Let’s take this day to celebrate all the transgender community and the people you might know who are trans. Take this day to inform ourself a little more the issues that still exist in our society that we need to adress in order to make this world a better and safer place to all transgender folks out there. They absolutely deserve it Today is a day to celebrate who you are, whether you are out or not, whether you haven’t started your transition or are already fully transitioned, whether what you like or wear isn’t socially or culturally related to your gender, you are extremely valid and should only feel proud of the journey you took so far to become who you truly are.
Although this is a festive occasion, it is also a date to protest against the harshness and the violence that our trans sisters and brothers face everyday
Trans lives matter. ALWAYS. Trans lives – especially our QTPOC siblings – matter unconditionally.
The vast majority of our donations go towards our direct aid programs for trans, non-binary, and non-conforming people in crisis. 57% of those who requested emergency assistance since the summer, totaling over 100 individuals, were BIPOC, and requests increased substantially each month. It’s clear that our work is far from over.
We are committed to lifting our community members up, but we can’t do it alone. Help us our trans siblings stay safe and healthy TODAY.
Donate here to help bring trans people out of crisis and into empowerment: bit.ly/TEPgive.
[ID: Blue gradient background. Blue bar graph in bars of 6, 20, 31, and 68 requests for aid. Under a white dotted line is “Help us support trans folks in crisis” in white with the donation link, the Trans Empowerment Project logo, and a hand holding a heart.]
During this Latine/x Heritage Month, we want to celebrate the diversity, beauty, and resilience of our Latine/x trans siblings We see you in your boldness in these intersecting identities. What does Latine/x Heritage Month mean to you?
Gender is an experience and a whole adventure. Nonbinary people come in all shapes, sizes, and expressions. Our needs are as unique as we are. Because there is no such thing as a “typical” nonbinary person, everyone’s medical needs should be treated on an individual basis. Knowing your options will help you work with your provider to make sure you’re getting the most out of your healthcare.
If you are nonbinary, you might have questions about what “gender-affirming” healthcare looks like for you. Your gender identity might feel new to you, fluid, or temporary; it might also feel clearly defined. One of the beautiful things about the “nonbinary” gender is that it can manifest in so many different ways—as many ways as there are people. With such diversity, you deserve plenty of medical treatment options, too.
Joy and grief are all parts of any transition. Becoming your most authentic self means letting go of the parts that were meant to protect you and keeping the parts that are the core of who you are. All the love, joy, and hope wouldn’t be here without the grief, loss, and hurt along the way. From friendships and family members, to workplace challenges and inaccessible healthcare, to losing parts of the past you can no longer go back to, coping with this sense of loss is the unjust price of becoming who you were always meant to be. Grief, the deep sadness which stems from loss, reminds us of the deep love we are capable of giving and receiving. Letting go of what doesn’t serve you means making space for something new to flourish. Queerness is a cycle of death and rebirth, peeling back layers of mask and shell over and over again, until the image of self is both recognizable and beyond imagination. Hold onto that hope as you go through your journey. We are always here to answer your questions and help you get started! If you are ready, visit us at getplume.co/get-started
Claiming your identity is a powerful, political act in a culture that wants gender to be simple. The moment we begin to know who we are, we start to experience how binary gender is normalized. Blue for boys, pink for girls, and strictly segregated single-sex spaces are some of the first ways we experience the gender binary. For those of us who identify as nonbinary, transgender, genderfluid, gender non-conforming, agender, or genderqueer, the binary just doesn’t work. It doesn’t make sense to or for us.
Some people describe gender dysphoria as a sense of displacement. In our culture, anyone who doesn’t fit into standard gender categories might feel this way. Gender dysphoria can be a physical sensation or a psychological one. However, it’s not the only sign that our identity doesn’t square with binary gender.
Although some events are unforeseeable, it’s usually possible to plan ahead. You should keep a minimum of 3-4 days of medication on hand. Try to think one week ahead when you’re prepping your emergency kit. Do you have enough syringes for gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT)? Do you have extra alcohol swabs and band-aids? To avoid missing a dose, it’s important to make sure you have enough medication and care supplies. “Enough” means that if you dropped one of your medications or lost it, you would still have a sufficient supply that you would be able to administer the meds on time.
That means supporting you through your diverse gender expressions and identities, helping you choose the right prescriptions and doses that best fits your goals, and focusing on finding the right combination of care for YOU. No matter where you are in your journey, We are here to listen to you, and help you feel at home in your body, all on your terms.
Your transness is not tied to the decisions you make for your body, you are already beautiful and valid from the start. And if starting HRT does feel like the right path for you, we will be there to support you every step of the way.
Testosterone is the cornerstone of testosterone-based gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT), which uses synthetic testosterone. No singular gender identity is required for testosterone-based GAHT. But generally speaking, it is commonly prescribed to trans men, and trans masculine, non-binary, and intersex folks.
Here’s a little information about Estrogen! Estrogen is a hormone we all naturally make, but different bodies make different amounts. No singular gender identity is required for estrogen-based GAHT! But most commonly it is prescribed to trans women, transfeminine, nonbinary, and intersex folks. ⠀ ⠀ Estrogen, testosterone blockers or androgen blockers, and progesterone are the large groups of therapies that are typically used in estrogen-based GAHT. Each group of medications can be administered in a variety of dosages and routes.
Gender transition, coming out, and taking steps to affirm yourself is a journey that any person can begin at any age. Although the media tends to focus on younger trans people, our community is not new. Transgender people of all ages, races, ethnicities, and faiths have flourished for millennia in cultures around the world. It is never too late to realize who you are and honor your identity. If you are transitioning in your golden years (or silver!), you are right on time.
Here at Plume, we hope to provide a safe space for you to come fully as you are, and support you through your journey in ways that feel affirming, accessible, and stress free.
Your transness is not tied to the decisions you make for your body, you are already beautiful and valid from the start. And if starting HRT does feel like the right path for you, we will be there to support you every step of the way.
Visitgetplume.co to start your gender-affirming journey.
Let’s talk about the current state of healthcare for the trans community. While there have been many improvements in care for gender-diverse folks in recent years, it’s no secret there are still alarming and unacceptable disparities when it comes to accessing gender-affirming care. The landmark 2015 US Transgender Survey, the largest survey of transgender people to date, found that 33% of our community who had seen a health care provider in the past year reported having at least one negative experience related to being transgender, and 23% of respondents did not see a doctor when they needed to because of fear of being mistreated as a transgender person.
Finding a healthcare provider who not only understands transgender people but is also affirming and experienced is like finding a unicorn. While some providers know the basics, caregivers who go above and beyond are far too rare. It can be hard to tell which clinics will be a good fit and which ones are a nightmare. How do you know who’s safe and who to skip?
As trans people, many of us are put in a position where we have to be the expert in the room, when it comes to our healthcare. Dr. Jerrica Kirkley told the Advocate, “Trans patients shouldn’t need a medical degree to get the care we need. In countless ways, the current system fails to treat transgender patients with respect and dignity, often refusing them care or undermining their efforts to advocate for their own needs.”
Research shows that hormone therapy (often called “HRT”) and gender-affirming care save lives. Gender-affirming care is health care that affirms people to live authentically in their genders, no matter the gender they were assigned at birth or the path their gender affirmation (or transition) takes. It allows each person to seek only the changes or medical interventions they desire to affirm their own gender identity, and hormone therapy (“HRT” or gender-affirming hormone therapy) may be a part of that.
Overwhelming evidence shows that such care greatly improves health outcomes for trans people. The evidence, and our lived experiences, show that when trans people get the gender-affirming care we need, the high rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide attempts that burden our community decrease substantially.
What is informed consent? In general, informed consent means that a person is able to understand the risks, benefits, alternatives, unknowns, and limitations of a given treatment. In the gender-affirming care setting, this means that medical providers who feel comfortable making an assessment and diagnosis of gender dysphoria are able to start GAHT without a prior assessment by a mental health provider. It should be noted that one does not have to have gender dysphoria to be trans or gender non-conforming, but for many folks with gender dysphoria, hormones can be very helpful in reducing gender dysphoria and can often be lifesaving. The informed consent model has already been used by many major LGBTQ health clinics across the country for years, including Fenway Health, Planned Parenthood, and Howard Brown Health to name just a few. But, unfortunately, there are still many providers in the US who require a letter from a therapist before starting GAHT.
At Plume, using the informed consent model means that you can get your hormone prescription after an initial visit with one of our medical providers. We don’t require you to have another visit with a mental health care provider to get a letter validating what you’ve already told us. You and your medical provider will work together to develop an individual treatment plan to best meet your goals.
Gender-affirming care is, at its core, exactly what it sounds like – health care that affirms you to live authentically in your gender. More explicitly, this means a departure from the outdated “one size fits all” framework of a doctor dictating the same set of hormones and surgery for every trans person seeking medical care. Instead, gender-affirming care allows each person to seek only those interventions they desire to affirm their own gender identity. In practice, this means that your health care provider works with you on your own, unique gender journey, and helps to facilitate any medical interventions necessary for your transition. Additionally, gender-affirming care recognizes that while there are many medical interventions that some folks need to affirm their gender, other folks may not desire or pursue these types of treatments.
We are proud to use the informed consent model which is crucial for trans people’s lives and creates more opportunity for compassionate care for all!
