doughboy

sometimes I'm a boy. sometimes I'm an aesthetic blog. sometimes I am a person.

[subarubratmoved-deactivated2021]

Transmasc Pregnancy Resources

I've been on testosterone for 3 years, and frequently people have made comments about how it must be hard because now I can never have children. And for a long time, I would say that yes, it is hard to know that, because my sole regret about going on testosterone was how I'd never be able to get pregnant (as my doctor told me). But now I know that's not true-- transgender men, including those who have been on testosterone for many years, are capable of having healthy, happy babies. I see many posts on here talking about how testosterone should not be used as a contraceptive (true!) and resources for seeking an abortion when you're transmasculine, but I don't see anyone encouraging or providing information to those who may have medically transitioned but still want to pursue pregnancy.

Here is a Guide to Transmasculine Fertility, complete with several "lesson" sections on various topics such as assisted reproduction options and aging fertility rates, written by verified physicians and Trystan Reese, a transgender man who has pregnancy experience. This is an excellent and thorough resource, and not the only article that the site has on transgender pregnancy and parenting. In my opinion, this is the best resource on the list, so it's first.

Here are personal accounts of transmasculine pregnancies from Evan Hempel, Jason Barker, Thomas Beatie, Trevor MacDonald, and there are so, so many more just a Google search away.

Here is a Heathline article that discusses the issue of social stigma around transmasculine pregnancies, and how to combat it.

Here is a (short) NYT article about a reproductive endocrinologist's (supportive) perspective on transgender pregnancies.

Here is a list of resources that covers much of the above, and more.

Many of us are told when we begin testosterone that it can impact fertility, destroy our reproductive organs, etc. and not only is that blatantly untrue, but it's wildly harmful to those of us who want to be pregnant. We deserve this information, we deserve to know our options, we deserve to decide for ourselves what we want to do with our bodies. Yes, transgender men who want to be pregnant are certainly in the minority. But too many of us think we're infertile or are told that we are by doctors who don't know enough about transgender healthcare, leading to irreversible decisions that do render us infertile (such as hysterectomies). While this is aimed at transgender men, it is also worth mentioning that this applies to anyone and everyone who engages in HRT, mastectomy, etc. including nonbinary people, butches, genderfluid people and so on.

If you are a transmasculine individual who wants to explore your options for pregnancy, I hope this helped inform you. If you're not interested in pregnancy, please at least pass this information along, because I'm fucking tired of the incompetency surrounding trans healthcare. Knowledge is power, and it's knowledge like this that allows for self-advocacy, empowerment, and happier lives.

[veurona]

types of people

honey: lipstick, a sweet voice, confident laughter, handwritten notes, tries their best, loves fashion and dogs, bright eyes like the sun, new cities, good grades

woodsmoke: tired souls, ticket stubs and street maps from places they’ve visited, bodies full of untold stories, missing the train, coffee, gentle words 

wisteria: dreamy evenings, freshly-baked cinnamon rolls, sipping tea, writing in a diary, thick, worn-out jumpers, handfuls of flowers, falling in love, book piles

saltwater: dark, tousled hair, ripped jeans, paintbrushes, lofty grins, swallowing hard, a little broken, trying desperately to be a good person

ink: soft aching hands buried in messy hair, tragic smiles, scribbling on dusty parchment, ancient ruins, attic windows, stars, cups of tea gone cold

thunderstorms: leather jackets, eyeliner wings, sharpening their smiles, lace-up boots, vinyl records, wikipedia articles, tangled earphones, cigarette afternoons

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Librarians must resist trumpism

Radical librarian Jason Griffey (previously) wants librarians to continue their 21st century leadership in the resistance to surveillance and persecution – a proud record that includes the most effective stands against GW Bush’s Patriot Act – by pledging to make libraries safe havens from trumpism and its evils: electronic surveillance; racial and gender-based discrimination; and the assertion that ideology trumps empirical reality.

Neutrality favors the powerful, and further marginalizes the marginalized. In the face of the current political climate, with the use of opinions as bludgeons and disinformation as the weapon of choice for manipulation and intellectual coercion, it is up to those who value fact and believe in the care of those in need to stand up and positively affirm that to do otherwise is evil.

For libraries and librarians, that means:

1. Making the physical space of the library safe for those that need it by publicly stating your stance on the targeting of marginalized communities and then following up with actions and policies that back up those statements

2. Protecting your patrons from targeting and oppression, even in the face of possible governmental pressures, by resisting calls for information about your patrons at every level

3. Making your digital spaces safe for you patrons by limiting the data you collect, eliminating the data that you store, encrypting your communications at all levels and importantly insisting that your vendors do the same

4. Running programs that actively provide support for your at-risk patrons, whatever that looks like in your community

5. By being the voice of reason and compassion when dealing with your city or county government, and by modeling the same by advocating for those at risk

These things are vital and necessary. Especially now.

https://boingboing.net/2016/12/20/librarians-must-resist-trumpis.html

[bipolar-bubbeleh]

ok but that sign is SO COOL. It is illegal - fucking fuck - for a library to say it has been approached by the FBI. The workaround is that a library can say they have not been approached until, ya know, that’s a lie and they take down the sign. That is also actually why a lot of libraries no longer keep records of what a person checks out. Like they take broad stats but a lot of computer programs don’t even have the capacity to log what a person has checked out. You can’t disclose what you don’t have. tldr, librarians can be awesome when we stop doing this neutrality lie.

[cycopompadour]

Why in the hell is that illegal? That’s sketch af guys. Someone in the law making business is shade. Shaaaaaade.

[athenadark]

the FBI used to maintain watch lists of books people took out, and librarians didn’t like it, so they told their patrons to work from a book in the library so they didn’t go on the watch list, or took the books out themselves, so the FBI got really pissed at them and got the lawmakers to make it illegal to warn them

but librarians are smart wily fuckers - the FBI didn’t stand a chance

[thraginsufferable]

The signs were originally made by librarian and all around good egg Jessamyn “not the author” West, who writes about it at librarian.net.  

[greenjudy]

Librarians are quiet front-line fighters when it comes to authoritarianism. When I worked as a librarian, I had to take an oath to protect and to serve the public’s access to knowledge and right to privacy. 

These guys are serious.

[tashvi]

Librarians have always been quiet, steadfast heroes.

[shoppingstars]

apps that can help you with your mental illness

daylio (available on google play and app store for free) - “Pick your mood and add activities you have been doing during the day. You can also add notes and keep an old school diary.” 

calm harm (available on google play and app store for free) - “Calm Harm provides tasks to help you resist or manage the urge to self-harm.”

impulse DBT (available on google play and app store for free) - “Impulse DBT is an invaluable tool for those who need to keep track of daily impulses for Dialectical Behavior Therapy.”

7 cups of tea (available on google play and app store for free) - “Whether you are going through a challenging time or just want to talk to someone, at 7 Cups you’ll find a path connecting you to kind people and helping you develop new skills to solve your problems. Over 16 million conversations.”

what’s up - mental health app (available on google play and app store for free) - “What’s Up? is a fantastic free app utilising some of the best CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) and ACT (Acceptance Commitment Therapy) methods to help you cope with Depression, Anxiety, Anger, Stress and more.”

pacifica (available on google play and app store for free) - “Pacifica gives you psychologist-designed tools to address them based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, mindfulness meditation, relaxation, and mood/health tracking.” 

booster buddy (available on google play and app store for free) - “BoosterBuddy is a free app designed to help teens and young adults improve their mental health. Manage your personal wellness journey and earn achievements as your sidekick guides you through a series of daily quests designed to establish and sustain positive habits.”

[snugglebearinc]

[caffeinatedmusing]

1. L’ange du mal by Joseph Geefs

2. Le genie du mal by Guillaume Geefs

Here’s the wiki article on them.

[dwergas-deactivated20180817]

boring & disrespectful: “oh, i can’t survive without my morning coffee”, “energy drink makes it so that i can get through my boring work”, and so on

living properly: treating caffeinated beverages like very mysterious & powerful magical potions that can give us unforeseen abilities

[sadboybrigade]

drink 15 cups of coffee in a day and you can clip through walls

[spooky-spaghetties]

me, approaching my local barista with trepidation and awe: potion seller. I am going into battle and I require your strongest potion.

potion seller: trenta macchiato plus five shots as usual, then?

me, extending my credit card with a trembling hand: fuck me up

[tami-taylors-hair]

These Florida kids are not fucking around. 

[wolfnanaki]

The kids’ response to the shooting has been something truly incredible.

Normally, it’s always been very young children and it’s only their parents that can speak about it. The narrative gets controlled, the conspiracy theorists talk about how it’s all an act, so much bullshit.

But these are kids who are active on social media, incredibly close to voting age, and they’re demanding their voices are heard. Every single thing that downplays, dismisses or conspiracies the shooting has been subverted by their efforts, and they’re not letting adults who’ve never lived what they lived through control the narrative.

“It was a conspiracy!” “No, we have video evidence of it happening.” “Shouldn’t you be calling 911 instead of making videos?” “We called 911 so many times they told us to stop.” “But he was a troubled child!” “We were ALL troubled, that’s no excuse.” And it just goes on like this.

Honestly, I’m so proud of my fellow Floridians.

[systlin]

I said to my husband the other day that “This one feels different”, referring to this precisely. 

The whole energy around it feels different. These kids are not having this bullshit, and while they should not have to stand their ground and fight this battle, goddamn it they are going to. If the adults won’t, then goddamn it these kids will draw a fucking line and say ‘no, no more, this is bullshit’. 

I don’t know what it means, or how it will play out long term. But there’s a sense around this whole tragedy that this one is different, and I hope, maybe, that means some actual change will come. 

[undr]

Roger Viollet/Getty Images. Paris Flood. 1910

[tomorrowandbeyond]

[velvety-secret]

Like most people don’t like to admit this, but one of the reasons a lot of us have so many mental health issues is because we live in a world that has basically become untenable. People can’t afford basic necessities, let alone to cultivate their interests or take breaks and rest or do any of the things necessary for good mental health. People my age are wracked with debt, working at jobs they hate or studying topics they hate, living in a shitty apartment with five roommates. We live in a world that’s very hard to be healthy in. So while yeah, a lot of people obviously do have mental illnesses that would need medication no matter what, they are greatly exacerbated by these issues, and a lot of people have basically just been thrust into an eternal situational depression. So if that doesn’t change, medication is just a band-aid. 

[permian-tropos]

Another thing related to “we live in a world that’s very hard to be healthy in” that I think we don’t admit is that we’re surrounded by provably deleterious toxins (I’m not talking conspiracy stuff, just things scientists know for a fact that literally nobody can argue). How could anyone believe there wouldn’t be widespread mental illness when we’re surrounded by countless substances that each contribute a little bit towards an overall unhealthy state…?

For instance, my high school water fountains were explicitly found to have absurdly unsafe lead levels and I know this is only one of thousands of things I’ve been exposed to throughout my life. This is a “forest for the trees” situation IMO because while we might agree that some particular substance is dangerous (ie. lead, mercury, certain plastics, certain food additives, air pollutants, water pollutants, etc) people don’t always sit back and think “wait a minute, if all those things are bad on their own, all of them TOGETHER must have a powerful and obvious effect on society!”

And we do actually get all of them together. So the powerful and obvious effect on society must be happening as we speak.

[thebibliosphere]

My complete immune system meltdown occurred after moving to the US where the standards for pesticides and food preserving methods are extremely different from the regulations under the EU. It didn’t cause my illness(es), but it sure as shit hastened it along by about 10-20 years. Along with my depression and anxiety, which I’ve since learned in the last five years, a huge part of my anxiety is allergen triggered, ranging from foods to synthetic scents and air pollution, which triggers an adrenal response which, you get the picture. I know it sounds batshit, but chemical sensitivity and environmental sickness is real and it’s on the rise.

People like me with auto-immune problems, are your canary in the coal mine, please don’t let our suffering and advocacy for change go ignored. We’re not all completely crazy tin foil hatters. Promise.

[steorn]

Heeyyyyy Joy but couldn’t that be because it’s a sudden change from what you’re used to? If you’re really sensitive to allergens and adapted to whatever you encounted in the EU when you were young, and then suddenly came here, I feel like tht could mess you up.

[thebibliosphere]

My health is not perceived to be general norm as you say in the tags, but what is worrying to many of the specialists I have spoken to over the last few years while living here in the US, is that my kind of health issues are on the rise, and with people who have lived in the US all their lives. And they don’t quite know why, but new studies seem to indicate environment (ie air pollution, pesticides, water pollution, certain types of plastics etc etc) as having played a role. 

(AARDA has books and resources you can google if anyone is interested) 

@deadcatwithaflamethrower is a prime example of this, and she and I share very similar and excruciating problems, to the point where we could almost be genetically related. She’s been here her whole life, but something changed in the place where she lives and now she can barely go outside.  (And my move here was not sudden, I had actually lived here before, so it wasn’t just a simple “oh new pollen” deal that caused my immune system to collapse. It happened over a period of two years culminating in a massive infection absolutely obliterating my weakened immune system, and here we are today.)

And I know shit like this seems irrelevant when people like me are such a small statistic, but we’re really not. The National Institute of Health estimates that over 23.5 million people in the US suffer from an AD, and between 2001 and 2009 there was over a 20% increase in AD diagnosis. That’s a lot of people getting sick. 

And while our changing environment will absolutely be a factor for many of us, the OPs original point about living in a socio-economic climate designed to make sure only the very wealthy thrive, is abso-fucking-lutely a contributing factor.

Things like chronic conditions don’t generally come on over night. Some do, but most are usually a gradual and insidious breakdown in response to long term stress, or not being able to get treatment when you need it, so your immune system weakens (contrary to what anti-vaxxers believe, what does not kill you does not in fact make you stronger, not in the way they think) and then you get sick again and sometimes all it takes is one bad cold, and it feels like you never recover. 

Sickness and death are hastened on by poverty. The current system is killing people, through environmental factors and greed. And it’s long overdue that things changed.

[simplytheanthropic]

My all time favorite animal. The red-bearded vulture.

The bearded vulture, or lammergeier, lives on a steady diet of bones (more specifically the marrow) and dyes its own feathers blood red.

Bearded vultures come in various shades, from pure white to orange-red. Soils stained with iron oxide give the birds their fiery appearance. Lammergeiers apply the dirt with their claws and then preen for about an hour to ensure a bright orange/red glow. They are also attracted to other red things, like leaves and red wood. Captive birds also partake in this behavior, which suggests the activity is instinctual, not learned.

The soil doesn’t have any practical purposes; it certainly doesn’t make for good camouflage (though the birds have no natural predators anyway). Scientists have noticed that the birds’ age and size are directly correlated to the intensity of color. It is theorized that the hue is a status symbol. More soiled feathers indicates that the lammergeier had the time and resources to find an adequate place to bathe; the brightest-colored vultures should have the most territory and knowledge of their surroundings. Interestingly, these baths are done in secret, so most of the information gathered has been through spying on captive birds.

Bearded Vultures are most commonly monogamous, and breed once a year. Sometimes, especially in certain areas of Spain and France, bachelor lammergeiers will join a pre-existing couple to create a polyandrous trio. Females accept secondary mates because it increases the chances of producing offspring and doubles her protection. The birds usually don’t lay more than three eggs, so they can use all the help they can get.

These giant birds can grow up to 4 feet tall. They have a wingspan between 7 and 9 feet and usually weigh around 10 to 15 pounds.

In other words, this bird is awesome and I love it forever.

[thecheshirecass-deactivated2018]

This is it. This is the moment I have found my patronus. I love these vain fluff faces forever.

[jackscarab]

[economyclassbunny]

HE IS SMOOCHING THE DEATHMUPPET!!! I’m so jealous!

[sciencetylia]

Democrat New Mexico Senator Martin Heinrich is calling for the Dickey Amendment to be repealed, which prevents the Center For Disease Control and Prevention from studying gun violence and its effects on public health.

More information here:

Heinrich Calls For Repeal Of Dickey Amendment That Restricts CDC From Researching Gun Violence

[omanapoove]

mike schur and dan goor invented healthy relationships on television 

(inspired by this post)

[travis-mcelroys-nails]

[alpine-insurrection]

Because capitalism.

[demonprincex]

yall mind if i just

[instagram]

Letting the Good In: Diwali Celebrations with Samyukta Lakshmi

To see more of Samyukta’s work, follow @samlaks on Instagram.

“I love connecting with people,” says documentary photographer Samyukta Lakshmi (@samlaks). “I think it’s a privilege when people open up their lives to you and let you tell their story through photos.”

Samyukta is currently on the ground in her hometown of Bangalore, India, for the five-day #Diwali festival, a Hindu holiday celebrated throughout the world. “Diwali is the festival of lights,” she explains. “It is the celebration of good over evil, light over darkness.”