Shout out post to fellow mods still in Virginia(!):

Ryan will be at VaTech on April 4th. -Rebecca

ryansallans:

If you attend Rutgers University - Camden. I will be sharing my transition story and speaking on the topics of sexuality and gender on March 28th from 5 to 7 pm with a meet and greet and book signing after! 

Not a Rutgers-Camden Student? Here is a list of other Universities  I’ll be visiting/speaking at this spring:

• Northwest Missouri State University - March 15
• University of New England - March 27
• Iowa’s Safe School Coalition LGBTQ Youth Conference - April 3
• Virginia Tech - April 4
• University of South Dakota - April 9
• Drake University - April 16
• Equality Forum, Philadelphia - May 2

You can find out more on my website!

LGBTQ* Charts We Wanted To Share

copper-rose:

2 years on T update!

physical changes:

• Hair loss 
• Muscle growth
• More facial hair and body hair growth
• Fat disputation on hips, has no butt..
• Hair.

Other changes:

Mood is hard to say because Of the events that has happened a few months ago. Most days I have anxiety and feel tired other days I feel relaxed and calm, never angry or had raged out.  My appetite is still the same I still eat a lot but doesn’t seem to gain anything from it and is loosing weight.  Face and body acne has gone down A LOT from last year.  Voice still dropping slightly. 

Weight: 108 hight: 5’5 

70mg of T every 10 day.

That’s all I can think of, I will do a better face comparison soon and maybe a voice change video :O   

- Tai

LGBTQ* Articles and Advice (You May Have Missed)

How to Bed a Trans Man

by Raymond (of the Huffington Post)

You’re a savvy queer who’s been eyeing a hot trans guy at the monthly dance parties, or the regular cutie you see at all the fundraising events, but how you make the approach? We here at Early to Bed have had many customers ask for our help in flirting and consummating their crush on an FTM. If you can’t make it to the shop in person, lucky you, here are seven tips to help you up your seduction game and keep you from inadvertently offending (or just turning off) your date.

1. Don’t use the word “tranny.”

RuPaul loves it, but you’re not on a date with RuPaul. The word is highly charged in the trans community because of its hurtful use in the past, and even if your date uses it to describe themselves or others, chances are when you say the word, you’ll sound awkward at best, or a like an insensitive jerk at worst.

2. If you mess up pronouns, apologize briefly and move on.

Everyone makes verbal gaffes. Quickly say you’re sorry and keep the conversation flowing. People mess up names and pronouns of non-trans folks, too; our brains are not perfect, so don’t make it a huge deal and draw more attention to it. Then, make a concerted effort to not mess up pronouns again. If you keep saying the wrong pronoun, though, consider that maybe you aren’t ready to be on the date.

3. Do your own research beforehand.

How do you take the hormones? What types of surgery are available? What’s this tight nylon shirt you’re wearing? What does “non-op transsexual” mean? All these questions can be answered by the Internet, so don’t treat your date like a private googling session (unless you’re supergeeks and that’s part of a fantasy scenario). Educating yourself on these topics will keep your curiosity from accidentally spilling all over your date, and it will also make conversation easier to follow on your end if he does mention things about his transition or past. However…

4. Don’t bring up trans stuff too much.

With all your newfound knowledge, you might now be tempted to flaunt it, but don’t. Play it cool. As a rule, think of it as a 3-to-1 ratio: you should only bring it up once for every three times your date does. Now, if your date is really, really into discussing social construction of gender, queer critical theory, trans politics, etc., then go for it; it’s good to talk excitedly about topics that your date likes to talk excitedly about. But if he’s not fixated on the topic, then you shouldn’t be, either.

5. Don’t tell anecdotes about other dates with trans men (or about your trans friends).

Some trans people like knowing that their date has been to the rodeo before, so to speak. Others think it’s an immediate red flag that you’re a fetishist. Mentioning it once casually in the proper context is OK, but don’t instigate the story out of nowhere. Going on and on about your trans friend(s) is meaningless, too; we want to see your behaviors in action, not get a list of your personal references.

6. Don’t ask us our birth names.

We went through a lot of trouble to train and educate our friends and families to switch to a new name, plus we probably paid court fees to do it legally. Your curiosity is normal, but the question itself puts us in an uncomfortable place of having to remember our past and talk about it with a near stranger who hasn’t properly taken the time to get to know us in the present. It’s also kind of a boner-killer to have someone gawking at how we don’t look like a Heather anymore.

7. Do give flirty compliments.

Unless you have X-ray vision, the majority of what makes someone attractive to you is not what’s between their legs or inside their pants. More likely it’s things like the way they move across the room, a grin, how they hold a glass, a look in their eyes, the way they tell a story — all characteristics that have no gender markers whatsoever. Talk about those things as turn-ons. Use gender-neutral adjectives (“sexy,” “smoldering,” “attractive,” “compelling,” “hot”) and maybe throw in “cute,” “adorable,” or “handsome.” Avoid adjectives that tend to be gendered in either direction — too feminine and it can feel uncomfortable, but too masculine and it can sound like you’re overcompensating. (The same goes for excessive dude-bro speak.)

Raymond is an instructor at Early to Bed, a feminist sex toy shop in Chicago. Women-owned and oriented, boy- and trans-friendly, the store has a relaxed atmosphere that is different from your average sex shop. Their brother site, Early to Rise, caters to men seeking sex toy advice and honest product reviews.

(source)

LGBTQ* Grants (and Deadlines) You Should Know

Trans Justice Funding Project

Information

Accessibility

We aim to make this process as accessible as possible, so please let us know about any other needs you have and we will do our best to meet them. An audio version of the application is available on request.

Timeline

Applications are due on February 15th, 2013 by midnight, Eastern Standard Time. Decisions will be made in mid-March 2013. So you can expect to hear back from us by April 1st and, if you are funded, to get your check soon after that.

How will the funding process work?

A panel of 7 activists from across the country will come together for a series of conference calls and a weekend-long in-person meeting to review all the applications and decide on the grantees. You can read more about our the panel members at transjusticefundingproject.org/who-we-are/. While we are very grateful to all the contributors making this project possible, funding decisions will be made solely by this community-led panel.

What does trans justice mean?

We  use  the  term  “trans”  in  its  most  inclusive  sense,  as  an  umbrella  term  encompassing  transsexual,  transgender,   genderqueer,  Two-Spirit  people,  and  more  generally,  anyone  whose  gender  identity  or  gender  expression  is  non  conforming   and/or  different  from  their  birth-assigned  sex.

We see trans justice as a commitment to creating a world where trans and gender non-conforming individuals and communities have the freedom to self-define and express their genders without fear of violence, discrimination, or harassment. A world where we recognize and honor that our communities have knowledge and expertise in matters relating to our own lives that no one else will have.

(Thank you to Leeway Foundation and Ryan Li for the adapted definitions above)

Grant size

The funding panel will be distributing a total of $50,000. While it’s unlikely that grants will be smaller than $1,000 or larger than $5,000, the final decisions about grant size will be made when the panel meets to review all the applications.

Is multi-year support available?

Right now, this is only a one year project to distribute $50,000. In a way, it’s an experiment. We’re not sure what’s next, but no matter what, we want to do our best to get the word out about our grantees to as many donors as possible and to provide an example of an alternative, community-led funding model to those who want to support trans justice.

What we fund:

• Groups, projects and organizations across the U.S. from rural areas to big cities
• Groups that have 501c3 status or fiscal sponsorship
• Groups that don’t have 501c3 status or fiscal sponsorship
• Established organizations
• Groups that are just getting started

What we don’t fund:

• Individuals
• Groups outside the U.S.

Criteria

We are committed to supporting groups that:

• Are run by and for trans communities.
• Support and encourage trans leadership.
• Are guided by a commitment to trans justice and anti-oppression work.
• Center the leadership of trans people organizing around their experiences with racism, economic injustice, transmisogyny, ableism, immigration, incarceration, and other intersecting oppressions.
• Collaborate with other local groups and think of themselves as part of a bigger picture of trans-led work that seeks dignity and justice for all people.
• Are meeting the needs of different local communities and using organizing and/or providing services to help bring people together.

Just email us at info@transjusticefundingproject.org about any questions. We’ll get back to you as fast as we can! (Though please keep in mind that it’s just the two of us putting this together in our spare time, so it might be a little slower than we’d like.)

In Solidarity,
Gabriel Foster and Karen Pittelman, co-organizers

(source)

For more information visit TransJusticeFundingProject.org

LGBTQ* Graphic Novels to Keep on Your Radar

(AKA, LGBTQ* graphic novels the KNOWhomo team is currently reading)

TRANSPOSES by Dylan Edwards

“Transposes will teach you something about what it means to have  a body and to feel desire. About what it means, in short, to be human.” - Alison Bechdel From the foreword by the New York Times bestselling author of FUN HOME and ARE YOU MY MOTHER

TRANSPOSES separates gender from sexuality and illustrates six fascinating true stories of transgender men who also happen to be queer. The result is a laugh-out-loud, funny, heartbreaking, challenging, inventive, informative, and invites the reader to explore what truly makes a man a man. 

Interested? Read some of the first pages HERE.

Note from Rebecca: 

I ordered TRANSPOSES after running into it time and time again online. (I am an avid comic book and graphic novel reader.) I ordered it from NORTHWEST PRESS and had it in my hands within 2-3 days (at regular shipping price). If you are unfamiliar with NORTHWEST PRESS and enjoy queer graphic expression and fiction, I highly recommend spending some time on their site. 

LGBTQ* Voices You Should Know

Ryan Sallans, trans* activist/educator/author, speaking at Memorial Park in Nebraska.

Check out Ryan’s book SECOND SON

Check out Ryan’s TUMBLR

LGBTQ* Graphic and Comic Artists

ROOSTER TAILS Takes On Binders