[Adrian]

A really hot night – the glowing faces at November Glebe cafe

[Adrian]

The October 2012 picture (apologies for the delay posting due to me being in tropical places). Andi & Maya left early so didn’t make the picture.

[Adrian]

The definition of gender identity is perhaps easier to read with the original indenting which I have tried to reproduce below (granted it is difficult to achieve)…

gender identity means:
(a) the identification, on a genuine basis, by a person of one sex as a member of the other sex (whether or not the person is recognised as such):
[ul](i) by assuming characteristics of the other sex, whether by means of medical intervention, style of dressing or otherwise; or
(ii) by living, or seeking to live, as a member of the other sex;
[/ul] or
(b) the identification, on a genuine basis, by a person of indeterminate sex as a member of a particular sex (whether or not the person is recognised as such):
[ul](i) by assuming characteristics of that sex, whether by means of medical intervention, style of dressing or otherwise; or
(ii) by living, or seeking to live, as a member of that sex.
[/ul]
I’m not sure why exactly the thread was started in the Inter-gender issues – but the issue I see is that it completely fails to acknowledge that anyone can associate with a non-binary gender.
The consequence, I presume (as I don’t have the time to wade through 200+ pages of legislation), is a lack of protection from discrimination.

To understand what I mean look at the language used.
Part a) allows you to identify as a “member of the other sex”.
Part b) allows you to identify as a particular sex if your actual sex is indeterminate.

By linking gender to sex in this way, it forces the only acceptable gender identities to be male or female.

A quick search shows that the issue has been raised during the discussion process. For instance a submission from TransGender Victoria states

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We believe that the definition of gender identity needs to expressly cover gender expression as discrimination against (for example) masculine females and feminine men, frequently has overlap with discrimination against transgender people.

I’m not sure exactly what TransGender Victoria means by transgender! But would appear that such comments were not made forcefully enough, because I see no such shades of grey in the definition.

One day, I hope that the loudest voices from our community will not be a minority speaking from a background of binary gender.
Whilst I support any moves to reduce discrimination against those who choose to assume the characteristics of another sex (by whatever means) I am uncomfortable if this is achieved by reducing or ignoring the rights of the rest of the community.

[Adrian]

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I’ve just finished 6 months of applying oestrogen cream to my face and have noticeably softer, more feminine skin .The cream is the same as used to soften skin around the vagina.

First the usual warning…

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TgR is not a medical forum and any comments you may read in TgR forums are only the opinions of the member posting. You should not assume that a posting on TgR implies any verification or independent review and whilst the advice is honestly offered it is made without knowledge of your particular medical conditions. You should always seek professional medical advice before taking any action that might affect your health.

Obviously the effects of applying creams or gels containing oestrogen topically depends on the actual concentration of hormones in the preparation.
I was sucked into buying a pink cream from Transformations years ago – promising the “maximum permitted hormone levels” – needless to say it didn’t have any observable effect other than on my bank balance.

At the other end of the scale there are gels and creams available with relatively high levels of oestrogen such as Oestrogel and Ovestin. These prescription hormones are manufactured under controlled conditions and have medical trial data albeit on genetic women.

I’m not sure where in this spectrum the cream you are using sits as commonly available vaginal creams come in a range of strengths. But in terms of cost – I would price how much you are paying per mg of hormone. If the cream doesn’t state its content – then don’t use it.

There is some anecdotal evidence that applying oestrogen to the skin does soften the skin and reduce signs of aging. However the drugs we are talking about are prescription medicines, the use of them as a beauty treatment is well off label (i.e. unresearched formally). This means you are unlikely to find anyone willing to prescribe them for such a purpose.
So importing them for personal use may be the only option available.

Now the BIG warnings.
Regardless of what part of the body the product you are using has been tested on, you are applying a female hormone to your skin. This gives rise to medical risks associated with the absorption of the hormone into the skin and blood supply.

Estrogel has two specific warnings for use that perhaps may influence a decision to use the hormone as a skin treatment.

Firstly the directions advise against applying oestrogen preparations to the breasts. From a search of the internet I believe this reflects the increased occurrence of breast cancer in women with elevated oestrogen levels. If you don’t have much breast tissue then perhaps this warning does not apply – but it is for you to decide.

Secondly, and more pertinently to the topic, there is a warning against applying oestrogen to the face. Again I’m guessing, but I think there have been reported cases of skin pigmentation (red blotches) as a result.

In summary, the beneficial effect of oestrogen on the skin has been widely reported widely on the internet (but predominately on genetic women) but it has not been medically acknowledged. Such use of HRT medicine is off-label which means all the risks are for you to assess. The level of risk probably depends heavily on the concentration of hormones in the applied cream/gel, how much you apply, and where you apply it.

[Adrian]

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I just downloaded series 1 via piratebay.

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yep it’s an awesome doco, i ended up downloading the whole thing rather than wait.

Perhaps it would be timely for me to remind members that stating that you have potentially broken the copyright on a video is not a smart thing to put in a public forum.

[Adrian]

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Animals? Going from yukky to beautiful.. e.g.
Rat

Now I do know some people find rats adorable pets – but I do feel a rat would be a worthy replacement for a rotting boot!

[Adrian]

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Fay, thanks for the idea of knickers as a scale.
I’m trying to think of a possible scale for that idea, and this is what I could come up with, so far.

Without wishing to dampen the creative juices… I do have to observe that the underwear collection is pretty gender specific – just like the shoe collection we have at present!

[Adrian]

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Needs to have a bit of fun about it.

I guess that was an essential requirement that I forgot from the ‘spec’.
I agree – shouldn’t be too serious!

[Adrian]

If you want to contribute a possible icon set…. then please create the images… and then use the “upload picture” feature in this forum to upload each of the 8 images. If we select the icon set then I’ll get back to you so you can email me the original images.

Can I please stress the need for
“Reputation image 1 and 2 must be clearly undesirable”

I’m keen to swap out the shoes … but can’t do it unless the two bottom icons are so bad people say “why is my reputation so bad?”

[Adrian]

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This may seem a little silly but why dont you look at the Seahorse Society website . It lists several shops that are TG friendly:http://www.seahorsesoc.org/resources/guide/5.html

Why?
Possibly because each list is only as complete as the members contributions (just like this site).

Of the 7 shops listed on the Seahorse Web Site only 3 are in Sydney (which is what Christine is looking for).
And only one of those hasn’t been already discussed in this thread….

My Sister’s Hair
Willander Court Bld, Williams St Entrance,
Suite 12, 151-153 Pacific Highway
Hornsby NSW 2077
(on-line shop with consultations by appointment only)

I can’t find any testimonials from TgR members about either Soho Wigs or My Sister’s Hair. So these might be a bit of a gamble.
(If anyone has used these stores perhaps they could post a review???)

On the other hand Individual Wigs and the Breast Form Store have plenty of positive comments in the forum.

[Adrian]

Thanks Jenni for such a good quality contribution. I’ll be interested to hear feedback (and see any other image sets).

Now there is a thread… perhaps it would be good if I recorded for any other budding icon designers the requirements…. so here goes

There are currently 8 reputation images.
It has been observed that the high heels are a bit gender specific for a site that aims to cater for the entire gender diverse spectrum.

Each image must be 130 x 95 (don’t ask where I came up with that size from), and in jpg format.

The images must not be identifiably copy-write.

Now the tricky bit…..

Reputation image 1 and 2 must be clearly undesirable – as they are awarded to members whose reputation is unacceptable. (Think the old boot and plastic thong in the original set)

Reputation images 3 – 8 should (I think) be a clearly recognisable sequence of getting better (i.e. Image 6 identifiably better/more vakluable/superior to image 5). With image 8 obviously representing the best possible reputation.

[Adrian]

An unusual picture for September as we retreated from the balcony when the thunderstorms started so we could chat in the dry!

[Adrian]

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This one is so cute!

Isn’t it just!

Perhaps I could repeat some oft given advice – as it does pertain very much to a choice of a summer dress.

Many of us have a physical bone structure with some inherent “challenges”. Those of us who were born male have heavy shoulders and lack hips.
We can modify the shape slightly by diet and exercise, but it pays to choose clothes that don’t accentuate our bone structure.

Fitting off-the shoulder dresses like the second one you posted above tend to play into both problem areas – nothing hides or decorates the shoulders, and the bottom half is somewhat revealing of hip shape.

So my recommendation is to head for the fuller skirt (like the Portmans dress above) – when ever we are lucky enough to find them in fashion that is. And to look for dresses with some “shoulder bone camouflage”.
The best look in my opinion is a 1/4 length sleeve – but at the least a nice wide shoulder strap (which also doubles as a camouflage for the bra strap!)

Of course, if you were born with the bones of a Portman’s model then you can ignore all this well-meaning advice and buy up everything in the shop!!!

[Adrian]

Unbeknown to me… I had forgotten to switch on the feedback to posters about the reputation votes they had received. Chloe pointed it out to me today and I’ve switched the feature on as intended. Now, if your post has been voted on, you can see the number of each level of feedback (but not who has given you the feedback).

Once again, it proves that if things don’t seem right on the forums the best thing to do is to email me… as errors creep in everywhere

[Adrian]

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I think I understand what you are talking about but don’t really understand if your thoughts relate to what’s written on the forums or not.

The observation is about the wider world than forums – about the way we present in society as gender diverse people. The reference to the forums was just to show that egocentricity manifests itself in much of what we do – from photos to boring the pants off people at social gatherings.

Perhaps I could also have made an observation about the chat room as well, because in some respects that is more like a social gathering and less of an archive of support material. There are people who find it hard to say anything in on-line chat that doesn’t start with the word I – or at least have “Me” as the subject. This isn’t a conversation – its a monolog.

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When I’m engaging with other Tg people I do so initially because of a commonality of gender variance.

I have no issues with that – provided that what the other person wants or expects to hear is your personal experiences. In Blog type forums that is always the case. But there are cases, even in forums, where such “blogging” is not acceptable. That’s why I wrote:

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But we have to remain aware of when and where is the right time to talk about “Me”.

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I’m quite unsure of what you might suggest we discuss if not ourselves or the issues that have drawn us to such a place of self help.

Again, I know partners don’t consider a restaurant meal as a place of self help. And to be honest neither do I.

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Now who’s guilty on that count? I have no doubt whatsoever about my guilt.

I wasn’t posting from a position of virginal innocence either, but on many occasions observing it has made me squirm with embarrassment.

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When completely one sided it is not much fun. This applies to all not just people in our community but it does seem rife.

Yes – that sums up my point nicely!