#drberli

The legal system and structures in place to uphold gender are pretty intense if you really take a minute to think about it. Pieces of paper say what you are and if you don’t get enough people with licenses and titles to certify you are you, you don’t get to correct the system. More complicated than that is that this letter is to update my birth certificate and gender to something I don’t identify as... as in, it is highly unlikely Louisiana will ever be a place to have birth certificates with a nonbinary sex or gender option. This doesn’t help validate me and who I am, it meets the need of the system to maybe have one less bump in the road later on. This is also assuming Louisiana even accepts this language... So, for now, to have a better alignment of my documents, I have this letter from my awesome surgeon Dr. Berli, to help me get through the next hoops. Shoutout to him for also noticing my scar was needing some extra healing support so I could come in and get steroid injections. Also, thank goodness for less feeling in the incision so I only felt one needle instead of 10. You’re the real MVP. 😂💉🦄🌈#testosterone #unicorn #nonbinary #trans #drberli #queer #selfmade #ohsu @drberli (at OHSU Center for Health & Healing)

Alright y’all, 2 months post-op tomorrow, thanks to @drberli at @ohsuplastics! I’ve been using La Mer The Concentrate for about a week and half and scar away silicone strips for almost a month, probably every other day. Thanks @leah.twinkle for being a solid and patient photog in my journey. 😘🌈 Have used weights a little to work on my chest and just start getting full range of motion without over thinking each little twinge of nerve feelings. Chest hair is also coming in. 😬 Now if I could just figure out this acne... 🤔🤷🏼‍♂️ #drberli #topsurgery #topsurgerypostop #unicorn #nonbinary #trans #queer #selfmade #theythem #wearehere (at Woodburn, Oregon)

Portland Pride has been rad so far. Did the trans march and ran into @drberli marching right behind me so had to grab a selfie! 📸 Also, his fiancé is as lovely as he is! (Thanks for checking out my instagram. 😉) Really rad to see him out here supporting the community beyond the hospital walls! Also got my now yearly photo with the @thegaybeards! And most of all was glad to have my wife @leah.twinkle and @wallaru8000 be the great allies they are to me and show up today for the march. Let the pride festivities continue! 💛🌈🦄 #trans #nonbinary #selfmade #queer #topsurgery #testosterone #pride #unicorn #drberli #pridepdx (at 2018 Annual Portland Pride Festival)

Saturday was 23 days post op. Learning to see my body differently and how to love it. It’s interesting to avoid portions of your body for so long and then after surgery trying to figure out how much is new and how much has always been there. 🦄🌈 #trans #nonbinary #queer #selfmade #testosterone #topsurgery #drberli #unicorn (at Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area)

Drainless chest, 8 days post op, yesterday. My skin is still recovering from the bandage removal and slowly but surely the adhesive is coming off. Was happy to see my nipples are already starting to turn a little pink. One of the most sensitive areas of my chest in the middle crossover incision. I think it’s going to take some time to get used to how that feels. Also some bruising on my left side where the last drain came out but that’s not surprising. Yay for seeing the chest of my dreams. ☺️🦄🌈🎉 #trans #selfmade #nonbinary #queer #topsurgery #drberli #ohsu (at Woodburn, Oregon)

V v v v v ready for these drains to come out. And for my stomach to deflate. Any day now. Oofda. Glad to be outside for a bit today. 📸: @leah.twinkle #topsurgery #testosterone #nonbinary #queer #selfmade #drberli #trans 🦄🌈 (at Flying Elephants at South Waterfront)

Belly is now bigger than boobs. Winning. 👏🏼🦄🌈💛 #trans #topsurgery #recovery #nonbinary #selfmade #drberli #testosterone #queer #unicorn (at Woodburn, Oregon)

Glad for one of my best buds visiting me pre-op and helping distract me during the iv process. Love you @ecr_pdx! Enjoy this entertaining video. 😂🦄🌈💛 #topsurgery #drberli #boobsbegone (at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU))