#this country does not give a single fuck about trans people and actively wants us fucking dead.

[neometalsilver]

the prime minister made a transphobic comment, on record, in the house of commons, in front of the mother of a brutally murdered transgender girl. i hate him and every conservative politician with every fibre of my being.

[thessalian]

Thess vs the Mini-Budget

So. Today was Prime Minister’s Questions (this happens every Wednesday) followed by a mini-budget from Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor of the Exchequer (and multi-millionaire, by the way) which was supposed to be dealing with the massive cost of living increase we’re all being hit with which looks set to cause the lowest standard of living in this country in decades. And. Just. Oh gods. I can’t even.

The thing I had to vent at work about was ... okay, someone asked a question about whether someone would be tasked to look into young women having “gender anxiety”, which could mean damn near anything, given how women are treated in general. But Johnson made it about the trans issue, in possibly the most transphobic way possible. He ‘answered’ (because it wasn’t an answer to the question at all, though his seldom if ever are) the following: “If someone wants to transition, we should be sensitive, but whether someone is a man or a woman is a purely biological matter”. I am only paraphrasing slightly because it hurts enough to type and if I have to go look up the direct quote I’m going to vomit and I just took my meds for the evening and I would rather keep them, thank you.

I feel for every trans person in this country. I mean, everyone knows that some fairly prominent British people are transphobic as fuck (see also: JK Rowling) but this is echoed hugely in our government. As you can see. I am just ... okay, I’m always internally screaming these days, but now it’s actively painful to keep it internal.

And then the rest of it, dear gods. Lie upon lie upon flagrant fucking lie. Misinformation. Braggadocio and bombast with no basis in reality. Refusal to answer a single fucking question. Still insisting that we’re being very generous to refugees and hard on oligarchs when we are no such fucking thing. Also the continuous lies about our economy having the biggest growth in the G7. BULLSHIT.

And on top of all that, there was Sunak. Who came up with the following, which is supposed to help “hard-working families”:

Scrap fuel duty

Raise the income threshold at which you have to pay National Insurance

Scrap VAT on solar panels and other renewable home energy solutions so that more people can afford to get it done

NONE OF THIS HELPS POOR FAMILIES. Some of it actually hurts people.

Fuel duty - unless you drive, that’s not helpful. Any relief this gives people who rely on public transport, or anyone using energy in general, depends entirely on whether the public transport companies and the energy companies decide to pass that on to the customer. Spoiler: THEY WON’T.

Raising the income threshold at which you have to pay National Insurance contributions - yeah, that sounds great, except for one thing: those contributions go towards your state pension. They haven’t said whether not having to pay National Insurance contributions will put a dent in your state pension, which I assume means it will because if it didn’t, they would have reassured us about that one by now. So people’s pensions are probably getting gutted by this.

Scraping VAT on solar panels? Great. Except that leaves out renters (and in this buy-to-let housing market, there are a lot of renters who can’t afford to get on the housing market), people in flats they own (because they generally only own the leasehold of the specific flat and it’s entirely possible that the management company that owns the freehold has rules about what can be mounted on the building - I know mine does), and anyone who can’t afford the outlay for solar panels. So we’re helping the rich again.

Oh, and we’re apparently getting a 1% cut in income tax in 2024. Right around the time of the next election.

This is, by the way, at a time when people at food banks are having to ask to not be given potatoes because they cannot afford the electricity / gas required to cook them properly.

And people still back this fucking government! I don’t understand! I just ... sit here and stew in rage, panic, and misery! I DID NOT SIGN UP FOR THIS! And I can’t even complain to my mother, who is the reason I’m here in the first place, because she supports this shambles of a government, because apparently everyone else is “communists”!

This is why I’m growing my own food, people. THIS.

[femenaces]

In both a scientific and personal mindset, I have a lot of questions, so I might return here and there because I’d like to understand how your brain process works. I hope you don’t mind if I ask you a few genuine, not intended to be pointed, questions:

• Are you aware of the current anti-trans bills in the US, and other countries, that would put trans people at risk? Do you or do you not support them?

• Do you approve of and support formal conversion therapy for trans individuals, and, on that note, do you support parents (particularly of AFAB trans people) who’s reactions to coming out may be physically violent and/or cause emotional damage (such as turning emotionally abusive, believing them to be traitors, forcing them to become overly feminine, cutting out any support systems that accept the social change, and so on)

• Other than your own personal experiences, and other radfem blogs, do you have any scientific or historical articles/journals to back your claims, both against trans people, and against the idea of things such as, say, women wearing heels which you seem avidly against (or, more specifically for the heels, women feeling empowered by wearing heels).

• Lastly; do you have any anthropological knowledge/ideas on gender. By this I’m not necessarily talking about trans individuals, or third genders seen in different cultures, but also women, what is means to be a women, and so on within other cultures.

Thank you.

I am typing this on my phone in bed so I’m sorry if the formatting is fucked up

1) I am not aware of every single bill, no, but I have a general idea. I don’t support anything that would endanger transgender individuals. However I don’t think the following things (main topics of “anti-trans” bills) constitute endangering trans individuals:

-separating sports by biological sex. I feel for transgender people who want to compete athletically, because there is no easy solution to this. On one hand, male and female skeletons and muscle building capabilities are markedly different. I have had courses on biological and forensic anthropology and this is fact. This effects individuals’ sports performance. You can see this if you google sports records for men vs. women and observe the difference. As such, it would not be fair to put a transgender woman into a women’s competition. However, conversely, HRT does affect things like muscle building, so it wouldn’t be fair to have a trans woman on HRT compete with males that are not on HRT, or have a trans man compete with females not on HRT, etc. I’m not sure there’s an easy solution to this issue and the only option I can see is creating separate categories for trans athletes, even though that is obviously not ideal. Anyway, bills barring biological male trans women from competing in women’s sports and vice versa do not endanger the individuals in any tangible way.

-preventing children under 18 from starting hormone therapy or undergoing surgery. The aim of this is actually to protect the health of these individuals due to the fact that puberty blockers and HRT have adverse medical effects that are not yet fully understood. After a person turns 18, though, they should be free make any decision they feel is right for them.

Those are the main issues I’m aware of right now after scanning this page: https://freedomforallamericans.org/legislative-tracker/anti-transgender-legislation/ . If you have a specific bill you’d like me to look at, send me a link.

2) This is where the difference in our definitions of conversion therapy gets tricky. I would support therapy for dysphoric individuals that aims to work on non-medical ways to deal with dysphoria, & I think this option should always be explored first due to the health effects of HRT and risks of surgery. Do you consider this conversion therapy?

If we’re talking therapy that aims to make GNC people conform to traditional notions of gender based on their biological sex (eg. you’re a girl, you have to learn to wear dresses. You’re a boy, you can’t play with dolls) or tries to force someone to use pronouns they aren’t comfortable with, then I think that is conversion therapy and I absolutely do not support it. Along the same line, I obviously don’t support parents who mistreat their children for being GNC or identifying as trans because that’s abuse.

3) I don’t know what you mean when you say claims against trans people. Dysphoria clearly exists and for some people medical transition is the best option. For my claim that male and female are real things, I honestly don’t think I need a study or research paper to support that claim. Intersex individuals exist but do not prove that sex isn’t real. With just the skull and pelvis, you can identify the sex of an individual with somewhere around 95-99% accuracy from what I remember off the class notes I took a few weeks ago in my forensic anthropology class. I’m typing this from my phone in bed rn bc it’s 3am but I’m sure you can google this if you doubt me, here’s one paper to start you off: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0379073816300202

As for the claim against wearing heels, again it seems fairly self explanatory that walking around in strangely shaped objects will not do good things to your feet and muscles and skeleton, but if you really want a study then here’s a couple I found with a quick google search: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0169814101000385

https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C34&q=effects+of+wearing+high+heels&oq=effects+of+wearing#d=gs_qabs&u=%23p%3DermElc9Li4gJ

Why do I not think it’s empowering for women to wear shoes that give them health issues and are hard to move in? I don’t know how to explain that to you. A concrete example of how it actively DISEMPOWERS women is my experience having to walk home from work at the end of the day in an area where men follow and harass me. I quickly realized that wearing heels would not allow me to run if I needed to.

4) this is an especially funny question because I am one class away from graduating with a degree in anthropology. I have studied so many cultures from around the world and that is actually part of what made me a radical feminist. Cross culturally, it is astonishing to see how almost every culture displays prominent oppression of women, and, you guessed it, this oppression is sex based and starts the moment a female infant is born and recognized as female.

[feminist-propaganda]

Single Mothers Will Probably Cry During Every Episode Of Queen’s Gambit - Episode 6

“Men are gonna come along and wanna teach you things” predicts Alice at the beginning of Episode 6. “Doesn’t make them any smarter” she continues. “In most ways, they’re not. But it makes them feel bigger. They can show you how things are done. You just let them blow by and you go on ahead and do what the hell you feel like”.

 Little Beth listens carefully. 

“It takes a strong woman to stay by herself in a world where people will settle for anything just to say they have something.”

As she finishes her sentence, the camera zooms out and we see her finishing the embroidery of Beth’s name onto the dress. Beth smiles, and her mother says “There we are”. She’s almost finished her project.

Episode 6 : Learn From Straight White Men

To survive under capitalism, it is necessary to learn from those who created it, ie Straight White men. Many feminists might want to avoid capitalism all together, and avoid the mentorship of White men, which they don’t find useful. But Beth’s mother understands that to truly extract oneself from the oppresive system she is in, Beth first needs to navigate that system. 

In the first part of the episode, we see Beth ride with Benny to New York. He seems good for her. He doesn’t let her drink. He improves her chess. He introduces her to his friends. 

A bunch of people don’t know this, but New York’s original name was New Amsterdam and it was founded by the Dutch. 

The city, like Mexico, is symbolically chosen in the mini-series, as it is the epicenter of modern day capitalistic activities.

The Netherlands was a poor nation swamp up until the 1600s, when the Dutch figured out that they could trade goods, ensure the boats that transported the goods they traded and then eventually created the stock market. To this day, Amsterdam remains the international capital of financial technology. Every year, hundreds of higly skills migrants from countries like India, Turkey, China or Greece come to Amsterdam to develop faster robots to trade at higher rates for trust funds and billionaires.

Trading changed the Netherlands forever. It launched what some history books still call the “Golden age” which is now being deconstructed as a racist era, where the Dutch played a key role in organizing the trans-atlantic slave trade. 

Even though modern day Dutch society likes to downplay the role the Netherlands played in the slave trade, it is proven that the Netherlands became immensely rich thanks to the slave trade. They were experts in importing the coffee and sugar that was grown by the slaves and trading it inside of Europe.

New York, is the projection of the Dutch dream in the West. It is the home of Wall Street, where we find the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) as well as the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (NASDAQ), which is the same as the stock exchange only this time we let the robots to the high frequency automatic trading for us (yup).

In 1904-1905, right when Einstein was discovering the photoelectric effect in Germany, a man called Max Weber coined the phrase “the protestant work ethic”.

According to the theory of the “The protestant work ethic”, it is believed that there is something in protestant culture that encourages protestant communities to work very hard. As a result, a great deal of “ excess” is produced, and these goods can then be traded. According to this theory, the inventors of capitalism were just very hard working people, who accidentally made too much of something, and started selling it in a very organized way (the stock market). Then they became rich.

Martin Luther King disagrees:

“We have deluded ourselves into believing the myth that capitalism grew and prospered out of the Protestant ethic of hard work and sacrifice. The fact is that capitalism was built on the exploitation and suffering of black slaves and continues to thrive on the exploitation of the poor — both black and white, here and abroad.”

As the car pulls up in Benny’s street, and looking at these ever so simple Brownstone houses, I am reminded of the myths that protestants like to perpetuate about themselves. “We work so hard!” “We’re such simple people” “We eat stew” “My grandfather used to raise pigs”.

The never ending lies that protestants propagate about their work ethic serves an important purpose in White Supremacy. It tries to convince us that the wealth isn’t unequally distributed. That the privileges that the ruling class have are deserved, rather than stolen.

Benny is the ambassador of these White Men. He lives ever so simply. He offers Beth a mattress to sleep on the floor. He lives in a basement. There is no decoration on the walls. There are only the prizes he’s won at his competitions and tournaments, and some magazine covers. Again, the underlying subtext here is that Benny works hard, lives frugally, and deserves all of the awards he’s won.

Instead of resenting Benny, Beth accepts to learn from him, just like her mother told her to. She looks around his house, but doesn’t say a word, doesn’t judge. She’s here for a purpose, she’s here to take everything that he has in his head, and bring it with her to Paris to win against the Soviets.

She seems dissociated from the situation most of the time. The only time we see her getting a bit excited is when she meets the French model. Again, it’s the high fashion that seems to attract her, as if it’s a sign, an indication of something grander and more appropriate, something that she needs to follow. 

An adjournement in Chess, which is also the name of the episode, is when a player secretely puts his move into a sealed enveloppe after 5/6 hours of game. The players resume their play the following day. 

Towards the middle of the episode we find Beth right where we met her: in Paris. She plays her matches and makes it to the final with Borgov. Unfortunately, on the day before the final, she meets the French model from Benny’s, drinks and is so hangovered the next day she makes a fool of herself. Not even the two tranquilizers she takes before coming down from her hotel room can help her.

Losing to Borgov in Paris destroys Beth. She goes back to Kentucky and drinks her life away. By the end of the episode she looks sick. 

She’s probably discouraged because she’s gotten to the end of her mother’s advice for this episode. She followed the White Man, and all of his advice. She met him in the capital of capitalism, learned everything that was in his head. She even met his friends. She copied his cool. She became him. When she meets the french model in the hotel, they are themselves being the men they seek. They smoke, they drink pastis, they casually talk about fucking.

It’s also worth noting that by losing to Borgov, Beth isn’t failing Benny. He never won against Borgov either. Her presence at these tournaments is already the best that he’s ever achieved for himself. This is also why Benny’s teachings alone won’t get her past Paris, beyond the iron curtain, to Moscow and beyond. He’s never been where she needs to go, where her mother wants her to be. How can he take her there?

A single mother will tell her children to learn from the White Man, but she isn’t telling them to be the White Man. The White Man is probably the reason why she’s single in the first place, why she’s alone. The single mother tells her children to learn the White Man’s way to survive in his world first and then to unbuild it.

Single mothers are often poor, so they understand capitalism very well.  They understand that often times money does buy happiness. It gives you security. Strength even. And joy. Beth can’t extract herself from Kentucky, the deep south, segregation and the feminine mystique if she doesn’t have cash.

After she comes back from Paris, Beth finds Mr Wheatley is looking for her. He needs money and wants the house back. She buys his share from him and calls him pathetic. it’s another sign that she’s outgrown the men she used to learn from.

Now there is nothing else but the void, the emptiness beyond her, and she doesn’t know where else to go. It can be overwhelming and Beth copes with alcohol. Who could judge her?

[chimcharstar]

1 THROUGH 55 AND 1 THROUGH 30 GO GO GO

LETS FUCKIN GO

tumblr please actually make this a keep reading

55 interesting questions you should drop in someone’s inbox

1. If you didn’t have to sleep, what would you do with the extra time?

I ALREADY WATCH NETFLIX AND AGONIZE OVER MY STORY

2. What’s your favorite piece of clothing you’ve own/owned?

MY JACKETS. ANY CHEST OBSCURING, BROAD SHOULDERED, COZY JACKET

3. What hobbies would you get into if time and money wasn’t an issue?

DANCING, ID NEED TO GO TO CLASSES OR SOMETHING

4. What would your perfect room look like?

IM ACTUALLY PRETTY HAPPY WITH MY ROOM BUT IVE ALWAYS WANTED A LAVA LAMP, AND 1800 MORE PLANTS COULDNT HURT

5. Do you play sports?

NO

6. What fiction place would you love to go to?

SINNOH REGION

7. What Job would you be terrible at?

DEBT COLLECTION. I WOULD BE GIVING SHIT TO PEOPLE FOR FREE. I COULDNT BEAR BEING ENCOURAGED TO FORCE PEOPLE WHO CANT PAY FOR SOMETHING TO PAY MORE

8. If you could turn any activity into an Olympic sport, what would it be?

SERVING. HOW MANY PLATES CAN YOU CARRY AT ONCE

9. What’s the most annoy habit other people have?

WALKING IN MY SPACE BUBBLE WHEN MY SENSES ARE OVERLOADED

10. What skill would you like to master?

A SECOND LANGUAGE

11. What would be the most amazing adventure to go on?

THE ONE FROM MY DREAM WHERE I KISSED A GIRL DYED MY HAIR BLUE AND WE ELOPED TO BRAZIL TO RAISE SHEEP

12. What’s your favorite drink ?

THAT CHRISTMAS SHIT. PEPPERMINT MOCHA AT STARBUCKS. A FRIEND GOT IT FOR ME ONCE. NOW I ORDER IT A BILLION TIMES.

13. What state or country would you never like to go back to?

I HAVE NOT TRAVELLED MUCH EVER

14. What songs do you have completely memorized?

I DONT REMEMBER LYRICS SO MUCH, BUT I COULD PROBABLY REMEMBER HOW MANY SONGS GO COMPLETELY

15. Are you usually early or late?

LATE. IM GETTING BETTER THOUGH

16. What takes up too much of your time?

GETTING OUT OF BED

17. What do you wish you knew more about?

SWORDS

18. What are some small things that make your day better?

COFFEE. SOMEONE SAYING SOMETHING NICE TO ME.

19. What TV channel doesn’t exist but really should?

QUEER EYE BUT BY TRANS PEOPLE FOR TRANS PEOPLE

20. Who has impressed you the most with what they’ve accomplished?

YOU. AND ME. ITS GROWTH

21. What age do you wish you can permanently be?

21, SO I HAVE TIME TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THE FUCKS GOING ON

22. What TV show or movie do you refuse to watch?

13 REASONS, THE BOOK WAS TRIGGERING SO I WONT RISK IT

23. What would be your ideal way to spend you weekend?

TAKING A WALK, HAVING COFFEE, WATERING PLANTS… IM HAPPY

24. What’s something in your life that’s considered a luxury?

I HAVE PERFUME...

25. Is there anything you’re too young/old for?

TO YOUNG TO NEVER DRINK. TOO OLD FOR POKEMON

26. What’s your favorite genre book or movie?

I DONT HAVE THE ATTENTION SPAN FOR EITHER BUT I SEEM TO LIKE URBAN FANTASY A LOT

27. How often do you people watch?

I THINK IM SO POLITE BUT HONESTLY, I QUIETLY SCRUTINIZE SO MANY PEOPLE ON THE TRAIN EVERY DAY AND GUESS AT THEIR PERSONAL HABITS AND SELF IMAGE.

28. What’s the best single day on the calendar?

MY BIRTHDAY, SAGITTARIUS SEASON RULES BABY

29. What are you interested in that most people haven’t heard of?

I DONT KNOW ABOUT ANYTHING PPL HAVENT HEARD OF BUT IM INTERESTED IN BLACK HOLES

30. Do you relax after a hard day?

FOOD. NETFLIX. DECOMPOSING ON TUMBLR

31. What’s the best book or series you’ve ever read?

I HAVENT READ A BOOK I REALLY LOVE IN AGES. HARRY POTTER AND ARTEMIS FOWL WERE MY FAVOURITES GROWING UP, BUT CORNELIA FUNKES BOOKS SLAPPED AND HIS DARK MATERIALS WAS GORGEOUS

32. Where’s the farthest you’ve ever been from home?

IDAHO?

33. What’s the most heart warming thing you’ve ever seen?

LUCIFER WAS LIKE YOU DESERVE SOMEONE WHO CARES ABOUT YOUR BORING MIDDLE NAME JANE AND KNOWS THAT EVERY MURDER BREAKS YOUR HEART AND YOU SIMPLY DESERVE BETTER SO NO MORE MOMENTS WHILE THEYRE HAVING A MOMENT AND CHLOE IS WATCHING THIS FUCKING IDIOT AND IVE WATCHED THIS BEFORE SO I KNOW SHES GONNA KISS HIM AND THEN THEY KISS

34. What’s the most annoying question that people ask you?

ANY SMALL TALK QUESTIONS

35. Would you give a 40 minute presentation with no preparation?

YES. ID MAKE THAT SHIT RIGHT UP. SKILLS

36. What’s something you think everyone should do at least once in their lives?

GIVE ME A HUG AND SOME CHOCOLATE

37. Would you rather go Hand Gliding or Whitewater rafting?

HANG GLIDING

38. Dream car?

SOMETHING I DONT HAVE TO WORRY WILL FALL INTO PIECES AT ANY MOMENT

39. What’s something so many people are obsessed with and you just don’t understand why?

STRAIGHT LOVE SONGS

40. What are you most looking forward to in 10 years from now?

HAVING A CAT

41. What’s something you’ve been meaning to try but haven’t gotten to it?

DECORATING THE DOLLHOUSE I RESCUED FROM THE BATHROOM

42. What’s the best thing that’s happened to you all week?

IM NOT VERY FAR THROUGH THE WEEK AND I HAVENT ENJOYED MOST OF IT BUT PEOPLE SAYING ADORABLE THINGS

43. How different was your life one year ago?

NOT A LOT DIFFERENT, IM JUST LONELY IN THE CITY NOW, MINUS A TOXIC RELATIONSHIP, ONE YEAR ON T

44. What/who would you rate 10/10?

MY CACTUS JAKEN. I DROPPED HIM SO MANY TIMES AN ENTIRE HALF OF HIS SPIKES ARE FLAT SCARS. AND LOOK AT HIM. THRIVING

45. What kind of art do you enjoy the most?

GENUINELY MADE ART

46. What do you hope never changes?

MY T PRESCRIPTION

47. What movie title best describes your life?

I LOOKED THROUGH NETFLIX AND I PICK TWILIGHT

48. What website do you visit most often?

TUMBLR

49. What’s something you’re looking forward to this year?

MY BIRTHDAY

50. What’s something you’d like to unlearn?

FINDING A REASON TO CANCEL EVERY SINGLE LITTLE THING

51. Where would you spend all your time if you could?

WALKING BY SOME RUNNING WATER

52. What age would you like to live to?

80. THATS MY MENTAL HEALTH ANSWER

53. What’s something you’re most likely to become famous for?

SOMETHING CREATIVE WOULD BE AWESOME

54. What’s something you’re most likely to be arrested for?

CRIMES

55. What’s something you really want but can’t afford?

A CAT

Lgbt+ ask game

What do you identify as and what are your pronouns?

I’m even a little shaken by a questioning state right now but for a while I’ve felt the best fit is the androgynous label -- I read a description of it being the purple on a pink to blue scale, both at once but not specifically either one, and something else by itself. I’m also happy with a cryptic masculine grey area. My pronouns are he/him.

How did you discover your sexuality, tell your story?

During the Puberty 1.0 nightmare, I was basically living someone else’s life, and any attraction I felt wasn’t in relation to myself. I felt disconnected from my body and gender and everything too, and I felt a lot of social pressure to experience a certain type of attraction, fit into a certain role, et cetera, and none of these feelings existed in me at all, so I used to identify as ace. When I realized I was trans, I was too caught up in the, transition safely, my life is a lie, stopping dysphoria drama to focus on this, but I had an idea I might be a gay guy judging from my gay creative writing until I caught feelings for a girl and realized this wasn’t the first time that had happened. Some bi positivity and nonbinary rage later, I am reminded that gender is a joke.

Have you experienced being misgendered? What happened and how did you overcome it?

Yes of course A LOT. Starting with my parents, who do it aggressively and maliciously. And plenty from strangers and customers, mostly after hearing my voice pre-transition. It used to hurt terribly because I was dealing with so much other stuff at the time, and one little thing could be the last straw, so I used to react strongly and harshly, to people you express yourself to anyway. On T, I’ve been so much more chill and confident, and it’s less painful to accept that some people just don’t know any better, although that doesn’t change its effect.

Who was the first person you told, how did they react?

I don’t remember, I think it was a high school friend. I vaguely remember texting someone in a bathroom during a crying session at work. My high school friends were all warm and supportive.

Describe what it was like coming out, what did you feel?

It was scary as hell. I’m sure coming out (with your gender specifically) is scary by nature because it’s a huge truth to be telling that can really change how the people you love perceive you, for better or for worse, but for me, I’m also thinking with the dread and certainty that my family would be too conservative and potentially dangerous. Coming out to my family was one of the worst, most painful things I’ve ever been through -- being kicked out and laughed at, a lot of drama, confrontations, Bible readings and being ganged up on at odd hours, trying to comfort my mom who took it as her personal failure -- I was shaking with adrenaline 24/7. I think of the “I’ll suffer through anything as long as it has meaning” comment that was about angsty fanfics, but knowing the truth about myself was a source of unshakable strength and it felt refreshing and even triumphant to say, like I was giving myself permission to exist for the first time. I came out a bunch of times, though...

If you’re out, how did your parents/guardians/friends react?

My family reacted mostly badly, my sister is a little confused but has the spirit, and my friends have been wonderful.

What is one question you hate people asking about your sexuality?

It’s more of a gender thing, but I hate it when people imply that I shouldn’t be on T or are subtly trying to talk me out of it with their questions. After all the disrespectful as fuck bullshit I heard from my parents, I’m tired of this.

Describe the style of clothing that you most often wear.

Zombie apocalypse denim? Gay Layers

Who are your favourite lgbt+ ships?

I’m not really emotionally invested in these “ships” you cool kids are talking about. I like canon, age-appropriate ones.

What does makeup mean to you? Do you wear any?

I’ve never really worn makeup. I brazenly never bothered to growing up, and if it had an effect on me socially, I was too tuned out to care. My sister always wanted to do my hair and makeup, but I wasn’t interested and wouldn’t let her, much to her frustration. I wore some for a musical once though, and I had no idea what I was doing and it was extremely uncomfortable. I felt what I know now is dysphoria and ended up using the lipstick to draw. Another aspect to this is my family forbade it (or my dad made the decision for everyone), not that it made my sister feel less pressured to wear it, so maybe it was some female presentation I could easily get out of. For that reason, I don’t have super strong feelings about it. Not understanding it probably resulted in me feeling left out a lot among my peers.

Do you experience dysphoria? If so, how does that affect you?

Yes. Before my realization, it was a numb horror I wasn’t consciously aware of, ruining nice things growing up to the point where I feel like I missed out on being a teenager. I remember it as feeling nauseous while sitting in a corner, feeling like none of my clothes ever fit for some mysterious reason. Living with my family in the closet, it defined my life, and I was obsessed with my presentation. These days, it does not bother me on that level at all, except a minor freakout now and then if I get really wild and wear feminine clothes. Or I still feel it in more subtle ways, when I default to customer service voice, or when guys my age are twice my height and I look aaaall the way up at them and wonder what gender they see me as.

What is the stupidest thing you’ve heard said about the lgbt+ community?

Trust me, I have heard truck loads of dumb shit and the winner is the Gay Agenda is R****a’s propaganda to weaken the integrity of North America. Considering what is happening over there, it was enragingly stupid.

What’s your favourite thing about the lgbt+ community?

I feel like I can be myself around lgbt+ people. I don’t feel like I have to hide stuff or put on a show, and I’m not afraid because it’s familiar territory.

What’s your least favourite thing about the lgbt+ community?

Aside from obvious problems like TERFs, ace discourse. Ace people are part of the community if they want to be and that’s enough on that, my skin is already breaking out.

Have you ever been to your cities pride event? Why or why not?

I finally went to a Pride event this year! I was surprised it was the first one I’d been to, then remembered my parents discouraged me from going anywhere, never mind to a gay where.

Who is your favourite lgbt+ Icon/Advocate/Celebrity?

I can’t think of many people right now, but Leslie Feinberg seems awesome, and some quotes from Stone Butch Blues are very validating.

Have you been in a relationship and how did you meet?

No. Technically I have been in one, but it was shitty and ridiculous, and basically platonic, and I don’t want it to count.

What is your favourite lgbt+ book?

I barely read… I read Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe in high school and it was honestly so precious.

Have you ever faced discrimination? What happened?

Yes. I got kicked out (but then kicked back in again), had my stuff stolen and damaged, was verbally harassed… and I was indirectly fired by an employer, but We Will Never Know Why...

Your Favorite lgbt+ movie or show?

Queer Eye! I don’t know of many though, and some important ones, I just haven’t watched.

Who are some of your favourite lgbt+ bloggers?

My mutuals :D

Which lgbt+ slur do you want to reclaim?

I’m okay calling myself queer.

Have you ever gone to a gay bar, or a drag show, how was it?

No, but I did see some drag performances at the one (1) Pride event I went to, and they were jaw-dropping.

How do you self-identify your gender, and what does that mean to you?

I’m not sure what this question means, but I decide what fits right by what makes me feel the most alive and emotionally real and in the moment. What makes me feel the most attractive to be honest. There’s a post about dysphoria I saw going around, the things on it are basically what I use to figure things out.

Are you interested in having children? Why or why not?

I am actually! Not anytime soon, but I’m the responsible type for sure, and judging by the way I love growing plants and being around animals, I’m probably a nurturing person. I actually like kids too, lol, they’re just so high-energy.

What identity advice would you give your younger self?

You’re a boy. Go!

What do you think of gender roles in relationships?

I think people are going to have different ways of expressing themselves that make them happy, but… I don’t think they should infringe on basic human decency. When I hear “role” I think of acting a certain way because someone told you to, something I want to disagree with on the spot.

Anything else you want to share about your experience with gender?

People move out of my way on the sidewalk and take me seriously now. Privilege or self-confidence… I never want to forget what it used to be like, or get too entitled.

What is something you wish people know about being lgbt+?

That it’s simply living one’s reality. I think that trips up a lot of straight people -- that some people just come like this, and they don’t have to make it fit into their personal identity.

Why are proud to be lgbt+?

Because I worked hard to be alive and happy right now. I’m proud of choosing to get through those rough patches, take care of myself, heal, take walks, cook breakfast, learn healthy coping mechanisms, that was out of love for myself and a defiant conviction that I have a place in this world.

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #207

“it’s late, and you’re still staring at the light; to call it an addiction’s impolite.”

Nevermind what gender you ARE, what gender do you WANT to be? Happy being a girl. Do you ever feel ashamed revealing your age? When it's to people who are aware of how behind I am in the adult world in any context, yes. Very. If they know nothing about me, then I don't care. Are you confident enough to reveal your height and weight? Height, I don't care. Weight, fuck no. What do your parents call you? Both usually say "Britt," but Dad's more likely to use terms of endearment like "sweetie" and such. Well, Mom does use "hunny" a lot too. How old were you when you first got to go on the computer? Idr. About the "normal" age for little kids that played Neopets, probably. Would you say you’re an emotional person? Way too emotional. What’s a color that suits you the best? Black. And a color you just can’t pull off/don’t want to? Probably most... I wouldn't know, almost every single thing I wear is black. I have literally one light purple shirt, and I think that's the only non-black shirt I own. Describe yourself when you were 6 years old? Very talkative, extremely imaginative, outgoing, I was definitely weird, tomboyish, very happy... Man, I miss being that kid sometimes. A type of personality you just can't stand? The older and older I get, the more I cannot STAND a closed mind. I like people who accept they're far from always right, and sometimes, your "right" isn't such for someone else, and that is fine. You don't have to see the same way to still get along perfectly (though of course, there's no need to respect an opinion that spits upon, invalidates, or is just plain hateful towards another person/group). Like just as an example 'cuz I feel like I explained that poorly; I'm really not into the idea of polygamy at all, but I'm not against it for people it works with. You do you. Your appearance in one word would be? "Abilify." :^) City type of person or country? I like the live in a more country-ish area, but I found through Chicago I LOVE /visiting/ cities. What’s something you’re obsessed about right now? When am I not obsessed with Mark, meerkats, Silent Hill, opossums (a newer addition), WoW, etc. etc.? My whole life runs on obsessing over something, fren. Your reaction if someone told you you look 10 years older than your age? ZOINKS that would suck ass. Do you really badly want anything right now? For the past couple weeks, I've become more and more antsy to get up to Sara's again. When I land a job, fancyin' up my tattoo just because as I've said again and again it is SO important to me and must be perfect, then I'm saving up to go back up there. What’s something that makes you really stressed out? With all this job searching and such going on, it's like all I can think about, so why not mention what fucked me up at my previous ones: Putting me in a position of responsibility and expected knowledge. Ex., when I was a sales associate and was asked "Oh, do you have this?"/"Where is this?", it was CONSTANT PANIC MODE because I never knew and had to ask somebody, when I was expected to be a knowledgeable employee to the customer, and then comes the horror of feeling like I'm inconveniencing and annoying them. Have any particular standard look you look for in a significant other? I don't have a "standard look," no, but I am more likely to be drawn to a gothic appearance. But I don't actively search for someone that meets that criteria or anything. Do you listen to Wiz Khalifa? No. What are your opinions on marijuana legalization? Please legalize medicinal use already. Recreationally, idk. Do you date outside your own race? I'd have no reservations against it. I dated a Hispanic... less than a day, but still, you get the point that I don't have a problem with it. What are some of your turn-offs? SEXIST/MISOGYNISTIC, too old-fashioned, racist and/or homophobic, raunchy, arrogant/self-centered, lack of sincere interest and enthusiasm in conversation, poor hygiene, I'm gonna get SHIT ON for saying "too slutty," not taking dating seriously... that kinda stuff. I'm so picky. Are you gay, straight, bi, or trans? Bisexual. Are you vegetarian? If not, would you ever consider becoming one? I'm not now, but I hope to return to it after I get to my goal weight... In my few months of vegetarianism, it was proven that my immense pickiness with food was making the diet unhealthy for me, as I was strongly lacking in certain vitamins and such. I'm going to have to somehow overcome that if I want to return to it, which I REALLY do want to do the more and more I get into animal welfare and care. Are you in love? Yes. Are you more of a pessimist or an optimist? Pessimist, I think, out of the two. But I like to see myself as a realist. How much money is in your wallet? Literally just $11 lmao. What’s your favorite sex position? Only experienced in these with a man, so answering with that in mind. I like sitting on his lap, facing him, with my legs around his back. What do you ultimately wish for in life? Happiness and peace. Have you ever been pregnant? No. What do you think about tipping at restaurants? Tip your goddamn waiter/waitress, assholes. I do believe in tipping based on the quality of service, BUT at least give them SOMETHING for working. Do you have your driver’s license? No jkajdsklfaj;wer. I haaaave to practice more. Whenever I'm in the car, I always strongly prefer to listen to my music, controlling it from the passenger's seat, and at least right now, I can't drive with loud music, barely any at all really, so I have a hard time giving up blaring my music while Mom drives lmao. Have you ever passed out from drinking? No. What’s your favorite carnival food? Idk, I don't go nearly enough. Who did you last kiss? Romantically, Sara. Platonically, either my niece or nephew when leaving. Have you seen the final Harry Potter movie? I haven't even see one. Ever been called a slut? No. Would you ever have sex with someone not of your preferred sex? I'm bisexual so like- Would you ever get back together with any of your exes? No. Do you take any meds on a daily basis? Yep. What did you do today? Watched LPs as always; did some job searching; played WoW, way shorter than usual though; took a nap; made a new icon; took a shower; listened to music; did some social media scrolling. The usual stuff. What do you wear to bed at home? A tank top and pj pants. What do you wear to bed when you're somewhere else? The same, but with a bra. Is there a place you keep any prized/secret things whilst you’re away? No. Do you have any phobias? What? Why do you think you have this/them? I'll just talk about the unordinary ones, 'cuz I have a lot. The ones I'd consider "weird" are vomiting, whale sharks, and pregnancy. Vomiting is because it's just incredibly unpleasant, but also because I know what goes down is not supposed to come back up. Like no one likes puking, no shit, but I'm legit afraid of it and lock up on what to do when I feel it coming, like I don't know what to do. Whale sharks... ahaha. It literally came from World of Warcraft. The design of their mouths is fucking horrifying, and I hate hate hate how they sometimes phase in-and-out of the Vashj'ir map so just like pOP UP. NAH, SON. It's just their damn mouths, even though I know their esophagus is far too small to swallow a human. As for pregnancy, just... ew. I'm afraid of parasites, and it's a parasitic relationship. Something should NOT be growing inside of you. What skill do you possess that you are most proud of? I'm very compassionate, especially when it comes to others enduring emotional struggles. I really feel for hurting people. What is your greatest strength (e.g. honest, loyal, brave)? I have strong morals and stick to them. I'll always stand up for what I feel is right. What’s your greatest shortcoming or flaw (e.g. cowardly, alcoholic)? Ah jeez, there's a lot... but probably my anxiety. It's held me back and manipulated my actions since middle school. I struggle not followings its rules, but I'm sure trying. Who do you most admire? Mark, my mom, Sara, Sara's dad, Steve Irwin... man, there's too many great people. Who do you most love? Sara, my mom, and my pets, Teddy especially. What three things do you look for most in a partner? EXPRESSING OF THEIR EMOTIONS/TRULY FEELING!!!!!!!!, compassion, and a cool head. If you could ask God (to atheists - IF there was one) one question, what? Hm. Good question... There's a lot, but mostly little wonders; I feel like I have a decent understanding of the god I personally see, so don't have any magnificent questions. Perhaps regarding why they created our world. That'd be interesting. Rate yourself on these traits from 0 to 10: 0 - do not possess this trait. 10 - you have great amounts of this trait. Calm temper: 7. Charm: *big shrug* Cheerfulness: 3-4. Confidence: 0-3. Courtesy: 8-10. Curiosity: 6-10. Forgiveness: 9-10. Generosity: 8-10. Greed: 0-3. Helpfulness: Well, I like to try to help, but I don't feel I'm very successful at that, so idk. Honesty: 5-9, depending on who I'm talking to and what the subject is, I guess. Loyalty: This is very flexible, and I don't feel like I can put a number on it. It depends on how deserving you are of the trait, and yes, you can lose my loyalty in a heartbeat if you give me reason to take it away. Optimism: 0-4. Patience: This can go from a whopping 0 to a 10, lmao. Very dependent on the situation. Self-sacrifice: 8-9. Wit: -10. Briefly describe your family. Kinda broken. Tight bonds scattered between certain people, no bonds with others. What is the worst thing that has ever happened to you? The breakup. I wouldn't wish that night upon Satan himself. How did it affect you? We know. Have you ever had any recurring nightmares or themes in nightmares? Speaking of that... Jason is in most nightmares I remember. The common theme is it's either after the breakup and we have an awkward running in with each other, or it's long before when everything was "perfect." All things considered, I'd call even that a nightmare. Those fuck with me the most. Do you currently have a boyfriend/girlfriend? Yeah. Do you have any close friends? I can count those on maybe two fingers. Of what are you most proud? Letting Jason go. Of what are you most ashamed? I've talked about the Joel situation multiple times. What is your religion? Theist. Where do you stand on abortion? Mostly pro-choice. Where do you stand on the death penalty? Sometimes justifiable and one's deserving end. Felons are lucky enough it's done humanely. Where do you stand on wearing fur? If you're not surviving out in the arctic, fuck you and all you stand for. Could you kill somebody? I'm perfectly aware I could in defense situations. For what reason would you kill somebody? Defending myself or loved ones. Hell, probably even strangers. I'd kill a rapist with zero fucking hesitation, even if they were assaulting someone I'd never seen before. Would you SERIOUSLY CONSIDER killing anybody right now? No. Do you trust easily, or not? NOPE. What, if anything, would you sacrifice your life for? Defending peace, gay rights, or if it was to protect most of those I love. What are your dreams/ambitions/goals? Be a successful photographer, reach financial stability, come to a point where I'm actually proud of what I've done, play a roll in wildlife conservation, be happily married, and just overall be content and satisfied with my life. How do you plan to reach them? Working my goddamn ass off and not taking "no" for an answer (not about the marriage part tho lmao). Do you ever want to have a family someday? With children? No. Who would you want to start this family with, or do you not yet know? I just want a pet family with Sara. What do you see yourself doing next year? Man, I don't have a clue... What do you see yourself doing in twenty years? I don't want to think of that. That's too far ahead. I'll be 43... I've gotta work on too many things now. Would you ever have an affair? I'm very curious as to who would actually answer "yes" to this. Would you ever have a one night stand? No. Lmaoooo actually this is sad as fuck, but I think I've said in a previous survey just knowing myself, if we were both single and clicked, I'd be doomed if it was Markiplier. My morals would sadly go out the window. If you had a month of nothing (no work, no obligations) what would you do? That's literally been the story of my life for years now, especially the past two. And it's torture. Would you ever choose a career or job where your life was at risk? No. Well, actually, I do want to do wildlife photography, and it can be pretty dangerous. Were you present at any major historical events (e.g. 9/11)? No. Do you have any famous relatives? No. Ancestors, yeah, but not close relatives. Are you a loyal member of any organizations? No. What type of criminal would you be? With how forgetful I am, I'm certain I'd be a very clumsy one that gets caught very quickly, lol. What are you listening to right now? "Voices" by Motionless In White. If you had to choose a stripper name, what would it be? Um idk. If your phone started ringing, who would you hope is calling? Someone for a job interview. Do you drink? Rarely and/or for some special occasions. Never enough to get drunk. Do you smoke? No. What is the first thing you notice in someone? I guess posture? How they carry themselves? Do you get attached easily? BOY! DO I!!!!!!!!!!! Do you like your eye color? I wish they were more blue. Would you go bungee jumping/sky diving if given the chance? Definitely not bungee jumping, I know how I react to that kind of up/down movement, and probably not skydiving, either. Have you ever been to a psychiatrist/therapist? Both regularly since middle school. Are looks important in a relationship? Not very. What is your favorite thing to do? Binge a new song I fell in love with for like days lmao. What was the last thing you downloaded onto your computer? PhotoScape. It's easier to move watermarks for photos on there, and I was working on the ones I took a few days back. Do you like to gossip? No, I feel super guilty. What kind of computer do you have? An Acer. Do you know all the words to your national anthem? I think? Have you ever failed a grade? No. Have you ever made the opposite sex cry? Yes. Have you ever had a crush on a teacher? Nah. Have you ever slapped someone in the face? No. Do you own a designer purse? Hell no. Waste of money for a goddamn purse that's just gonna get dirty and scratched. What’s the weirdest rumor you’ve ever heard about yourself? Jason and I magically had a baby over summer vacation when I was very obviously never pregnant. Do you say the "h" in the word “herb”? No, though I did for a super long time 'cuz I had no idea it was wrong. Do you speak any languages besides English? Not fluently. Can you run in high heels? I wouldn't really know, but boy do I doubt it. Do you have to take stairs or an elevator to get to your house? No. What do you usually order at Subway? Ummm I think white bread, ham, American cheese, bacon, jalapenos, banana peppers, and Chipotle sauce. I think that's it. Did an alarm wake you up this morning? No. How long is your mother’s hair? Past her shoulderblades, near the middle of her back. Is there any particular place you’d like to vacation to next? Surprisingly, I'd love to go somewhere tropical, like Hawaii or some shit like that. Somewhere with clear water and unique, beautiful wildlife and nature. What is your beer of choice, if any? Never tried beer, never want to. The smell is bad enough. That and I associate it with when Dad was an alcoholic. Did you share a bed with anyone last night? No. Well, other than with my cat. Do you know anyone who volunteers regularly? Yes. Have you ever ruined a nice pair of shoes, and how? Maybe, playing in puddles or biking through them and mud as a kid or something. Who were the last friends you went to hang out with? Sara. How many chairs are in the room you’re currently in? None. Have you texted a relative in the past week? Not besides immediate family. Are you doing anything important today? No. If I were to bring you any type of food right now, what would you pick? If I was actually hungry, I have been craving hotdogs on the grill like CRAZY lately. No clue why. When did you move into the house you’re currently living in? April-ish 2017. Do you ever sleep with the light on? No, I can't. Do you pray to Jesus? 20+ years of that did nothing. No. What was the last thing you ordered at Starbucks? N/A Do you have a bonfire pit in your yard? No. Would you consider being homeless if it meant you could travel the world? I don't know; there's lots of factors to consider. Would I be willing to leave my pets (but Teddy, probably; I'd want him with me) with my mom? Would I have something like a camper? Where am I getting this money to travel and provide for myself? Do you know your next-door neighbor? Mom knows one, but I personally don't. What’s something you have never done? Lots of things? As an example, uhhh... I've never done a cartwheel, despite childhood efforts? Name someone you know who is a true risk-taker, adventurer, and free spirit. Do you admire that person? Idk. Do you wish you were more of a free spirit? I think I already am, but it'd be cool to be more of one. Are you allergic to any medications? No. How do you feel when someone says something you’ve experienced doesn’t exist? Tell me depression isn't real, my PTSD isn't genuine, I can "get over" my anxiety if I want to hard enough, stuff like that, and I will not fucking associate with you. These are things that have massively affected my life; I dare someone to tell me these experiences aren't real issues. What worldview do you have? A realistic one, I think. I'm positive in some areas, negative in others. Hm... I'm probably more pessimistic about the world's future, though. Do you have friends who have different religious beliefs than you? Duh? If applicable, who was the first person you “came out” to? Sara. What’s one thing you’d like to do more? Travel. What was your style in high school? Some emo/metalhead hybrid that wished with all her heart to be capable of affording a goth wardrobe and bitch I still do. What’s one thing you are jealous that other people got to do but you didn’t? Have a healthy teenage experience. Have you ever taken birth control pills continuously? I have for years for my cycle. I had just about debilitating cramps and sometimes periods that lasted over a week. Who is your personality twin? Sara is probably the closest. What’s a common name that you hate? Edward, above all. Not a big fan of William, Robert, or Allen, either. Who do you wish you were best friends with? If you don't count my girlfriend as "best friend," maybeeee... Alon still? Or Baylee. I need to talk more to her, she's awesome. Do you own a camera tripod? Yes. Did you ever believe in mermaids? I don't believe so. …in fairies? I believed in the Tooth Fairy. …in Santa? Yes. Have you ever purchased alcohol? Yes. What is your newest hobby? Hm, I don't think I've found a new one for a long while... What gives your life meaning? I don't know. What motivates you to do what you do? The pursuit of happiness. What was the weather like the last time you went out? Too fucking hot. Do you go for walks often? No, though I really want to around a lake at a local, small park. Problems consist of no way to get there myself, it's WAY too fucking hot with my sweating issue, and my knees just wouldn't have it; I know I couldn't walk the full lap around it. Also expect some art installations around the path and probably the gazebo are PokeStops for Pokemon Go and really wish I could play it, so that's bait to do it lmao. What color shirt are you wearing? Pink. What is your favorite type of YouTube video to watch? It really depends on who I'm watching. Favorite on the face of the planet are Mark's ego projects, then my second fave are probably Shane's conspiracy videos, then I love let's plays. Do you need any new clothes right now? I seriously need more pants. And new bras. Do you collect anything? If so, what? Silent Hill merch and meerkat stuff. ^and if not, what would you like to collect? When I can buy shit myself, ya girl is gonna have way too much Markiplier merch. YouTuber stuff in general, actually. Too shy to ask for that kinda stuff now lol. Have you ever experienced a miracle? I don't think so. What was the last thing you ate? A burger. Do you ever eat food that’s intended for kids? ...? Like, baby food? No. Or maybe you mean shit like Lunchables? In cases like that, sometimes? What was the last stupid thing you did? Oh boy, who knows. Do you get embarrassed easily? You. Have. No. Idea. What are your top three names you like for a daughter? Alessandra, then uhhhh... I like Chloe and Adrian. Would you ever film a vlog of yourself giving birth? Hell no. I'd never wanna see it, I'd never want my hypothetical child to have to witness that, etc. Do you like getting caught in the rain? No. Wet clothes are no. Do you think your hair looks best straight, wavy, or curly? Straight, I guess? Though my hair does swoop to the right, so it's kinda a wave? What was the last craft project you completed? Oh, yeesh. I don't do crafts. The closest thing was I guess Sara's Valentine's Day gift for last year? Name 3 YouTubers you would like to meet in person: Markiplier is literally the only one that matters lmao and it's not "would like to meet in person," he will be forced to endure meeting me ok. Meeting Shane Dawson would be amazing, he's such a relatable sweetie, aaaaand #3 would probably be Rhett and/or Link, as similar to Mark, they deserve a tear-filled thanks as well as back-breaking hugs for seriously helping in keeping me alive through my suicidal year. I mean it when I say they genuinely helped me keep going. What color are your nails painted currently? They’re never painted. Do you use a pill box? No. List 3 people you know who were loving and then turned cold: Jason, Jason, and Jason. Have you ever felt threatened for your life? No. Which did you like better: high school or college? My college experience was horrid. High school had great memories, but of course negative ones, too. Which year of your life stands out to you as the most significant so far? 2017. …and why? It was my year of recovery from the breakup. What was the last store you shopped at? I went to Wal-Mart with Mom. I think that was the most recent, anyway. Do you have a favorite pharmacist? No. Do you have a favorite cashier at the grocery store? No. What’s something you discovered recently? I'm a Billie Eilish fan. What makes you more creative? Music. What’s the last magical thing you experienced? YO okay so when my brother and nephew were here, we went to the science museum and into a 360 VR-esque show about astronauts. I got SO nauseous and dizzy, but it was nevertheless extremely cool. What is the theme of your bedroom? It doesn't have a theme. Have you ever lived in a dorm? No. When was the last time you stepped outside of your comfort zone? Just tonight! I ordered at a drive-thru myself. Would you rather ride a camel or an elephant? An elephant! Do you want to lose weight? You have no fucking idea. Which insects scare you, if any? Lmao most. Especially rhinoceros beetles, big beetles in general honestly, cockroaches, earwigs, centipedes... like a lot okay. I like observing praying mantises, but I would probably have a fucking heart attack if one was on me. Do you think it’s silly to be afraid of a tiny insect? Well, yeah, though I get the likely survival reason, that being we know many are venomous, so we're naturally averse to them, especially if we don't recognize the type. Were you raised religious? Yes. Have you ever been abused? No, thankfully. Is there a coffee shop you like better than Starbucks? N/A If you could afford to get your hair professionally done, what would you get? Man, I have SO many color combination ideas. If I could get it done in the safest manageable way by a pro, I saw this look once with totally bleached/pure white hair that fades to blood-red tips, and BOY would I get that in a heartbeat. If you had a lot of money, do you think you would use it wisely? I hope so. I think so. The only thing I imagine myself being weak with are tattoos. Do you know any rich people who are very irresponsible? I don't think so... List five careers that you’d like to have: Meerkat biologist, paleontologist, artist, poet, something in wildlife conservation/protection. List five far-out things that you’d like to do before you die: Scuba-dive, I'd LIKE to ride a rollercoaster (far-out for me, trust me), but I know I never will, and uh... idk. Riding a motorcycle would be cool, but that's another thing I hiiighly doubt I'll do. What was your first imaginary friend’s name? I never had one. What was the name of the first pet that you loved? Chance, a cat my mom rescued. She was our very first family pet. She was absolutely incredible. Do you like to go barefoot? Unless I'm in a house, no. Do you like the same colors now that you did as a kid? Yeah. Do you have a YouTube channel? Yeah. Is there someone who stopped talking to you for no reason? Oh, who to begin with? Did you ever get called horrible names like whore, skank or bitch? "Bitch" more than once. Where did you sleep last night? My bed. Have you ever slow danced with anyone? With Jason, yeah. And I don't think so, but maybe Sara briefly? Have you ever cried in public? Yeah. What would you do if you were pregnant? I don't have a fucking clue. Do you like cuddling? With someone I love. Have you ever cried in school? Yes, but I think I kept it private. Who’s the last person to send you a message on Facebook? A woman whose wedding I'm shooting this Saturday. Have you ever witnessed someone else engaging in a sexual act? Just making out. Where did you get drunk last? N/A What’s your relationship with the last person you texted? She's my girlfriend. If someone went through your pictures, would they find a dirty one? No. How did you do on the last test you took? I haven't been in school for a long time. How come you’re not going out with the person you love? I am.

[queeragainsthumanity]

I'd like to say you know who you are but you're too self-involved for it to click

Heres a list of things you do that you should really really stop:

1. Fetishizing queer people

2. Appropriating stories, experiences, and language from queer, poc, and fat people when you are cishet, white, and skinny. Actually just stop making stuff up in general thx

3. Infantilizing queer ppl. I don't want to hear how that trans or gay person is "SUCH A SWEETHEART OMG"

4. Changing the scope of your life narrarive to somehow be queer and outcast-y and how you TOTALLY understand what we go through and you basically have been through the same thing. Ie: not believing in bisexuality but now that it's "in" talking about how you've had bi BEST FRIENDS every year growing up??? (If you knew anything about bisexuality you'd realize it's never "in") or working at a summer camp that catered to all types of children and just because there was a one week long trans and gnc group you say you volunteered at a "trans camp"...UMM?? Just stop editing your stories to seem like you're so active in the lgbtq+ community when ??? You literally have the most problematic views of us?

5. Saying that you give off lesbian pheromones and that every lesbian you encounter is attracted to you and hits on you. And don't make up stories about how a lesbian was aggressively flirting with you at a bar?? First off, ew. Secondly, this is problematic because it capitalizes on the predatory narrative assigned to lesbians by the media and is straight up harmful. You are not a poor innocent straight girl being seduced by the big bad gay tm. Lastly, constantly talking about how lesbians are attracted to you does NOT make you a better ally, does NOT make you fit in better with your queer friends, and is NOT okay.

6. Assigning pronouns without permission. That gender-questioning person you worked with? Who said they wanted to be a man but started crying and didn't like when you used he/him/his pronouns? Did they ASK you to use he/him pronouns? No? Don't. Fucking. Assume. You weren't being a proactive ally, you were being presumptuous and shouldn't have made it about you and how confused YOU were about why it upset them. Because ??? Of course???

7. Forcing items usually considered gendered on trans people of the opposite gender. For example, pushing feminine jewelry etc on a trans guy who was obviously super uncomfortable and was trying to say no thank you in 50 different ways. (You know that chat you were so mad about? One of the things we talked about was how to refuse the gift without hurting YOUR feelings.) Or how you were pushing me to try your new make up when I first came out as gnc and found it really dysphoria inducing and despite saying no several times and our other friend who saw how uncomfortable I was ALSO telling you to stop, you kept PUSHING.

8. You considering yourself an ally doesn't make you one. And being an ally doesn't make you an unfalliable. Be accountable. Ie: when you misgendered me OVER AND OVER AND OVER again and instead of just a short sorry and moving on you prattle on about how long you've known me as a GIRL and how hard it is for YOU etc etc etc EVERY SINGLE TIME. Until it wasn't worth it for me to correct you anymore.

9. Thinking of yourself as some-type-of-queer because you're a girl who is also attracted to trans guys. TRANS GUYS ARE GUYS. IF YOU'RE A GIRL WHO LIKES GUYS YOU, MY ONCE FRIEND, ARE STRAIGHT. Don't put masexual in your bio when A. You are attracted to men only and not anyone else who may fall into the larger scope of masculinity. B. That is a term meant for and coined by nonbinary ppl to use. C. It has been explained to you why you shouldn't use it. And D. You agreed to the reasoning and agreed that you weren't masexual. - I have the screenshots-

10. Saying how EASILY you could pass for a guy if you wanted to and how you could just bind and no one would know and rambling on about it for god knows how long when. 1.you're cis. 2. You know I can't fucking bind for long periods of time if at all since my ribs are so fucked and you talking about how easy it would be for you is dysphoria inducing and just ignorant. 3. Binding is fucking hard. You have never binded a day in your life. Stop lying. 4. Saying you could pass as a guy does not make you trans or queer in any way.

11. Refuse to date a trans guy because you're afraid he'll "use you as a crutch while he transitions" That's both ableist *and* transphobic dear.

12. Using the phrase "fully-transitioned". Especially to gatekeep who is trans and who isn't. Once a trans person comes out they're the gender they say they are. Full stop. All trans ppl are trans. Even if we haven't gone on hormones and haven't gotten any surgery. Even if we never do.

13. Sharing pictures of me and my then new girlfriend in discord and talking about how CLOSE the three of us were. Proximity to queerness doesn't make you so. Also don't share people's business without their explicit permission other ppls interesting stories don't make you more interesting.

14. Trying to buy friendships. Gifts don't make your problematic behavior less problematic or harmful. They don't make your actions more excusable.

15. Equating polyamory to cheating. Like I can't even with how at odds I am with your problematic ish.

16. Making queer the cool new thing to be. You want our rainbow flags and camaraderie and stories. You want to be different and special from the "norm". But that's the only part you want. You want to be a convenience queer, cishet except in safe groups where you want to talk about how different and outstanding you are.

You wear us like a jacket you can put on and take off at your leisure. OUR IDENTITY IS NOT AN ADORNMENT. It is a part of us we carry ALL THE TIME. When our clubs are being shot up, when we are called f*ggots in the street, when we are having our rights taken away, when we are politicised and conceptualized as if we aren't even people, when we don't feel at home in our countries or our bodies, when we are being leered at and asked by too-loud-breathing men if they can join us in bed...

I could keep going forever. I'm still in those chats even if I don't have the spoons to talk to anyone, even though I don't feel welcome anymore. I know your stories. I've seen your lies. I could have jumped in so many times and been like "that never happened" or "actually that's my story and that happened to me" but it didn't seem worth it. You were never cheated on (that was me), you've never had 3 jobs (me), no one asked you to be a nsfw instagrammer (that was my gf planning to be one herself) and on and on and on.

This was supposed to be a vague call out post but I've never been subtle a day in my life. You can't contest any of this. I have the screenshots hun so come at me if you want.

I decided tumblr would be the void I'd scream my outrage into.

Also how dare you make the tragedy of someone losing her father about you. How dare you share details about their lives with strangers when she asked us all to keep it private. And how dare you embellish it with made up details to make you seem more interesting. That was the line.

[gay-converse-boy]

I think they would argue - and believe me.. they do, that the goal in making people "analyze" why they wouldnt date/fuck a trans person is to give trans people intimace; as they are seem as inhertly not attractive. For me, personally, the whole trans narrative is flawed but it doesnt prevent It from becoming mainstream. *More on the us or Tumblr than in my country.. but still

Yeah, I’ve seen those arguments. However, I call bullshit on that argument every single time I see it.

If that were true, their rhetoric would be directed at everyone of every sexuality; lesbian, gay, bisexual and straight. Further, the arguments would be based in assumptions of inherent unattractiveness of transgender people (i.e. “Just because someone is trans, that does not mean they’re ugly and unloveable!”).

However, as you can see at a glance by looking at prominent transactivists and transactivist blogs, it is disproportionately directed at lesbians by trans women - although it is gaining momentum being directed at gay men by trans men - and arguments are based on guilt and denial of biological reality (i.e. “If you don’t want to have sex with a trans person, you’re transphobic!” and “A penis on a trans woman is female genitalia!”).

This type of activism has never been helping change assumptions that trans people are unattractive, or if it were, it is no longer. It is about forcing lesbians to accept males and penis into their dating pool, and into their spaces, and trans men are now picking it up as well.

The narrative is being used in conversion therapy, although in a different iteration. The idea that lesbians can be attracted to penises and gay men can be attracted to vaginas, and that this can come about through ‘analysing’ and ‘unpacking’ homosexuality is literally a conversion therapy tactic.

As a result of the above, I have absolutely zero sympathy and zero respect for trans people who use this rhetoric and these arguments. In the end, it’s just conversion therapy repackaged into liberal ‘progressive’ discourse, and I am not standing for that.

[fapangel]

What's your opinion on LGBT issues (gay marriage, transgender rights, etc.)? I'm not attempting to troll or 'gotcha' or anything, but I haven't seen you post anything relating to them aside from your response to the "Trump tweet banning trans in military" hullabaloo.

I really don’t give a shit. And I mean that in the classical liberal, hard-core Federalist style - as Thomas Jefferson famously said, “It does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.” I give about as many fucks as Trump’s giving in this picture about the visible queerness of the dude standing next to him:

No one seemed to notice as he passed through security, he recalled. But Trump spotted the fan shortly after the teachers were led into the Oval Office.

“He said I had good style.”

Giannopoulos grew more confident then — enough that when an aide asked him to put the fan away for his private photo, he raised a small protest.

“I said, ‘I was hoping to pose with this,’ ” he said. “They said, ‘No — just put it away.’ ”

He did, for a minute. But before the shutter snapped, Giannopoulos asked the president if he minded.

“He said, sure.” So the fan came out, the ensemble was complete, “and the rest is history,” Giannopoulos said.

“The issue with being openly queer is our existence is constantly politicized,” he said. “They never stop to think: Oh, maybe that’s just who I am.”

That last line of Giannopoulos’s is perfect - it’s why I can’t find a fuck to give. It’s like caring about people being “visibly short” or something. The only time I think of - or give a shit - about gender issues is when they come up in politics, via the courts or whatever. Niel Gorsuch, the latest conservative on the Supreme Court, summarized my views neatly when he said the courts aren’t the place to advance social or cultural debates. (When Justice Roberts correctly identified Obamacare’s individual mandate as a roundabout tax, he punted it back to Congressional conservatives with a note; “stop trying to use the courts to write your goddamned legislation for you.” It’s much the same principle.) Likewise, most of this can’t simply be legislated away, either, any more than the 13th amendment’s abolition of slavery ended racism or prevented Jim Crow. The entire notion of protected classes that was created to demolish Jim Crow has always been awkward - the result of a legal system with no concept of class divides having to hastily adapt to prevent the reality of such from undermining it - but a lot of what we see ending up in the courts or legislature these days aren’t anything like those weighty issues of law and liberty our Republic’s long sough to reconcile. They’re more shit like that Californian bathroom law that ordered single-occupant restrooms (which anyone of any gender could already use) to put up gender-neutral signage. This changed nothing and helped nobody, but by jove it was fantastic virtue-signalling, wasn’t it? This isn’t going to increase “acceptance” or change anyone’s mind - in fact, it might just foster resentment, achieving the exact opposite. I understand why people in these minority groups choose to make the courts the forum for their cultural debates - the publicity and such - but I really question the wisdom of it. But at the end of the day I don’t have any strong knowledge or interest of their movement’s problems and priorities, so neither do I have strong feelings about how they go about promoting them. Californian businesses having to spend ten bucks on new sign placards is indeed picking their pocket - but it’s ten bucks. Whuppity fukkin doo. 

As for transgender issues specifically, my main concern is that the people aggressively pushing the concept of transgenderism as an “identity” issue are glossing over the biological and mental aspects of it - transgender people suffer from gender dysphoria, a recognized mental disorder that’s seemingly related to disorders like body integrity identity disorder, where people suffering from acute xenomelia (the dysphoric sense that their own limb[s] are not their own,) begin to desire amputating the offending limb. Any way you look at this, this is abnormal. The Usual Suspects argue that the much higher suicide rate of transgender people is solely due to bullying and discrimination - and they might be right - but they never address how gender reassignment surgery doesn’t seem to reduce that horrific suicide rate at all. 

Sex reassignment surgery is a permanent mutilation of the human body, and the details of them are quite gruesome - they are not something to undertake lightly, as they’re irreversible and come with significant side effects. But the left wing only sees it as an Identity Issue to virtue signal over - they’re not just uninterested in the actual effectiveness of sex reassignment surgery as a treatment, they’re actively hostile to any attempt to investigate it (like the surgeon in that Guardian article that declared a proper controlled study would be “unethical.”) 

The permanence of sex reassignment surgery is what alarms me - it cannot be reversed. Encouraging people to undergo a drastic and irreversible surgical procedure which hasn’t been proven to be an effective treatment is fucked up. Considering how drastic bodily alteration for no gain is liable to have grievous psychological consequences of its own - on top of that the patient already suffers - it’s really fucking hard to believe that the people encouraging this (without solid evidence that it works) actually care about transgender people. 

Even worse, it seems unnecessary. If this is truly an identity issue, then there’s no need for body altering surgeries. If gender’s just a social construct, then dress as you want, because it’s a free country. Want to wear a dress? Go for it, it’s a free country. Want to wear a ham sandwich around your neck on a string? Who’s gonna stop you? It’s a free country, you can do what you fuckin want. Want to sexually identify as an attack helicopter? IT’S A FREE COUNTRY, NOBODY CAN STOP YOU. I thought we agreed as a society that mutilating your body to adhere to socially-mandated gender roles was fucked up - like in Iran, where gay men are forced to undergo sex reassignment surgery so they conform to a patriarchal, religious culture’s gender role mandate.

And if it is a biological issue, then why do so many leftists flip their effing lids if you call it a disorder that should be looked at by those people that specialize in brain biology issues - you know, specialist doctors? Why aren’t we putting teams of specialists on studying this, instead of listening to fucking surgeons (the same ones making bank on the sex reassignment surgeries) who say that scientific study and investigation is “unethical?” Why are there voices trying to stop doctors from treating and helping these people? 

I don’t have a dog in this race, and I haven’t taken a deep dive into researching all facets of the argument. My stance on the whole thing is pretty simple: if transgenderism is not a mental illness - then it’s still a free goddamn country, they can do as they damn well please. If it is a mental illness, then we should treat these people to the best of our ability - and find a way to pay for it, too. Nobody asks to be born ill, mentally or otherwise - this wasn’t their decision, or their fault, so they shouldn’t have to suffer for it, either. These people deserve help, and helping them requires remedies that actually work. I don’t give a fuck how we do it, because this isn’t about the how. This isn’t about puffing up someone’s pet policy, this is about getting these people the help they need and deserve. We’re all going to have different ideas about what the best solution is, but we can’t even begin to have that debate until we have properly identified the problem. 

And that’s why people that stand in the way of doing that piss me off. 

So yeah, that’s how I feel about ell-gee-bee-tees. As long as it harms none, yiff whom you will, I don’t give a fuck. And if they’re screaming about their rights being violated, then welcome to the goddamn club, ladies and gentlemen and demiboys - please pick up your complimentary Gasden Flag and concealed carry permit at the desk, and be sure to join us for the Two Minutes REEEEEE every hour, on the hour. 

[allroundlostcause]

What will realistically sober a character up faster?

Shortanswer: time.

Longanswer: no, seriously, time. Ultimately, sobriety is determined by your liver breakingdown the alcohol that is in your bloodstream. Your character’s liver, undernormal conditions, can break down about 10 grams of pure alcohol per hour. Alittle more for men and bigger people, a little less for women and smallerpeople.*

Wow you can already tell I am gonna say too much, right? Let’s have a read more break.

(*yes, that is calculated separately, orwould be if you could calculate it with any degree of perfection. Unlessemaciated, women have a naturally higher proportion of body fat and fat likesholding onto alcohol. I like to think of it as chocolate and red wine beingdeeply in love. BUT there are exceptions!! For lots of reasons. It’s for thisreason that you should always be conservative while trying to calculate yourblood alcohol, regardless of body shape and weight.

For example, I have an app which allows meto enter my drinks and guesstimate my blood alcohol concentration or BAC. It’suseful for designated drivers trying to keep their blood alcohol beneath thelimit. These apps are imperfect. Oneway to err on the side of caution is to under-report your weight by a goodmargin. I under-state my body weight by 20 kgs/40 lbs to stay safe.)

(I have investigated and I have foundabsolutely no research that indicates whether trans people on hormone therapyhave a BAC profile more in line with their gender or the sex assigned at birth. Doyourself a favor and always be conservative, no matter what, and remember, mybeloved trans friends, that statistically you are more likely to be the victimsof physical or sexual assault. Make sure you have a sober buddy and take careof yourself.)

Q: Sorry, wtf is 10 grams of pure alcohol?

A: Dude, sorry! Got derailed. 10 grams of pure alcohol is roughly(ROUGHLY omg there is a lot of variation and you should measure your drinks andread the gd labels okay!!! Be safe and healthy and do not operate a vehicleincluding a bicycle or skateboard):

1 shot/nip of spirits such as whiskey (including bourbon), vodka, gin, tequila(basically anything that pours about as thin as water) (this is one ounce or 30mls)

2 shots/nips of liqueur such as Bailey’s Irish Cream (this is two ounces or 60 mls).Now, please be fucking careful here dudes. There are whiskey liqueurs that arealmost as strong as the straight spirits, and some that are lower in alcoholthan wine. There is a reason labelling is mandated.

100-120 mls (3-4 ounces) of wine (depends a lot on the strength –watch Aussie wines, they are often much higher in alcohol)

A half pint/280 mls/9 ounces of full strength beer (about 4.5-5% butagain there is a range, and some beers and ales may be more like 8% alcohol)

Pre-mixedbottled drinks: Holy fucking shit. These range fromless than 1 full standard drink (6-8 grams of alcohol) up to 3+ standard drinks(30+ grams of alcohol).

Q: omfg PBK this is stupid. It’s too complicated. Also I am talking about a character.

A: Imma be real here. If you can’t or won’t keep track, you (or yourcharacter) probably shouldn’t be drinking. You do put yourself at risk of arange of things, including short and long term health problems, increased riskof either committing or becoming a victim** of assault. Your character does too. And since I refuse to put a fictional spin on something this important, I’m choosing ‘you’ pronouns.

(** yeesh, people have different views ofthis term. Me, I’m pretty unapologetic about using ‘victim’ because in my view,that’s what you are, at the time. What you do afterwards gives you a shot at redefiningyour experience. I have been a victim and now I am a super-angry survivor whowill fuck you up, get you charged and then call your mom. But no matter what, itis fucked up. I am 5478% in favor of teaching people not to assault other people.However, as someone who works in evidence-based public policy I won’t stopdiscouraging people from getting intoxicated around people who might turn outto be assholes, without good support.)

So yeah, if you can’t or don’t want to keeptrack, these things could help:

Drink in private around peopleyou trust.

Drink a great big glass of water, slowly, between drinks.

Eat a ton of starchy carbs, before you start drinking.***

Q***: This was a weird thing to say when you’re saying only time soberspeople up. That is food. I mean wtf PBK are you talking out of your ass?

A: Nope. Because there are two kinds of sobriety.

The first is what we’ve been discussing.Literally, blood alcohol concentration.Nothing, not one single thing, not caffeine, cold water, food or a terriblefright will affect your BAC. Your cousin who claims Tabasco sauce and coffeesobers him up? He is wrong. The person who gets upset and suddenly feels soberand able to drive? Unless sufficient time has passed, nOPE. “I’ll nap for anhour” – nope. Nap for one hour for every drink you have had, and then maybe I’llgive you back your keys.

The second is functioning. This depends on a lot more stuff.

Functional sobriety is different. In someplaces, it will even get you out of a ticket, although it shouldn’t. If yourefuse a BAC test (blowing into a little machine) they might ask you to walk ina straight line, count backwards in threes, recite presidents, idk. It’sbullshit.

There are things that impact functionalsobriety and a huge one is experience. People who drink a lot and frequentlycan appear more sober at a higher BAC. They might slur less, walk straighter orbe able to recall more details.

Thingsthat affect functional sobriety:

How much you’ve eaten

How much you usually drink whenyou drink

How much your parents drink(**** boy howdy do we need to discuss this)

 Your emotional state

Like seriously 4783 otherthings

(**** gimme a minute here.

The children of parents who drink heavilyor regularly tend to have a higher tolerance for alcohol. This sounds like agood thing, but it’s not. It means that they tend to drink more rather thanless. It increases their risk of alcohol use problems, and makes them lesslikely to recognize a problem, because high levels of use sounds normal.

I mean, my parents drink every night andalways have, a minimum of, say, 6 standard drinks, which is way above mostcountries’ standards for low-risk drinking. My dad usually drinks until he isfalling asleep sitting up. They both view their alcohol use as low level andnormal. It is not, and it has posed problems for my sister and I.)

The thing about functional sobriety is thatit is kind of an illusion. Your response time is still for shit, your decision-makingis still bad enough so you have a decent shot at appearing to consent (evenenthusiastically) to sexual activity you otherwise might not consent to (I say appearing because you can’t legally consent, but the other person may not even know you’re drunk), yourpersonality is altered (you’re less resistant to suggestion, less inhibited andmore impulsive) even while you sound more sober than your buddy there.

Also, you absorb alcohol more slowly with a full stomach, see eat first.

Q: Okay but my friend had half a bottle of wine and they were smashed.

A: Okay. And that’s very possible, if they drank it too fast, or don’t drink much. But could there be something else going on?

Unless you were watching every second, theymight have had more (honestly, people who are starting to wonder if they have aproblem will lie).

Fucking horrible scenario: they may have had their drinkspiked. Now, if you’re feeling safe because you had a thingie to stick in theirdrink to check for rohypnol or GHB, I need to let you know that the most commonsubstance used to spike a drink is actually alcohol. (Someone adding alcohol to a non-alcoholic drink, or increasing the alcohol in analcoholic drink by ordering or making a double or triple or adding spirits tobeer or wine – not difficult with an inexperienced drinker who may notrecognize the taste so watch for you andyour friends okay) 

Or, alternate fucking horriblescenario: they might not be drunk. Acouple of years ago, one of my baby cousins (18, the drinking age in Australia)had a party. A friend staggered in from outside appearing smashed and they puthim to bed in the recovery position. He wasn’t drunk. He had a head injury,probably from hitting his head on the kerb, and he never woke up.

PS maybe they were, though. Again, if they don’t drink much generally, drank fast, haven’t eaten orthey are emotionally vulnerable they are more likely to get drunk pretty quick.Oops.

Q: I feel like this is getting away from what I asked…

A: Yeah, maybe. But I need to digress anyway, dude. If someone isunconscious, call a fucking ambulance, call for medical help. Unconsciousnessis legit an emergency. The difference between sleep and unconsciousness is thata sleeping person can be woken. Remember that if someone drinks a lot, fast,they might fall asleep and just keep getting drunker as they absorb thealcohol. Keep checking in. Be a friend. If they stop responding, assume thingsare not okay and call an ambulance. Accompany your friend to hospital.

Q: Holy shit you talk a lot

A: Right? Sorry. I swear, if I was talking to your group you’d find meengaging and funny, but that’s not always possible in text. I teach this kindashit for a living.

Q: Do you have a TL;DR version?

A: If you’re not willing to really think through things, drink only one standard drink per hour.Don’t fall into the trap of thinking caffeine, a cold shower or a fright willsober you up. And most importantly, when you are the sober one (and someoneshould be sober, my loves) watch out foryour friends.

[apsbicepstraining]

Surprising Insider Realities Of Being Trans In The Military

This morning, we all woke up to see a major shift in U.S. Defense Department policy released via our president’s Twitter TAGEND

Donald Trump/ Twitter

Donald Trump/ Twitter

Donald Trump/ Twitter

It perceives a bit like being broken up with via textbook, but since it is a presidential statement, it’s more or less official. Instead of suspecting what it’s actually like for transgender beings in the military forces, we reached out to Emma Shinn, a trans woman and former Marine Corps platoon sergeant with extensive fighting ordeal in Fallujah. We too spoke to various other current active and reserve responsibility trans soldiers. They told us …

3

Trans Beings Are 2-3 Eras As Likely To Provide As The General Population

In the wake of the president’s tweeted announcements this morning, a lively dialogue over trans kinfolks in the military has cropped up in all the regions of the internet. One justification for the ban steams down to “There precisely aren’t that many of them! “

It’s true that transgender beings aren’t a huge gob of the military. But it’s likewise true-life that they suffice at a higher rate than pretty much any other demographic. Generally pronouncing, simply 10 percent of Americans have served in the armed forces. But studies indicate that 20 percentage of all trans-identified Americans have joined up. And another contemplate found that digit increases to 30 percent for trans women — around triple that of the general population. To Emma, these numerals shape total feel TAGEND

“I would say that a lot of beings prior to transitioning find the need to prove themselves as birth certificates gender, and particularly for transgender girls, that includes doing stereotypically masculine works. Communicating personally, I know the Marine Corps was very attractive to me because I wanted to prove myself as a guy. Not simply was I a person, I was an uber person. Not merely as enlisted infantry but as a sergeant-at-law, I felt that would help assuage the disconnect.”

Read Next

Dirt For Dinner: Living With The Weird Condition Called Pica

Emma’s experience isn’t uncommon. In point, this was studied and written about path back in 1988 by Air Force psychiatrist George Brown ( now an associate chair for VA affairs ). Being written a few a few decades ago, such studies gives outdated nomenclature to discuss transgender beings, but it shows that this phenomenon has been around for some time. He surveyed the higher pace of enlistment among trans individuals and called it a “flight into hypermasculinity” — an attempt to suppress the confusion associated with gender dysphoria through negative buttres and work that’s seen as “macho.” From that view, the all-encompassing live-where-you-work armed itinerary seems like a pretty great flee. It’s too often considered as a good alternative for high school graduates who want a fighting chance at a decent profession and benefits, and don’t attention getting the hell out of sidestep to do it. That’s not a bad deal for a population that is at much greater risk of becoming homeless.

As it is about to change, the military forces is the single largest bos of trans people in the country. But since this is an employer whose central commodity is “protecting the nation” and “watching over all the rockets, ” it IS important to ask the question: Are trans parties able to perform their duties, even with the overcome of transitioning? Well, it is about to change that’s not as big of an issue as people fear.

2

Here’s What it’s Like To Transition While A Soldier

Jerry is a transgender gentleman providing on active role in the Navy. He pointed out that, first, the military forces isn’t precisely in the business of paying for extensive surgery. “Military program is to at the least cover pharmaceutical and mental healthcare. Anything else asks serious motivation and luck … I paid for my top surgery alone, when “theres” thousands of guys posting[ on Reddit] every day how they didn’t pay a dime for their surgery, and they’re, like, baristas.( Nothing against baristas, it’s only insane that I’ve gotten PTSD as a souvenir from overseas deployments and can’t get something that someone who “re going home” every night reeking like luscious coffee and tarts can get with a fraction of international efforts .) “

He points out that if a soldier does modulation while on active role, they’re bound by very strict rules as to when they can do it: “Commanders are less likely to approve you going surgery if you have to deploy — which prepares gumption, and should be the case.”

Transitioning can have a significant impact on a soldier’s physical abilities. Harriet transitioned while invited to take part in the National Guard, and she certainly saw a difference: “When I started hormones, my forte and speeding both changed dramatically! Hormones feign everyone differently to a degree, but higher testosterone absolutely builds it easier to build and maintain muscle, and unless I wanted to live and sleep in a gym, I plainly wasn’t going to maintain the kind of fitness ranks I had as a ‘guy.'” Harriet shared her Army Physical Fitness Test Scorecard. Overall, her run era for two miles has increased by about six hours, and she did significantly fewer push-ups and sit-ups, although her overall ratings are “respectable, but nothing spectacular.”

But the changes brought on by change gash both paths. Jerry, our active-duty Navy trans boy, said, “Exercising has get loadings easier! I rarely qualify for the running part of the physical fitness exam now, and I extend just fine. In the past, if I didn’t extended every day, my tallies would be lower than average. I can elevate more, I can run faster, push-ups are a breeze. I’m training for a button move competition called the 1,000 Lbs Club: terrace, squatting, deadlift must equate 1,000 pounds. Females have the 600 Lbs Club. Without any serious train, I’ve already matched the 600 -pound standard. One downside, however, is the load increase. I’ve easily gained 27 pounds since starting[ testosterone ]. Can’t lose it — I’ve tried! “

The most important fact to note about soldiers transitioning while on active office is that it’s unbelievably uncommon. This RAND study thinks between 25 and 130 surgeries per year among active-duty personnel. Between 10 and 130 soldiers per year could experience “reduced deployability.” There are currently more than 50,000 active-duty soldiers who are undeployable. The vast majority of these soldiers have short-term harms, like torn ACLs from a basketball game gone bad. If you’re to be concerned about military readiness, pick-up football match are perhaps a most pressing threat than transgender people.

1

The Military Has Been Adapting

Trump’s announcement draws it looks a lot like transgender beings are justification the mighty mainstays of the military institution to crumble. But Emma said in regards to trans beings in the military forces, “There wasn’t an effect on readiness or lethality … it was a non-story until President Trump stirred the fib today. When he said they’re a interruption — that was the word he used in his tweet — he is the one who is interrupting the morale and duel efficiency of our services by basically throwing away 15,000 exceedingly trained, highly capable fighters … “

Our roots have noted some difficulties — about the paperwork involved in name changes, some weird armed programs on when other soldiers should use a different pronoun for them, and shit like Harriet’s experience here: “I was out at a army prepare activity, and I had been isolated as much as is lodging is concerned — they’re like, ‘Well, the soldier isn’t male enough to stay with all the male soldiers, and we don’t know if she’s genuinely female, ‘ so I was set by myself. And that was pretty crushing.”

The military doesn’t change on a dime. But that’s not to say they weren’t adapting. The Department of Defense published a whole manual on it, which includes some quite woke quotations on gender identity, such as: “Sex and gender are different. Copulation is whether a person is male or girl through their biology. Gender is the socially defined the responsibilities and characteristics of being male and female associated with that sex.”

And while Harriet dealt with predictable bullshit, she also encountered supremely understanding officers: “In my military mental health evaluation, one of the things the mental health officer actually said was that they needed to act quickly to change my reputation and gender issues, because I was so far developed and they didn’t want to induce severe detrimental mental health effects or stressors on an otherwise well-functioning soldier.”

On a personal stage, all of the transgender soldiers we spoke to reported widespread support from their comrades. When Harriet was stopped from lodging with her fellow female soldiers after coming out, they stepped up to shape circumstances right: “All of the other women soldiers that were there at the time — some of them didn’t know me at all — actually got together of their own accord and went to leadership and said, ‘This is wrong. She belongs with us. She’s one of our sisters.’ It was truly, really awesome.”

For their area, our sources haven’t been subjected to the various kinds of we’ll-get-you-while-you’re-asleep-in-your-barrack boys’ squad punishment we might expect from Hollywood’s depiction of intolerant military culture. That’s not to say it doesn’t happen, and there are still a lot of soldiers( 41 percent ) who don’t supporter transgender assistance beings, but Jerry fantasizes many of those tribes just haven’t actually fulfilled any out trans soldiers. He justified, “I’ve been stealth for a year now, and four you knew at my command. These guys are proudly republican, and each of them have considered me with glory and respect. One of them was a former cholo, and now senior enlisted, fucking crazy regard to him. So when I verify someone on social media comment about “tranny this” and “shim that, ” I know I can change their perspective, because I’ve done it four times on base already. It’s all about patience and education. The professionalism of our army never fails to surprised to see me. In the end, we’re all brothers and sisters in arms, and we should crave what’s excellent for each other.”

Harriet actually seems safer with her compatriots than she does out in the normal world: “One of the safest residences that I find I are actually not have to worry is among other soldiers. I don’t know if it’s simply because of me personally, that I’m lucky enough to be not super tall and sort of fit kind of what parties expect a woman to look like … Or if it was my prior reputation? I’ve been with the same component the entire seven years I’ve been in the Guard. I feel having all those personal relationships already certainly helped … I appear little safe off-base than I do on.”

Emma is no longer in the military. But she is a lawyer, and most of her clients are soldiers, so she still spends a lot of time in and around the military. After she came out, she noted: “I would say 99 percent of my friends, my subsidiaries, and even my mentors in my senior navals who were in charge of me ought to have unbelievably supportive. Y’know, I have everyone from general police to lance corporals saying, ‘I’m delighted to see that you came out’ — utilizing the remedy pronouns, using the correct figure. All of that was really supportive.”

She’s preferably pee-pee about the president’s freshly tweeted plan: “I have friends who are still on active obedience, and they are extremely hideous , not only for their occupations but also for their physical security — not necessary from their service members, but from members of the public who may see this as carte blanche to discriminate and assault transgender beings … I think that what the president was your day was callously contemptuous of the faithfulnes our services members have supplied — especially the transgender assistance members. I think he was negligent today with the well-being of transgender assistance members.”

Robert Evans has a notebook, and you can buy it here . For more, check out 5 Shockingly Outdated Problems Women in the Armed Face and Raped On The Battlefield: What Male Veteran Survivors Know . Have a narrative to share with Cracked? Email us here . Subscribe to our YouTube channel, and check out How One Escaped Slave Changed The American Civil War Forever, and watch other videos you won’t meet on the area !

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[sleepy90]

A long steak.

It was the end of April and fat girl season had just ended so it was time to get rid of the bbw and find an active tall sporty girl for the spring time. I never been much of a dating person but my friends insisted that i find someone to be with. I was constantly bugging them all the time and they said I needed a women in my life. I guess they were right since they were all married and I was the only one out the group that was still single. It’s not like I never dated I just had enough of the childish games plus I’m 36 how can i find someone at my age. I’m getting to old. But then again I’ve been seeing a lot of ads and commercial lately especially Friday night’s when I’m home alone.maybe it’s a sign I need to start looking.

I figure I’ll try the commercial Match.com that I keep seeing .

So that night I sign up it seem ok at first, you answer a bunch of questions then you see who like you. Or who you match with but then they want you to pay to see. I didn’t see the point of paying it seem like a scam.

So I went to another website pof.com plenty of fish… That was one hell of a experience same bull shit, different site. What made this one different is they had prostitutes and hookers on this site… But I figure why not keep searching at least I don’t have to pay to see who like me. So I finally started talking to a chick. The conversation was going real good until she broke the news. She text me one day…..

“Hey I gotta tell you something before we go any further”…

My mind started wondering what the hell could she be wanting to tell me.maybe she had kids. I looked at her profile again naww can’t be kids.

Fuck it , I text back What is it.

“I’m a man” he text back.

On the inside I was turning into the hulk ready to smash his ass and kill him. I looked at his picture in the profile. I’m not use to this shit, the motherfucker got me good. I sent that shit to My homegirl cause I needed to make sure I’m not tripping.

Hey does this look like a women or a man she busted out laughing!

Bruh that’s a man wtf bro please don’t tell me you talking to him

Mannnnn! I got tricked… ima call you back I need to set this straight. I hung up and send a straight forward message.

“Please do not contact me no more! I am on this earth for pussy I am not gay nor confuse.”

I immediately logged out. After that humiliation and experience I figure I’ll give it a week before I try any other sites.

I remember a month ago I’ve overheard someone at my job talking about a site where he “smashed” a lot of females on the first night. Me personally I think someone that brag about getting pussy a lot doesn’t really get it, it’s really annoying as fuck. I be wanting to say who give a fuck but I don’t be trying to argue. The site was okcupid.com, I never gave it a go because I’m looking for a women not a hoe. But anything is better than POF.COM.

Later that evening I went home and downloaded the app it seem pretty solid and had similar features to the other apps I downloaded. They also had exclusive feature such as “the swiper”. You can swipe right if like the person swipe left if you don’t. I didn’t care about looks nor did I feel like or had the time to sit and read profiles so I swipe right for every female. At first it was cool, I met a chick named Julia on there, but then it turn out she was a little to crazy for me. she admitted she was bi polar. I don’t know if I have the patience, I had to end that quick. good thing I didn’t give her my number. I started reading profile after that but then these girls profiles be sounding depressing especially when you see stuff like. “My parents recently died looking for some comfort” “Looking for a man that can take care of me” “Getting old i need some children from a rich man” Sometimes being single is the best route, then again it sucks not being able to share a off day with someone and though I’ve been to a lot of countries would have been nice to have had a lady with me.. It’s been 6 years since my last relationship and I’ve gotten so much stronger mentally over the years it’ll be hard to change that Sigh…. Then again who wants to be pushing 40 and be alone. I guess I’ll keep looking. I started talking to another chick by the name of abe, she was 34 nice slim chick the conversation was going good until we started talking about kids. She was telling me about how her sisters all have kids and she the only one that haven’t had any. I ask her how many she want. Her response was 5. Then she follow up by telling me that she loves sex and when her man cums she don’t let him pull out. I couldn’t believe my ears, I had to escape asap. I had to think of something unattractive quick to say. “Well I’m sorry but uh, I got fixed. I can t have kids” Ain’t no coming back from that. I didnt care this girl crazy I’m not trying to have 5 kids in this ecomnoy, I’m the wrong person she talking too. Oh wow, I didn’t know, she said. Well I’m sorry I don’t think this going to work. On the inside I’m jumping up and down all excited and shit that I avoid this crazy chick. But in reality I responded…. “Aww dont be like that, we can adopt if you want to” No I want my own kids she said. “Well I can’t change the pass but I really enjoy the conversations. Well I guess I’ll talk to you later. Bye.” Dodge a bullet there. Thank god! I left this okcupid shit alone for a second I needed a breather I figure I’ll just see who like me, instead of me sending the first message. I waited a couple days try to take my mind off these few bad experiences fromthe site. Okcupid wasn’t the best but it was the best I seem so far from time to time I went back to pof but I kept getting prostitutes and a bunch of trans so I just left it alone for good. I went back to the site. I had about five girls that like my profile 3 of those girls were bbw… to bad it isn’t September.….. 1 girl sent me a message just saying hi another sent one saying “you’ll fine.” I naturally just went to the one that say I look good. I’m looking at her profile.. tall, plays basketball , likes rap and 32 years old no kids alright now let me see her photo… Hmm. Not bad, nice size tits, perfect size, no weeve at least not with the naked eye Very sexy and the outfit she had on was nice. I think I can dig it. Ok good enough. I sent a message back. You’ll very beautiful too. I was losing my patience with these sites and females, I had no more time for bullshit so I sent a disclaimer: “ I want to get to know I hope you can handle me I’m a very complex person” She replied I wanna get to know you too and I’m. It sure what you mean by complex I need better clarification. I didn’t respond wanted to let it pounder in her head for a sec. Give her something to think about. Sometimes you gotta say things and give people a chance to think about it before explaining yourself. That’s a broad statement anyway. Don’t get me wrong I’m not a bad man I’m really simple but nowadays simple is complex. Sometimes for some people they want to go through the struggle because that’s what they been use too.. I message back the next morning Morning beautiful! Morning! hey can you text me I can respond better that way. Aww shit! I got those digits.. Now I just have to have one conversation with her and I can get a date. I had a ways with my words because I was a car salesman so i read a lot of books on sales, analyzing and psychology. I responded of course I can. Better yet let me call you after work are you going to be up. Ok cool, I’m off tonight so I’ll be free she replied. I couldn’t wait i text my friend tyrone throughout the day. Sending pics of this chick. Ay bro what you think?… It’s something about getting unofficial approval from your homeboys it’s not like it matter at the same time it’s like a silent competition who can get the badest chick not just in looks but in qualities too. Is that you bro? Ya man I think she like me. I said Why you say that? Well she said I’m fine. That doesn’t mean nothing dude did you meet her yet. He said I replied no, but I will soon, ima try to set something up this weekend I been wanting to go to six feet under downtown it’s a nice restaurant that oversee the city heard they have live jazz and concerts, its a nice setting Well you have fun with that let me know how it go. Aight no problem, ima call her tonight hopefully she has good taste in food. Ttyl got another customer walking in. The day was going good, I made 3 sales. gotta love tax season. Everyone wants a new car for the summer time. I went home the good thing about my job I could test drive all the new cars and I had a gas card from the company. We just receive the brand new Mercedes jeep wagon, I’m more of a Acura guy but it was so sharp I couldn’t resist. It was so smooth an classy. I thought to myself what if I’m able to take her on a date in this maybe she’ll fall in love with me. Nawww.. it’ll be the car more than it’ll be me. I want a girl that’s down for me not a car. I drove home thinking how this conversation is gonna go. It was around 8pm I decided to go for it. I was little nervous hoping that this doesn’t turn out wired like the other girls. Hello she answered Hey how you doing I responded. I’m doing good how are you? I’m good I’m so glad tomorrow Friday I need a break Yea me too I hear ya. We begin talking about our careers and past jobs. Then we got into relationships…. aww shoot here it goes I ain’t had the best of luck I try to change the subject but she insisted I tell her about my past relationships… i couldnt say nothing but they drove me away from dating for six years I had enough and I felt I was losing control over my life and becoming someone I wasnt. I explain to her how it torn my heart in my recent relationship that I was cheated on. It wasn’t that she cheated on me that hurt it, it the fact that it was with someone in prison. How he get a phone inside..She asked. I wish i knew the answer to that. She went on to tell me about her past relationship and how her boyfriends abuse her emotionally and sometimes physically. It anger me when a women tells me they were physically abuse. A man to much of a coward that he feels he gotta hit a women. At that point I had to get off the subject. Good thing you know me cause I’ll never abuse you physically or emotionally I’ll walk away from you before I even think about touching you in that way.. so tell me something what kind of food you like?. I like all kinds! She said Ok good so when I take you out it won’t matter then huh. Im gonna take you to China cafeteria. And if you do that don’t be surprise if I don’t call you no more..ahe replied. I’ve laugh I’m just playing any women i take out will eat nothing but luscious food. Oh really now she said and where might that be.. Well for you we can start at six feet under this weekend there’s a group by the name of street jazz that’s performing and I wanted to see them how that sound. Hmm. Sounds interesting.. what kind of food? All kinds… good thing you like all kinds of food. Oh so you got a smart mouth I see. I smiled.they are famous for their steak but they serve all kinds of food.. so how does Saturday night sound? I can meet you down there at 530pm. sounds good she said. Ok ima talk to you later I have a big day tomorrow we having corporate come by. Ok talk to you later she responded. Yes I got a date! After 6 years I still got a little game. Now I got go shopping. The next day I asked my boss could I leave early I wanted to get a fresh haircut and do a little shopping for this big date. It’s been so long since I’ve treated myself to a nice outfit. my uniform was pretty much the best outfit I had. I was somewhat a workaholic never cared about the dress to impress bullshit. I already knew what shirt I wanted, a dashiki but i didn’t know how I would match since they are usually colorful shirts. I headed over in the hood.. the Westend mall. After picking out the shirt I got some help from a young lady for the jeans. I told her I would wear some sandals. She had the perfect jeans to match. It felt good shopping it was a relief.. finally went home and chilled the rest of the night. I text her the next morning confirming our date. I kept the conversation short because I didn’t want to run out of topics so fast. I started getting ready early in the day around Iron my cloths military style use by usher cologne and made sure everything was straight.….. i was finally dress I felt as good as I looked. Later that night I called her to hear her voice one more time before we finally met up. Everything was going so smooth and she was the first that got a chance to actually meet off these dating sites. I just hope all goes well. I decide to drive the Mercedes, I wasn’t trying to impress her but 1st impression is always important though. I just knew I would have to explain this car is not mine later on. I finally arrived I was a little early I sent her a text. Hey I just arrived im in the a white Mercedes jeep. Ok cool I’m five mins away. She finally pulled up in a Acura tl I couldn’t believe it she’s Acura fan too. She pulled up like she couldn’t believe I was in a g wagon. Because of my job I wasn’t so easily impress by Mercedes but for some reason I always loved the Japanese car family.especially Acura. I walked up to her nice to finally meet you you’ll even more beautiful in person. Thank you, you very handsome yourself. Nice car too by the way. Thanks it’s a company car.. Oh really, … Let’s go inside, it’s getting cold out here. Here you go I got something for you I handed her a jacket. I know the temp is going to drop and wasn’t sure if you knew that this is an outside setting. No i didn’t know, thank you that’s so sweet of you cause I don’t have a jacket. No problem….. Mama taught me well I didn’t have much of a dad but when I was in my mid 20s I met a pimp and he gave me a lot of pointers on women. I did everything I could remember open the door pull out the seat wait til she take her first bite, and pray over the food together. After getting seated It didn’t take me long to figure out what I wanted. But she couldn’t decide between t bone steak or top sirloin. . What’s the difference between the two? I asked It’s not much of a difference she said one is long and the other is fat and thick. I stare at her. oh really…which one do you prefer most of the time? I like the long sirloin most of the time but I heard the t bone is a lot more juicer. Why not get the sirloin go for what you like and then I’ll buy the other one for you to take home. Oh you’ll do that for me. Sure I want you to have a good night and have what ever you like. Oh really. Can I drive your car… I gave a her a smerk… like good one, nice try. Then I though about for a sec. Maybe It won’t be so bad. One block isn’t so bad. Sure I can let you do a 5 mile test drive. Really! She said. I could tell that made her happy she smile so hard. We finally ordered our food and talked for the next 15 mins. I told her my job duties and she was astound. Finally the food came. Ive never seen someone eat so fast, apparently she really like the g wagon. She ate half her food, received a to go box and took the rest with her I ended up doing the same thing. I wanted to stay for the jazz concert but I guess the plan changed. I gave her a tour of the car like I would at the dealership. We sat in the back seat. Wow I can’t believe it’s so big on the inside. I started showing her all the features. I showed her how the seats goes down and it’s so comfortable you can lay on it if you need to. She then laid down. Oh I can get a back rub back here. Or have a nice picknic She said. I responded, i used to be a massage therapist I can give you a quick massage if you like. Oh really. Yes but, not here, hop in I’ll let you drive us to one of my favorite spots in the city. I did security a long time ago at some apartments that had parking decks that over saw the city. I still had the keys to get in. We begin to drive. How does it feel do you like it. I love it she said. Ok good turn in here and go all the way up. We arrive at the apartments. Wow this is gorgeous do you stay here. No I use to work here. But it’s a beautiful scenery.. But you should be use seeing beautiful everyday, unless you don’t have a mirror. Aww thank you. Ok reverse park it right there. I got out the car let down the seat, do you want a shoulder massage or neck massage. Can I have both she asked. Sure. I touch her skin on the back., I haven’t felt something so soft in So long she had beautiful skin. I think I might have some lotion with me are you ok with that. Yes that’s fine. I grab the lotion and started massaging her back she suddenly got quiet I could tell it felt good it’s been years but my magic touch never went any where How does it feel? I asked It feels good? She said What you thinking about? I asked Nothing… Yea right I thought to myself, of course she a not gonna admit she getting all warm inside. I played it cool. An.important rule I’ve learned early: never bring up sex or go too far be bold but be respectful at the same time. Be patient. I begin to work my way to the front side of her neck… She was still quiet not saying nothing. I rub for neck for about 90 seconds, slowly making my way down to her tits I ddint want to go all the way down but I wanted to go just enough to rub the top. She was still sitting there quiet. Not saying nothing I started rubbing her neck and the top of her tits at the same time. Can you do me a favor she asked. What’s that ? Can you get my lower back. She took off her shirt nothing but bra on. I grab my lotion I could feel the tight spots in her back, I push down with my thumb … Oh shit… Did I hurt No it actually felt good. I kept going then started rubbing with my hand. She begin to bite her lip keeping herself from moaning.. She had some very beautiful lips nice drip down lips she look like a great kisser… maybe I’ll be lucky and get one on the first date. I kept going, I reached down in her jeans being bold begin to rub the top of her booty.. Can I do something to you that will feel good? What you wanna do she asked? I can show you better than I tell you. Don’t worry I’m not talking about sex. Ok good, go ahead. Ok close your eyes. I rub on the top if her butt then I started slowly kissing down the middle of her back. She jumped, oh wow. I didnt see that coming she said. I took my left hand and rub on the top of her tits while I rub her neck and kiss it at the same time.. She grab my hand and put it on her nipple. I begin to go in a circular motion while I kiss her neck. Can I ask you something? I said Yes I whisper in her ear, are you getting wet yet? Oh Jesus! She said. I put my hand on back slowly making my way to her butt. Took my left hand and felt her panties.. damn they were soaked. Wow! Is it wet enough for you? She asked Hell yeah. Well good maybe you’ll get to feel it one day when I get to know you better. I was speechless and a little disappointed but then again I was happy because sex on the first night isn’t good. I continue to rub all her hot spots getting her to moan from time to time. She was so beautiful and she had a cute face when she bite her lips. They looked so soft maybe I can at least get a kiss. My hand were getting tire I went ahead and ended it plus I was getting horny too and it was becoming a self-tease. Being in the presence of a beautiful smooth skin strong African women that along had my me rock hard. Ok that’s it, Oh wow I didn’t want you to stop. I can give all my treats away in one time gotta leave room for another day. Did you like it though? Yes it was good. Good! I’ll drive you back to your car.. We got back to her car and sat for a sec. She looked at me my face gave it away that I was thinking about that kiss. What you thinking about she asked? Guess. I said I don’t know… Well look at me hard in my eyes and think about it I got as close as I could and stared at her She laughed. I give up.. Well, there’s a time and place for everything guess you’ll find out next time. No tell me, I want to know! Can I get a kiss good night? I asked Hell no! but you can give me a tight hug she said I gave a her a tight hug she smelled so good I didn't want to let go. I looked at her and said I really enjoyed myself I couldn't ask for anything more. I enjoyed myself too.thank you I walked her to the car Call me when you get home so I know you made it safely I said Ok I will...bye talk to you later.

[apsbicepstraining]

Surprising Insider Realities Of Being Trans In The Military

This morning, we all woke up to see a major shift in U.S. Defense Department policy released via our president’s Twitter TAGEND

Donald Trump/ Twitter

Donald Trump/ Twitter

Donald Trump/ Twitter

It perceives a bit like being broken up with via textbook, but since it is a presidential statement, it’s more or less official. Instead of suspecting what it’s actually like for transgender beings in the military forces, we reached out to Emma Shinn, a trans woman and former Marine Corps platoon sergeant with extensive fighting ordeal in Fallujah. We too spoke to various other current active and reserve responsibility trans soldiers. They told us …

3

Trans Beings Are 2-3 Eras As Likely To Provide As The General Population

In the wake of the president’s tweeted announcements this morning, a lively dialogue over trans kinfolks in the military has cropped up in all the regions of the internet. One justification for the ban steams down to “There precisely aren’t that many of them! “

It’s true that transgender beings aren’t a huge gob of the military. But it’s likewise true-life that they suffice at a higher rate than pretty much any other demographic. Generally pronouncing, simply 10 percent of Americans have served in the armed forces. But studies indicate that 20 percentage of all trans-identified Americans have joined up. And another contemplate found that digit increases to 30 percent for trans women — around triple that of the general population. To Emma, these numerals shape total feel TAGEND

“I would say that a lot of beings prior to transitioning find the need to prove themselves as birth certificates gender, and particularly for transgender girls, that includes doing stereotypically masculine works. Communicating personally, I know the Marine Corps was very attractive to me because I wanted to prove myself as a guy. Not simply was I a person, I was an uber person. Not merely as enlisted infantry but as a sergeant-at-law, I felt that would help assuage the disconnect.”

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Dirt For Dinner: Living With The Weird Condition Called Pica

Emma’s experience isn’t uncommon. In point, this was studied and written about path back in 1988 by Air Force psychiatrist George Brown ( now an associate chair for VA affairs ). Being written a few a few decades ago, such studies gives outdated nomenclature to discuss transgender beings, but it shows that this phenomenon has been around for some time. He surveyed the higher pace of enlistment among trans individuals and called it a “flight into hypermasculinity” — an attempt to suppress the confusion associated with gender dysphoria through negative buttres and work that’s seen as “macho.” From that view, the all-encompassing live-where-you-work armed itinerary seems like a pretty great flee. It’s too often considered as a good alternative for high school graduates who want a fighting chance at a decent profession and benefits, and don’t attention getting the hell out of sidestep to do it. That’s not a bad deal for a population that is at much greater risk of becoming homeless.

As it is about to change, the military forces is the single largest bos of trans people in the country. But since this is an employer whose central commodity is “protecting the nation” and “watching over all the rockets, ” it IS important to ask the question: Are trans parties able to perform their duties, even with the overcome of transitioning? Well, it is about to change that’s not as big of an issue as people fear.

2

Here’s What it’s Like To Transition While A Soldier

Jerry is a transgender gentleman providing on active role in the Navy. He pointed out that, first, the military forces isn’t precisely in the business of paying for extensive surgery. “Military program is to at the least cover pharmaceutical and mental healthcare. Anything else asks serious motivation and luck … I paid for my top surgery alone, when “theres” thousands of guys posting[ on Reddit] every day how they didn’t pay a dime for their surgery, and they’re, like, baristas.( Nothing against baristas, it’s only insane that I’ve gotten PTSD as a souvenir from overseas deployments and can’t get something that someone who “re going home” every night reeking like luscious coffee and tarts can get with a fraction of international efforts .) “

He points out that if a soldier does modulation while on active role, they’re bound by very strict rules as to when they can do it: “Commanders are less likely to approve you going surgery if you have to deploy — which prepares gumption, and should be the case.”

Transitioning can have a significant impact on a soldier’s physical abilities. Harriet transitioned while invited to take part in the National Guard, and she certainly saw a difference: “When I started hormones, my forte and speeding both changed dramatically! Hormones feign everyone differently to a degree, but higher testosterone absolutely builds it easier to build and maintain muscle, and unless I wanted to live and sleep in a gym, I plainly wasn’t going to maintain the kind of fitness ranks I had as a ‘guy.'” Harriet shared her Army Physical Fitness Test Scorecard. Overall, her run era for two miles has increased by about six hours, and she did significantly fewer push-ups and sit-ups, although her overall ratings are “respectable, but nothing spectacular.”

But the changes brought on by change gash both paths. Jerry, our active-duty Navy trans boy, said, “Exercising has get loadings easier! I rarely qualify for the running part of the physical fitness exam now, and I extend just fine. In the past, if I didn’t extended every day, my tallies would be lower than average. I can elevate more, I can run faster, push-ups are a breeze. I’m training for a button move competition called the 1,000 Lbs Club: terrace, squatting, deadlift must equate 1,000 pounds. Females have the 600 Lbs Club. Without any serious train, I’ve already matched the 600 -pound standard. One downside, however, is the load increase. I’ve easily gained 27 pounds since starting[ testosterone ]. Can’t lose it — I’ve tried! “

The most important fact to note about soldiers transitioning while on active office is that it’s unbelievably uncommon. This RAND study thinks between 25 and 130 surgeries per year among active-duty personnel. Between 10 and 130 soldiers per year could experience “reduced deployability.” There are currently more than 50,000 active-duty soldiers who are undeployable. The vast majority of these soldiers have short-term harms, like torn ACLs from a basketball game gone bad. If you’re to be concerned about military readiness, pick-up football match are perhaps a most pressing threat than transgender people.

1

The Military Has Been Adapting

Trump’s announcement draws it looks a lot like transgender beings are justification the mighty mainstays of the military institution to crumble. But Emma said in regards to trans beings in the military forces, “There wasn’t an effect on readiness or lethality … it was a non-story until President Trump stirred the fib today. When he said they’re a interruption — that was the word he used in his tweet — he is the one who is interrupting the morale and duel efficiency of our services by basically throwing away 15,000 exceedingly trained, highly capable fighters … “

Our roots have noted some difficulties — about the paperwork involved in name changes, some weird armed programs on when other soldiers should use a different pronoun for them, and shit like Harriet’s experience here: “I was out at a army prepare activity, and I had been isolated as much as is lodging is concerned — they’re like, ‘Well, the soldier isn’t male enough to stay with all the male soldiers, and we don’t know if she’s genuinely female, ‘ so I was set by myself. And that was pretty crushing.”

The military doesn’t change on a dime. But that’s not to say they weren’t adapting. The Department of Defense published a whole manual on it, which includes some quite woke quotations on gender identity, such as: “Sex and gender are different. Copulation is whether a person is male or girl through their biology. Gender is the socially defined the responsibilities and characteristics of being male and female associated with that sex.”

And while Harriet dealt with predictable bullshit, she also encountered supremely understanding officers: “In my military mental health evaluation, one of the things the mental health officer actually said was that they needed to act quickly to change my reputation and gender issues, because I was so far developed and they didn’t want to induce severe detrimental mental health effects or stressors on an otherwise well-functioning soldier.”

On a personal stage, all of the transgender soldiers we spoke to reported widespread support from their comrades. When Harriet was stopped from lodging with her fellow female soldiers after coming out, they stepped up to shape circumstances right: “All of the other women soldiers that were there at the time — some of them didn’t know me at all — actually got together of their own accord and went to leadership and said, ‘This is wrong. She belongs with us. She’s one of our sisters.’ It was truly, really awesome.”

For their area, our sources haven’t been subjected to the various kinds of we’ll-get-you-while-you’re-asleep-in-your-barrack boys’ squad punishment we might expect from Hollywood’s depiction of intolerant military culture. That’s not to say it doesn’t happen, and there are still a lot of soldiers( 41 percent ) who don’t supporter transgender assistance beings, but Jerry fantasizes many of those tribes just haven’t actually fulfilled any out trans soldiers. He justified, “I’ve been stealth for a year now, and four you knew at my command. These guys are proudly republican, and each of them have considered me with glory and respect. One of them was a former cholo, and now senior enlisted, fucking crazy regard to him. So when I verify someone on social media comment about “tranny this” and “shim that, ” I know I can change their perspective, because I’ve done it four times on base already. It’s all about patience and education. The professionalism of our army never fails to surprised to see me. In the end, we’re all brothers and sisters in arms, and we should crave what’s excellent for each other.”

Harriet actually seems safer with her compatriots than she does out in the normal world: “One of the safest residences that I find I are actually not have to worry is among other soldiers. I don’t know if it’s simply because of me personally, that I’m lucky enough to be not super tall and sort of fit kind of what parties expect a woman to look like … Or if it was my prior reputation? I’ve been with the same component the entire seven years I’ve been in the Guard. I feel having all those personal relationships already certainly helped … I appear little safe off-base than I do on.”

Emma is no longer in the military. But she is a lawyer, and most of her clients are soldiers, so she still spends a lot of time in and around the military. After she came out, she noted: “I would say 99 percent of my friends, my subsidiaries, and even my mentors in my senior navals who were in charge of me ought to have unbelievably supportive. Y’know, I have everyone from general police to lance corporals saying, ‘I’m delighted to see that you came out’ — utilizing the remedy pronouns, using the correct figure. All of that was really supportive.”

She’s preferably pee-pee about the president’s freshly tweeted plan: “I have friends who are still on active obedience, and they are extremely hideous , not only for their occupations but also for their physical security — not necessary from their service members, but from members of the public who may see this as carte blanche to discriminate and assault transgender beings … I think that what the president was your day was callously contemptuous of the faithfulnes our services members have supplied — especially the transgender assistance members. I think he was negligent today with the well-being of transgender assistance members.”

Robert Evans has a notebook, and you can buy it here . For more, check out 5 Shockingly Outdated Problems Women in the Armed Face and Raped On The Battlefield: What Male Veteran Survivors Know . Have a narrative to share with Cracked? Email us here . Subscribe to our YouTube channel, and check out How One Escaped Slave Changed The American Civil War Forever, and watch other videos you won’t meet on the area !

Likewise follow us on Facebook, because we love you .

The post Surprising Insider Realities Of Being Trans In The Military appeared first on apsbicepstraining.com.

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[apsbicepstraining]

Surprising Insider Realities Of Being Trans In The Military

This morning, we all woke up to see a major shift in U.S. Defense Department policy released via our president’s Twitter TAGEND

Donald Trump/ Twitter

Donald Trump/ Twitter

Donald Trump/ Twitter

It perceives a bit like being broken up with via textbook, but since it is a presidential statement, it’s more or less official. Instead of suspecting what it’s actually like for transgender beings in the military forces, we reached out to Emma Shinn, a trans woman and former Marine Corps platoon sergeant with extensive fighting ordeal in Fallujah. We too spoke to various other current active and reserve responsibility trans soldiers. They told us …

3

Trans Beings Are 2-3 Eras As Likely To Provide As The General Population

In the wake of the president’s tweeted announcements this morning, a lively dialogue over trans kinfolks in the military has cropped up in all the regions of the internet. One justification for the ban steams down to “There precisely aren’t that many of them! “

It’s true that transgender beings aren’t a huge gob of the military. But it’s likewise true-life that they suffice at a higher rate than pretty much any other demographic. Generally pronouncing, simply 10 percent of Americans have served in the armed forces. But studies indicate that 20 percentage of all trans-identified Americans have joined up. And another contemplate found that digit increases to 30 percent for trans women — around triple that of the general population. To Emma, these numerals shape total feel TAGEND

“I would say that a lot of beings prior to transitioning find the need to prove themselves as birth certificates gender, and particularly for transgender girls, that includes doing stereotypically masculine works. Communicating personally, I know the Marine Corps was very attractive to me because I wanted to prove myself as a guy. Not simply was I a person, I was an uber person. Not merely as enlisted infantry but as a sergeant-at-law, I felt that would help assuage the disconnect.”

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Emma’s experience isn’t uncommon. In point, this was studied and written about path back in 1988 by Air Force psychiatrist George Brown ( now an associate chair for VA affairs ). Being written a few a few decades ago, such studies gives outdated nomenclature to discuss transgender beings, but it shows that this phenomenon has been around for some time. He surveyed the higher pace of enlistment among trans individuals and called it a “flight into hypermasculinity” — an attempt to suppress the confusion associated with gender dysphoria through negative buttres and work that’s seen as “macho.” From that view, the all-encompassing live-where-you-work armed itinerary seems like a pretty great flee. It’s too often considered as a good alternative for high school graduates who want a fighting chance at a decent profession and benefits, and don’t attention getting the hell out of sidestep to do it. That’s not a bad deal for a population that is at much greater risk of becoming homeless.

As it is about to change, the military forces is the single largest bos of trans people in the country. But since this is an employer whose central commodity is “protecting the nation” and “watching over all the rockets, ” it IS important to ask the question: Are trans parties able to perform their duties, even with the overcome of transitioning? Well, it is about to change that’s not as big of an issue as people fear.

2

Here’s What it’s Like To Transition While A Soldier

Jerry is a transgender gentleman providing on active role in the Navy. He pointed out that, first, the military forces isn’t precisely in the business of paying for extensive surgery. “Military program is to at the least cover pharmaceutical and mental healthcare. Anything else asks serious motivation and luck … I paid for my top surgery alone, when “theres” thousands of guys posting[ on Reddit] every day how they didn’t pay a dime for their surgery, and they’re, like, baristas.( Nothing against baristas, it’s only insane that I’ve gotten PTSD as a souvenir from overseas deployments and can’t get something that someone who “re going home” every night reeking like luscious coffee and tarts can get with a fraction of international efforts .) “

He points out that if a soldier does modulation while on active role, they’re bound by very strict rules as to when they can do it: “Commanders are less likely to approve you going surgery if you have to deploy — which prepares gumption, and should be the case.”

Transitioning can have a significant impact on a soldier’s physical abilities. Harriet transitioned while invited to take part in the National Guard, and she certainly saw a difference: “When I started hormones, my forte and speeding both changed dramatically! Hormones feign everyone differently to a degree, but higher testosterone absolutely builds it easier to build and maintain muscle, and unless I wanted to live and sleep in a gym, I plainly wasn’t going to maintain the kind of fitness ranks I had as a ‘guy.'” Harriet shared her Army Physical Fitness Test Scorecard. Overall, her run era for two miles has increased by about six hours, and she did significantly fewer push-ups and sit-ups, although her overall ratings are “respectable, but nothing spectacular.”

But the changes brought on by change gash both paths. Jerry, our active-duty Navy trans boy, said, “Exercising has get loadings easier! I rarely qualify for the running part of the physical fitness exam now, and I extend just fine. In the past, if I didn’t extended every day, my tallies would be lower than average. I can elevate more, I can run faster, push-ups are a breeze. I’m training for a button move competition called the 1,000 Lbs Club: terrace, squatting, deadlift must equate 1,000 pounds. Females have the 600 Lbs Club. Without any serious train, I’ve already matched the 600 -pound standard. One downside, however, is the load increase. I’ve easily gained 27 pounds since starting[ testosterone ]. Can’t lose it — I’ve tried! “

The most important fact to note about soldiers transitioning while on active office is that it’s unbelievably uncommon. This RAND study thinks between 25 and 130 surgeries per year among active-duty personnel. Between 10 and 130 soldiers per year could experience “reduced deployability.” There are currently more than 50,000 active-duty soldiers who are undeployable. The vast majority of these soldiers have short-term harms, like torn ACLs from a basketball game gone bad. If you’re to be concerned about military readiness, pick-up football match are perhaps a most pressing threat than transgender people.

1

The Military Has Been Adapting

Trump’s announcement draws it looks a lot like transgender beings are justification the mighty mainstays of the military institution to crumble. But Emma said in regards to trans beings in the military forces, “There wasn’t an effect on readiness or lethality … it was a non-story until President Trump stirred the fib today. When he said they’re a interruption — that was the word he used in his tweet — he is the one who is interrupting the morale and duel efficiency of our services by basically throwing away 15,000 exceedingly trained, highly capable fighters … “

Our roots have noted some difficulties — about the paperwork involved in name changes, some weird armed programs on when other soldiers should use a different pronoun for them, and shit like Harriet’s experience here: “I was out at a army prepare activity, and I had been isolated as much as is lodging is concerned — they’re like, ‘Well, the soldier isn’t male enough to stay with all the male soldiers, and we don’t know if she’s genuinely female, ‘ so I was set by myself. And that was pretty crushing.”

The military doesn’t change on a dime. But that’s not to say they weren’t adapting. The Department of Defense published a whole manual on it, which includes some quite woke quotations on gender identity, such as: “Sex and gender are different. Copulation is whether a person is male or girl through their biology. Gender is the socially defined the responsibilities and characteristics of being male and female associated with that sex.”

And while Harriet dealt with predictable bullshit, she also encountered supremely understanding officers: “In my military mental health evaluation, one of the things the mental health officer actually said was that they needed to act quickly to change my reputation and gender issues, because I was so far developed and they didn’t want to induce severe detrimental mental health effects or stressors on an otherwise well-functioning soldier.”

On a personal stage, all of the transgender soldiers we spoke to reported widespread support from their comrades. When Harriet was stopped from lodging with her fellow female soldiers after coming out, they stepped up to shape circumstances right: “All of the other women soldiers that were there at the time — some of them didn’t know me at all — actually got together of their own accord and went to leadership and said, ‘This is wrong. She belongs with us. She’s one of our sisters.’ It was truly, really awesome.”

For their area, our sources haven’t been subjected to the various kinds of we’ll-get-you-while-you’re-asleep-in-your-barrack boys’ squad punishment we might expect from Hollywood’s depiction of intolerant military culture. That’s not to say it doesn’t happen, and there are still a lot of soldiers( 41 percent ) who don’t supporter transgender assistance beings, but Jerry fantasizes many of those tribes just haven’t actually fulfilled any out trans soldiers. He justified, “I’ve been stealth for a year now, and four you knew at my command. These guys are proudly republican, and each of them have considered me with glory and respect. One of them was a former cholo, and now senior enlisted, fucking crazy regard to him. So when I verify someone on social media comment about “tranny this” and “shim that, ” I know I can change their perspective, because I’ve done it four times on base already. It’s all about patience and education. The professionalism of our army never fails to surprised to see me. In the end, we’re all brothers and sisters in arms, and we should crave what’s excellent for each other.”

Harriet actually seems safer with her compatriots than she does out in the normal world: “One of the safest residences that I find I are actually not have to worry is among other soldiers. I don’t know if it’s simply because of me personally, that I’m lucky enough to be not super tall and sort of fit kind of what parties expect a woman to look like … Or if it was my prior reputation? I’ve been with the same component the entire seven years I’ve been in the Guard. I feel having all those personal relationships already certainly helped … I appear little safe off-base than I do on.”

Emma is no longer in the military. But she is a lawyer, and most of her clients are soldiers, so she still spends a lot of time in and around the military. After she came out, she noted: “I would say 99 percent of my friends, my subsidiaries, and even my mentors in my senior navals who were in charge of me ought to have unbelievably supportive. Y’know, I have everyone from general police to lance corporals saying, ‘I’m delighted to see that you came out’ — utilizing the remedy pronouns, using the correct figure. All of that was really supportive.”

She’s preferably pee-pee about the president’s freshly tweeted plan: “I have friends who are still on active obedience, and they are extremely hideous , not only for their occupations but also for their physical security — not necessary from their service members, but from members of the public who may see this as carte blanche to discriminate and assault transgender beings … I think that what the president was your day was callously contemptuous of the faithfulnes our services members have supplied — especially the transgender assistance members. I think he was negligent today with the well-being of transgender assistance members.”

Robert Evans has a notebook, and you can buy it here . For more, check out 5 Shockingly Outdated Problems Women in the Armed Face and Raped On The Battlefield: What Male Veteran Survivors Know . Have a narrative to share with Cracked? Email us here . Subscribe to our YouTube channel, and check out How One Escaped Slave Changed The American Civil War Forever, and watch other videos you won’t meet on the area !

Likewise follow us on Facebook, because we love you .

The post Surprising Insider Realities Of Being Trans In The Military appeared first on apsbicepstraining.com.

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