Kayday

Good point, updated.

I don't have a Tumblr post, but I do have this.

Edit: Project 2025, page 5:
"Pornography, manifested today in the omnipresent propagation of transgender ideology and sexualization of children, for instance, is not a political Gordian knot inextricably binding up disparate claims about free speech, property rights, sexual liberation, and child welfare. It has no claim to First Amendment protection. Its purveyors are child predators and misogynistic exploiters of women. Their product is as addictive as any illicit drug and as psychologically destructive as any crime. Pornography should be outlawed. The people who produce and distribute it should be imprisoned. Educators and public librarians who purvey it should be classed as registered sex offenders. And telecommunications and technology firms that facilitate its spread should be shuttered."

Got pulled over by a cop for the first time since transitioning. My ID has my old name / face, so I was terrified. I'm in a rural area with a large MAGA presence.

He was incredibly kind, apologized for being "disrespectful" when confirming my legal name, and then asked for a preferred name to use. I ended up not getting a ticket, and he called me ma'am when we parted ways.

The rest of my week was also great, if uneventful.

I feel like Zohran must have tried to appeal to Trump's nostalgia for the city. Trying to, make it great again, perhaps? I can't imagine any other way that Trump would suddenly be on board.

This is huge, thank you so much! I'm sorry to hear how stressful your situation has been, the US healthcare system does indeed suck.

That bad, huh?

I was not attracted to men before. Now, I am still not attracted to men. I do find myself understanding the appeal more now, if that makes sense.

China would be an attractive choice if it wasn't for their disappointing policies regarding trans people

I'm trying so hard not to be jealous! You look amazing girlfriend!

AFAB vs AMAB makeup is a different art, so unfortunately it's not surprising that your partner's instincts on where to put highlights / shadows / volume was not to your liking.

I paint miniatures as a hobby, and I've come to realise that most of the principles transfer to makeup. First off, get a set of makeup brushes if you don't already. Some things to note:

• know how to properly "load" your brush (after dipping my brush in liquid foundation, I work it in with a few swipes on my hand)
• thin coats of foundation are your friend, less is more
• add highlights to the center of your face (nose tip, forehead between your brows, eye bags, etc)
• if necessary, add shadows/contour to the outside of your face ( sides of chin/jaw, beneath cheek bone)
• eyeliner should be applied with your eyes open, unless you're fixing a line toward the end
• having some q tips or an old brush to wipe off excess makeup is huge (eyeliner, shadow, lipstick, etc)

Most of the time, foundation looks bad if you can see it. If you are happy with your skin, don't wear it. Make sure you are using a colour that matches your skin tone. Repeating myself because it's important, less is more.

Echoing what others have said, HRT does help a lot with makeup looking more natural. I'd say my skills a year ago were about as good as they are now, but in that time HRT has helped what I do look more "correct" for lack of a better word. Most days I don't feel the need to contour, just using concealer for highlights.

Getting a face of makeup and not liking the end result is horribly dysphoria inducing for me as well, which made practicing really difficult initially. I will say that it gets better with practice. Just like voice training, the light at the end of the tunnel is there. Good luck 🩷🫂

I'm really sorry to hear about your situation, that is really difficult. No one should have to choose between themselves and who they love.

Fwiw, penile shrinkage is mostly an issue since you don't get spontaneous erections anymore. However if you become erect often, you should see less / no shrinkage.

As you're probably aware, the first 3 or so months of HRT have no permanent changes. (fertility possibly, but the science isn't conclusive) If you start now like you want, that's another 3 months for you and your partner to talk things over. A person's mind can change a lot in that time.

My wife does not consider herself bi, but came to realize with time that she loves me as a person more than my body. (She hasn't labeled herself, but I think she may be demisexual) I will add that there was about 13 months between coming out to my wife, and starting HRT; she had time to be fully on board with that.

It sounds like she wants you to pursue treatment, but isn't thrilled about the implications. I know you implied she is heteromantic, but do you think that opening your relationship is a possible answer? (I have no experience with that, just asking)

Best of luck, I'm sure you will have some tough conversations ahead 🫂