Queer Youth Resource Blog

We’re looking for music for Her Story and I’d love to feature songs by trans women.

Here are the ones I can think of offhand. Can you all reblog and add other names? Thanks!

Note: I know of a bunch of live folk and punk artists, but we’re only looking for professionally produced recordings at this time.

Shelly Hilliard, who went by the name “Treasure,” was a young black transgender woman. Her murder galvanized the young Detroit trans community. And it raised the question: Do black trans lives matter to the justice system?

Hilliard’s story, and that of the Detroit trans community, is being told in a new documentary film Treasure: From Tragedy to Trans Justice, Mapping a Detroit Story.

Wilmer “Little Axe” Broadnax, December 28, 1916 – 1994, was a gospel singer who worked and recorded with many of the most famous gospel groups of his day, including The Golden Echoes, one of the top touring gospel quartet groups of the 40s, and the renowned Spirit of Memphis Quartet.

“Little Axe’s lead is absolutely distinctive on these cuts. He is the high lead that takes over from the baritone of Paul Foster. His voice is sweet but almost vicious, dripping with emotion.” – Ray Funk , music critic

Yesterday marked the official opening of Jazzie’s Place in San Francisco, the first homeless shelter in SF for LGBT adults. 

Nearly a third of the homeless population in San Francisco is LGBT, so the space is badly needed. 

The shelter is named after Jazzie Collins, a transgender African American woman who was an advocate for homeless LGBT folks prior to her death in 2013.

Collins was also among those who helped dream up the LGBT shelter, according to Tommi Avicolli Mecca, the director of counseling programs at the Housing Rights Committee of San Francisco.

The new shelter, located at 1050 South Van Ness Ave., between 21st and 22nd streets, has 24 beds for homeless individuals in the LGBT community.

And for once they’re not marked “for crossdressers” too, they actually under “transgender”, so that’s (depressingly) unusual.

I’m mostly posting this because I’ve seen a lot of younger people recently in particular saying they never knew what gaffs were… a lot of people find them WAY MORE comfortable and convenient than tucking, so I would recommend looking into them if you’ve never done so before!

Materials: sigils, salt, Rosemary, incense pieces, tea*, rose petals, peppermint oil, glitter, sugar, lavender, chamomile, daffodil, basil, bay leaf, lemon, lemon rind, funnel, charm**, Himalayan salt, rose quartz.

Steps: -Layer of salt for protection -Layer of daffodil + rose petals as kind of a symbol of non-specified gender -Silver and gold glitter for moon and sun -Layer of tea* for comfort -Sage incense and unburnt match for protection of potential and protection from persecution -2nd layer of daffodil and rose petals for reinforced qualities such as reminder of worth, reminder of love, etc. (Depends on intention and is optional) -Salt, basil, bay leaf, lemon, and lemon rind for bodily protection and happiness -Himalayan pink salt for positivity and peace and for protection of those qualities -Rose quartz for strength and self love -Peppermint oil

NOTES: * tea is catered to the favourite tea of the person the bottle is for, it’s used for an all around emotional, physical, and social comfort agent. coffee or hot chocolate or another calming beverage works, preferably something warm to promote emotional warmth

To start this post off, not all of these tips will work for everyone! Everyone’s dysphoria is different and everyone has different things that help!  Also, I am not a doctor or anything like that! And I am a trans guy, so that’s what this is all coming from, I can try to look up how other genders deal with dysphoria, but I think a lot of these ones will also help other genders

- Showering (I know this doesn’t help everyone) Okay, so I know it may seem like confronting your physical form may not be the right thing to do, and it might not be, but for me taking a shower/bath really helps because I focus more on the routine and what I’m washing than my actual body Also! Using products that match your gender might really help!! I use the more “masculine” smelling products for my body and it’s super nice ^^ They also have products that are more “gender neutral” if that’s more your thing

- Do something distracting that you enjoy For example, I love going on walks, drawing, writing, and gaming and any of things things could be distractions from things that you don’t want to think about! You of course don’t need to pick one of the things I enjoy doing, there are lots of things you could do like sports, blogging, listening to music, hanging out with your pets (they aren’t going to judge you!), etc.

- Find someone who won’t judge you! I know this might be hard for some of you, but I know that I have at least one person to talk to every time I get upset about this sort of thing! My friends will not misgender me, and they will reassure me that I am a guy and I do pass, and all that good stuff! If someone is hurting you and misgendering you and not respecting you, you can cut them out of your life! You are not obligated to keep these people around because of their feelings Pets can be used for this too! Your animals will never judge you :3 Hell, they probably don’t even know what gender is :D

- Find things about yourself that you like This doesn’t have to be about your body, but it can be! If you take the time to think about positive aspects of yourself, you might feel a little better. And if you can think about the positive things about your body, like the color of your eyes or the shade of your skin, or how great your smile is, or how cool your hair was in that one selfie, it might make you feel a little better about how you’re feeling about yourself right now c: If you don’t want to or can’t think about positive things about your body, try thinking about things you’re good at or things you like about your personality! Like how great of a person you are, how nice you can be, how cool you are, or how dedicated you are! Something like that!

- Treat yourself I know not everyone can go buy themselves their favorite dinner or anything like that due to money, but you can do simple things like watch your favorite movie! Or just let yourself eat that expensive ice cream you bought last week :3 Curl up in your favorite blanket with that one pillow that’s just right, or put on that makeup/outfit that you love! It’s in the little things

- Try not to think about “passing” I know this is extremely hard, but “passing” is just a social construct. Nobody “looks like a boy” because boys can look like anyone, and the same goes for other genders as well! This is definitely a hard thing to tell yourself, especially since a lot of people don’t get it, but it might help some of you!

- Find inspiration! Find someone who you look up to, or who is transitioning/has transitioned. Some people (like me) might feel resentment at them for being further into their transition than them, but other might (and should try to) be filled with hope and positivity by seeing that things get better and that it is possible to change yourself into how you want to (or do) see yourself

- Look back If you’ve already started your transition, look back to months, or years ago! You will be surprised at how far you’ve come You might even feel more hopeful about the future after having seen how much you’ve changed since before

- Find people to talk to Find people who are, or have been, in the same or a similar scenario; they know what it’s like and they may be able to help you! They can share what it was like for them and what helped them

- Just. Stop. Seriously, if you can, don’t do anything that day. Sometimes, people just need a break or some time alone. So, if you’ve been saving up those hours at work, take the day off if you can! If you know there’s nothing important at school the next day, try to stay home and not put yourself through more stuff Keep yourself safe and comfortable during your break! Maybe use this time to use one of the other techniques at the same time ^^

- Keep a diary This might seem silly, but I keep a diary off and on and it really helps me! Sometimes people just need to open up, but not to a person  I named my diary Tina, so it kind of felt like I was talking to a person, though haha Also, just getting all of this down on paper (or on the screen) might help

- Wear your favorite outfit!! Find that outfit that makes you feel like a hundred bucks and wear it! It doesn’t matter if you’re staying in your house or going somewhere, wear that outfit and own it! Take a lot of pictures if you like the way it looks c:

- Selfies Take selfies when you look hella good and how you want to look, so that when you’re feeling down and dysphoric, you can look back at your selfies and be like “damnnn I look hot”

- Workout This might seem like a horrible idea, but I’ve heard that it works wonders! Just go get beefy or run into your legs feel like jelly This might also help you sleep, which might help by getting rid of your thoughts

- Sleep If you can take a nap, or just crash out, do it! You don’t have anything planned and these thoughts won’t stop? Go to sleep. You won’t be thinking of anything if you’re unconscious

- Avoid negativity If you know someone is going to bring you down, avoid them Same goes with places! If you know that a certain place is going to be negative or bring negative thoughts on, it’s probably best to avoid that place

- Drink ice water I find that the painfully cold liquid can really wipe the mind with it’s shocking temperature

- Meditate If you’re into meditation, or want to try it, I hear it does wonders to find that inner peace and just forget you have a body or end up thinking more positively about that body

- Watch your favorite show Focusing on something you love, like a series filled with interested characters who aren’t you and find themselves in lots of situations can really take your mind off of things

- Burn incense or candles Burn it right next to your bed (carefully tho) and make sure it’s a scent that you love! This way, if you don’t get out of bed, you can still have something to enjoy

- Read Read a book, or a fanfiction, or anything that will capture your full attention, so that you have something better to focus on

- Modify your body!! Like piercings, and hair dye, and stuff! Hell, even those temporary tattoos are pretty cool :3 This way, you can feel like you’re doing stuff to your body on your own terms You can even just draw on yourself with a sharpie or something!

- Clean Maybe just do some laundry or put things in neat little piles! Any amount of stress taken off will feel super good and also you might find that one outfit you lost months ago! (if you’re anything like me haha)

- Name and pronouns Write down your name and pronouns on things to make you feel a little better seeing that that’s what you want to be called, and it can just be written down like that! You could also ask some supportive friends to read them or just call you by them for no reason at the moment haha

-  Take up a new hobby You could spend the time you spend being dysphoric, doing something you enjoy! Learn a new language, or learn how to do arts and crafts, or buy some gardening supplies!

- Save up money Just stick some coins from the dryer in a jar and start saving up for your transition! It’ll make you feel like things are going faster than they are

-Walk tall, confidence is the key in everything you do. As a transgender individual not everyone will take you seriously but you need to be strong.

-Shave the fuzz. A smooth face is better than a fuzzy face.

-Vests honestly work to hiding chest thingies. Bajas do as well.

-Finding pants can suck for people. Even cis guys who lift unfortunately. Levis have these amazing jeans. They’re athletic fit which helps around the hips, and thighs which is my issue.

-Acne will suck once you go on T. Wash your face twice a day with soap and water. Acne wipes will help during that time. Lemon water (drink it, or you know I’m sure you can rub it all over) also clears skin and serves other amazing purposes.

-When using the boys bathroom, do not talk, do not interact. Do your business and leave. Do not make eye contact. It’s not the same as using a bathroom with feminine individuals.

-Dating can be hard. You look younger than you really are which sometimes isn’t a good thing. People younger than you will also be all over you. Like teenagers. Do not give in! One day you won’t look like a baby (cross your fingers), that means hopefully people your own age will date you! You could also try getting a tattoo if you’re old enough so people know you’re older than 18 .-.

-Also with dating. It’s a whole lot different as a man. You’re no longer girlxgirl or girlxguy (well the last one is possible but you won’t be the girl anymore). The dynamic is so different. It might take time to get your groove back so don’t get frustrated.

-As you get older and start passing (you’ll get there!). Privileges will open up to you. Your world will change. But that doesn’t give you the right to be an asshole! You don’t need to be a feminist but remember what it’s like to be a women and how the world treated you.

-Bullying can suck, even if you have an amazing support system. I have a warning for you. Do Not Engage. They will pick fights. Yes stand up for yourself but do not stoop to their level. Stay strong and keep your head up. You’re more than them.

-You will lose friends. It sucks but your true friends who are meant to be in your life will stick by you to support you. You will have an amazing support system even if you don’t have one now. If your family isn’t supportive then you can create your own in the future.

Dysphoria got you down? Don’t like how you look? Your figure? Your hair? Baby steps. Baby steps are key. Cut or dye your hair! Why not try something completely out there? A neon colour? A cute pastel? Super short? Super long? Somewhere in between? As long as you’re happy, do whatever you want. Makeup! There are plenty of videos out there that show you how to use makeup to look more/less masculine or feminine. As long as you’re happy do whatever you want. Clothes! Wearing looser or baggier clothing can help to hide standout features of your figure, such as shoulders, hips and chest, and can help you feel more comfortable. Alternatively, wear clothing that shows off parts of your body that you like, and that you feel happy/ comfortable with. Like your stomach? Rock that crop top! Love your legs? Shorts it is! As long as you’re happy do whatever you want.