“Trans people have always found ways of sharing information, even in the most restrictive and risky circumstances, because there is a truth in us that will always be there. This information has been hard to access in the past—from paper copies of zines or letters, from the occasional medical publication, and by word of mouth.
If you haven’t come across a trusted source before, you’re in luck: you’re reading one right now! I really recommend looking up zines and other publications by and for trans people, which are more accessible than ever online. Some favourite topics of mine include comprehensive hormones information, sexy sex ed, trans dating and blogs or personal essays about why being trans is cool and hot. Trans folk are such a smart, creative group of people, and there is so much information able to be accessed out there without anything other than an internet connection and, if you want to be really fancy with it, a printer.
Even with information bans and digital restrictions today, we’re lucky that there are so many places that talk openly and honestly about trans bodies and lives. We just need to make sure that what we’re finding is correct (such as on Scarleteen, where content is by and for LGBTQIA+ people and edited to ensure its factually accurate), and that no one we don’t want can find out what we’ve been reading or searching, whether that means deleting your history, searching stuff only on public computers, hiding paper copies somewhere that won’t be found, or whatever method feels safest for you.”
Liz Duck-Chong, A Letter to the Teen Who Can't Transition Yet
