Trans Spoonies

This is a blog for people who are disabled and/or chronically ill and transgender and/or nonbinary. This is a space for disabled trans people to share their stories and ask for advice about chronic illness, disability, and transgender identity and experiences. This blog is inclusive of mentally ill individuals who consider themselves to be disabled due to their mental health. All non-cis people are welcome, including pre-/non-/post-medical transition, dysphoric and non-dysphoric, and closeted/stealth/out people. All chronically ill and disabled people are welcome as well.

[mousegirlheart]

there is absolutely no shame whatsoever in using a shower chair. there's no rule that says you have to shower standing. stop ignoring the pain. get yourself a shower chair. please.

[chronicsymptomsyndrome]

I know its kind of silly to say “don’t feel bad for canceling because of pain, fatigue, etc” because I know guilt is a reflex you can’t easily refrain from. But you can reason with yourself so instead I’ll say this:

Nobody can feel what you’re feeling but you. Nobody knows the severity of what you would be putting yourself through if you were to “tough it out.”

If you do “tough it out,” the purpose for you doing the thing will most likely not be fulfilled anyway. You probably will not be mentally present or engaged. You probably will not have a good time or get much out of it. Etc.

If people really have such a problem with it, thats a huge red flag. Being transparent about your needs and boundaries is a great way to weed people like that out of your life.

If you have any kind of chronic illness or disability, remember that you probably have a very warped judgement of what is “reasonable” to endure in terms of pain, fatigue, burnout, etc.

You didn’t ask for this, you don’t deserve this, there is no reason you should have to bear the weight of it alone. I bet if someone else was in your position, you wouldn’t mind helping accommodate for them?

Low energy days are truly sacred, take them seriously. Please respect your body’s signals. “If you do not choose times to rest, your body will choose for you” or however the saying goes

It is so much pressure to have to deliberate what sacrifices are necessary for proper self care. Give yourself extra credit for having to deal with that stress on top of whatever is putting you in that position in the first place. Thats a lot at once

You are leading by example and showing others that you would never expect them to hurt or overextend themselves for your benefit. Putting yourself first always inspires other to do the same.

Please be proud of yourself for even considering canceling and putting your needs first. That is so strong of you <3

[gendercensus]

The 2025 Gender Census is now open!

[ Link to survey ]

The 12th annual international gender census, collecting information about the language we use to refer to ourselves and each other, is now open until 30th August 2025.

It’s short and easy, for most participants it takes 5 minutes or less.

After the survey is closed I’ll process the results and publish a spreadsheet of the data and a report summarising the main findings. Then anyone can use them for academic or business purposes, self-advocacy, tracking the popularity of language over time, and just feeling like we’re part of a huge and diverse community.

If you think you might have friends and followers who’d be interested, please do reblog this blog post, and share the survey URL by email or at AFK social groups or on other social networks. Every share is extremely helpful!

Survey URL: https://survey.gendercensus.com

The survey is open to anyone anywhere who speaks English and feels that the gender binary doesn’t fully describe their experience of themselves and their gender(s) or lack thereof.

If you can't wait for survey numbers, you can click here for a public spreadsheet of non-secret info with graphs as it comes in, updated manually a few times per day.

Thank you so much!

[ Link to survey ]

[gendercensus]

Day 31, 1 day remaining!!!

Today was really busy for me, it's just past midnight so we're into the final day, and I think tomorrow is going to be really busy for me as well - but I just wanted to jump in and say:

hi! 24 hours left!!!! time to do the gender census survey~

There's always a few people who post after the survey closes to say, "oh no, I missed it this year!" WELL now you have no excuse, go do it immediately!!!

[ Link to survey ]

[gendercensus]

The 2025 Gender Census is now open!

[ Link to survey ]

The 12th annual international gender census, collecting information about the language we use to refer to ourselves and each other, is now open until 30th August 2025.

It’s short and easy, for most participants it takes 5 minutes or less.

After the survey is closed I’ll process the results and publish a spreadsheet of the data and a report summarising the main findings. Then anyone can use them for academic or business purposes, self-advocacy, tracking the popularity of language over time, and just feeling like we’re part of a huge and diverse community.

If you think you might have friends and followers who’d be interested, please do reblog this blog post, and share the survey URL by email or at AFK social groups or on other social networks. Every share is extremely helpful!

Survey URL: https://survey.gendercensus.com

The survey is open to anyone anywhere who speaks English and feels that the gender binary doesn’t fully describe their experience of themselves and their gender(s) or lack thereof.

If you can't wait for survey numbers, you can click here for a public spreadsheet of non-secret info with graphs as it comes in, updated manually a few times per day.

Thank you so much!

[ Link to survey ]

[barbiebimbobaby]

consider this: wheelchairs should be free

[transspoonies]

Hey are you all okay? How are you holding up?

[soupcollector]

Honestly a huge shoutout to everyone who had to stop doing what they love.

Shoutout to people who had to stop playing music and drawing because of arthritis.

Shoutout to people who loved to go hiking but can’t because of chronic fatigue.

Shoutout to everybody who’s ever had their health steal something they loved from them. Yall are so beautiful and worthwhile and I love you.

[scriptlgbt]

ScriptLGBT Mod Application

We’re looking for mods (again) and this time our application will stay up as a permanent-ish thing so that people can apply on a rolling basis. This particular application also has some quiz questions based on what we need areas of expertise in, rather than solely asking about identities like in previous applications.

If you’ve applied in the past, please feel free to apply again!

We received over 80 applications last time and a lot of the vetting process has been refined since, so it will be easier for us to sort through the applications.

If you’re unfamiliar with ScriptLGBT:

We answer questions for writers, character creators, storytellers of all kinds on how to represent LGBT+ identities and experiences. This branches out into atypical relationship formats sometimes and even some specific subcultures and so on. 

As a mod, you would be expected to be able to answer questions on a regular basis. When the ask is open, we receive anywhere from 1-50 asks per day. We close the ask box based on how overwhelmed the mod team is feeling and have open communication with each other about these things. You definitely would not need to answer at that rate, as you would not be the only mod. Ideally, 1 a week is a good minimum to aim for.

We’re not yet sure how many new moderators we are taking on, and this will be determined based on the applications that come in. The mod position is a volunteer one, but mods are welcome to link voluntary payment methods in their bios and signatures of the asks they answer. Most of the benefit, however, is having a really supportive community of peers who have shared interests.

Please signal boost!

[spoonie-central]

I was only confined before my wheelchair.

[so-over-ableism]

[ID: a drawing of a wheelchair on a purple background with “this is not my prison this is my freedom” written above it. end ID]

[mysteriousgap]

[image description: projection on a classroom whiteboard that reads “treating disabled people like people is basic human decency, not heroism. you guys are just ableist”]

[transspoonies]

If you know of any pride events anywhere that are livestreaming, please reblog or reply with the info for them!

A lot of disabled LGBT+ people and folks in rural areas deserve inclusion. Livestreaming gives an option for a lot of folks who cannot otherwise access these kinds of events and sense of community.

[spoonie-living]

[Image: Posed Kermit and Pink Panther plushes playing by hanging upside down from a rope strung across a pond. Photographer: Alexas_Fotos]

Keep Cool This Summer - Warm Weather Tips & Resources Roundup

Y’all, summer is well on its way, and with it plenty of hot weather. Since a lot of spoonies are sensitive to the heat, we’ve put together a list of our best tips for surviving those sweltering temperatures.

We’ll keep this updated, so if you’re looking at a Tumblr reblog, be sure to click through to this link for the latest.

Enjoy, and stay cool!

(For our readers on the other side of the equator, here’s a link to this article’s cold-weather counterpart.)

Keep reading

[spoonie-living]

The dog days of summer are nearly upon us! If you aren’t sure how you’re going to survive this summer, check out our resource roundup here, updated for 2019 ☀️

[perksofbeingdisabled]

Vintage on disability rights.

[littleredspaces]

Don’t let the black and white trick you. The Capitol Crawl was in 1990. This is not ancient history.

[somekindaspacecadet]

This was in 1990.

[annieelainey]

Its the first day of Pride month and I want to remind my LGBT+ fam that Pride is often not accessible and excludes our disabled LGBT+ siblings ♿🏳️‍🌈⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣⁣ What if you were no longer allowed entry into your favorite gay bar, or safe space/shelter, or queer coffee shop, or queer concert, gallery, show?⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣⁣ These spaces are denied to disabled LGBT+ people all the time due to inaccessibility and ableism. ⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣⁣ Whether it’s a step at the entrance, a staircase and no elevator, no sign language interpreters, no sensory-friendly spaces, no allergy-friendly food options, or a bouncer not allowing someone with a service dog inside because they ask for documentation that doesn’t exist (yes, really happened), this ignorance and discrimination is unacceptable.⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣⁣ It starts with hiring us as organizers, it starts with integrating us into the spaces where we belonged all along. It takes the work to unlearn ableism and misconceptions about disability, it takes effort and care to make our spaces accessible. Pride is for all of us, not some of us.⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣⁣ #AccessIsLove #MakePrideAccessible #TheFutureIsAccessible⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣ https://www.instagram.com/p/ByK6KfsgqGC/?igshid=qqbzrr0c9u6g

[transspoonies]

Remember and know that the inaccessibility of Pride events is not your fault and should not be made to be your responsibility. You deserve to have event organizers consider disabled, chronically and mentally ill community members with priority and care. You deserve to not have to advocate for your inclusion at every turn. You deserve to be understood. You deserve to be able to connect with others who share your experiences.

[yourdailyqueer]

Hey, I'm Bianca. I identify as queer, and disabled (CP, scoliosis). I'm 28, a senior in college, and I'm reaching out to self-identified queer/lgbtqia+ and disabled folks to participate in my research about intersections of disability and queerness and the role of social media in folk's social processes. Any disabled, LGBTQIA+ folks who are 18+ and willing to answer a few open-ended questions about their experiences, DM me, or see my recent post! This work is so important! Thank you infinitely!

Go and check out what Bianca is doing if you are a disabled queer. Reblog if you feel you can spread the word!

[cheapfilling]

college is catered towards the able bodied and able minded. school applauds people who can stay up all night, skip meals, and work endlessly. that kind of extreme contribution is expected. why are disabled people being squeezed out of academic institutions? why should I feel inferior because of some arbitrary and ridiculous standard?

[sickly-tired]

The undying truth.

[sylveon-trender-deactivated2019]

Not to mention, every college campus Ive ever been on is MADE of stairs and hills.