:-/

Also, the kiss was a big deal not just because it was gay but because the trans actress was HIV positive. They wanted to show the world that you can't contract HIV just from kissing someone. Bear in mind, the AIDS crisis was still fresh on people's minds in the 90s.

He was required to do this because other players were afraid that they could contract it from him on the court. It wasn't outside the realm of possibility, but nowhere near probable. It was fear-mongering. A ton of people opposed him playing in the 1992 all-star game because of it, though he played anyway.

Don't let recency bias fool you--these things were happening at a scale that most AIDS service orgs, even giant ones like AID Atlanta, couldn't hope to keep up with until there was a way to prevent transmission (which didn't happen until like 2013 and wasn't accessible until later that decade).

anyways, if you're a trans girl and have never used a tampon before, here's some tips

- you shouldn't be able to really feel it, if you do it isn't tilted correctly or it's not far enough in. in my experience the easiest way to put in a tampon is squatting and tilting slightly forward but experiment and see what feels best for you

- it's completely normal to take a few attempts to get in correctly , that's what the string is for (easy removal)

- if you lose the string you can just Go Up There and pull it out, it's just more messy

- even though you don't bleed, do not leave it in for long. i'm serious. you can still get toxic shock syndrome, it's not pretty and you will need serious medical intervention. change tampons at least every 8 hours

- probably common sense but ill add anyways, tampons expand when absorbing fluid! do not worry if it's a little struggle to get out that's normal (but if you're having a REALLY hard time that is not, probably size down your tampon)

What is granulation tissue?

[Cyprozombiegirl] Granulation tissue is a normal tissue that forms underneath where the skin will form, its bright red and shiny (and painful to the touch). Unfortunately when the injured/cut area is consistently wet often too much of this tissue forms and prevents skin from growing over it. When this happens it’s called hypergranulation and needs to be chemically burned away. If you’ve got some but not a lot though, not enough to technically be hypergranulation but on the way there, you can use hypersaline to treat it.

It can’t stop anything once you’ve fully got hypergranulation, but if it’s only granulation it seems to help a lot. I found out about this from a friend whose special interest is bottom surgery

To Make The HyperSaline Solution

[Cyprozombiegirl] mix 2 teaspoons of table salt with 1 cup of warm water (which you’ve boiled for at least 20min) in a clean container until the salt dissolves. soak tampon in it. Insert tampon (this can be tricky because it will rapidly expand, so I suggest getting one for light flow).

[Dilsdoes] hi! just a note: make sure the salt youre using is non iodized! generally for saline solutions used internally like this you want to avoid iodized salt. it tends to irritate mucous membranes

Further information on Tampons can be searched online or on the Tampon box.

ID: Censored image for "breaking Tumblr guidelines".

A diagram for how to apply a tampon in a (neo)vagina.

1. Tampon inside a tampon applicator, with tampon chord (a string used to pull the tampon out).

2. Hand with the tampon itself pointed towards the palm and body. Index finger over the Tampon applicator plunger.

3. Spreading vaginal opening with the other hand, and placing the tampon with tampon applicator towards the vaginal entrance. Legs spread apart.

4. Push tampon applicator plunger with index finger, with tampon inside, to push it further inside.

5. Take out tampon applicator. The tampon should be secured inside the vaginal canal, with tampon chord hanging outside of the vagina.