Today is a solemn day; today is Trans Day of Remembrance. Today we must remember the transgender members of the LGBTQ+ community who either lost or took their lives due to hate crimes. TDoR was founded in 1995 to honor the victims of transphobia from the previous year. A list of those to remember this year can be found at https://tdor.info/.
Trans individuals in America have an attempted suicide rate of 49%. One out of every twelve trans people are victims of hate crime. In 2016 alone, 26 people were murdered in America just because of ignorance and transphobia. With the continued efforts of the LGBTQ+ community and our allies, we can draw attention to transphobia so that future generations do not needlessly suffer. Today, draw honor our victims by attending a vigil near you, donating money to a trans inclusive charity, writing a letter to local legislators about protecting transgender people’s rights, and educating friends and family if you feel safe doing so. -August S. 2194 Everyone experiences dysphoria differently, so my experiences might not be an accurate reflection for some of y’all. However, there are some noticeable differences between trans and nonbinary dysphoria.
Before I begin, it is important to understand what dysphoria is. One of the other admins on the blog said, “Dysphoria is like the feeling you get when you scratch a holographic bookmark the wrong way.” Essentially, it is the realization (and the aftermath of the realization) that one doesn’t perceive themselves as how their body represents that person. You know that makeup scene in Mulan where she wipes it off with her sleeve because she doesn’t recognize her reflection in the water? These are examples of what dysphoria feels like. First, let’s discuss transgender dysphoria. A central issue here is not feeling aligned with the genitalia you possess. Many trans people undergo surgery to help combat this feeling. Another great way to help combat dysphoria is by taking hormones to make oneself either more feminine or more masculine. Another method to relieve dysphoria is by binding. Other strategies include packing, changing names, and changing pronouns. These strategies allow a person to feel more aligned with their body. Nonbinary dysphoria is less obvious. Instead of the jarring holographic bookmark example from above, it feels more like being called by your sibling’s name. It throws your brain for a loop, and you’re left feeling confused and distraught afterwards. Nonbinary dysphoria is a balancing game; for me, I feel dysphoric if I present as too masculine or too feminine on a given day. To combat this, I tend to wear over-sized flannels and mom-jeans. Coping methods for nonbinary dysphoria range from changing pronouns, changing names, dressing a certain way, taking hormones, getting surgery, and sometimes just flat out dying your hair a wonky color. The most important message from this should be that everyone experiences dysphoria differently. It feels different to everyone, and it fluctuates in severity. This does not make anyone’s experiences with dysphoria any more or less valid. There is not an ideal level of dysphoria that you have to reach in order to claim the term. -August S. 2194 Hey Guys! This is a general LGBTQ+ in STEM presentation I made for Purdue FIRST Forums. I encourage people to use this presentation to educate their teams and coworkers on all things queer! The presentation also includes helpful LGBTQ+ resources. Link to presentation Here -Gus 3940
anonymous asked: i am in New Hampshire but on the border of Massachusetts and I think my parents might have Mass health care because of their jobs? but ye In New Hampshire, some good places to look for physicians are here [x] [x] [x] [x] [x]. Here are the rights you have in New Hampshire [x]. In Massachusetts, here are some physicians [x]. There was also a healthcare reform that helps trans patients afford their medical treatments [x] [x]. If you are looking for a therapist specialized in gender or sexuality, here are some in Massachusetts [x] and here are some in New Hampshire [x]. (Note: not all of these therapists are gender therapists. Some simply have experience working with transgender clients). Overall, you’re in a good place to transition and there shouldn’t be too much legal trouble getting in the way. Good luck! ~Staff: Sean 5113 1ST OF NOVEMBER 2016 #trans #ask #staff: sean 5113 #medical anonymous asked:
hi there, i was wondering if you knew any good resources for people wanting to transition after they graduate high school? like once they turn 18 like if you knew the legal stuff and how much of a say parents have Once you are 18, you are an adult and do not need a parent’s permission, but you would still be under their insurance. Depending on where you live, transitioning can be easier or harder. If you don’t mind saying in which state you live, I can find some resources for you. (I’m also low key on the way to my appointment at an LGBT health clinic so you’re in luck). Here’s a good website for broad information. http://transgenderlawcenter.org/equalitymap Staff: Sean 5113 anonymous asked:
Hey friends, I’m a mentor of an FRC team and I wanted to let that other mentor know that if they are a team based around a school (especially public), they may bump into some policy issues regarding transgender students. For example, on our team, the school district insists students room with other students of their GAAB (unfortunately) if we take students out of school and that is something we have to work on changing to make sure all of our FRC students are treated as they should be. That is true and thank you for replying. Hopefully, legislation changes to make it mandatory for schools to respect their trans students, but that is not the case right now. ~Staff: Sean 5113 anonymous asked:
I am a mentor on an FRC team and one of my students just informed us that she is a transgender female. What can we as mentors do to support her and help her share this information with the team as a whole? Are there any resources available? Thank you! Hello! FIRSTly, we’re so glad that you’re being accepting and showing support by asking questions! We have some resources for trans women and parents/support on our resources tab of our blog [x]. Remember that she is the same person as she was before coming out. Any interests she had before she will likely have now. So if she loved mechanical work before, she’s still as competent now. Just remember to use the right pronouns and name while treating her with respect. You can also ask her if there is anything she would like to feel more comfortable on the team. Don’t beat yourself up over using her old name or pronouns; just apologize and move on. Everyone makes mistakes and the longer you dwell on it, the more uncomfortable she’ll feel. One thing many people do is ask questions, but make sure to be respectful. Don’t ask about anything you wouldn’t ask a cisgender person (AKA don’t ask about her private parts). Some questions that are appropriate would be “What are your pronouns?”, “What name do you go by?”, and “Are you out?”. The last question is important because you do not want to share information about her gender with anyone unless she gives permission. If she has come out to the team, support is as simple as reminding people to use the right name and pronouns. Try to use gender inclusive language such as “hello, team” instead of “hello, boys and girls.” If your team has separate uniforms for masculine and feminine people, ask her which one she would prefer. If you are staying at a hotel for a competition, allow her to room with girls if she is comfortable. If anyone on the team is having problems accepting her, speak with them. Everyone deserves to feel safe on the team. Lastly, treat her like you would treat any other girl on the team. If you usually compliment girl’s makeup skills or shoes, do that with her. If you see something online that you think she would like, tell her. Simply being there for her is the end goal. Tell her that if she has any problems, she can talk to you, even if it doesn’t involve the team. Make her feel validated and important. If you have any other questions, just send us another ask and we’d be happy to answer. ~Sean 5113 Christine Bland is a contract engineer led Lockheed Martin’s team in developing the electronic hardware on NASA’s Orion spacecraft, as well as working on Juno and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. In early November of 2014, she was named the 2014 LGBT Engineer of the Year by the National Organization of Gay and Lesbian Scientists and Technical Professionals (NOGLSTP) for her hard work and good role model as a transgender woman.
Besides leading the development of electronic hardware for NASA, she has also worked on as Lockheed’s deep space exploration groups such as Stardust, Spitzer Infrared Space Scope, Genesis Odyssey Orbiter, and GRAIL. Graduating from the University of Colorado in Denver in 1986, Bland had originally entered the STEM fields before she transitioned. She waited to transition at work until she was a senior engineer and well known in the industry. Lockheed had a brief meeting about her transition. “It was a very big deal,” she said, “And everyone has been very, very accepting and positive from day one…. And I’ve gained a lot from my journey… It’s made me a better person.” Currently, Bland is an LGBT leader at Lockheed Martin, works as a mental and STEM education advocate, and founded the Lockheed Martin Transgender Council to assist with legal and insurance issues and to provide support to other transgender employees. She is also the first aerospace and defense company to recruit candidates at a transgender career fairs. Throughout her transition, she’s maintained a good relationship with her two adult children and speaks at seminars all across the country. “You can be your true, authentic self and go after the things you want to do. Just be honest with yourself and everyone else, and let other people worry about their issues.” -Staff: Max 219 Ben Barres, formerly known as Barbara Barres, is a neurobiologist and a professor at Stanford University.
Born in 1955, he excelled in math and science at an early age. He attended MIT for his bachelor’s degree in Biology, Dartmouth for his medical degree, and Harvard for his PhD in Neurobiology. He transitioned in 1997. In 1993, he joined the faculty at Stanford. In 2008, he was appointed to the Chair of Neurobiology. His research is on the development and function of glial cells in the central nervous system. His research and teaching has won him many awards, such as the Life Sciences Research Fellowship, the Klingenstein Fellowship Award, a McKnight Investigator Award, a Searle Scholar Award, and the Kaiser Award for Excellence in Teaching. He has published many articles on his research and sexism in STEM. He is member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In 2013 he was elected to the US National Academy of Sciences, and was the first openly transgender member . |
About LGBTQ+ of FIRST
LGBTQ+ of FIRST is a student run organization that advocates awareness and acceptance of LGBTQ+ students, mentors, and volunteers of FIRST Robotics. LGBTQ+ of FIRST reaches out to over 1000 members across the FIRST regions and fronts multiple outreach endeavors. Archives
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