Hey folks,
Most of you probably don't know me (aside from staff and a few old stubborn never-leaves like Ixion and Xenthos), but I figured I'd pop in and poke at Lusty as a possible source of info.

I came out about 6 months ago as transsexual and am doing the whole transitiony thing. Amusingly enough my heavy self-repression and self imposed closeting was probably why I hated everyone and made things so miserable for the game/myself but uh whoops.

Anyways, the point of this post is to see if there are many trans folks/gender-non conforming folks/people interested in gender in general. I'm in the process of doing research and pulling together anecdotes and interviews for a self-help book I'm going to be writing and I'll be putting together a form with some standard questions. Stuff like when did you become aware of your identity, what are some of the issues you've struggled with, what are some of your personal successes, what do you use to cope with societal expectations, etc and so on.

From heterosexual straight males to crossdressers to drag kings to plain ole trannies like myself, I'd like to be able to sample pretty broadly so that I can better understand my target audience, mine for good topics to write/discuss, and things of that sort. So if you'd be interested in taking some time to talk a little bit about yourself and fill out about 5-6 questions, please speak up either here or shoot me a message if you'd prefer not to disclose your status publicly. I can also be reached at katherine AT invertinggender DOT com. (invertinggender being my random trans-thoughts-musings-writing blog, feel free to check it out!)

All information will be strictly confidential and not shared or used anywhere without express permission (that I'd seek on a case by case basis).

Oh and I guess this is as good a place as any to hoist up for discussion on gender issues if there's any desire/need for that! ;P

man why you gotta castigate a brother

Congratulations on coming out! I know it's a big decision. My husband and I dress up in drag on Halloween but I doubt that's what you're looking for. However, I do know several transgendered people (one of my best friends in fact). Good luck!

I don't really fit into the target audience other than having an interest in the topic, but a local webcomic artist from my area - JDR - is a transexual. I'd recommend talking to her (either via e-mail or her forum), she's pretty open and has written a lot about her own experiences. I even had the chance to meet her once, too. Spiffy lady.

However, I strongly advise against recommending her Transexuality quiz to anyone. If you take a look at it, you'll see why. She even has a large disclaimer about it.




I've always loved you <3 And to echoe what Estarra said, congrats and good luck with your book

So, what would those 5-6 questions be?

Your blog is fascinating! Congratulations and good luck with the book.

Hell-oooo. Though your post seems to be targeted more towards males, I am a lady who prefers to be a guy. I usually refer to it in a joking manner, but in all honesty, I really do feel more comfortable when identifying as male. But, I don't want to be a man. It would be like a dream come true to just be able to be male or female on a whim but that's not possible, so! I am just fine with being biologically female, and would prefer to stay that way, but identifying as female gender-wise is just uncomfortable for me. It's not something I tend to talk to people about sincerely, and I don't even joke about it with people who I only interact with off of the internet. My therapist doesn't even know. I guess it's a little funny that I'm more open about my sexuality than I am about my gender identity, but I suppose that's because bisexuality is a concept people are more acquainted with than women who identify as men.

Sorry for being kind of rambling and disjointed here.

Hey Visaeris,

I know a few transgendered people, both pre-op, post-op, etc. I also know a lot of great resources and groups depending on your location. Message me if you want networking information.

Best of luck, it's a difficult place to be in today's world, so my very best wishes to you.

I could not stop reading your blog. I am amazed at how willingly you share your experiences/emotions with your readers. On a different note, I am not sure if you look at your followers' blogs, but I am the user whose blog is filled with Lady Gaga-esque...stuff.

I wish you the best of luck on your journey and with your book.

So uhhh I threw this post up and promptly vamoozled. Sorry folks. I got a few good pms and I'll be responding to them when I have some time this weekend. Things got wicked busy with pride and the like and I'm playing catchup in my online communities. The book got shelved briefly and I may just be focusing on being a human being and tackle the book in a couple months. Still deciding. ;P

Thanks for all the well wishes, and with that said I wanna leap after Phoebus' post!



It would be awesome to be able to be male or female and change that based on the given day or week. I've sort of shifted from identifying as purely transfemale to seeing myself as something more along the lines of genderqueer internally with a female presentation and affect.

I am sort of vaguely curious about your desire to "identify as a male" but lack of desire to be a man. Obviously male is identity and man is sexuality, but you can live your life as a male and remain a female if that's what you prefer. I assume you've looked into that sort of thing? Drop me a line at katherine @ invertinggender.com, maybe we can have a conversation about it sometime

That goes for anyone else who is curious about gender stuff, sex stuff, whatever. I'm not an expert but if you find yourself in the questioning category or need someone to talk to, feel free to post in here or toss me an email at that address. I'm big on outreach and that's why I made this thread

I have to say, of all the posters who would write this thread, you are one of the last people I expected. That said, congratulations on coming out and it's relatively clear (from what little interaction we had in the past, and now) that you seem happier overall. So yay!

It takes a lot of courage to come out with this. Not an easy thing to do.

Now you just need to start playing again!

Hey! One of my all-time best friends is female to male transgender, and he just had his top surgery. I can connect you to his blog, if you'd like--it's lush with the kind of stuff you're looking for.

I have the gay male/supportive friend of a transgender point of view, if you'd like it. I also know someone who was F2M, started the transition, and found God. It's about as controversial within the community as you can get, but she's comfortable with her decision. She might be willing to chat with you, too.

And congratulations!

*breathes deeply* Hokay. I have gone through several stages of sexual orientation and gender identity questioning. Before settling into my own identity and accepting it, I identified as a gender-fluid bisexual with a male gender lean and a preference for dating men. (I was, in my own mind, a gay male.) I've been relatively active in the community here - if you want other contacts, I've got them. There are still times when I question my own gender identity, but for the most part I am comfortable being female. However, having been there, questioned, identified as male for a few years, I may be able to offer some answers if and when you get to it.

This isn't generally something I talk about a lot, and I've only shared it with... maybe four people now. Here's a poem I wrote ages ago about how I feel. It's a horrendously composed poem but it shows how I felt: http://fav.me/d2owkyi

Ugh, why does life move so fast. Here I was thinking "Oh yea let me check on Lusternia thread" and then kawhoosh and it's been like 14 days. Whoops? I'd love to get put in touch with your friend, if nothing else because I'm trying to know every last trans person. All of them. :3 But yea as a fellow believer it'd be interesting to hear his (? you said he was trans male but used female pronouns so I'm unsure) take on that sort of thing.

And way to go Kayte. Congrats on sorting that out. Having an alternative gender identity or expression is.. Tough, at times.

On the plus side, here's a set of 3 pictures of me showing what Estrogen can do for you!*


(*: You does not mean anyone in particular and infact mostly just means me :V)

Way to go! You look terrific.

Hey, as some one with a complicated outlook on sexuality I want to say congrats for making the decision you did. Also, you look great in your pics. Well done. I wish you much happiness.