#another trans guardian

[claypigeonpottery]

sold

[coochiequeens]

Two stories about predatory men in dresses from the UK in one day.

And let's be honest what are the chances this was really committed by two actual women

Both women were between 18 and 20 years old, one being 6ft 3in (1.9m) tall and with bright dyed red hair. She was wearing blue shorts and black crop top with pink Air Jordan trainers, and had glasses, a police spokesman said.

The other was about 5ft 9in (1.75m) tall with long white blonde hair and spoke with a Merseyside accent.

[quinnfabrayapologist]

Do you ever wonder how exactly there came to be such a transphobia problem in British feminism?

Not really. Pretty straightforward IMO.

Britain is highly patriarchal and pretty much just an oligarchy at this point, given the majority of people in charge were born rich and went to one of a handful of private schools. Fair amount of them are also journalists to some degree, or work with journalists on the regular, so when those pesky feminists wanted to dismantle their little boy's club, they stoked up a culture war to give them a new target.

A great example is the NHS. There's been issues lately with supply of oestrogen. I have a former classmate who is a raging transphobe and in her fifties. She's constantly on twitter talking about how the reason she can't get her hormone replacement therapy for her menopause is that trans women are taking all the oestrogen. Her source? A right wing newspaper linked to half of the current PM's cabinet. The real issue? The Tories have been systematically gutting and selling off the NHS since they came into power, which is causing shortages now, because the Tories want the NHS to fail so they can say 'see? NHS doesn't work. Time to privatise the whole thing' and make a mint doing it.

So basically, the minority we should actually be worried about - the 1%ers who have had everything handed to them on a silver platter all their lives, including some of the highest powers this land has to give, and are using that power to take our country apart for profit in the houses of parliament - have convinced a decent portion of feminists that a minority with basically no power is the root of all evil.

And so, using their institutional power (being the law-making elites) and their influential power (clickbait articles they've usually written themselves), they've convinced a portion of feminists that the upper-class, born-rich, bred for rule, blue-blooded bullies who thrive off the patriarchy aren't the problem, trans people are, and so the sect of feminists they've successfully turned against trans people are now fighting to uphold the patriarchy on behalf of the Conservatives and calling it feminism.

[rhinozzryan]

PSA: the guardian is not working on a hit piece on diy hrt, and claims they are are misinformation

tl;dr: claims that the guardian's Susanna Rustin is writing a piece on diy hrt and contacting trans people for comment is false.

on the 18th, this post appeared on 4chan's /lgbt/ (slurs in thread: link). a screenshot was posted to reddit, then to tumblr. you've probably seen it:

today, the 23rd, another screenshot popped up on various discord servers, then was reposted variously to twitter. it shows a supposed email from guardian journalist and notorious TERF Susanna Rustin, claiming as the original 4chan post does.

it's now been shared around, and it's with good intentions. the message is useful: don't share your personal information or medical data with journalists, especially ones that happen to be TERFs.

but the post does this through misinformation and fearmongering. i'm still waiting on my response by email from Rustin, but she's reiterated twice (once, twice) that she did not write the email and is not working on such a story. on the 19th, i talked to other guardian newsroom journalists, who said they also did not know of a story's existence.

the moral of the story: this is misinformation, and it's dangerous. it spreads a fine message here, but it does it through spreading anxiety and terror.

you can follow along with this post on my parallel thread on twitter. also calling on @wakewithgiggli to delete their original post!

[so-i-did-this-thing]

Hey trans Florida folks - things suck, but I want to make sure y'all have more info so you can better gauge the urgency and expected risk for a new bill.

This is another long post, but please read because a lot of folks are in a huge panic at some misleading info.

You've probably seen this by now:

This is misleading. Be incredibly concerned at the path we're on because it is bad, even plan to leave the state (I am), but drag isn't punishable by the death penalty:

From the Twitter screencap: "Florida has now: 1) made drag in public illegal as a 'sex crime against children'."

Misleading. SB 1438 censors drag in front of minors w/vague, subjective language and threatens misdemeanors, fines, and license revocation for violations. This is meant to scare businesses, and even cities. We are already seeing Pride parades canceled in Florida in response:

From the Twitter screencap: "2) made sexual crimes against children punishable by death"

Too broad. Sexual battery against a child is being made into a capital felony (aka, punishable by death) in the currently proposed SB1342 .

The bill says:

"A person 18 years of age or older who commits sexual battery upon, or in an attempt to commit sexual battery injures the sexual organs of, a person less than 12 years of age commits a capital felony".

If we want a definition of "sexual battery" itself, we can jump to Florida statues at:

https://m.flsenate.gov/statutes/794.011

"Sexual battery” means oral, anal, or female genital penetration by, or union with, the sexual organ of another or the anal or female genital penetration of another by any other object; however, sexual battery does not include an act done for a bona fide medical purpose."

Also of note in this statute:

"Serious personal injury” means great bodily harm or pain, permanent disability, or permanent disfigurement."

I am not a lawyer, but to me, this looks like less of an attack against trans people for existing (via conflation with anti-drag bills), and more a way to target those providing gender affirming care -- healthcare providers or even a child's affirming guardians.

Many states are already trying to set up "aiding and abetting" laws (from the anti-abortion playbook) to punish anyone offering any kind of gender affirming care (from general therapy to vocal coaching) to a trans kid.

Florida might be hoping someone applies the "injures the sexual organs of" component of SB1342 to gender-affirming puberty blockers. Yeah, it's a stretch, but I would not be surprised to see someone try it.

Because we are already seeing the HHS committee consider sending subpoenas to gender-affirming clinics:

"House Speaker Paul Renner said he wants the House to examine how the organizations adopted their recommendations. He questioned whether the guidelines were the result of scientific analysis or whether “the integrity of the medical profession has been compromised by a radical gender ideology that stands to cause permanent physical and mental harm to children and adolescents.”

Emphasis mine. Again, I am not a lawyer, but I would not be surprised to see someone try to hold a gender-affirming clinic accountable for "sexual battery" against a child.

All these separate actions paint a grim picture.

Back to our Twitter screencap: "3) Began allowing death penaltymsentencing at at 8-4 vote instead of a unanimous vote"

Yes, true. This one is scary all on its own because it makes it that much easier for the DeSantis administration to target political enemies.

Everyone should be terrified of this:

Back to making child sexual battery a capital felony & SB1342:

Could we eventually see bills proposed that further broaden - via deliberately vague language or otherwise -what kind of "sex crimes" are punishable by death, thus fully targeting trans people?

For sure, we will absolutely see fascists try to get away with whatever they can and I hope we see more resistance against what is happening now to prevent the escalation towards genocide.

But this specific bill isn't targeting drag and it's important we understand the current threat landscape so we can plan accordingly.

Like. I'm still working on my own plan to flee Florida asap (I am a trans man) but I don't feel at risk of the death penalty just yet, so my "leave asap" is "sell the house in a month" instead of "grab the bugout bag and get in the car NOW".

It is very, very important to understand the threats we face so we don't make rash decisions that could have permanent consequences for already vulnerable people. We need to plan and act on plans with haste, but afford ourselves every opportunity to make decisions with as much accurate information as possible.

What's the status of SB1342?

As I type this, still with the senate, but check for updates at the link below. If passed, it would enact October 1, 2023.

In closing

Again, be careful, be safe, be informed. I am not a legal expert; I'm just a little guy, but the risk landscape has enough threats trans people need to respond to without us thinking drag is currently eligible for the death penalty.

Every trans person in the United States, not just Florida, should be watching what is going on across the country and noting how all these bills connect and escalate. And what could become blueprints at the federal level.

Keep hope, but plan for contingencies that could threaten your job, your housing, your liberty, and possibly even your life. Watch the news, watch your local bills, and do your best at figuring out when you need to break that emergency glass.

My biggest advice to be better informed is to learn where your state posts bills and look them up when they hit the news:

Get used to reading bills and noting when they would take effect

Learn how to follow a bill on its way into law - the stages are usually through various committees, then both the House and Senate can file amendments and ultimately vote in separate sessions to approve, then the governor signs it into law

Understand that a lot of reporting on bills can make it sound like it has passed into law, when it might still just be in a committee.

Not all bills pass, and when they do, not all pass as originally proposed. (This can work for or against us.)

Follow trans political commentators like Erin or Alejandra for more context

Again, it all sucks right now and I don't want to underscore the danger so many transgender Americans are already in (and lord knows I am very lucky to be able to leave Florida). But knowing what we're up against is one of the few defenses we have right now.

I have more advice for trans Floridians here.

[yanderes-galore]

I have seen requests were open! I have one, if it's okay-

Platonic yandere catnap/Theo x little(maybe trans if your comfortable) sis reader

Who he had gotten out before the hour of Joy all those years ago, but is back now trying to find him?

(Idk, I love sibling relationships and yanderes-)

Have a good day/night!^^

I'm just going to keep it general female pronouns as it just... doesn't change the story much? Here's more CatNap, this one is closer to canon than the normal AU I do.

You aren't actually related to Theo in this to make the plot work, but he sees you as his Little Sister... if that's okay? It doesn't change much plot-wise, I promise.

Yandere! CatNap with Little Sis! Darling

Pairing: Platonic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Female Darling, Obsession, Overprotective behavior, Human experimentation, Violence, Death, Drugging (Poppy Gas), Kidnapping, Stalking, First portion of this Darling is a child, Second portion you and CatNap are adults due to the time skip, Violence, Murder, Blood, Religious themes, Forced companionship.

A long time ago, you were raised in the Playcare Orphanage alongside Theo.

However, you weren't really one of the orphans.

Your parents were either scientists or perhaps even the founder of Playtime Co.

You were merely dropped off at Playcare to be watched, unaware of all the experiments going on.

Well... how could you be aware in the first place?

You were only five....

Theo was actually a playmate of yours, but you two acted like siblings.

Theo, the troublesome kid, saw you like a little sister.

You two were often seen playing with one another.

Scientists and your own parents originally were concerned when Theo grew attached to you.

The kid was a known troublemaker, often blaming his behavior on his "imaginary friend".

Supposedly he even spoke to you about his "friend", yet at your age you didn't entirely understand him.

You also saw Theo as a friend and sibling, even expressing despair when you learned Theo had gotten himself into a bad accident.

Truthfully, you never knew the real fate of Theo.

You were still often visiting Playcare when CatNap was introduced.

You were told Theo was "adopted" and "moved away".

In reality the kid became CatNap, reborn in a new body due to the Bigger Bodies project.

CatNap retained some memories that Theo had, but was essentially a new being.

He was the new guardian of Playcare, one meant to "protect and discipline" the orphans.

CatNap scared many of the kids or just... didn't get along with most.

However, with you?

Scientists noticed that CatNap was oddly attached to you.

The large cat hovered around you, acted playful and affectionate, and seemed to dislike you playing with other children and Smiling Critters.

The going theory was CatNap remembered you from when Theo was alive.

After all, CatNap often rambled about "The Prototype", it would make sense if he remembered his playmate.

Many STAFF were reluctant to pull you away from CatNap.

The large purple cat often picked you up, curling around you and purring.

STAFF were often met with hostility when they tried to take you away.

You had grown to adore CatNap, the large lavender smelling cat often putting you to sleep and watching over you.

You played with CatNap for years, perhaps four years after he was created.

You were around nine or ten before your parents wanted to stop you from going to Playcare.

They knew you were getting too old and CatNap (who would probably be around eleven or twelve) was getting too overprotective of his playmate.

CatNap still saw you as close to him, although the lines between sibling, friend, and playmate often blurred together.

You were taken out of Playcare before the Hour of Joy.

While you were sitting at home, no doubt with either your mother or father, CatNap was panicking when he couldn't find his best friend and sibling.

Poor you had no clue about the truth of Playtime Co.

Not until ten years later, where you return to the factory to learn the truth.

By this point you're just about in your 20s, which means CatNap would be too.

It's been years since you've entered this place.

You want to know the truth about Theo... only beginning to realize your mistake once you're trapped inside.

I imagine you follow a similar journey to the player character in Poppy Playtime.

You meet Poppy, you defeat Huggy Wuggy and Mommy Longlegs...

Eventually you return to Playcare... and memories come flooding back.

You know you need to escape, but you're also scanning your surroundings for answers.

All the while CatNap is hunting you... soon realizing just who you are.

It's been years and you have matured into a young woman.

CatNap feels a pang of envy deep within him.

Perhaps deep down he wishes he could've grown up alongside you.

CatNap doesn't hunt you for food or a sacrifice to The Prototype... he hunts you because you mean a lot to him.

Memories spark within him, times where you two would play and you'd even call him "brother".

It didn't matter if you were really related or not... you were bound together.

Even as the guardian of Playcare he cared for you.

He was devastated when you were gone.

But now you're here...!

Now you can play again!

CatNap would probably make his move eventually, stalking and watching you until the time is right...

Then, without warning, he'd use his Poppy Gas to knock you out.

If you had a gas mask, he'd break it before making you hallucinate.

When you eventually fall asleep... CatNap would pick you up by the back of your clothes and carry you down into the depths of Playcare.

Mini Smiling Critters scurry around in the dark but remain obedient when CatNap growls at them.

The large cat takes you deep into his territory before placing you down.

Like he did when you two were younger, he curls around you protectively.

You wake up eventually to the smell of blood and the faintest smell of lavender.

You're wrapped tightly in the tail of CatNap as the beast purrs and growls away in his sleep.

Upon your attempts to struggle against him, the cat shoots awake and glances at you.

You freeze when you see the beady white eyes stare back at you...

Only to hear and a loud purr as the cat nuzzles into you.

Nearby is CatNap's shrine to The Prototype, the cat silently happy that his prayers have been answered!

Now you two can play together... forever.

CatNap no doubt makes you, his little sister, worship The Prototype.

Mini Smiling Critters are docile towards you, mostly because CatNap would eat them if they weren't.

Speaking of eating... You often see CatNap hunt other toys and drag them to you.

The mix of toy and flesh is... nauseating to you.

However, you can't eat anything else.

Resulting in you trying to adapt.

Escape is near impossible without a Grab-Pack.

Even if you had one, CatNap never lets you out of his sight.

Despite you being an adult, CatNap still treats you like a little kid.

He never leaves your side and is incredibly protective of you.

If you tried to leave him, he'd have you gassed to drag you back.

In his own way... CatNap loves you.

He loves his little sister and playmate...

You two can now play in Playcare just like old times... even if it kills you in the end.

[damnfandomproblems]

Fandom Problem 4387:

I'm not really sure when this change happened but at some point people decided that the burden of not interacting with anyone you don't want to interact with lies with everyone EXCEPT yourself.

We see this in DNIs, that range from "no racists / no Nazis" to "you must have the exact same opinions on every single cartoon as me". (First off, do you really expect extremist bigots to respect your DNI? That people like that just won't bother you if you ask them not to? If anything DNIs function only as a virtue signaling tool to tell people we deem Good People that we are also Good People.)

Just friggin use the block button, that's the only reliable way to make sure you never have to see or talk to anyone you don't want to, be it because they're racist extremists or because you don't like their headcanons about your favorite anime character, wherever you decide to draw the line at.

Another way is people yelling at people for "making gross fanfic and fanart!!" just, don't click it then? wtf it's not hard.

But bottom line, this is the internet. Before you even log in anywhere you need to prepare for the possibility that you're gonna see some cursed shit sooner or later. It's just part of being online. Shock sites have been around forever. "But the kiiidsss!!!-" shouldn't even be ON here if they aren't able to manage themselves.

Also this whole attitude that "everyone adult is an eeeviil pedophile groomer out to get you, EXCEPT *ME* OF COURSE YOU CAN TRUST *ME*, I AM YOUR GUARDIAN ANGEL LOOKING OUT FOR YOU BUT NO ONE ELSE CAN BE TRUSTED!" Is DEFINITELY going to make it much easier for actual predators to hide in plain sight. Also? People could just be lying? Anyone could SAY they're a minor, to get the trust of other minors. IF kids are going to be on the internet, at least give them the tools to protect themselves. This means, don't list out every single thing that could be used to identify you and then slap "pedos DNI!!!" at the end and expect them to just leave, cause that's not gonna work. And don't assume everyone is always being honest, someone could SAY they're 15 and trans to try to relate to you, but you can't be sure WHO they are really, so don't give out any information that could be used against you.

And no, it's not "victim blaming" to say we should teach kids basic internet safety, any more than it would be "victim blaming" to teach kids not to dart into a busy street. "Stranger danger" isn't new but it sure seems like a lot of people have forgotten about it. Everyone has a responsibility to keep themselves safe. If someone--of any age--can't handle that responsibility THEY SHOULD NOT BE ONLINE.

[pixierainbows]

Hello Pixie

Sorry if this is too personal, if uncomfortable with my question just ignore or delete it 😊

I have level 2 autism and am trans

In one of your posts, you said you are trans too! It made me so so happy to see another trans autistic person with higher support needs

I rarely see level 2 or 3 autistic people who are trans!! I'm so happy to know I'm not alone.

BTW, Sunshine is a very cute dog, I love the pictures you post

Many many many people think Pixie very too disabled to understand gender . Them not really wrong . is complicated ...

birth family said pixie just bad bad bad kid . so pixie had no idea what trans was . did not know about anything like that even exist . until came to seattle .

pixie Okay now , mostly . Still have bad days . doctors not can fix everything . and . Even in Seattle not everybody is kind understanding , especially pixie so visible disabled . But . Pixie happy be alive almost always now . guardians and choice family love trans-pixie very much .

is not all fixed ! but , is much better now . is good enough .

[transgenderteensurvivalguide]

Hey I just got my first period and I'm so fucking dysphoric about it what do I do I'm so confused I feel like shit and my dysphoria is through the roof

Lee says:

I would start off by exploring your menstrual product options which can make it easier to cope with having your period.

Period underwear is probably the easiest product to use because you already know how to wear underwear so you don't have to worry about putting it on wrong. Period underwear has built-in absorbent layers and is reusable and discreet to wear, but some people might feel self-conscious about washing them at the end of the day if they aren't used to washing their own underwear and don't have a private bathroom, or they might have dysphoria about washing them. You will likely need more than one pair (at least 2 pairs) even if you wash them daily because they need to dry, so there's a bit of an up-front cost but then since they're reusable it can be cheaper than pads and tampons in the long run.

The step below period underwear in terms of usability is probably pads. They tend to be pretty easy to use and also don't require insertion into the body, but if you don't place them right sometimes blood can leak around the edges where the pad isn't. Another placement issue might come up if you wear some styles of men's underwear, like boxers, it can be hard to use pads unless you wear a different type of underwear underneath which can feel bulky. Similarly to period underwear, blood on pads might feel more noticeable than internal options, which might increase dysphoria for some. You will need to buy pads over and over, so even they aren't that expensive to buy, the cost of buying them can add up. If your family buys the pads for you or you can get them at school for free then that isn't a big of a deal, but it does matter for some people.

Some trans people swear by menstrual cups because they're reusable and cost-effective. Once inserted correctly, they can be worn for up to 12 hours depending on flow, and the feeling of the blood can be less noticeable than pads or period underwear since it's not coming out. It can also be useful if you like swimming or have swimming classes, and/or if you're in a situation where you're stealth and have access to a private bathroom to wash the menstrual cup but don't feel like you can hide a whole package of pads in your stuff. But it can be hard to find the right size/model sometimes, so it can require multiple different brands and sizes to get the one that works best for you. Some people find the feeling of wearing one uncomfortable, have a hard time with the insertion, worry it'll affect their IUD, etc.

Tampons and menstrual discs have similar pros and cons as menstrual cups, although tampons are not reusable and some menstrual discs are. In all three cases, the process of insertion can be dysphoria-inducing for some trans individuals, but you also have the benefits of not having to feel the blood. You will also have more security to avoid leaks since you could choose to wear a tampon/menstrual cup/menstrual disc and then also wear a pad or menstrual underwear as backup.

After you've figured out what products work for you, I'd switch gears to the long game which is trying to stop your period in a healthy way. If you're out as trans, talk to your guardians and doctors about trying puberty blockers or using birth control to stop your period.

If you're not out as trans, you can still try convincing your parents to take you to the doctor to discuss the use of birth control in stopping your period without mentioning gender dysphoria:

You could say you have a heavy flow and starting birth control will make it lighter

It can help with anemia because you aren’t losing any iron through your period blood if you don’t get your period

You could say your friend/s have done it and it helped them

To stop period related cramping and pain

You could say you have gross period side-effects (like diarrhea and more farting) for the week of your period

It can make your periods more regular (or make it so you can control when it happens so you’re not caught off guard)

Helps with PMSing so you don’t have to deal with any of that

It’s more convenient and you don’t have to remember to change your pad/tampon

If you’re disabled, it can help save spoons and effort and make your week easier

You may not be able to change your pads regularly if you’re disabled and that’s kinda unsanitary and the pads can break so stopping your period can help with that type of stress

Save money on pads/tampons

Save time having to use pads/tampons and keep visiting the bathroom during class

It can help with migraines if you get headaches or migraines near your period

It can help with PCOS, PMDD, and endometriosis if you have any of those conditions

It might lower your risk of ovarian and endometrial cancer (but increase your risk of breast cancer) so that's something to discuss with a doctor based on your family history and personal risk factor

If you swim, it’s better to not have your period (And it’s inconvenient for athletes in general)

It can help regulate your mood (especially if you’re mentally ill and find mood fluctuations around your period hard to handle)

Why have a period when you can not have one? Some people feel there are no positive things about having a period because they feel it is inconvenient/[insert personal adjectives]

It’s pretty safe and many people do it, and if your doctor prescribes it and monitors you then there’s not a big risk in it

How do I talk about birth control with my dad?

Here’s a NY Times article called “For the Teen Who No Longer Wants a Period”, I’d start the conversation by sending them that link then if they ask more, give them the excuses above!

Finally, there are coping strategies that you can explore to manage the feelings of dysphoria that you may experience when you have your period-- this post has more info on that.

Followers, any advice for anon?

[animentality]

"periods are a universal woman experience that trans women could never relate to-"

Except not all women have periods frequently or at all, due to a cavalcade of medical issues or simply age. Are women in menopause just not women anymore?

"having a uterus is what makes a woman a woman-"

except women get hysterectomies. For a million medical reasons. Are they not women if they develop ovarian cancer?

"being pregnant/giving birth makes a person female-"

A lot of women don't do this or want to do this. Some women get c sections and some have natural births. Some miscarry, some get abortions. You don't get to decide what they call themselves, based on how you define your own female experience.

"a woman is someone who grew up with misogyny and the male gaze. a trans person could never understand-"

You don't understand because you're an idiot.

Different women experience different forms of misogyny. Black women experience harsher forms of misogyny based on their gender and their race. White women don't know the lived experiences of latinas and their relationship to womanhood. Chinese women live different versions of womanhood from Korean women or Cambodian women.

Some women experience blatant misogyny such as being outright forbidden from leaving the home or the country without male guardians.

Others experience more subtle misogyny, being discouraged from sports, expected to take on the role of mother even if they're working full time and their husbands just expect them to still be a housewife.

Womanhood has never been universal.

You are not born a woman. No one is.

You become a woman.

Just as you become whatever society teaches you to be.

A student, a laborer, a wife, a mother.

None of these things are biological facts. They are cultural.

They are the things we taught one another. But they are not immutable law, and your world is frightening and strange and nothing is as controlled as you'd like to think.

So choose now to stop being a fucking moron and think.

These people claim to be feminists but then turn around and insist they can label and brand real women and not women.

That is because these people are not progressives, but fascists who want to limit personal expression and civil freedoms.

You tell me that you don't think trans people should be able to choose what they do with their own bodies and then turn around and insist you're prochoice and pro women's rights and pro bodily autonomy?

You raging buffoon. you absolute joke.

The path you've chosen trails downward.

You have no other recourse, you're just too dumb to see which way you're going.

[claypigeonpottery]

his mane and hair are pink! I love his fuzzy round tummy

and he’s got some tattoos now too, dandelions on the arms and across his chest, and a bit of clover on his back

I really enjoyed sketching his tattoos. I was loosely inspired by art nouveau style flowers and delft pottery

(and here’s his underside)

[nothing-makes--sense]

Fact Check: Fact Check: 216 Instances Of Factual Errors Found In Right-Wing "WPATH Files" Document

In response to the WPATH files being dropped, transgender activist Erin Reed made a response, fact checking the claims made in the editorial of the original document, written by Mia Hughes. Reed claims that there are 216 “instances of factual inaccuracies, erroneous citations, misinterpretations of what is “leaked,” and purposeful omissions contradicting the authors central editorialized claims.”

The introduction is spent discrediting the organizations involved as “right wing” and “anti trans.” Reed alleges that the quick rate at which the files were spread was a “coordinated and organized embargo campaign, leaving those in support of care with scant time to review the voluminous documents and respond.”

The first claim that Reed alleges to be false is the claim that the Beyond WPATH declaration was signed by many people who were not doctors, pointing out signatures with occupations such as “DJ” and “yoga instructor” as well as comments like “concerned parent.” The original document does not claim that all signatures were from doctors, with the exact quote stating that it was “now signed by over 2,000 concerned individuals, many of whom are clinicians working with gender diverse young people.” (bold text mine). Nowhere does it imply that only doctors were able to sign it, it simply acknowledges that many people who signed the petition were doctors. One important thing to note is that the creator of the petition, Dr. Joseph Burgo, alleges that the petition was hijacked by trans activists adding fake signatures. (timestamp: 16 min)

Here is a screenshot of the top signers of the petition. Highlighted are all medical professionals.

Note that one of the signers, Stephen B. Levine, was a former president of WPATH who left due to the organization becoming less evidence based and more focused on activists.

Next, Reed criticizes the quality of the citations, stating, "When addressing supposedly "scientific" citations, the report's performance is equally lacking." One example given is an article from The Guardian from 2004, and another being “a conservative site called "The New Atlantis, " Upon visiting the link to the New Atlantis’s “about” page, they explicitly state they are a nonpartisan organization. That being said, other sources do allege this particular publication is right wing. However, this attempt to frame any opposing source as "right wing" or "conservative" is a significant part of Reed's argument on why the information is unreliable.

Reed accuses many of the studies cited to be misrepresented. One study cited in the WPATH files is a Swedish study which is quoted as finding, “rates of completed suicide post-surgical transition to be greatly elevated over the general population.”

Reed links to an article from a site called Trans Advocate, which contains an interview with the author of the Swedish study on how her work has been misinterpreted. In this article, the study is quoted as saying, “no inferences can be drawn as to the effectiveness of sex reassignment as a treatment for transsexualism. In other words, the results should not be interpreted such as sex reassignment per se increases morbidity and mortality.” The study does not conclude that sex reassignment surgery works, but there is also no reason to suggest it causes people to be more suicidal than they were pre-transition. Hughes does imply that suicide risk can increase after transition in cases where certain mental health conditions such as BPD are left untreated, and the patient comes to regret transition later, but this is not cited as scientific fact (42).

On the page before the Swedish study is referenced (42), Hughes discusses the mental health issues commonly found in trans-identified youth and how those issues may account for the higher rate of suicidality. Reed fails to acknowledge the Amsterdam study that concluded “the suicide risk in transgender people is higher than in the general population and seems to occur at every stage of transitioning.” While some parts of the Swedish study may have been misinterpreted, there are other studies with similar findings. The point is not that suicidality increases after transition, but rather that there is little evidence to suggest that transition has a long-term benefit on a person's other mental health issues.

Reed links to three studies disputing both the 2009 study and the Swedish study, implying that all of this “much newer research from peer-reviewed articles,” completely invalidates the findings of the other studies. The first study that Reed gives as a rebuttal does not actually come to the conclusion that there is a “substantial improvement in the quality of life for transgender individuals.” This 2017 study concludes that, “Our results show that transgender women generally have a lower QoL compared to the general population. GRS leads to an improvement in general well-being as a trend but over the long-term, QoL decreases slightly in line with that of the comparison group.” Basically, it claims that quality of life increases shortly after surgery, but later declines after about 5 years. They acknowledge that this is the case in the general population as well, and they state that there is still little consensus on trans identified people’s quality of life.

The second study Reed cites looks at the quality of life of patients who have received phalloplasties. Only 32 patients were part of this study, and they found that “88% of our patients were very satisfied with the aesthetic result, 75% have had sex after surgery, and 72% were very satisfied with sexual function after GAS. Eighty-one percent had a strong improvement of QOL, and 91% would undergo the same treatment again.” However, there is more evidence that phalloplasty is a dangerous procedure, and Reed fails to acknowledge any of those studies, such as this study of 1731 phalloplasty patients, finding that the "Overall complication rate was high at 76.5%"

The third study was a survey of 27,715 trans identified adults from 2015. The introduction of the study admits that “Mental health effects of gender-affirming surgery thus remain controversial.” In this survey, only 25% of participants had undergone surgery. This study was only a secondary analysis of these survey responses, comparing results of those who did not undergo surgery with those who had.

Reed implies that the 2% fatality rate of the vaginoplasty performed on males who had previously been on puberty blockers is irrelevant because the death “occurred from a wound infection, a potential complication for any surgery.” Hughes acknowledges that the patient died of necrotizing fasciitis, (19) and the case report that Reed links states that the patient, “developed septic shock and multiple organ failure on the basis of an extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli. A severe progression of the necrotizing fasciitis was lethal, despite repeated surgical debridement, intravenous antibiotic use, and supportive care at the intensive care unit.” The study that Reed then links to prove this treatment is successful contains extremely graphic images detailing the surgery without any warning. This does not discredit the study, but for that reason I cannot really look at it.

Reed attempts to debunk the accusation that those who took puberty blockers cannot orgasm, by alluding to there being two studies disproving this. However, it appears that Reed linked the same study twice within this quote, "To ensure factual accuracy, studies have shown that those who took puberty blockers are capable of orgasm" Only the abstract is available to me for this study. Because this study is behind a paywall, it is difficult for me to verify Reed’s claims about their results. The study is a survey of group of 31 primary total laparoscopic intestinal vaginoplasty patients, and is a survey about general quality of life one year after the surgery. It states that the group was “relatively young,” and states that the, “median age at time of surgery = 19.1 years, range = 18.3–45.0.” However, it gives no indication of when the patients began transition. It does imply that patients were on "Puberty-suppressing hormonal treatment”, but does not make any mention of when the patients started puberty blockers. Marci Bowers, head of WPATH, has explicitly stated that “I’m unaware of an individual claiming ability to orgasm when they were blocked at Tanner Stage 2.” Tanner Stage 2 is around the age of 11. It is possible these patients began blockers later on, but that evidence is not available to me either way. Another important thing to note is that the conclusion of the second study states, “This group of relatively young transgender women reported satisfactory functional and esthetic results of the neovagina and a good quality of life, despite low Female Sexual Function Index scores.” (bold text mine) “The mean Female Sexual Function Index total score of sexually active transgender women was 26.0 ± 6.8.”

This study is a survey relying on patients to self report their satisfaction, and Hughes does acknowledge the flaws of self reported studies on page 33, stating that measurable studies showed less positive results than surveys. Many of the studies Reed cites as rebuttals rely on self report.

Finally, Reed criticizes the idea that gender dysphoric youth would eventually desist post-puberty. One of the links provided as evidence against this claim leads to another article of Reed's. The criticism of Kenneth Zucker's research from the 90s appears to be that it classifies children with "gender identity disorder" as those who are simply gender non-conforming. The article uses this graphic to illustrate the difference between gender identity disorder and the current DSM-5 diagnosis of gender dysphoria, implying that the latter has stricter requirements.

Reed dismisses any correlation between social transition and desistance rates and accuses Hughes of implying that, “social transition prevents this “natural” desistance, a hypothesis that has not been validated.” While there may have been some flaws in Zunker's original study, this massive difference between then and now certainly raises questions on how the impact of social transition affects a child.

In the next section, Reed claims that the “leaked material” is frequently misrepresented, yet only provides three examples of this occurring. It does appear that Hughes left out the part about the orgasm in the first example, which would have been important context to include (28). In the second example, Reed accuses Hughes of leaving out the fact that it was a detransitioner who used the phrase “gender journey” and not a clinician. In reality, Hughes does not specify who said this, simply stating “There is talk about detransition being just another step in a patient’s “gender journey.” (31) However, we only have the clinicians word to go off to prove that the patient used that phrase, and there is evidence of another clinician pushing patients to identify with their language. This doctor decided to label a patient as “eunuch identified,” despite him not claiming that label himself (51). The third example of a misrepresentation consists of a patient developing a hepatic adenoma (liver mass) after taking testosterone. Reed is correct that hepatic adenomas are benign and that they are linked to both contraceptives and hormones. However, Reed accuses the document of leaving out the fact that the patient was on both oral contraceptives and testosterone. Hughes does in fact state that the patient was on norethindrone acetate, which is a contraceptive. In the WPATH document, the doctor specifically suspects that the hormones are the cause of the liver masses as opposed to the contraceptive.

Reed alleges that Stella O’Malley and Genspect “teased a young trans girl testifying in front of a school board.” The linked tweet reads: “US-UTAH: 11 yr old “Alison” came out as trans at 8 after having a vision of wearing a long white dress in a field. Dad says his “daughter” must be “validated in who she is” & allowed to use girls spaces bc many trans-identified people consider suicide.”

Overall, Reed’s fact checking only provides a few examples, nowhere near the 216 claimed.  Many of the studies linked as rebuttals do not come to the same conclusions as Reed implies. In my opinion, it appears that Reed did not expect the audience of this article to go and read the WPATH files for themselves, or for that matter, even check the links thoroughly. The few good points that are made here do not discredit the entirety of the report, and Reed fails to address the main claims in the report; such as WPATH members admitting that children do not have the capacity to consent, their disregard of proper scientific protocol, the experimental approach to healthcare, disregard of patients' other mental health issues, and lack of ethics.

If anyone wants to add things to this or expand on anything, please feel free to do so. There were a couple sections where my understanding was a bit limited, such as the limitations of the trans youth desistance study, and the puberty blockers/vaginoplasty study.

Edit: Moving this disclaimer down here because a TRA quit reading immediately after they saw this. I would like to acknowledge that I am not a doctor or any type of medical professional (neither is Reed) and some scientific studies may be difficult for me to interpret.

Edit 2: Removed the part about the New Atlantis because I have seen mixed info on it's political leanings.

[suzukiblu]

Michael Patrick Kelly x Rea Garvey Best bad friend for Kon is too trans for this pregnancy bullshit wip wednesday

“I–I feel safe with you,” Kon says, rubbing roughly at his tear-streaked face as he swallows roughly again. He does. Clark’s one of the safest people he knows. Like–he’s not sure he’s ever felt safer with anyone who wasn’t, like, another member of Young Justice. Not even Dubbilex and Guardian or Red Tornado or Ma and Pa. “Just . . . just not . . . not about that. That’s all. I’m just–I know you’re not . . . I know you wouldn’t . . .” 

Clark looks pained. 

“No, you don’t,” he says. “And I’m so damn sorry for that."

[its-a-me-mango]

MANGOOO!! hello, been shy to slide into asks but i got very curious looking at your SMG4 posts.. do you have any headcanons you think are cool ? Would be a blast to see them! :D

OH HAI!!!! Oh my god I love headcanons so much I promise, but I'm one of those people who immediately forgets them all when I'm asked about them. Also I forgot which ones are mine and which ones are someone elses, thought tbh if someone HC is good enough for me to think I made it then like, that would be a huge compliment to me haha! X3

I have a few that I can think of off the top of my head right now, there's a few that need a whole post to explain but I'll do that when I feel like it, gonna leave out any LGBT headcanons because I already agree with everyone else, they are all gay and trans except the ones that aren't and that's so awesome.

Again forgive me if I repeat someone else's HC, or if anything I say is proven to not be possible, I fucking forgorrrrr;

SMG3 has tattoos, I know I've shown that one already but listen. He has 3, one is a half sleeve on his left forearm that's got a skull and a bunch of bombs and explosions around it, another one is on his right mid thigh which is a memorial tattoo for Terence, and one very small one on his back right shoulder blade that's just a little skull (it's very blown out and old). He'd like to get more at some point, none of the others have any tattoos but he's trying to convince them to get one.

All the SMG's have the little arrow thing that was on their guardian pod as a marking somewhere on their body, SMG1 has his on his chest under his scarf, SMG2 has his under his hat, SMG3 has his on his lower back, and SMG4 has his on the back of his neck, they're all pretty hidden and not too visible, but anytime they use their meme guardian powers they glow.

Tari is just a bird fan in general, for someone who stays inside gaming she sure knows every single bird ever. She's not a bird watcher but she can identify any bird you show her easily, and she's always happy and excited to see bird when she does go out. Obviously though ducks are her favourite, but she like all waterfowl in general.

Karen is divorced, she just gives me divorced girl energy. She has full custody of her kids because her ex was a piece of shit and didn't want them anyway, her kids were all too young to know about him thankfully. She probably got married right out of highschool or something, those relationships never seem to work out. I keep thinking of those "day in the life of a divorced 23 year old" videos like, that's her lol.

Bob's secret hobby is fabric work, you will catch him dead before you catch him admitting or even showing anything he makes, but he makes garments and furniture for fun. Sometimes he'll throw them into the black market and lie about their value for a quick buck and to clear out space, he doesn't care much once they're completed he just likes making them.

I think this one's just semi canon, but SMG4 Mario is secretly really good at reading people, yeah he's kinda dumb but he can pick up what people are feeling in depth, he just doesn't always get why. He's also just a good guy to go to for comfort, not advised though don't listen to him, he's just really good to ramble/vent too (mainly because he won't remember what you said lol).

I'm sure I'll think of more as soon as I post this, but come back and ask again at some point and I'll try and remember them lol

[eriochromatic]

Your impel down modern au is absolutely amazing is it okay to ask more about it ?

Like is Jinbei the legal guardian or is Garp around ? Is the Sabo situation like in canon?

What about the warden is he like the landlord ?

(If I ever get inspiration/time would you be down for this to be a fic ?)

Thank u for liking my AU! To be completely honest I intentionally didn’t add other one piece characters since I wanted to explore a different dynamic, so in this AU, Garp (or Shanks or Whitebeard for that matter) wouldn’t be around too much, Sabo also probably wouldn't be too present. 

For this AU specifically, the influential parental figures around Luffy and Ace are Jinbei (legal guardian), and then Crocodile (takes care of them when Jinbei is busy), and then the rest of the apartment residents when both Jinbei and Croc are occupied. The only other one piece chara I might consider adding in is Magellan as the landlord, but he’d be pretty hands off and not really part of the main dynamic anyways.

And of course, feel free to turn this into a fic if you’re feeling inspired! To be completely honest this AU in itself was inspired by a fic from a completely different fandom where they took a bunch of characters who never interacted w/ each other and put them all in an apartment together for a modern AU; Oda already did the job of getting random characters to work together so I just wanted to do the modern AU part!

Certain headcanons that I wasn’t able to add in the post itself:

Jinbei is a highschool teacher! The area they live in isn’t well funded so he probably doubles up as their guidance counselor as well,, he’s super busy which is why the rest of the apartment complex all collectively helps out watching the kids

Crocodile’s income bracket is technically a few steps above the others but because he’s paying 3 apartments worth of rent his quality of life ends up around the same LOL technically he could always move out but he’s too attached to everyone (would never admit it)

Drag race is still rupaul’s show in this universe and not Ivankov’s HAHAHA Ivankov is definitely more of an underground queen, almost urban legend like… But yeah they’re never home much so Inazuma has been using Ivankov’s apartment as a glorified storage unit for fabrics and outfits

Ace is still the grumpy kid like in canon, but having Crocodile around as a vaguely bad influence (“I am not going to stop you from committing violence” type) makes them strangely close… Croc is trans in this AU and if u wanted Ace to also be trans that can be another bonding point

Since Crocodile manages a casino (with a nightclub), Bentham has been pestering Croc to let him put on a drag show, so far Croc has been saying said no. Croc’s frame of reference is Ivankov (aka someone who’s waaaay to good) so unfortunately anyone who’s not at Ivankov’s level isn’t worth the effort of changing schedules and reorganizing things. Bentham has seen Crocodile proposition Daz constantly for that bouncer job so now there’s this weird one sided rivalry between Bentham and Daz lol

that’s about all the ideas I have for now! hope that was fun and interesting to read!

[persesphonestears]

Taskforce 141 + Los Vaqueros

edit: i realised that i haven't added König or Horangi yet and that's in my other drafts :,D

A/N: My Y/N's are intended to be read as if the reader/Y/N is male/Trans masc, Also Bold is actions. I had so much fun making this cause I just watched vines most of the time

!!CW!!: Sexual jokes, Swearing, blood mentions, just silly cod shenanigan's (please tell me if I've forgotten any!)

Soap: HEY HEY!

Y/N: whispering Shhh the LT is sleeping!

Soap: whispering oh sorry!

Y/N: whispering what is it?

Soap: whispering The house is on fire!

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Y/N: Look at the buns on that guy

Gaz: on the floor covered in buns

Soap: barging in the room stop this is the joke police your joke was too funny

Y/N: pulls out their pistol IM NOT GOING BACK

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Y/N: I'm in mah dads car. Broom broom.

Price: Get out of my car.

Y/N: Aw :(

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Soap: singing Suck a dick Suck a dick Suck a dick Suck a mother fucking dick

Y/N: singing and playing a keyboard Suck a huge or smaaaal dick

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*ghost dragging a blood covered Y/N* (it's not their blood)

Y/N: Smug

Gaz: That feel good?

Y/N: Ah

(peanut butter baby but blood Y/N)

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Soap: When there's to much drama at base.

Y/N and Ghost beating each other up

Soap: All you gotta do is walk awaaaayeeayeeay

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Y/N: 15th time on a 5 hour road trip Road work ahead? uh I sure hope it does!

Rudy: Y/N, I swear to fucking god.

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141 at the beach

Gaz: covered in sand I am the sand guardian, guardian of the sand!

Soap: Posiden quivers before him!

Gaz: screaming at the sea FUCK OFF!!

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Price: walking up to Y/N

Y/N: Dad-y?

Price: Uhhh yeah :D

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Ghost: Don't tell your mother(price)

Y/N: Kiss one another

Ghost: DIE FOR EACH OTHER

Y/N: falls off chair

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a bunch of captured shadows

Y/N: look at all those dickheads

Alejandro and Rudy: clapping

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Y/N: falls through the roof

Gaz: Hey Y/N

Y/N: Hey Gaz

Y/N: that hurt

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mr sandman playing in the background

Soap: skipping happily as shit blows up behind him

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Price: toss me my keys

Y/N: throws a whole printer

Price: I said my keys!

Y/N: I thought you said printer!

Price: Why the fuck would i say printer?!