I attended PTHC for the 7th time (not in a row). It was the 1st time I went that there was so little organised in terms of end of day get together/after-parties. I'm not going to lie, it's my main draw to the conference. This year there was an opening gala on Thursday, the WPATH … Continue reading A conference needs a good after party
I thought I knew which parts of my lived experience were traumatic. I thought I'd done relatively well at sitting with my pain, anger and grief, between the years of self-reflection, attending support groups and seeing a psychiatrist. I figured I grasped what lasting impact trauma had left on me, that mostly I was down … Continue reading Souvenirs you never lose
For what is at least the 4th time, possibly Nth, I've joined a trans forum operated in my mother tongue. Historically, I didn't last long in them because they were so centred on the geographical region where most members lived, and on trans youth in the thick of exploring their gender and transition options as … Continue reading The redundancy of transphobia
Disclaimer: I'll be conveying as best I can how personal of an experience mine is. I'm explaining it to the best of my understanding but I'm a lay person, not a medical professional. No one should take anything that follows as universal truth and if I've gotten some portion wrong, I'll amend to reflect this. … Continue reading Managing damage to the external urethral sphincter
I've been asked to product a record from 4 years before my legal name change. In the name of keeping my zombie name out of my immigration process, I contacted the institution behind aforementioned record and requested a new copy be issued reflecting my transition. They're ok with the request in theory, but in practice … Continue reading Return of the zombie name
Drag, esp trans people's involvement in drag, is a controversial subject at best. I don't defend the common place racism, sexism, transphobia, etc aspects of so many drag acts, shows, and more. It's awful, and for whatever it's worth, I did my best to challenge that stuff, but I recognise even the shows I produced … Continue reading Queer culture in isolation
It's been 2 years since I was done healing from my last lower op. This means more to me than the date of surgeries. Waking up following an operation means starting post-op care. That's exhausting. But when that's done, celebration is in order. I spent the 1st year holding my breath, scared to believe I … Continue reading Happy 2nd anniversary to me – nurturing self-improvement
Finally had an appointment with 2 trans knowledgeable sexual health specialists. Between the 3 of us, we sorted out that given my medical history (as a post-urethraplasty and penile implant top who has anal sex and isn't keen on UTI) PrEP doesn't make sense for me. If my sole concern was HIV, sure, PrEP would … Continue reading TMI – PrEP consideration for a guy like me
I'm a few years post op, and after I jerk off, it's a toss up as to where the cum is going to...uh...come from. Sometimes out the tip, and only a very little, like less than a teaspoon, the rest is from below, like under my nuts. Is that normal? Does yours come from the … Continue reading Surgical inquiry, fistula years post-op
My health insurance declined the request to cover the tissue expansion to remove the skin graft on my donor site. It's covered under 2 circumstances, neither of which apply following lower surgery, ah well... I've asked for an estimate to pay out of pocket. The odds are good it'll come in at a cost I can … Continue reading A shorter, lighter entry for a change
