For your daily supply of transgender news…

Yepp, you can follow us on Telegram too for carefully selected transgender news, articles and resources. 

Click here to access our Telegram channel!

You can also follow us on twitter.

(From Trans Express.)

TERF, an acronym for “trans-exclusionary radical feminist” has been added to the Oxford English Dictionary, as has the word Enby.

The transgender debate leaves traces in the new editions of dictionaries. 

Insider reports on two new words added to the Oxford English Dictionary:

TERF (noun): Trans-exclusionary radical feminist. A feminist whose advocacy of women’s rights excludes (or is thought to exclude) the rights of transgender women. Also more generally: a person whose views on gender identity are (or are considered) hostile to transgender people, or who opposes social and political policies designed to be inclusive of transgender people.

The dictionary clearly does not consider TERF a slur. Nor does it refer to   “gender critical”, a term TERFs often use to avoid the stigma attached to being a transphobic TERF.

Enby for nonbinary is now so common in use that it has been added too:

Enby (noun and adjective):  A person who has a non-binary gender identity. (noun and adjective):  A person who has a non-binary gender identity.

Photo of nonbinary person:  MesquitaFMS

Nickelodeon’s “Monster High” Welcomes Trans Kids to Magic School

Trans kids needs role models and they, as members of all marginalized groups need to see that they are seen. Which it is so positive that children’s TV channel Nickelodeon provides us with  the live-action musical-fantasy Monster High.

Every time the nonbinary genius Frankie introduces themself to someone new, they say, “Frankie Stein, pronouns they/them”, which no-one finds weird or threatening. 

Healther Hogan of Autostraddle writes:

Between all the magic and mayhem and singing and dancing and general spooky revelry in Monster High, there’s all kinds of good lessons about accepting ourselves and each other, exactly as we are. About how our differences are what make us cool and interesting. About how trans kids are just regular kids and of course they belong at the best magic schools. 

Talk about all kinds of gender dreams, expressions and identities!

When we put up the Crossdream Life Forum back in 2011, it was because we felt there was a need for a place where all kinds of people could discuss their gender fantasies, expressions and identities, without fear of harassment and exclusion.

There is so much shame and embarrassment and guilt among gender variant people already, and we do not need to add to that burden. 

Our members  can call themselves gender variant, transgender, queer or LGBTQAI+++. They may even see themselves as cis. We do not care,  as long as people want to learn about what gender means in their own lives and in the lives of others.

We are all on a journey. We shouldn’t have to travel alone.

Visit Crossdream Life here!

Top surgery improves the quality of life of transmasculine and nonbinary youth

A new study presented in the paper “Top Surgery and Chest Dysphoria Among Transmasculine and Nonbinary Adolescents and Young Adults” concludes that such surgery is of great help to trans people assigned female at birth.

The researchers, Mona Ascha,  Daniel C. Sasson and Rachita Sood, write:

This nonrandomized, multicenter, prospective, control-matched study showed that top surgery was associated with statistically significant improvement in chest dysphoria, gender congruence, and body image at 3 months post-surgery. Surgical complications were minimal.

The article is found in JAMA Pediatr. Published online September 26, 2022. 

Photo illustration by SB Arts Media

The new international WPATH standards for transgender healthcare

WPATH (The World Professional Association for Transgender Health ) is the international medical organization for transgender health care. 

When the organization publishes a new edition of its science based Standards of Care  for transgender and gender-diverse individuals, health personnel and trans people pay attention.

Edition 8 of the SoC has just been released, and you can read it here.

Over at twitter @Impossible_PhD has presented some of the most important changes, and I am going to share her thread with you here.

Some highlights:

• SoC 8 includes nonbinary people
  
• SoC 8 underlines the importance of top surgery
• Facial Gender Affirming Surgery (FGAS) now includes Facial Masculinization Surgery for those transmasculine, and it also includes facial hair removal
• 6 months on HRT (unless it’s not safe or not wanted) before any gender affirming surgery.
• Demands that surgeons work with patients
• Gender dysphoria is not required for any treatment
• Soc 8 endorses informed consent as standard
• SoC 8 endorses pubertal HRT

Doc Impossible writes:

MY PERSONAL BOTTOM LINE ON SoC8

SoC8 isn’t perfect. But–and this is my personal judgment without having had time to check references–it is a quantum leap forward for us. I think they tore down the gates as much as they could and still be accepted around the world.

These Standards of Care taste of freedom to me. They repudiate the right. They repudiate TERFs. They repudiate transmedicalists. For the first time, I feel like WPATH is on my side, rather than standing against me. And it feels good to have a strong ally. It feels really good.

NONBINARY CHAPTER SUBTHREAD T

They define enby identities very broadly here, but note that the term is used mostly in the West. Holy shit, they openly acknowledge colonial, racist genocide of indigenous genders on the FIRST PAGE of the chapter.

Side note: I really like non-linear spectrum as a description for gender diversity. The community has really struggled, in my opinion, with terminology to describe the weird, amorphous cloud that gender is, and NLS brings to mind something more like this picture, to me.

SURGERY CHAPTER SUBTHREAD 

Some very strong statements on the medical necessity of transmasc AND transfem top surgery. Extensively cited. FFS has been rebranded Facial Gender Affirming Surgery (FGAS) to be inclusive of Facial Masculinization Surgery and is as extensively cited.

Side note on FGAS: these statements are very strong. It makes sense, since Dr. Capitán, of FacialTeam, chaired this committee, but this statement reads like one major objective for this chapter was to force coverage for FGAS. It also rolls facial hair removal into FGAS.

Trach shaves, vocal chord surgery, all top surgery types, BODY CONTOURING (!!!), hair removal, all bottom surgeries including penis-preserving vaginoplasty and prospective penile transplants for transmascs–this list is MASSIVE.

6 months on HRT (unless it’s not safe or not wanted) before ANY gender affirming surgery. The SoC strongly recommends some sort of hormone after any procedure which removes gonads. Given stroke and osteoporosis risks without either/both good E or T levels, this is smart.

Recommends FOR surgery for kids–but also expects a multidisciplinary care team (i.e., they’re going to want therapists in on this and cross-checking each other’s work. Tedious, but sensible.

Strong recommendation for individualized surgical plans–strongly inclusive of procedures like nullification, vagina-preserving phalloplasty, etc. Demands that surgeons work WITH patients–they want us at the front of our own decisions. Love this language.

The rest is basic postoperative stuff. Post-bottom surgery transmascs and trandfems need to be seen regularly by urologists/gynecologists, as appropriate, and any surgical regret, though rare, needs to be addressed by a multidisciplinary team, that kind of stuff.

SUMMARY OF HRT/SURGICAL REQUIREMENTS SUBTHREAD 

 1. All criteria presented here should be personalized as appropriate. They’re a base to work from, not a prescription. 

2. Dysphoria is NOT REQUIRED FOR ANYTHING. WPATH required Gender Incongruence, per WHO and ICD-11

HRT Requirements: 

1. You’re gender incongruent. 

2. You can consent. 

3. There’s no other apparent cause (before you get mad, Trans OCD is a thing; this needs to be here) 

4. You understand what HRT will do to you. 

 Summary: WPATH endorses informed consent as standard.

HRT CHAPTER SUBTHREAD: 

This chapter is meant to apply to both adults and kids, but kids on HRT are also subject to the adolescent chapter. Very important note. But pubertal HRT is very firmly endorsed.

Says there’s no real evidence to support progesterone as part of HRT, but later notes that if a patient is aware of risks, that it’s OK. This is correct–there’s only ONE study (low dose and only 3 months long!) on the effects of progesterone rn. The data’s not there.

Recommends against oral estrogen for anyone at blood clot risk or older than 45–injectable, patch, or gel instead. That’s good medicine, but ye gods, that’s gonna put a hell of a pinch on the injectable estrogen supply un the United States.

No mention of letters or assessment anywhere (and IIRC the Assessment chapter recommends against letters for HRT). Recommends AGAINST stopping HRT before gender-affirming surgery. Throw a party, thank god! These are loooong overdue.

Oh, hey, they’ve updated their suggested HRT regimens. These suggestions actually look really solid–and they don’t suggest biweekly injections for estrogen anymore! Napkin math on doses: this endorses estrogen in the 300ish range at trough. Nice!

Example of 10mg injected E Valerate weekly, per https://transfemscience.org/misc/injectable-e2-simulator/

Full thread (with possible updates) here.

Photo: Drs Producoes

Integrating our masculine and feminine energies - an artistic exploration

Ken Balmer has shared an interesting slideshow with reflection on gender, gender identity and nonbinary experiences and expressions over at Slideshare. 

https://www.slideshare.net/kbalmer/balance-247729391

Ken Balmer writes:

 What is more basic than gender?

We come into the world assigned male or female. Our first room, our clothes, our toys all scream blue or pink. The social illusion of what this all means is constructed and reinforced by parents, siblings, friends, teachers and ever-present marketing messages. Most of us grow comfortably into these two clearly defined spaces; others feel a dissonance.

Jung tells us that we all have both the masculine and feminine in our psyche. Expanding, he notes that in later life we are all called to integrate the opposite energy into our being and behaviour. A man must inevitably meet and embrace his anima (female energy). A woman develops her animus (male energy). Many, however, are most comfortable living and expressing a balanced form throughout most of their self directed life: adopting androgynous fashions and behaviours. 

Meanwhile we all live in a world that subconsciously seeks and values integrated male and female energies; and is simultaneously uncomfortable being around and accommodating those who live somewhere along, rather than at the ends of the gender spectrum.

This art has given me the opportunity to reflect on gender balance, options and challenges.

To see more of Balmer’s art, go to their website.

British Mermaids launches MANGO, a trans-led online program for gender diverse youth

Mermaids has launched a pilot program for trans, non-binary, gender diverse and gender questioning young people between 16 and 19. It is called Mango, as in the  “Mermaids’ Activists Network Group Online”.

Mermaids write:

We’re here to connect you with a network of young activists, and to reflect and exchange knowledge on how to achieve change, in whatever capacity that might be.

The programme will follow principles of building collective power and liberation. While holding a clear focus on trans liberation, we aim to explore issues that reflect the variety of our communities and the problems that impact us, through an intersectional lens – not shying away from reflections on transphobia, ableism, racism, poverty and classism, education and our erasure from history, negative media coverage and other topics that move beyond mainstream conversations regarding trans people.

Lee Lester, Mermaids’ youth rights advocate manager, tells PinkNews how many young people feel “powerless”, especially if they belong to more than one marginalised community.

“The majority of people in this project aren’t old enough to vote,” Lester says. “So already, they are limited in the ways they can express their satisfaction or dissatisfaction about the things that are happening.”

MANGO has been designed to be “quite eclectic” so that it can meet the needs of many different young trans, non-binary and gender-diverse people.

More info here.