Decidedly Obscure Human Complaints.

2nd puberty, more boy androgens, acne. Seriously. When I first started hormone therapy, I couldn’t believe how fast the acne crept up in ways and places it never had before. First the bacne, then the tingling nerve tissue a week prior to clusters of swollen zits surfacing. Finally, I cracked and began using benzoyl peroxide for the first time in my life out of sheer acne-ridden desperation. The pro? It cleared up my acne - significantly. The cons? Have to pile on moisturizer like crazy, otherwise my skin gets all red and flaky. My skin has also become 80xs more sensitive to sunlight. After a year of the acne.org regiment, I’ve decided to take my light-sensitive clear skin for granted and ween my tender flesh off the benzoyl - and on to a new hippie regiment I hope will work. So my new regiment, per a friend’s suggestion and passed down via her face doctor mom: 1. Rinse face with gentle cleanser. Let air dry. I’ve been using Dr.Bronner’s gentle castile baby soap. 2. Apply wi...

Approx 2 years & 5 months on Testosterone Cypionate (0.6 mL every 2 weeks).

kdstentzel asked: Hi Dexter! I am a cisgender female social worker. My boss is having me put together a presentation on body modification (everything from coloring hair to gender reassignment surgery) and I want to make sure that we are being sensitive to and not misrepresenting the trans community or trans experience. The presentation is mostly focused on making social workers aware that people modify their bodies in different ways for myriad of reasons, some of which we will briefly explore. I won't be the one to actually present this material (it's all my boss), so I want to give him information about transitioning that is easy to understand and easy for him to present to a diverse audience. Any advice that you could give me would greatly appreciated. Hello! That is awesome of you to reach out for input on how to make this presentation trans-inclusive. Here are two resources that are really ringing out to me for this: Transgender Basics Video : this is an in-a-nutshell...

I participated in a transgender panel in my Sex in the Brain class yesterday. Which, the fact that I'm also a student in that class made it interesting. For 45 minutes we had class as usual. Then our professor released the class for a break before the panel was slotted to begin. I used this time to meet another panelist who is an awesome local transmale police officer. I gave him a guest parking pass, introduced him to my friend, and off we went back to the classroom. We got there about 5 minutes early and took our seats at a table in front of the class. I felt nervous, initially, going from sitting with the class all month to now sitting in front of my fellow students, on a panel. I kind of liked that we were early, as it gave me some adjust-to-sitting-in-front-of-class-adrenaline-red-faced-calm-down time to chit-chat with the other panelist and my professor all cozy for a bit. The third panelist, a local transgender woman activist, arrived right at 1 pm after walking from...

zeverrat asked: hey man, i might be moving to utah soon. i'm a 16 year old ftm and i'm about pissing my pants worrying what it's like to be trans* in such a conservative state (i'm in MA right now so it couldn't be more different). any advice? Don’t piss your pants! Utah can be an intimidating, conservative place - but there are a lot of resources here and a huge community, especially in Salt Lake City. Once you move here, I would strongly suggest getting involved with the Utah Pride Center . There is a lot of programming there, like a transgender youth group, TransAction (a trans advocacy group), a trans partners group, a parents-of-trans support group, etc. And also, if you’re here during June, we’ll be having the Utah Pride Festival (our grand marshall this year is Roseanne Barr!) and a transgender march! You’ll be fine. :]

Buds n’ I at my tranimal benefit party last Thursday, courtesy ThatGuyGil !

Theseus playing with my birthday bag!

… and I celebrated by going to birthday breakfast! I initially planned on going to the Utah Renaissance Festival and Fantasy Faire , but then grew increasingly anxious about an important paper that’s due tomorrow. So - I postponed it for a day that will work way better! I’ve received the greatest presents ever. This bag from Jude: This envelope, sealed with a kiss: This creepy doll from Shenan that I now call “Dexter’s love monkey” who opens his mouth into a perfect little O and sings when squeezed. It’s a perfect fit. Plus, my pup, Gany, really, reeeeeally wants to gut the voice box out of this little guy: A gift card to Nordstrom Rack for a new pair of shorts from Jude, who can’t stand the basketball shorts I romp around in daily and has been complaining about them since last summer. But the most important gift of all? The adorable company of and lovins from my friends and family last Thursday and this morning, of course! Oh, and the best gift? My dad’s post on ...

Photos from my DANCE YOURSELF TO DEATH! TRANIMAL PARTY (May 12th 2011) top surgery benefit! See more, courtesy of Viola Photography :

Last night’s benefit for my top surgery was such a SUCCESS. Not just as a fundraiser, but as a super schnazzy fun dancy good time, too! There was a great turn-out right from the 8:30pm get-go of a whole slew of adorable peeps. I yapped so much throughout the night that, now, my voice is a barely audible raspy mess. Meanwhile, while I spent time socializing, friends set up a really alluring display of raffle prizes and then rotated throughout the night at a table outside to ask for donations and to sell the tickets AND inside walking from person to person. Even some of my more reserved friends stood up to uncomfortably pander for raffle sales. Dia Diabolique from Slippery Kittens Burlesque came to perform on her only day off, which was so insanely sweet of her. Especially as a single mother. I am beyond flattered and appreciative. Afterwards, Jesse, the President of TransAction Utah , performed “Tranny Got Pack” from Athens Boys Choir in a little boy scout outfit with his “dan...

I actually have a 5 o’ clock shadow. I’m not quite sure when it appeared as, out of sheer laziness in the personal hygiene department throughout last semester, I didn’t shave much. But in a spontaneous fit of I’m-shaggy-and-can’t-take-it-anymore!!! hysteria I ran to the barber and forked over $15 to get all hair cut dappered out. At some point the barber inquired, “Are you growing a beard?”, to which I replied, “Not intentionally. I just haven’t shaved.” Taking that as a green flag to buzz my face, next thing I knew my facial hair was gone - and stubble remained. 5 o’ clock shadow stubble ! I can’t stop admiring it. In other news, this “Sex in the Brain” class I’m in is extremely interesting. Especially the part (so far) where we’ve learned about testosterone receptors in the amygdala, the part of the brain related to things like aggression and fear. Anyway, since I’d helped the same professor for this class put together a transgender panel for another class last semester, she asked ...

Tonight is my top surgery benefit (slash) birthday party… which, in all honesty, I threw in there after the fact when I realized that, “Hey, my birthday is on May 15th… and my benefit is on the 12th… why, those are close enough to one another that I could get away with calling this a birthday party, too!”. Aside from last year when my friend, Jude, threw together a BBQ birthday party for me, this will technically be the first “birthday party” I’ve ever had. I’m generally the type to just go to dinner and a movie with my immediate family and a few friends and keep my bday on the down-low… but when it comes to my strong desire for top surgery? I’ll socialize like there’s no tomorrow! And, in turn, have a whole lot of fun with just, some of the best, most genuinely altruistic people ever. In other news, earlier today in my Sex in the Brain class we learned a bit about that infamous hormone - testosterone - and its equally infamous correlation with sexual arousal. Of course, it varie...