I'm currently a junior in high school and beginning the process of preparing for college, and I'm also just starting the process of socially transitioning to another name. I recently signed up for the SAT and ACT tests, and found on the ACT registration website that when asked for a name, it stated that I should type the name I want my scores to be sent to colleges under.

This raised the broader question of what exactly I should do about my name with regards to college. I'm really clueless about the whole college prep thing anyway, so any advice would be great. Can I have my scores sent to colleges with a non-legal name, or even just an initial? I'm really hoping to be able to change my name legally before I go to college, but in the meantime I'm trying to keep the amount of stuff with my legal name to a minimum by signing with just my first initial when possible.

Any general advice or experience about college applications, the SAT/ACT, and other college-y name-related stuff would be really helpful! :)

So, I have an interesting question as both a transgendered person and someone working in the travel and tourism industry. I'm sure most people heard about the attempted bombing of that flight from Amsterdam to Detroit on Christmas Day, and with that, most major airports are going to be implimenting those full body scanners. I know my airport will, because Vancouver is one of the three biggest airports in Canada. Now, there are alternatives to this full body scan which no doubt include being man-handled at the airport, so are any trans-folks more concerned about travelling because of this? Are you more or less petrified because of stealth status, does not being stealth make you less afraid of it?

Amanda Simpson, First Transgender Presidential Appointee, Begins Work at Commerce Department - ABC News

Shared via AddThis
Something I read just a few minutes ago....

Building a Trans Movement: Overview of Trans Advocacy Organizations &
Groups Across the US
Survey of Transgender Specific Advocacy, Political, and/or Legal programs

I am collecting information about trans advocacy groups and projects
from around the country for an info guide for a day-long institute at
Creating Change about building up the trans movement and sharing
resources, organizational structures, and developing leadership. I
will be sharing the info with all who contribute regardless if you
attend the workshop or not.

Survey Link: https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dDJfQXZacXVsbkJrc2RWVHR1Z3QxT1E6MA

We would love your assistance by taking this short survey about your
Organization/Group or Project and would like to get surveys back by
Jan 15, 2010. Also if you know of other groups around the country that
fit the description please forward the link.

More information:
At this year's Creating Change
(http://www.thetaskforce.org/events/creating_change) in Dallas
February 3–
February 7, 2010 there will be an all-day institute on February 4th
titled TRANS RIGHTS NOW: Building a Strong Transgender Movement

Description of the Institute (working description):
A successful movement depends on dedicated and empowered activists
working in strong organizations at all levels, from the local to the
national. The trans/allied movement needs people working in rural and
urban areas, in formal organizations and in informal groups -- we need
the support of everyone from political organizations in Boston to
support groups in rural Kansas to Facebook groups.

As part of this institute we would like to give the participants
information about Transgender led state wide or city advocacy
groups/organizations, or transgender specific projects/programs of
LGBT advocacy organizations. The purpose of this information will be
to inform the section of the institute titled "Organizational
Development" which we hope will build on, encourage, and empower
transgender activists to build power in their local states and
communities.

This information will also help us build a broader picture of the
types of transgender advocacy happening around the country. I also
encourage folks to forward this survey to other transgender activists
that are doing advocacy work at whatever level.

We also hope you will be attending Creating Change and will want to
take part in this exciting Institute. If you have any questions about
this survey please email gscott@masstpc.org and if you have questions
about Creating Change please contact creatingchange@thetaskforce.org.

Thank you in advance for taking the time to take this survey and I
will provide what ever materials come out of this to all those who
take this survey along with those who attend this institute

2amtomorning
If you find yourself at the crossroads of insomnia and insanity, this is the place to channel those demons that keep you sleepless. Vivid pictures, poetry, ruminations, and confessions from the nether hours between dusk and dawn. Originally formed to celebrate the city at night, there's a strong urban theme.

green_future
Dedicated to promoting global sustainability, this community offers a forum for discussing current environmental news, research, and issues with tips on how to make positive, pro-active changes to reduce carbon impact. You'll also find information on how to get involved in eco-activism and learn about events near you (i.e., act local; think global). Offering a wealth of data on earth-friendly products and practices, you'll be inspired to don an organic bamboo cape and save the planet.

wtf_sexism
Self-described as "a little community with a lot of rage," you can soak up impassioned vibes and read blistering exposes detailing sexist attitudes in the news, pop culture, and science! A must-join community if you are, or love, a feminist. (NB: the topic of whether a "man" can be a feminist is outside the scope of this spotlight, but will probably wind up on the Writer's Block.)

haha TiffanyTourette  is my girlfriend... i made a live journal for all of you that said i should. Im super confused. i just want to know who or what i am.. i dont want a dick but i dotn want my tits. im more relaxed when ppl think im a guy but always worried they will find out im a girl. altho someday ima be a mommy or daddy and niether sound right...

Im posting here because I hope someone can help me out.
My girlfriend is a little confused (thats how she puts it)..she doesnt want her tits, but she doesnt want a penis...and she doesnt want to be a boy or a girl...but she is more comfortable being refered to as a boy than a girl....she is looking into top surgery. We are planning on getting married and having kids but doesnt want to be called Mommy, but I think that would make some confusion for our "kids"....Im sure someone else has gone threw this and maybe they can help as in how can she deal with this...ect..

Thanks!

I've been wanting to meet up with other Transgenders and just chill, hang out, whatever. I'm FtM, and 22. I'm in Indiana, near Lafayette.

My name is Daniel, but I prefer to be called by my nickname, Dren. I have AIM, Yahoo and Msn if anyone wants it, message me, or comment, whatever. ^^

Thanks!

Hey all, I am wondering if anyone here is going to MBLGTACC this year? That is, the Midwest Bisexual Lesbian Gay Transgender Ally College Conference... Yeah that's a mouthful to say. http://lgbt.wisc.edu/mblgtacc/about.php This year it is being held in the University of Wisconsin-Madison on February 19-21. Has anyone been to the previous conferences? I went in 2006 and 2007 but missed 2008:(

Can you recommend any amazing trans-related blogs that are out anywhere on the Internet?

Hey, I have a question, in a female to male bottem sugery after can you get hard?

When I began working on my anthology Kicked Out just over two years ago I got a lot of support from the LGBTQ communities here on LJ. This community connected me with incredible writers, many of whom became contributors to this unique book, and I feel thrilled two years later to be able to return and share the great news that Kicked Out an anthology of current and former homeless LGBTQ youth is coming out this month. The pre-sale began this morning (see info bellow) and is a great deal, anyone who buys a copy of Kicked Out will receive any other Homofactus Press book for FREE!

Kicked Out has been a dream of mine; I first began dreaming of this book in a small town Oregon library, 2 days after having been kicked out for the final time. I had no idea that nearly 10 years later I would be here having the immense honor of having been responsible for organizing, and shepherding a book of this magnitude into reality.  Compiled within this book are 31 of the most brave, and talented writers I have ever met. We range in age from youth currently living on the streets to individuals who have been out for decades. We are a diverse bunch, united under this common experience, and our resolve that current and future generations of homeless LGBTQ youth will know that they are not alone in this experience.

In the U.S., 40% of homeless youth identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ). Kicked Out published by Homofactus Press tells these forgotten stories of some of our nation’s most vulnerable citizens. Diverse contributors share stories of survival and abuse with poignant accounts of the sanctuary of community and the power of creating chosen families. Kicked Out highlights the nuanced perspectives of national organizations such as The National Gay & Lesbian Task Force and The National Alliance Against Homelessness and regional agencies, including Sylvia’s Place, The Circus Project and Family Builders. This anthology introduced by Judy Shepard, gives voice to the voiceless and challenges the stereotypical face of homelessness.  To learn more visit us online at KickedOutAnthology.com

HAPPY 2010

KICKED OUT PRE-SALE NOW OPEN!

Buy one copy of Kicked Out and receive any other Homofactus Press title FREE! click here for details!

Thank you so much for all of your support over the years, and please forward information about the release to anyone you think might be interested! 

since you are my personal rant space LJ i will let you in on a secret. i'm a tomboy and a butch dyke at that. but wait? you might ask, that makes no sense! while it is true that a fulfilling day for me can include any and all of: shooting things, fixing electronics, playing video games, driving fast cars, drinking expensive scotch and smoking a pipe, the end of that day will often be a soothing bubble bath followed by me curling up in front of the tv in my robe and watching a movie that will make me cry for weeks. enjoying loud and crazy things doesn't make me less of a woman, it just makes me a more excited one! not to mention i'm always thrilled about going out dressed up in a pretty dress and having a good time. of course then there is the whole disappointment in how my chest hasn't filled out and how awkwardly large my genitals feel (plus they're an outie not an innie!). i don't think it's bad to be a tomboy, and anybody who thinks it make me not a girl can DIAF!

<3 skoddie

What if the Doctor decided what hand you write with? “You look like a leftie, so I say you're a leftie and that's the way it's going to be for the rest of your life. Congratulations mom, you had a leftie.”

Lefties and Righties look physically different. They play different social roles, wear different clothes and associate with their peers differently than with their “opposites”. Some people say that whether you're a Leftie or a Rightie is proclaimed by god. Others say that it's genetic. Some claim that handedness is completely socially constructed and neither Lefties nor Righties are superior to the other. BUT (and this is huge) no self-respecting Leftie would ever want to be a Rightie. Only Perverts would do that. Anyone who would want to be what they're not is sick in the head, and probably a deviant on top of that. So what do you do if in spite of all that you know you're really a Rightie?

You look like a Leftie, but still, all your life you've known that you're really a Rightie. It only makes sense to you; it's the way you've always felt. So you want to do the things that Righties do, wear what Righties wear and look like a Rightie. Everyone you tell this to looks at you like you're insane because they see a Leftie. They call you a pervert, send you to mental hospitals, say you're sick, evil, going against the word of god, going to go to hell. Nobody takes you seriously, nobody watches you use your right hand because that's deviant behaviour. It's even listed in the DSM: “Handed Identity Disorder” and they're trying their damndest to get it listed as a paraphilia because it fits their biased notions and they know better because they're the experts after all.

When you're a child, you learn that even talking about cross-handed behaviour is Wrong. You get teased in school, and even bullied. You get punished at home, called a sinner in church, sent to the Office in school which leads to still more punishment at home. So you learn to hide your feelings. You learn to act like all the other Lefties act, often overcompensating to make up for your uncertainties. Sometimes this is enough. You can fake your way through life. Lots of people do. Being miserable isn't that difficult a life, is it? But sooner or later you hit the wall. You can't take it any more. The pain of being wrong is just too much.

So what do you do? Sneaking out and crossdressing as a Rightie helps, sometimes. You have to go where nobody knows you and even then it's risky, because dressing as a Rightie threatens the Lefthood of all the other Lefties and they may beat the hell out of you for daring to insult their Leftliness. They may even kill you, and justify it by telling themselves that you deserved to die because you deceived them and made them homodextrous.

Supposing that you don't get attacked, you still may get sneered at for being a deviant, have your identity decided for you by people who know what you “really” are and oh, so smugly inform you that you didn't fool them. Even after all that, it's still easier than trying to pretend that you're a Leftie.

So you try and change things. You go to a Therapist who specialises in treating Handed Identity Disorder. You talk for months about how you've always known, never daring to stray away from the established narrative because other transhanduals have told you horror stories about how you can be refused treatment if you don't pander to the prejudices of the doctors and you'll be stuck living in misery for the rest of your life, if you don't kill yourself out of despair first.

Finally you get permission to live the way you've always known you need to. You take Rightie hormones that slowly begin to alter your body to look like a Rightie. You change your name, and start living full time in your chosen handed role. You throw out your whole wardrobe and buy a new one, piece by piece. You may lose your family, your friends, your job, but that's a small price to pay now that you can finally pick up a pen and write naturally for the first time in your life.

Xposted in my journal.

A new monthly FTM meet for Cambridge and the surrounding area will be held for the first time on Wednesday 13th January 2010. It's open to FTMs before, during or after transition, to female-bodied people who are questioning their gender identity and to all those assigned female at birth who feel that that's not the whole story. Future meets are planned which will include partners and supporters too.

We'll be meeting at 6.30 in the bar of the Arts Cinema on St Andrew's Street. There will be a distinctive red and yellow hat on the table for recognition purposes. For further directions (or encouragement!) please contact Tom or Marcus on ftm.cambridge at yahoo dot co dot uk. We look forward to meeting you!

Hi,

I got a letter of the NHS after changing my name and title asking me if I'd like to change my CHI & NHS number so my gender can be changed to male. I'm at very early stages of transition so I'm not too sure I want to change my gender on medical records. While I'll probably never need things like a smear of breast scan (those bits should be gone by the time I'm old enough to need them checked) so I'm not bothered about reminders for those sorta things I think there's other situations where they might need to know my sex is female. I'm not good with medical knowledge but maybe things like blood tests though I could probably tell them in those sorta cases. But maybe if I was in an accident and couldn't tell the doctors they might be a bit confused upon seeing my body or something.

Basically, I dunno if changing it is in the best interest of my health until I've actually transitioned more, Im not bothered about being out to my doctor, I think that it's better they know. Anyone got any thoughts or when did folk change their's and did they have any issues?

cheers