(no subject)

[the_fantastic_ms_fox]

A
"Grrrrrunt."

This is the sound of me doing one of two things:

1. Trying to open a jar. People used to pass jars to me because I could open them. Now I'm getting aquainted with the virtues of hot water, banging them on tables and so on.

2. Trying to do a chin-up. I used to be able to do several sets of between one and three, depending on how much exercise I'd been getting. Now I can sort of hang from the bar while drlagging myself up ten or twenty centimetres. I can strain as much as I want, and while I'd thought that maximum exertion would always feel like the same, it doesn't. Although I'm pulling as hard as I can, it actually feels like less effort; less strain. Weird.

Indeed. It would seem that I've lost a lot of upper-body strength.

B

However, this is a fine trade-off as I find that I've been... doing more... flirting? ::surprise follows::

What!? Me!?

Yeah. I've been flirting, and it has been well-received. This is a first.

It feels a lot more comfortable and natural, easy even. It's very subtle and I'm still not very good at it, or detecting it from others (or even myself) until after the fact, but, yeah. There it is.

C
I also got word from my doctor with good-ish news about MSP and Genital Surgery. Apparantly:

1. They are changing the "real life test" from "one year if you pay for it; two if we pay for it" to just "one." Mind you, tehre is a three-to four year wait for the lasses, longer for the lads. They're working on speeding up the wait-list by say... giving operating time to the surgeon they hired to do this (who is now having to content himself withdoing every surgery but sex-changes). But they've been saying that awhile now. Still. One year.

2. (more important for me) They're being a lot less "vigilant" in policing the Real-Life Test. While it had improved over a decade ago (where "psychologically healthy woman" meant "wears a dress, makeup and sleeps with men" and "interview" meant "multiple-months of labcoat-sanctified harassment") the word was that they were still being more obstacle than help. If you take a look at the questions I submitted to the health centre, spurred by stories from other MtFs who have done this recently, it should give you a clue of what I was worried about. (i was expecting a lot of the answers to be "if you do that, you have to start RLT over again"). It also shows the terrible communication surrounding genital surgery - the reason I sent in this letter was because  couldn't get the answers anywhere.

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Questions on Surgery

I have heard that it is best to remove some pubic hair prior to GRS, or that it at least reduces the rate fo complications. Is this true? If so, where should I remove hair?

What are the guidelines and suggestions for rest following GRS?

Surgery and MSP

Who performs the surgeries covered by MSP? What method do they use?.

A pamphlet that I got off of the Transgender Health Program's website advised me to seek the okay from MSP before the end of the 2-year RLT, due to the wait-list for surgery. Thus, if there was a four-month wait for surgery, I should go to the panel four months before the end of the 2-year RLT, so that suregry could be scheduled closer to the end of the RLT (instead of spend extra time on the wait-list). I have also heard that this is not how it's done. What do I do?

How specifically will I be able to anticipate when I could go for GRS? I need to have some advance estimate as I need to know roughly when I will have to miss work or school. If my 2-year RLT finishes in January of 2009, in what rough span(s) of time could I plan on surgery?

Does the default MSP surgery include labiaplasty? Does it include the construction of a clitoris? Wht about the colon-tissue grafting method? If it includes the latter, can I opt out of that particular graft?

If there is a problem with the surgery requiring revision, what do I do?

I understand that to change my legal sex require the confirmation of a gynecologist. How do I do this? Is there anything else I should know about changing my legal sex?

Questions on RLT

For all of the following questions, I am interested in both the 1-year RLT approval for self-financed surgery, and the MSP 2-year approval. Could you respond taking both into account please?

My employment and school record may be are highly variable. This is due to the nature of my fields of interest and practice. I fear that this may be interpreted as demonstrating a lack of overall stability. Is this a risk? If so, what should I do?

Is it a problem if I am continuously registered in courses, but my work record is irregular, or vice-versa? Or if I am continuously in a state of one or more of: working for pay, volunteering and/or going to school - but which exactly it is tends to change?

How much of a break from employment/school can I take? If I leave one job, or finish up at one academic institution, and take a vacation before starting another job or course of study, how long can the break be until it compromises my RLT? I'm concerned about this, as I was hoping to take a month off between finishing my current high-stress job and starting another less-stressful one.

If I am self-employed in starting a non-profit or acting as an entrepreneur, how do I go about documenting this in terms of RLT?

While I am certain that my gender identity is female, my most comfortable presentation tends towards the dykey or butch (i.e. I am sometimes read as genderqueer female-bodied person, FtM, a teenage cisgender boy or a cisgender man). I understand that while most MtFs are not hyper-feminine, that decidedly non-feminine presentation is still unusual (much as it is in the general non-transsexual female population). While I have no doubt that this is female presentation on my part, I fear that some people might conflate androgynous/masculine expression with a lack of solidity in my female identity. Is this likely? If so, what should I do?

I may perform as an amateur Drag King as part of a Rhinoceros Party drive to increase voter awareness and turnout. Should this occur, I will likely be mentioned in the media, and possibly in official election records, under a male pseudonym. While this is theatrical, and it should be clear that I myself am female, I fear that it might be interpreted as breaking with RLT. Can you advise?

 

 

Comments

[porphyre.livejournal.com]

RE: jar lids.

The trick is to put a rubber band around the edge, and THEN twist it. Something to do with torque and surface area and grip or whatnot.

[http://users.livejournal.com/innerlife_/]

Omg. Totally trying that.