LGBT+ Support

Hello and welcome to our support blog. This blog is for all people to come and find support. This blog is not just for people who fall under the LGBT+ spectrum (the spectrum includes EVERYONE), but allies as well. No phobia or hate here.

[lgbtsupportlove]

Hello all!

@lgbt-cottagecore-and-thrifting has a gofundme set up! Why, you may ask? Well, this lovely friend is looking for help to afford transitioning while in college! I know many of us have faced that struggle before, so let’s spread this fundraiser around and support our friends in the community as they face their challenges!

You can find the gofundme here!

Thank you all!

~Admin Danny

[lgbtsupportlove]

tw// su*cide, de*th

“a few days ago, a close friend of mine and a shining member of the LGBT community at my school killed herself by jumping in front of a train. her name was alejandra agredo. we're all in a state of shock, especially us in the Gay-Straight Alliance. she was trans and unafraid to use her social media platforms to spread a message of community togetherness and acceptance. the fact that she died by jumping in front of a train was a morbid and ironic death, considering she was a big advocate of public transportation here in miami. she even created a non-profit organization that would've helped make public transportation more affordable and available to everyone.

here's some articles about what happened:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.miamiherald.com/news/local/obituaries/article237935779.html

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100212746281

and here is the gofundme, set up by her grieving dad, for her non-profit organization that she would have loved to see kick off the ground if she were still here today: https://www.gofundme.com/f/alejandra-agredo-miami-riders-alliance?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet

if you could signal boost this, it would mean so much to her friends and her family. she was strong, trans, and dreamed big, and i hope now that her big dream can come true with this fundraiser, even if she isn't around to see it come true anymore.”

-a dear follower, dec. 3rd, 2019

[nonbinaryinfo]

Articles About Genderfluidity

Understanding Gender

The Struggles of Rejecting the Gender Binary

The gender-fluid generation: young people on being male, female or non-binary

More US teens are rejecting ‘boy’ or ‘girl’ gender identities, a study finds

I’m Genderfluid And Here’s What I’d Like You To Know

What the Heck is Genderfluid? Part 1

Dictionary.com: Gender Fluid

IT’S NOT IN YOUR HEAD: THE HISTORY AND SCIENCE OF GENDER FLUIDITY

[kedamonoz-archive]

gentle reminder that mother’s day is not for all moms. it’s for good moms. abusive and neglectful moms do not deserve to be celebrated on this day. and if you are the child of one of those moms, you should feel no guilt in ignoring the day altogether. I hope you can stay strong kiddos! ♡

[firstwehealthenwefight]

Gentle reminder that Mother’s Day is also for those that don’t have moms, but have mother figures. Grandmas, Aunts, Adoptive/Foster Mothers, or any person who has been a maternal guidance for you - gets to be celebrated this day, as well. And you’re allowed to, and should, feel proud of them even if they didn’t birth you. Because sometimes, like the op said, birth mothers aren’t good mothers, or sometimes, death didn’t give them the chance to be mothers.

So…go ahead and support that person that supports you and keeps you strong! They deserve just as much, if not more, than the person you were made from.

[frenried]

hey!! i made a tutorial for getting out of binders based on how i used to get out of sports bras, and what i do now that i wear binders!!

reblog don’t repost!!! do NOT reupload this without my permission ANYWHERE. dni with this post if you are truscum/transmed. do not delete my caption.

text under cut

Keep reading

[frenried]

@transgenderteensurvivalguide @transgooglesearches @transtipsfortranspeople @trans-matters @transgenderadvice @transgenderhelp @nonbinary-support @lgbtsupportlove @nonbinary-safe-haven @nonbinary-friend @genderfluidsupport @demiboysuggestion @demigirlpositivity @bigenderpositivity @bi-trans-alliance @transmlmpositivity @transmlms @nbpositivibee @nbpositivity

 if i could get some promos that’d be great!! i really want to help others bc this seems to be a fairly common issue for those who bind!! sorry if i tagged some blogs that dont usually do promos/don’t fit the dni, i searched for trans/nb/etc blogs and most of these seem like geniune help for trans kids but if ur not tell me and ill remove you!! do not start discourse here, just be polite and i will too!!

[lgbtsupportlove]

Check this out, friends!

[lgbtsupportlove]

IT’S ALMOST PRIDE MONTH

[openblogtomyabusivemother]

How do you protect yourself from being stalked online by your parents?

I often get messages from teens living with their abusive parents telling me about how terrifying it is for them to even look at my blog in case their parent finds out. I was a teenager before social networking on the internet. Honestly, when I was a teenager there was barely an internet yet. So, I don’t know how people protect themselves but I feel like probably there are ways. If you know please do share! A lot of people would find it helpful.

[herobrinestradwife]

Advice for keeping your phone safe in toxic environments:

Keep things in google apps

Everything is saved to your account, ex. you can delete google photos when your phone is checked, and download it again afterwards and get all your photos back

Also because it’s on your account you can log into google on a friend’s computer or a library computer or something if you need to

I’m not sure about other apps but I know you can put a password on google docs

People are more likely to check notes but assume you have google docs for school assignments and not check that

A lot of people monitor texts/use programs that monitor texts, but who’s going to remember to check Google Hangouts?

Use the internet on apps that aren’t Safari

Download another browser and put it in a different folder, because most people can check your safari history but won’t find another app and then figure out how to check the search history of that app

Also use the internet when you click the link in social media ex. If you click a link on a Pinterest pin it can take you to that link on the internet but stay in Pinterest, so it won’t show up in search histories

Inform your friends and if you want to be really sneaky use code when texting

Sending messages as code helps. Ending sentences with certain letters can work. Need something? Definitely use code. Friends can help you. Or other family. Or teachers. Don’t hesitate to reach out. (the first letter of every sentence spelled out SEND FOOD)

Literally just google pigpen code or ceasarian cipher or whatever you want and you can find a way to talk that most people wouldn’t understand

[openblogtomyabusivemother]

Awesome info. Thank you!

There are more responses too that I can’t reblog. Check out the notes to see them.

[local-crypt1d]

I was in this situation a while ago, another thing to do is you can make second accounts on your social media and block your parents account so they don’t find it

[noosedagoose]

For social media, I either go by a different name/photo w/e and block my family or I just make a second account and block them all again.

And I’ve always had a password on everything, so they can’t go through it and I won’t let them.

[classy-asthmatic]

no one is coming after me but still reblogging because other people definitely need this info

[openblogtomyabusivemother]

Thank you! Yes. Please, everyone boost. So many need this info.

[borderlineteawitch-deactivated2]

Fake/second accounts are great for this, as long as you still use your other accounts for safe messages and websites, etc so they don’t get suspicious when they check it. Also, only deleting the parts of your search history that your parents would object to is less suspect than deleting the whole thing.

If they’re being sneaky and checking things while you’re not around, make sure to log out of all social media after using it and try to have a slightly different password for each one.

Let your friends and other people know so that they don’t accidentally send unsafe messages to your main account.

[jayhooty]

(Stay safe,guys.Reblog to help each other out.)

[goreheartz]

My parents forced me to give them my passwords. They don’t know I have tumblr or discord so

[frivolousphantasies]

Another chat platform that won’t (or most likely won’t) be checked- Pinterest

that’s right folks, Pinterest has a chat feature (I didn’t even know it until my friend told me)

my friend used to talk to her girlfriend on there because her parents were homophobic and constantly monitor her phone

[damn-shawty]

Thank you! This is really helpful!

[winchestersinthetardls]

Signal Boosting for all of you who need this.

[lgbtsupportlove]

Howdy, friends!

It’s Danny! I have a couple announcements:

- I have returned! In light of recent events, I can now return more frequently, but sometimes I get knocked off my feet and need the help. That brings me to my next announcement:

- I’m looking for administrators! I will work on making an application that you can submit through Tumblr with the limited supplies I have. Please, if you’re interested, I really need help running this blog and getting it back up on it’s feet so we can reach the people who need our help!

- I don’t have a computer :( Orignally, when I started this blog, the school I went to issued all of it’s students a MacBook Air, so I was equipped for four years with a laptop. After graduation, my grandmother planned to give me the one she had bought so I returned the MacBook to my school instead of buying the Apple laptop. Unfortunately my little sister downloaded lots of games on to the laptop my grandmother planned to give me and it just runs super slow or not at all. I have multiple jobs, so alongside paying for my car and insurance I’m trying to buy a laptop so I can better access this blog rather than try to do it all from my phone. I’m sorry it’s taking so long!

- It’s almost Pride month! For the first time ever since I came out to my family (like two weeks ago) I will be attending the Pride festival in my city and documenting it for this blog! I’m really excited to celebrate Pride this year and be more active on this blog!

- I care about all of you! If you have anything you need to talk about, shoot me and ask or a message! Asks are much easier for me to answer, but I’m working on the messages!

That’s all for now!

~ Danny ~

[used-to-be-a-m0nster-deactivate]

Hey everyone - I’ve never done this before so please forgive me if it’s not as coherent as it should be. My boyfriend really needs top surgery. He is very “well endowed” and it’s causing him extreme anxiety and suffering. Even though he was doing well on T he is relapsing into isolation again because he can all but pass if it wasn’t for his chest. Every time we leave the house he seems to sink lower into depression and constantly obsesses on making his chest appear smaller. I’ve been working full time plus all the overtime I can get but he is unable to work due to his body dysmorphia and my insurance won’t cover it because our deductible is too high. Any little bit helps, even a penny, even sharing this post on your blog. I can’t offer you anything for helping but I can say that this man’s happiness means the world to me and I would be forever grateful if you helped me get him closer to being free from the body that is holding him back. The link can be found here. Thank you for reading.

https://www.gofundme.com/cyhc28-top-surgery-for-happiness

[rainbowsandprideflags]

Go help them out!!

[dontcrossmyline-deactivated2019]

I’m a broke minor, but it doesn’t hurt to reblog and spread the word.

[used-to-be-a-m0nster-deactivate]

You’ve all helped me raise $60 so far, thank you so much!! I still have a long way to go but this is a wonderful start ♥️

[genderqueerpositivity]

(Image description: the trans, pansexual, original rainbow, bisexual, intersex, queer chevron, asexual, aromantic, genderqueer, and nonbinary flags with the word Pride centered in star accented font. End image description.)

[lgbtsupportlove]

To Our FtM/androgynous/genderfluid/genderqueer followers

This link here is a free binder program that allows people ages 24 and under in the US to get a binder if they are unable to afford one due to financial circumstances.  

[sfngfreak]

For all those who are not clear and for who still do not understand it:

By denying us the right to marriage, you are discriminating against us, because you are denying us all the legal rights that go along with it and this is putting us in a situation of helplessness.

Our love can do anything, but it doesn’t change laws.

Note: my native language is Spanish, so I hope that the translation is accurate and notice that there may be some mistake.

[lgbtsupportlove]

What it Means to be...

Polysexual

Attracted to multiple genders. Can be used specifically or as an umbrella term. Not to be confused with polyamory/polygamy.

Polysexuality is distinct from polyamory, the desire to be intimately involved with more than one person at once, or pansexuality, which is attraction to all genders and sexes. Polysexuality encompasses many, but not necessarily all, sexualities.

Polysexuality is a self-identifying term that is somewhat amorphous, as there is a wide variety of different people who use the term to describe themselves. Polysexual identity is related to gender identity and is used by some people who identify outside the binarist gender spectrum.

Colors:

Pink: attraction to females

Green: attraction to people with identities ranging in the non-binary

Blue: attraction to males

(Source)

[datgenderqueerboi]

If you have a phobia of needles starting testosterone sounds incredibly daunting, but this post will outline how to prepare for getting injections with a focus on Sub-Q injections.

TDLR;

you don’t have to take testosterone in injection form- there are alternatives like gel and patches

if you decide to get injections then try to develop coping skills to help you deal with the anxiety. Then expose yourself to the phobia in a controlled way by watching videos of people getting injections while you use your coping skills to prepare yourself.

I’ll be honest- my internal thoughts when I considered starting shots went something like this: (you gotta read this in a semi-hysterical panicked rush) “Oh no no no no I can’t do that ahhh nope, time to try to think of something else”. But I needed to start testosterone to help me pass better, reduce my dysphoria, make me more comfy in my body, and improve my mental health.

I did not want to do biweekly injections- and I didn’t have to. I took testosterone in gel form for the first 9 months I was on testosterone. And here’s more info on the gel.

The positives of the gel for me:

Don’t have to deal with needles which is good since I’m scared of injections

No bruises or any pain. It’s completely painless, and the closest thing it’s like is putting hand sanitizer on your shoulders/upper back every morning.

No mood swings since there’s a constant level of T in my body

Quicker to do, takes only a minute

The disposal of the empty bottles is easy- just throw them in the trash

Don’t have to measure a dose, it’s just a certain number of pumps like how you pump a hand soap.

There’s also pellets you can get implanted that release T over time, and you get them replaced every few months. The implantation process does involve needles. You’d be numbed with a lidocaine injection first (the only pain you’d feel). Then the doctor inserts a small hollow tube (a few millimeters wide). The pellets are fed into the tube and under the skin, which feels weird but not painful. The whole process takes a few minutes and you’re done for a while.

Another method of taking T is via a nasal gel like this and discussed here. This is a pretty new method so there isn’t a whole lot of info and personal experiences out there yet.

There’s also a patch you can use that you place on your skin and it releases testosterone that way, although it can cause skin irritations like itching sometimes. There’s an informational post about it here, and a video with someone starting the patch here. Using the patch means you don’t have to worry about transference to someone else like with the gel.

If you have a needle phobia going on the gel or another form of T is a good alternative to getting shots and it’s defs worth researching and then discussing with your endo. Remember that you’ll still have to do blood work no matter what form of T you’re on though.

However, testosterone gel just wasn’t working out for me. I struggle with hygiene as a result of disability and mental illness, so I often shower only once a week or even once every other week. I know, that’s gross, but shaming me about it isn’t going to help me so please don’t send me any asks about it because I’m doing my best. As a result, the testosterone gel was layering up on me instead of getting absorbed. I also had issues with consistently applying the gel every day so I’d often miss a day every week. So I didn’t end up getting the full benefits of the gel, but that is just my personal experience.

I decided that I wanted to try injections, but I was still Terrified of them. I had to work to overcome that reaction, but the advice people gave me was all a variation on “just man up and do it, it’s easy!” which doesn’t actually help much. I have not yet started injections so I will edit this post to add on more when I do, but I have started working to desensitize myself to seeing needles which is what this post is about. You don’t need to actually be on injections to do this- in fact, it’s best if you start working to overcome your fear before you have the prescription. If you plan to start T with injections at some point it’s best to start getting ready now- the process of developing coping mechanisms doesn’t happen in a day and you have to keep practicing them over time.

This is is working for me but of course your mileage may vary and I’m not a professional- Getting a therapist and being in therapy (especially one that specializes in phobias, exposure therapy or CBT) might be helpful if you have a severe phobia. If your phobia of needles is a “hyperalgesic” fear (you’re scared of needles because injections hurt you a lot) then you should talk to your endo about pain management options.

First I did some reading on coping with phobias which provided some concrete strategies on what I should try doing, like how to avoid fainting and worksheets to print and use to try to use CBT to change your thinking about the topic. These three links should be required reading to anyone who has a fear of needles but want to start T injections:

Self-help for phobias

Phobias: A self help guide

How to overcome phobia

Phobias are an extension of anxiety, so I looked at anxiety resources next:

Anxiety Masterpost

Introduction to anxiety

How to calm yourself during an anxiety attack

Coping statements for anxiety

Cognitive restructuring for anxiety

Anxiety guide

Worry self-help

Worry tree

Worry zones

Mastering your worries

How to handle worries

Facing fears

Decatastrophizing: The “What If” Technique (Worksheet)

Theory A/Theory B

Anxiety and intrusive thoughts

Challenging anxious thoughts

How to Combat Your Anxiety, One Step at a Time

Understanding Intrusive Thoughts & Feelings with High Anxiety

How to prevent depersonalization from anxiety

I noticed that I had issues remembering to breathe when I was confronted with needles so focusing on deep breathing helped give me something to think about that wasn’t my fear and helped keep me calm:

Belly breathing

Breathe in and out gif

Color breathing (on pg 2)

Mindful breathing

3 ways to breathe

How breathing affects feelings

If you tend to faint when you see needles or get shots, you shouldn’t use deep breathing. You should focus on applied tension because you’re having a vasovagal reflex reaction which lowers your blood pressure.

For some people, phobias cause panic attacks. The info below is about how to cope with a panic attack:

What are panic attacks?

Surviving panic attacks

How to cope with panic attacks

Information on panic attacks and coping

Panic attacks workbook

Panic self-help

How to calm yourself during a panic attack

Panic stations

7 steps to managing panic attacks

7 steps to cope with panic attacks

How to cope with triggers you can’t avoid

Part of overcoming a phobia is changing how you think about it. You want to consciously attempt to change your internal monologue. This doesn’t mean that someone mentions needles and you immediately think “oh that’s interesting” with no fear, it means you think about getting T shots and your first thought is “Oh help that’s so scary I can’t do that” and then you correct yourself and you think “I’m scared of it but I’m capable of coping and I will do it and survive and it’ll be okay”. It can feel kind of fake to do that when it’s forced but over time it really does make a difference.

Positive self-talk

Make your own affirmations

Personal affirmations

Positive affirmations

Daily affirmations

Positive coping statements

Realistic self-talk

Negative thinking

Unhelpful thinking habits

Awareness of unhealthy thinking styles

Automatic thoughts

Core beliefs

When I spent 6 months in intensive outpatient, we had a DBT group that taught me about distress tolerance and emotion:

Distress tolerance skills

Distress tolerance activities

Panic list for distress tolerance

Improving distress (takes a min to load)

STOPP worksheet

How to calm down

ACCEPTS

Coping skills toolbox

Emotion regulation skills

Emotion regulation worksheet

Letting go of painful emotions

Mindfulness of your current emotion

Healthy perspectives on emotion

Coping with intense emotions

Facing your feelings

Opposite action (mini chart)

Managing extreme emotions

What does being emotionally healthy look like?

How to keep ourselves from drowning in emotion

Now that I’ve done some research on coping methods I tried to consciously choose which ones seemed like they’d be helpful for me to use. I made a binder that had the printouts of worksheets that would help and I wrote down strategies in it. You may want to use different strategies depending on what the root of your phobia is, if you know. If you have a therapist then this is something you should discuss with them if you think it’ll be helpful.

What will I do when I start to feel anxious?

Will I try to focus on my breathing, will I use mindfulness, will I use positive self-talk, etc

What will I do when I feel I’m close to a panic attack?

One idea is stop working on this and do something else like going on a walk, watching a TV show, and come up with an Activity list that I will choose from since forcing myself to the point of a panic attack isn’t productive.

If having a list of activities wouldn’t work because the choice would overwhelm you since you’re close to a panic attack choose one activity in advance and make sure you’re prepared for it, like if you choose watch TV then make sure you choose which show you’ll watch and if you choose painting make sure your art supplies are on hand.

If you set your expectations too high and think that you’ll completely beat the anxiety then you’ll feel like you failed when you end up feeling anxious anyway. Remember that the goal isn’t to completely eliminate anxiety at this point- if you feel anxious, don’t think “Look this is proof I can’t do it!” and think “Yeah I felt anxious but I still managed to cope with it and get through”. No matter what happens don’t beat yourself up over it. Maybe you panicked and didn’t use any coping skills. Okay, next time you’ll be more prepared and it’ll go better. You don’t have to be perfect!

Once you’ve got some coping skills in your arsenal it’s time to put them to the test. If you’ve got a phobia of needles like me, you probably have avoided all info about them and injections so now it’s time to educate yourself on what is involved in getting a shot.

There are two types of testosterone injections:

Intramuscular (IM) injections. These have larger needles that go all the way into the muscle, and the injection site is usually the thigh.

Subcutaneous (Sub-Q) injections. These injections have smaller needles that only go into the fat, and the injection site is usually the stomach.

If you’ve got a needle phobia you may want to do sub-q injections since the needle is less intimidating. Since I’ll be doing sub-q shots that’s what I know about, so the following is information about sub-q and injections in general. While subq injections for T are newer and some endocrinologists still prefer IM injections, subq injections are a safe and effective alternative to IM injections.

A needle looks like this simple diagram (tw: also has drawing diagram of needle going into skin)

Each needle has a Birmingham gauge which is the term used to refer to the diameter of the needle. A larger gauge = smaller needle. A needle with a 16 gauge is actually larger than a needle with a 22 gauge. The needle size you use is determined by the amount of subcutaneous tissue present, which is based on patient build.

The needles are usually 27, 28, or 29 gauge which is often smaller than the IM needles and they’re often half an inch long or .625 inch. If you can grab 2 inches of skin between your thumb and index finger then you will probably be able to use a shorter needle, and if you can only grab 1 inch of skin then you might have to use a longer needle. You should discuss needle size with the person prescribing your T.

A syringe is the tube with a plunger in it that you attach your needles to, and they probably have a luer lock so you twist the needle on. Lance fit syringes aren’t as good for T since the T is oil and makes things slippy so you don’t want to risk it popping off. You measure how much T you’ll inject by the measurement markings on the side, which are usually in milliliters

Subcutaneous injections are inserted at 45 to 90 degree angles, depending on amount of subcutaneous tissue present and length of needle- a shorter needle is usually inserted 90 degrees and a longer needle is usually inserted at 45 degrees.

Most people do their shots in the abdomen basically on your tummy chub, avoiding a 2-inch circle around the belly button. The abdomen site has the fastest rate of absorption among the sites, but some people use their thighs.

You need a sharps container which is a box you use to dispose your used needles in. You could also use a thick empty detergent bottle. Make sure that both the syringe and needle fit into the container easily and cannot break through the sides. Ask your healthcare provider or a pharmacist what your state or local requirements are for getting rid of used syringes and needles.

You can’t reuse a needle, they have to be new and straight from the sterilized packaging each time. Even after just one or two uses, syringe and pen needles can become dull. Sharp needles cause the least amount of trauma to the skin. Additionally, used needles are no longer sterile.

Your little testosterone bottle is also called a vial. The vial is made of glass and has a plastic or metal top covering a rubber stopper. When you draw out the testosterone you don’t unscrew the cap, you put the needle in through the rubber stopper.

Supplies you’ll need: 2 alcohol swabs/pads, your testosterone bottle, two needles (one big one to take the testosterone out of the bottle and one small one to inject with), a syringe to attach your needles to, and a sharps container

Always check the expiration date on the bottle. If it’s expired, don’t use it. It can help to write the date you opened the bottle on it or in a notebook. Also make sure there are no crystals or lumps in the bottle.

You want to warm your T up to room temperature before you inject so the injection doesn’t feel weird or sting.

If you are concerned about the swelling and redness around an injection site, outline the swelling with a pen or marker. This will help you to determine if it is increasing in size and monitor if and how the injection site is changing. If the swelling or redness increases in size or does not decrease in size, contact your physician. You should contact your physician immediately if you have any questions or concerns about abnormal or unusual redness, swelling or side effects.

Try rubbing ice on your skin for a few minutes before injecting if you experience pain, but don’t leave the ice cube in place too long as it can freeze cells damaging the tissues and decrease the absorption of the medication.

Other people say they choose to inject after a warm shower when the skin is soft and supple or apply a warm compress to the injection site for 5 minutes before injecting.

You may notice a little bead of medication or a drop of blood on your skin after the injection. This is normal.

Do not aspirate (pull back on the plunger) after you’ve inserted the needle. It is not necessary to aspirate because the dermis is relatively without vessels so the likelihood of injecting into a blood vessel is small.

Here’s the gist of how getting an injection works. It may vary depending on what type of needle you have and you should follow the instructions of your doctor, this is just an example of what the process may be like.

Get your stuff out. You have to store your needles, testosterone bottle, and sharps container somewhere that animals and children aren’t going to get into.

Start some music playing if you want to! Music can help keep you calm or determined- play whatever you want to. I like to listen to upbeat pop for this.

Wash your hands using soap and then dry them

Open an alcohol swab/pad and clean the top of testosterone bottle

Open syringe package, take the syringe out

Take the larger needle out of the packaging and attach it to the syringe and take the cap/top off. Remove needle from cap by pulling it off in a straight motion.

Draw back the syringe plunger to the number of your testosterone dosage so it has air in that part. If too little or no air is injected, withdrawing the medication may be difficult. If too much air is injected, the plunger may be forced out of the barrel causing the medication to spill. So put as much air in as your dose will be.

Insert the needle into the testosterone bottle rubber stopper push the air into the bottle then carefully flip it over

Pull the syringe back to the amount of testosterone is in your dose then draw just a bit more than needed and push out extra so there are no bubbles

Flick the vial to remove remaining bubbles if there are any. You don’t want any bubbles!

Pull the syringe back to take all the testosterone out of the big needle. Be careful not to contaminate the needle by touching it- everything should be as sterile as possible.

Put the cap back on the big needle and unscrew it from the syringe body that has your testosterone. Don’t put the cap back on the needle if you have shaky hands- wait a bit and use your breathing and coping skills until you’ve calmed down so you don’t accidentally poke yourself.

Put the big needle into the sharps container

Take the little needle out of the packaging and attach it to the syringe and put it down. 

Take off your shirt or pull it up. If you wear a binder then tuck your shirt into that.

Choose your injection site. It should be two inches from your belly button (if that’s where your doc told you to inject). You don’t want to inject in the same place you did last time or within an inch of that area, so do it to the left or right of your belly button depending on that. Don’t inject in an area where the skin is burned, scarred, hardened, inflamed, swollen, or damaged by a previous injection. Avoid spots on your skin that have scar tissue, moles, inflammation, or unusual changes in appearance or texture.

Open another new alcohol pad/swab and clean the injection site going in circles expanding outward so you don’t draw germs into the area. Wait until it has dried completely before you inject.

Pick up your syringe and needle. Uncap the needle and push the air back out of the needle until you can see a tiny bead of T at the end. 

Take a big pinch of skin between your thumb and index finger and hold it. Your thumb and forefinger should be about an inch and a half apart as you squeeze the fat. Hold the syringe in the dominant hand between the thumb and forefinger, with the bevel of the needle up so the point will be inserted into the skin first. Insert the needle at a 90 or 45 degree angle, whichever you were instructed to do. 

After the needle is completely inserted into the skin push down on the plunger at a moderate to slow speed until there’s no testosterone left while you hold the fat.

Wait 15-30 seconds to reduce possibility of a leak then pull the needle out. Withdrawing at the same angle as insertion minimizes discomfort and damage to the tissue.

Dispose of the needle in the sharps container, don’t bother to put the cap back on the needle.

Put mild pressure on the injection site with a clean finger, gauze pad, or cotton ball for 5-8 seconds.

Put your bandaid on and you’re done until next time in two weeks. 

Some people have needle issues because of resistive fear which stems from being scared of being forced or controlled, so for them self-injecting is better than having someone else do it. But some people don’t self-inject and they have someone else do that process, whether it’s a parent, a partner, or a nurse. If you don’t think you’ll be able to do it yourself, enlist someone else who can learn how to do it and is willing to help. Talk to your endo about who can do injections for you when you go to meet them for your prescription and see if they have any recommendations.

Once I understood what’s involved in getting an injection I watched videos where people actually did it. This is an opportunity to practice using your new coping skills before the real deal happens.

This is the least graphic visual I could find if you aren’t ready to see it actually happen yet. It’s super short and shows a computer model self-injecting and you can’t actually see the needle go in. If you want to see a picture before you watch the videos of people doing the injections so you know what to expect, this is a diagram but it does show the needle going into the skin.

YouTube videos of people doing their injections: (note that you should follow what your doctor tells you to do and not copy them exactly)

How I do my Sub-Q Testosterone shot

How I do my testosterone injection- SubQ

Subcutaneous Injection (Testosterone)

FTM Transgender - Subcutaneous testosterone Injection

How to Give Yourself A Subcutaneous Injection

Subq Injections | Taylor

Doing a SubQ Testosterone Shot | Andrew

E1: FtM SubQ Testosterone Injection Tutorial

Subcutaneous Testosterone Injection in the Tum

First Sub-Q Injection

Sub Q testosterone shot ‘tutorial’

How to do a subcutaneous (SubQ) testosterone injection

How to do a SubQ shot with Testosterone

Subcutaneous Testosterone Cypionate Injection

How to Give a Subq Subcutaneous Injection Shot

Shot Prep - Testosterone (HRT) Subcutaneous

Made a timelapse of my weekly subcutaneous shot

Subcutaneous Injection

Watching videos of injections can be draining, so it’s best to take a break in between videos and stop if you’re starting to feel exhausted or panicked. 

I also tried reading random things that have the word injection in them to help prepare for that too since the anxiety also happens when I see the word and not just when I actually see a needle. If you also want to try that, here are some random forum posts about T injections:

SubQ vs IM Injections for Testosterone

SubQ vs IM

Subcutaneous vs Intramuscular Testosterone

Needle Gauge and Availability

Intramuscular or Subcutaneous?

Subcutaneous - Need Help

Itchy swelling at injection site

Mild tingling/burning after subcutaneous injection?

Tips for Lessening the Pain of Injections?

Allergic reaction to sesame oil / other subcutaneous injection sites?

For those of you injecting T..

I dread needles. Tips on self injecting please!

not enough fat for subq?

Are SubCu T Shot supposed to sting?

Where to get injection stuff?

First Time Injection Questions

For anyone curious about switching to subQ: a comparison photo of my IM and subQ needles

T leaking out after sub-q shot?

Questions for guys who do SubQ

Those who have tried both IM and SubQ, which do you prefer and why?

Needle size for T. Enanthate, sub q injections?

How deep should a SubQ shot be?

A helpful reminder about Sub-Q, inflammation, and allergy meds

What do you feel when you inject subq?

Things to expect while injecting vs. Things not to do while injecting?

FTM shot anxiety.

Shot anxiety?

Why some men run out of their injectable testosterone before their next refill

Common T Injection Site No Longer Recommended for IM injections

TRANSGENDER HEALTH Injection Guide (Lists how to do IM injections then SubQ injections)

Hormones: A Guide for FTMs

Sometimes you just aren’t ready for injections even if you try your hardest. That isn’t your fault and you shouldn’t feel bad about it, and it doesn’t mean you’re weak or not masculine- about 10% of adults have a fear of needles so you’re in good company.

I know that if I had tried to start injections initially I wouldn’t have been able to do it since I wasn’t in a good enough mental state to be able to cope. I had to work on improving my overall mental health with meds and therapy before I was able to get to a point where I was able to try to work on the phobia without getting completely overwhelmed. Please reach out for help if you need it.

If you find that you aren’t ready yet, that’s okay! Also remember that there are alternative forms of testosterone and not being able to do injections doesn’t mean you can’t start testosterone.

[lgbtsupportlove]

Just a heads up, I do prefer that things are sent to the ask box rather than our messages! There are somethings that messaging can be used for, like wanting to talk to me or another admin about things you’d like to see on our blog! If there’s something you want us to share, don’t hesitate to tag us or submit it in the submission box! 

~Admin Danny

[secutelesbian]

EXCLUSIVE: ‘Please don’t make the mistake we have’ – one LGBT family’s account of running away from Russia

"We have stopped thinking about our future, we're just thinking about our child".

[liumwind-deactivated20231010]

THAN YOU EVERYONE FOR SAVING US!

[liumwind-deactivated20231010]

After Putin was again elected as president we want you all to be safe and don’t make our mistake! Think twice before act and when you do, please use our expirience! 

[elierlick]

A Las Vegas Trans Bar Was The Target Of A Shooting Over The Weekend

Why are the media ignoring a shooting that injured a Black trans woman on Friday?

A transgender bar was shot at on Friday and nobody reported on it. No national press. Not even “LGBT” media had anything to say. This should be major news, so why isn’t anyone talking about it? If you’re in Las Vegas, there’s a fundraiser at the lounge Friday night for the victim that you can attend. Read the full article with more info here.

[transstudent]

Anti-transgender violence is on the rise but still goes unnoticed.