reasons to care about trans men & mascs

okay last thing i want to say: we, as people in fandom spaces in general, need to relearn how to a) handle our own disappointment b) disagree. yay!

ao3 turns 15 today

reblog if youre older than ao3

Happy birthday to AO3 🎂🎉

How many aprons does Buck own?! Is there more?! Can we see them?! Is there a xmas themed one?!

Did I just employ the "Treat Them Like You are A Kindergarten Teacher Again" method with my insurance company today? I surely did. Did it work? Probably better than intended because I made an actual doctor feel contrite.

So, my insurance has been trying to not cover my SNRI because it is new on the market and no generic available yet, so pricey.

I apply for a refill and the request gets locked for review. Again. For the 3rd time.

This time I call and immediately ask to speak to the actual doctor making these clinical decisions. Very politely. Must be a slow day because they allow it.

ME: [Teacher voice] I'm calling in regards to the SNRI you have placed a lock on. Why was this decision made?

DOC: Well, there are dozens of other medications on the market in that tier, and far cheaper for you and [insurer]. We have sent a request to your doctor to consider alternatives.

ME: I am aware of that. So, can you do me a HUGE favor and look up my prescription history really quickly and tell me how many SSRIs and SNRIs were only filled once in 2022 for me, showing they were poorly tolerated?

DOC: It looks like eight.

ME: Great job! Now, can you please look at my genetic test for psychiatric drug tolerance and tell me how many medications are listed in the safe category?

DOC: Two.

ME: Awesome! Now, can you tell me what type that other drug is that I'm not taking?

DOC: Yeah, totally, it's an MAOI.

ME: That's correct, you're really knowledgeable! Should I be taking something as dangerous as an MAOI with my other medications, or even just in general?

DOC: It's contraindicated for sure.

ME: It is! So true! So, last question since you've been incredibly smart and helpful. Is it less expensive for [insurer] to pay out for the medication knowing they already get a huge manufacturer discount anyway, or is it more expensive for them to pay for me to need potentially long-term inpatient psychiatric care?

DOC: I'll clear the code, ma'am and flag it as medically necessary. I'm sorry about this.

ME: I appreciate you SO MUCH. You have a great day now.

WALGREENS PHARMACY TECH WITH 5 NOSE RINGS AND PURPLE HAIR STARING AT ME: ........... OKAY! It'll be ready in five minutes. You wanna come work here?

Kill them with kindness

BUT KILL THEM

Your sixth most recent emoji is how your guardian angel feels about you

If you're trans and you don't have a passport, get one. right now. not in a month, not in a week, get started on it today.

I mean it.

Today.

This is the one thing that I would definitely do regardless of state. For those not in the know, a passport is the way to get an easy name or gender marker change onto your ID without a court battle, and that is highly dependent on the Federal administration.

Putting this up here so people see it first and it doesn't get lost below the cut - but feel free to DM me with questions if you have them. I might be able to help. <3

The website where you can find all of the forms is here, at travel.state

Currently this is what the processing times look like. I highly recommend using their digital form filler - but if you're filling out your documents on paper - make sure to fill out your form with correct (and very legible) information. All applications are vetted by hand and can be sent back for verification if there's unclear info, which will increase your wait time.

When you're ready, you might need to make an appointment at your local acceptance facility. Not all of them require it, but it's better to be prepared and call ahead to see if they do.

For those are applying for the first time and that'd feel better working on the forms in person, there are many states that run 'acceptance fairs' - here are some upcoming events this month.

In terms of what kind of passport you should get, there are two general use forms, the book and the card. Both are legal travel IDs within the country, but the card is only good for international travel across land borders. So just Mexico and Canada.

In my opinion it's better to just get the book, because you never know when you might leave the country overseas, but the card fits in your wallet so it's good for casual travel. Lots of people get both, so that's an option, but not necessary.

---

For photo advice - many pharmacies offer cheap services, but you can also take a photo yourself with a little bit of set up.

You need a flat, white background. A wall is definitely best, but if you have like...a projector screen or something that will work too. It just has to be white and without obvious texture.

Ok the exception to digital editing is that bald heads often get overexposed and disappear in print. If you have access to something like photoshop, photopea, or something with adjustment layers you can scan the photo in and click on this little half circle guy in the layers window ->

This will give you a menu that looks like this ->

Click on Levels and it will bring up a window that looks like this ->

The main graph with the three sliders represent dark values, mid tones, and light values. The particular photo I have open is kind of all over the place but you might have long flat tails on either end of the graph. Try taking the left slider and moving it to the right to increase the dark values in your photo.

You don't want to go super dark and make it obvious that you've tampered with the photo - you just want to make it so the top of your head has enough contrast against the white background. You can also try using a brightness/contrast layer (listed just above 'Levels' in the menu) to sharpen the edges if you need to.

Again - don't make it obvious or your photo will get rejected.

If your program doesn't have the little circle guy - you can also typically find the adjustment layers in the top toolbar here ->

Ok...I think...that's everything I can think of right now. I put it at the top, but again, if you have questions feel free to DM me. I'll do my best to help :)

Be kind to yourself today.

well 🧍‍♀️ as a reminder this blog is NOT a safe space for trump supporters but it IS a safe place for women, queers, trans ppl, people of color, undocumented people, and any marginalized group.

The Sound of Music (1965) dir. Robert Wise

This is a reminder to:

Form communities. Tell your people that you love them. Protect one another. Check in on one another. None of us are alone.

Please, spread this for those who might need it right now

Take care of yourself and each other. Please stay safe ♡

it’s so jarring when you realize trump supporters aren’t a loud minority and that roughly half the country is voting for that man after EVERYTHING and it makes me sick