Letters Against Transphobia

A project aiming to give trans people a way of anonymously expressing themselves, through the medium of notes, messages, and letters. See Pinned Post for more information. https://linktr.ee/lettersagainsttransphobia

[lettersagainsttransphobia]

Hello, and welcome to Letters Against Transphobia. This is an anonymous project created in response to the news that, under new Tory guidance, schools will be advised to out trans pupils to their parents, unless their school believes they are at 'significant risk'. A link to an article about this can be found here. This guidance has not yet been released, but it is scary for many people, so I've created a project wherein people can submit an anonymous letter to express this, or to talk about whatever it is they want: their trans joy or their anger, their fear and uncertainty regarding new legislation, things that they want other people in their position to know, et cetera. Ideally, these will be anonymously sent to charities and organisations in order to spread them to a wider audience, as well as physically printed out and collected in notebooks, ring binders, etc. If you're interested in contributing to this project, please click this Google Form for more information. And please spread this as far as you can, so that it is able to reach as many people as possible.

Letters Against Transphobia

On the 17th of April 2023, PinkNews announced that, under new Tory guidance, schools will be forced to out trans and non-binary students to

And here's the Linktree!

Letters Against Transphobia | Twitter, Instagram | Linktree

An anonymous letters project aiming to amplify trans voices.

[genderqueer-mormon]

help i’m feeling feminine and have to wear pants/a suit: some cobbled-together tips for closeted genderqueer amab people

-(first off i am not an expert at this since i am not amab but i shall do my best and if i screw up pls correct me)

-lip balm/chapstick sometimes comes in pink or red

-you can find some pretty sick pink or floral ties out there

-sports bras! (just not black if you’re wearing a white shirt, trust me on this)

-alternatively, training bras or tank tops with skinny straps (they feel like bra straps)

-girly socks if your pants will cover them

-light colors (especially pastels! light blue suits are a thing)

-look up some pictures of girls wearing suits cause if they can look feminine af in a tie so can you

-clear nail polish

-nylons are pretty light and comfy and won’t show under your pants/socks

-small jewelry, like a bracelet or a fancy watch or a ring

-you can even wear a small necklace under your shirt and nobody will notice because dress shirts come up to your neck anyway

-if it’s an option, you can always undo the top button of your shirt to feel less masculine

-if anyone else has tips, please feel free to add on! as stated earlier i am not the world’s leading expert on this so i would appreciate help of any kind

[adventures-of-a-transboy]

Trans Resources Masterpost

Transgender Clothing Swaps:

UK Trans Clothes Swap

Trans Clothes Exchange

Trans Clothes Swap

Breast Forms and Tucking Resources:

A Youtube video on how to make your own breast forms

The Breast Form Store

Mastectomy bras with built in pockets for breast forms

Breast Form Donation Project

A Youtube video on how to make cleavage (as with binding, listen to your body when it tells you it’s time to take a break)

How to Measure Bra Size for trans women

Tucking how-to

The Tucking Masterpost

Gaff for Tucking

Makeup Resources:

A unisex makeup brand

Advice for putting foundation over stubble

A Youtube video on contour and highlighting

A Youtube video on how to apply foundation

A Youtube video on how to apply blush

A Youtube video on how to apply eyeshadow

Binding:

Everything You Need to Know About Binders and Binding

Zev Explains How to Measure Yourself

gc2b (my personal binder)

Underworks

Packing:

Packing and Packers 101

To Pack or Not to Pack

How to Pack with a Sock

FtM Essentials (where my packer is from)

Non-Binary Resources:

Genderqueer ID

Ask a Nonbinary

Resources for Non-binary People

Pronouns:

Try on Pronouns!

Practice Using Pronouns

List of Pronouns

A Non-Binary Person’s Guide to Invented Pronouns

Why Singular They Is Correct English

Trans 101 and More:

Not Your Mom’s Trans 101

Sylvia Rivera Law Project: Trans 101

A Brief Gender 101

Glossaries:

Glossary of Transgender, Non-binary, and Genderqueer Words

Ask a Non-binary: Glossary

Hormone Resources:

Hormones: A Guide for MTFs

FTM Testosterone Therapy Basics

Surgery Resources:

Surgery: A Guide for MTFs

FTM Surgery

FAQ on Access to Transition Related Care

Transition and Insurance

Colleges that Cover Transition-Related Medical Expenses

List of Businesses with Transgender-Inclusive Health Insurance Benefits

Jim Collins Foundation Grants for Gender-Confirming Surgeries

Further resources:

Resources for LGBQ+ Youth by State

Know-How: The Trans Person’s Guide for New York State

Genderqueer-friendly Organizations and Events

Resources for LGBTQ+ People with Eating Disorders

decolonizing trans/gender 101 by b. binaohan

Trans-Friendly Job Bank

App for Finding Unisex Bathrooms

Applying to College as a Non-Binary Person

Transgender Teen Survival Guide

Further transgender resource masterposts:

DMAB/Femme Presenting Resources

FTM Resource Guide

Trans Resource Guide

FTM/FAAB Resources

[lettersagainsttransphobia]

So. According to PinkNews, the UK government’s trans guidance is set to be released this week.

Letters Against Transphobia was created in response to the news that this guidance would be coming. While we won’t know exactly what it says until it’s released, we oppose it. Strongly. It will undoubtedly cause harm to trans people, particularly vulnerable young people. 

Now is already a scary time to be trans. This guidance will only add to that. 

If you have anything you want or need to share, our submissions are always open. Keep yourselves safe. 

[transenbyconfessions]

i just want to feel like i can live my life and be a person

is that so wrong?

Submitted June 7, 2023

[lettersagainsttransphobia]

An anonymous letter we received as part of our project. Transcript:

(he/they/hx/rider)

For the longest time, I pushed down my masculinity out of fear. I thought it was impossible to live a happy life as a trans person, and when sometimes, all you see is darkness anywhere, why wouldn’t a scared child do so? But as I chipped away at my fear and the barriers around my heart, I found a community of thousands like me, many adults like me with normal lives despite how dark the world felt, and it gave me hope. It lead me to accept I was trans, and they have provided the lights to follow on my road to hope. Maybe, this will tell someone younger than me that if you can’t see a future yet, you aren’t alone. All you need to do is to live, and then, you will get to build that future yourself. Don’t let someone else’s fear constrict your hope. Long live trans joy. - cw

_____

If you have a message that you'd like to anonymously submit, just click the link in our pinned post! We look forward to hearing from you.

[lettersagainsttransphobia]

An anonymous submission we received a while ago.

Transcript: (they/he)

Being genderfluid is the curiosity around people with fixed genders. Almost like they’re missing out, but also wondering what it’d be like. Being genderfluid is gender just not being a thing sometimes. Gender is bubbles. Ice cubes. Rainbows. Thousands of other things. Being genderfluid is the euphoria of seeing someone who just looks like *that*. It’s not really a describable feeling. Just *that*. Being genderfluid is trying to explain to people and yet not really knowing yourself. Bring genderfluid is more than can be put into words. And yet it’s wonderful.

----

How would you describe your own relationship to your gender? What does gender feel like, for you? Let us know by clicking the link in our pinned post! All submissions are completely anonymous.

[lettersagainsttransphobia]

A lovely message we've had as part of our project, with some trans cat stickers that I couldn't resist adding.

Transcript:

(they/them)

My cats were the first ones to know I was trans. They sat with me and I whispered it in their patient ears while I breathed in time with their purrs, my chest (that I know should be flat) rising and falling beneath them. The cushion they sleep on hides the binder I bought in secret, and every time I pass them they give me a knowing glance, as if to say - ‘I know who you are. Your secret is safe with me’.

---

Who was the first person (or animal, or houseplant, or other) to know you were trans? How did it go? If you'd like to anonymously tell us, feel free to click the link in our pinned post to find out more.

[lettersagainsttransphobia]

Today, we at Letters Against Transphobia are asking people for their Songs Against Transphobia: the music that speaks to you as a trans person, represents the trans experience for you, or has helped you through your own personal journey. Tell us about it by clicking this link; you can give as much or as little explanation as you like. It doesn't have to be a "trans song" per se; just any song that has helped you, as a trans person.

Letters Against Transphobia

Letters Against Transphobia is a project aiming to give a voice to trans people through the medium of anonymous notes, messages, and letters

To see the other songs that have been suggested so far, take a look at this playlist!

[lettersagainsttransphobia]

An anonymous poem submitted as part of our Trans Joy Day on the 2nd of May!

Transcript:

(She/they)

The Color of Our Freedom

Things made are called perfect And things changed are called broken. Am I, then, Broken? Are we, then, a ruined work, A painting torn, a statue shattered? Or are we an art like no other? Painted with colors so true, Like the smell of rain, Or the smile of a friend, Or the genuine laugh of the oppressed, Still strong beneath their burden. The color of our lives is ever-changing, Ever-shifting in its shimmering hues. Do you see how we shine? Our shifting is not your curse. No, we are the shine of the brightest sun, The darkness of blessed silence; We are the blue of a clear-shone sky, The pink of clouds at sunset, The white of the purist light And gentlest voice of love. We are the changing colors of life, The stable flickering of an open flame. We are free to our own selves; What joy I feel For Freedom!

Thank you so much to everyone who contributed to Trans Joy Day. The messages we received were so lovely, and reminded us exactly how joyful being trans can be.

That being said, if you missed trans joy day and would like to write something about trans joy, or would be interested in submitting anything at all, you can click the link in our description/Pinned Post to find out more information and make an anonymous contribution.

[lettersagainsttransphobia]

So far today we've had a few submissions of trans joy, but if you'd like to submit anything and you haven't yet there's still lots of time! (Post explaining this is here). It doesn't need to be something long or incredibly detailed; it can be whatever you want, and it's completely anonymous. If you need the link to submit, you can find it here.

[lettersagainsttransphobia]

So: 

While I’ve been running Letters Against Transphobia, I’ve been continually looking for methods of promoting it, so that it can reach as wide an audience as possible. One idea I had was to do a call for specific submissions on a specific day: everyone would be free to submit whatever they wanted whenever they wanted it the rest of the time, but for that one day, we could focus on a specific theme and ask people to basically just flood my inbox. I thought I’d try it once, and if it goes well I’ll do it again. 

To start with, I was thinking ‘trans joy’, as a theme. A lot of people aren’t feeling much joy right now, but I thought it would be a good theme to start off with, and, often, the biggest way to say ‘fuck you’ to our oppressors is to be happy with ourselves, or to find joy in something. 

So I was scrolling through lists of international days trying to find a convenient date on which to do this, when I found out: the second of May is International Harry Potter Day. 

Lots of trans people celebrating themselves and their trans joy? I can’t think of anything that would piss off JK more. 

So, if you’re on board with this, here’s the plan. On the Second of May, if you feel comfortable doing so, please submit a message to Letters Against Transphobia on the theme of trans joy. This message can take any form you want it to: it doesn’t have to be long, and it doesn’t need to be structured like a letter. It could be a personal anecdote, a short note about something that made you happy, a supportive message to other trans people—you could even make a playlist if you want to. And if you’re in a position to, please encourage others to do the same. Let’s get as many submissions as we can; let’s show people how joyful being trans can be.  Here's a link for submissions, if you need it: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSds7jiUyx-vdq6fWSgN12FNQKWYvrYFMcrYkd_FLGQdQxOGxQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

[lettersagainsttransphobia]

This is your periodic reminder that today is Stick It To The Terf Day, so please send in all your submissions of trans joy!

[lettersagainsttransphobia]

Another trans joy submission! Transcript: I thought I would lose a lot of the solidarity that comes with girlhood and womanhood as I transitioned. Even after coming out I was grasping at straws looking for the intimacy that female bonds bring. The unwritten bonds between girls who don't know each other. But as I became more involved in the trans community, I found that same intimacy, but instead with other trans people. We see each other on the street, wearing little pins of flags. We come together to support each other, giving knowing looks and comforting hugs. We understand what each other is going through in a way no one else ever could. We are all connected in some way or another by this one life experience on the face of so much vitriol, a symbolic holding hands under the table if you will. So I found that intimacy, but now even deeper, as I did not have to abandon who I am to get it.

_______

If you have something to say about trans joy, you can anonymously submit it through the link in our description or in our Pinned Post!

[lettersagainsttransphobia]

One of the Trans Joy submissions we've had so far.

Transcript:

My mom called me her son today. My parents bought me a t shirt for Christmas that said "just a boy who loves dolphins". My cousins asked me what my correct name and pronouns were. I was lucky enough to have someone in my life who called me their boyfriend. Every day, the world sees me more and more as who I am. I'm moving away from home, getting to start again somewhere else and I am so excited!!!

Do you have your own message of trans joy? Throughout the 2nd of May, we're trying to gather as many as possible. The link to submit is in our description, and it's completely anonymous. If you miss the 2nd of May, don't worry; we'll still be open for submissions at any time.

[lettersagainsttransphobia]

This is potentially a little late at night for the UK crowd, but I'm hoping that I'll wake up to some letters once I've finally gone to sleep. This is just a reminder that we're trying to get as many submissions relating to trans joy as possible today; on every other day, submit whatever letter you want, but for the 2nd of May we're collecting anything on the theme of trans joy specifically. Flood our inbox. The project is called Letters Against Transphobia, but you don't have to write a letter; you can write a poem, a personal essay, a short anecdote, a confession, a single line, a playlist, or anything else you can think of. The link to submit is in our description (which also has a link to our other social media if you'd like to follow the project) and there is also a link below:

Letters Against Transphobia

Letters Against Transphobia is a project aiming to give a voice to trans people through the medium of anonymous notes, messages, and letters

[lettersagainsttransphobia]

So: 

While I’ve been running Letters Against Transphobia, I’ve been continually looking for methods of promoting it, so that it can reach as wide an audience as possible. One idea I had was to do a call for specific submissions on a specific day: everyone would be free to submit whatever they wanted whenever they wanted it the rest of the time, but for that one day, we could focus on a specific theme and ask people to basically just flood my inbox. I thought I’d try it once, and if it goes well I’ll do it again. 

To start with, I was thinking ‘trans joy’, as a theme. A lot of people aren’t feeling much joy right now, but I thought it would be a good theme to start off with, and, often, the biggest way to say ‘fuck you’ to our oppressors is to be happy with ourselves, or to find joy in something. 

So I was scrolling through lists of international days trying to find a convenient date on which to do this, when I found out: the second of May is International Harry Potter Day. 

Lots of trans people celebrating themselves and their trans joy? I can’t think of anything that would piss off JK more. 

So, if you’re on board with this, here’s the plan. On the Second of May, if you feel comfortable doing so, please submit a message to Letters Against Transphobia on the theme of trans joy. This message can take any form you want it to: it doesn’t have to be long, and it doesn’t need to be structured like a letter. It could be a personal anecdote, a short note about something that made you happy, a supportive message to other trans people—you could even make a playlist if you want to. And if you’re in a position to, please encourage others to do the same. Let’s get as many submissions as we can; let’s show people how joyful being trans can be.  Here's a link for submissions, if you need it: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSds7jiUyx-vdq6fWSgN12FNQKWYvrYFMcrYkd_FLGQdQxOGxQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

[queeryouthresources]

Choosing a name

I know for many trans/nonbinary/questioning youth, choosing a name can be a stressful process.

Remember, it's always ok to change your name if you feel it doesn't fit. The first name you choose doesn't have to be the one you stick with if it ends up not fitting.

Until you pick a name...

Maybe you haven't picked a name yet, but you're already out/want to come out and your deadname makes you uncomfortable. What should you do until you pick one?

You have a couple options. One, you can go by a nickname that may be more gender neutral. You can do this even if you aren't out yet. Maybe something similar to your deadname, maybe your initials, or maybe something that's a specific nickname to you.

Two, you can go by your middle name or last name. This is a good one to use with teachers or other people you may not be the closest to, since it's more "professional" than a nickname.

Three, you can use no name and ask people call you by pronouns, titles, or other terms. This one will probably be difficult for people to get used to though.

How do to pick a name?

Everyone's going to have different ways they pick their name, and I was lucky to just randomly think of mine one day. However, this is what I did when choosing a name.

I'd go to websites like baby name websites, and look through the names there. I'd make a list of the ones that caught my eye, and choose from that list which one felt the most me.

Baby name websites are going to be your best friend, especially since you can sort by things like fem/masc/neutral, meaning behind the name, length, etc.

You can also look through unconventional names as well, as I'm sure we all know a nonbinary person named Sock :)

How can to help others get used to using a new name?

For most, there's an adjustment period to learning a new name. Others may slip up and call you your deadname. So what can you do?

When people mess up, don't be scared to stand up for yourself and correct them. I know it's easier said than done, but remember it's not a big deal to just correct someone.

Wearing pins with your name and pronouns can also help, as it reminds people what to call you. It's pretty easy to hand make them with safety pins or by painting over another pin.