Almost 10 months on T

It has been awhile since I have done an update but the changes have been a lot more slow coming.  I am really noticing a bigger difference in the muscle structure of my arms.  My voice is still dropping (something I will NEVER complain about...lol), unfortunately for a vast majority of the population I still sound like a female on the phone or over a drive thru intercom.  One awesome thing that happened a few days ago was I went through the KFC drive through and one of the things in my order the guy didn't quite get so he said "And what was that last part sir?"  I was ecstatic!  And less of my fat is residing in my hips and butt.  Short but to the point.

Name Change Process

August 5th I went to court and filed for my official name change.  Being that it was something that I had never done before there were a few questions that I should have asked:

• How long will the process take?
• Will I need multiple copies of the name change certificate?

Well I can tell you by this point it is August 20th...I have been waiting for over 2 weeks to receive the certificate in the mail.  I didn't think it would take nearly this long...but silly me I suppose I had too much faith in our judicial system/government.  

However I know the next steps I will need to take once I receive the certificate.  My next stop will be the social security office.  When there I will need to have the certificate as well as my birth certificate and license (or some other form of photo identification).  Once I receive my SS card in the mail after all the information has been changed I can then go to the RMV.  There I will need my SS card, and my license (which will most likely have to be surrendered...at least i had to do that when I got my gender marker changed).  Both places I will also have to fill out other paper work.

At least the longest (Knock on wood) and most expensive part of it is over.  Here's hoping I'll get the certificate soon!    

Helpful hints while dealing with someone who is transgender

1. If someone is FTM or MTF do not say that they don't look like a man or woman 
• Honestly men all look different as do women, there is not one specific look that everyone has to follow to be the gender they know themselves to be
2. Calling someone IT
• Personally I don't have an issue with it.  I would rather you call me it then misgender me completely.  Others however get VERY angry.  This should depend on your relationship with the person that is transgender.
3. DO NOT out someone
• Transgender people (escpecially if pre everything*) have a challenge in trying to get people to believe their true gender identity.  If they have passed and actually have someone believing that they are the gender they know themselves to be then don't ruin that by outing them and making other people know that they were not born in the right body.
4. The word "Tranny"
• There is a lot of debate about this in the community.  Some people say that it should not be used at all.  Others say it is okay to be used within the community itself.  Personally I think everyone should be allowed to say it or no one should be allowed to say it.  I totally understand trying to take back the word or not wanting people to use it with a negative connotation but by saying that one group of people cannot say it but we can just sort of defeats the idea of equality, don't you think.
5. Gender Identity vs. Sexual Preference
• Do not assume they are the same thing.  Someone who is transgender can be bi, straight, gay, pansexual, asexual or any other kind of sexual preference there could possible be.
6. Last but not least Gender Reassignment Surgery
• Honestly it is none of your business if someone has gone through part of the surgery all of the surgery or none of the surgery.  That does not make them any less of a man or woman.  Genitalia does not make the gender and I cannot stress that enough.

* Pre everything means pre hormones and pre op which just means they have not had surgery yet

6 Months

So it has been awhile.  I haven't really had much to report on or I just have not had the time to write.  So here is the update.

April 24th was 6 months on T!  My voice still continues to get lower which is a good thing.  There is more hair growing on the underside of my thighs.  I shaved my mustache on April 19th and it is just starting to show again now.  I am starting to get hair on my cheeks but it is SUPER light and VERY short.  I got a haircut (my dad said I looked like a marine) but it seems to be helping.  The past week or so I have gotten a lot more Sirs then Ma'ams...

On another note I am sad because my endocrinologist (the doctor that prescribes my testosterone) is moving to California because her husband got a job.  But we will soon be figuring out whether I will just be getting a new Endocrinologist at Harvard Vanguard or if I will be getting referred to Fenway Health.  It sort of depends on my cholesterol levels.  I have always had high cholesterol, but I had really high good cholesterol so it was never really an issue.  Because I am now taking testosterone that could greatly change.  I am going to get blood work done in a week or so and we will go on from there.  Since I have lost some more weight and have been trying to be a bit more health conscious it won't be a problem...here's hoping anyway.

Now I have lost a total of 45 pounds from when I was my heaviest!

That's all for now.

Funny Story

So a couple of weeks ago I had a delivery for someone who had actually sold a house for my parents just a little while before I was born.  When I dropped off the delivery she said "Are you related to the owners?"

I responded with, "Yes, I'm their son Damien"

To which she replied, " Oh their son...don't you have a sister named Savannah or something like that."

"No, I have a sister named Branigan though."

"Branigan, yeah...that is one, but don't you have another sister?"

And being as quick as I could I said, "No, but you might know me as my middle name; Dakotah"

"Dakotah, that's it."  And after a brief pause she looked at me with confusion and said, "When you were little your parents used to call you by your middle name?"

I shook my head in an affirmative way, and then proceeded to wish her a pleasant day as I left her room.  See, if I had been born a boy I wouldn't have funny stories like these!

T Update

So Sunday was my 5 month mark of being on T!  Pretty cool, I know.  My voice is still getting lower, it will most likely reach my real vocal tone around 6 months (there still may be a little change here and there).  Unfortunately I am still going through second puberty so my voice still cracks.

Surprisingly on the acne front I am doing fairly well, I mostly just have a few pimples on my neck.  Maybe since my first puberty was so bad for acne I got it all out of my system.

I still see the hair growth.  I have a very thin (often times hard to see) mustache which makes me smile!  I also have hair starting to grow on my chest.  I have about five normal size chest hairs and then this one that just grows to strangely long lengths.  I guess I can deal with that though.  The hair on my thighs is spreading so rather than just on the top of my thighs I am starting to see it growing lower down.

You can really see the difference in my muscles (triceps especially).  I have been getting lazy with going to the gym, but I have a more masculine looking arm now that I have been on T for a few months.

Oh, and finally, my moods have evened out...which just means that my body is getting used to the hormonal changes.  Thank goodness!

Cleaned out closets/ 4 months on T

So yesterday was my 4 months on T mark; pretty cool, I know.  My voice continues to get lower.  I am starting to see the hair grow on my thighs as well as my upper lip (it really just looks like I need to shave, but when people look up close the hairs are long they are just really fine).  Obviously as my voice changes my singing range also changes, and I can now sing along with a lot of my favorite male led bands but some of the songs I know and love (that are female led bands) I need to sing it down the octave.

I took a big step the other day as well.  I got rid of all my old clothes.  I had some dresses (or skirts) here and there (for special occasions), female pants and shirts and I went through them all and they are now in bags just waiting to be donated.  It took me a lot longer to get around to it then I had thought it would but now it is done!  Lets see what I do next...