Recent life events have made me look at my own existence in more detail than I ever have done before.



If crossdressing is dominating your life, you may want to read this post.  Well written.

Transition Update - Month 20

My hair has been getting longer and longer. It is very nice to enjoy a full head of hair. Though I am learning to deal with the days when long hair is a bit of a curse. Then there are the times when you over heat due to the hair that covers your neck.



Emotional development, physical development, skin issues, hair growth, ofactory senses and new developments.  It's all in Aleana's Month 20 update on her journey.

Which cubicle in the ladies' loo?

Is it a desperately important issue? Well, for some nervous souls it might be. We feel most vulnerable with knickers dropped in a public place. And moreover a place where (if someone else comes in) neither can avoid listening to the other, and where there may be an unwanted social encounter as one or other emerges from the cubicle after flushing the loo. 



With due respect to Hannah, this time it's Lucy who's thinking again.  Why, or why, do you choose a particular stall?  Thoughts to ponder, from one of our longest bloggers.

Why?

That was the beginning. Soon I was trying on bras, girdles, slips, blouses, skirts, dresses, hats, gloves, earrings, necklaces, bracelets and I even began experimenting with cosmetics whenever I was home alone.






If you missed this one, from Stana, it's short and sweet and starts with her mother's stockings.

The things I never knew before Julie…

When I read about trans people, I read the same narrative. The trans person knew since they were a young child and were insistent and persistent (unless it was unsafe for them to do so). But nothing is one size fits all and that includes gender.


Julie's mom, Michelle, lists seven things she never knew before Julie came along.

Survivor contestant outed as Trans

In his argument as to why he should not be voted off the show, Varner tried to turn his fellow castaways on Zeke by outing him and saying that the fact that Zeke hid that he was transgender “reveals the ability to deceive.”


Photo: CBS.com






Last night's reality show, Survivor, on the American network CBS, resulted in one of the contestants being outed as transgender.....by a gay man.  If you saw it, it was quite emotional.  There are a bunch of blog posts on the subject, but none from our list of bloggers.  Here are a couple:

GLAAD responds to outing of CBS 'Survivor' contestant Zeke Smith

CBS's 'Survivor' Shocks With Gay Man Outing Transgender Contestant

 

Max Tara Breast Form Review

My immediate thoughts were, they were huge, and super soft!  I purchased the 300 gram size.  I thought that would be an okay size as they were advertised as an A or a B cup breast. 




So you need breast forms.  Do you purchase the $200 (US) forms or the $45 (US) forms?  How do you know what size to get?  Were they huge, as Nadine thought initially?  The answers to all of these questions (and more!) are in Nadine's Max Tara Breast Form Review.

When Is Transition Over?

Personally, I don’t even like the word transition.  To me it is misleading.  It means that we’re going from one thing to another.  We’re not doing that, though.  We already are this thing that we’re supposedly transitioning towards.  It’s true that our bodies change and how society sees us and treats us changes, but who we are stays the same.


Well said in a wonderful post.

Sam Kane

Sam Kane, who has transitioned M-F-M, with vaginoplasty, then some sort of operation to create an “approximation” of male genitalia, has now transitioned back, but does not feel she needs further surgery. "Does it really matter what’s “down there?” "What’s in your head, heart and soul only matters". Well, that is the fashion. We all had The Operation back then, now increasing numbers don’t. And we object to journalists prying and disclosing what is between our legs, in prurient, sly, giggly articles for Daily Mail readers to get shocked or turned on over. 

Sam Kane is a London lawyer, born male, transitioned to female, detransitioned to male, and transitioned again to female.  Despite all of this, He/She/He/She has done pretty well for herself.  She lives in a 3 million British Pound (3.7 million dollar) home and drives a red Mercedes. 

Clare has a lot to say about Sam Kane in her latest post, which is a good read.

[photo: DailyMail.com]

The Standard

I have been crossdressing since I was ten years old.  I guess I didn’t realize it then, but even when I was younger, I always wanted to look a certain way when dressed — that which I was told was the best way to look.  Recently, with the support of my spouse, I have been able to express myself fully including wig, makeup and any and all of the other feminine accoutrements of which you can think. 


From the Crossdresser Heaven site, Eve comments on The Standard women live with every day, and how it has affected her place in life.

caveat emptor

I don’t envy the partners of older transgender people. We who have taken so long to come to terms can compare our progress to a patiently moving snail. We lurch along to finally come to a resting place that often surprises the partner who justifiably can claim false advertising, but even sometimes ourselves who were certain our resting place was elsewhere on the spectrum.


No truer words were ever written.  

Caveat emptor: Let the [partner] beware.  

Cross Gender Hormones

Yikes! That is not much growth; I always thought they said we would be slightly less than our mother’s.




Diana links to a recent study.  The results?  There's a clue, above.  Go to Cross Gender Hormones for the rest of the story.

Think a Thought For Fate

I felt cared for. “You’ll just feel a little sting now.” I’ve had so many blood tests these last twelve months that I wasn’t really bothered but either way that initial sting was still there and this time the needle would remain in my arm for what felt like at least two or three minutes. I never look. I don’t mind blood unless it’s my own, at least not until the caps are on those vials and they’re all laying on the metal tray in all their deep rose glory.


This is simply another post documenting Hannah's gender journey.  In this case, a blood test....actually several.  It's Hannah's writing style, however, that makes this such an enjoyable post to read.  Oh, and she wanted that job by the sea.  Did she get it?   Go to, Think a Thought For Fate, to find out.

Friday the last day of Diva Las Vegas and our last day in Las Vegas.

Today is the end of Diva Las Vegas, wow it went by so fast. We were up late again last night. I am going to need a vacation to recover from my vacation, one reason I took Tuesday off.


Susan and friends did Diva Las Vegas.  It was a week of dining, gambling, meeting new friends, fast cars and picture taking.  Just a bunch of girls having fun!