TPT#29 - Work Fix?

"THE LETTER" has been sent. Finally. Everyone who responded has been supportive, and now George can get back to work, which is a good thing. His boss and colleagues have been covering his workload while he's been out, and they're very ready to be done with that.

The Work Letter!

As promised. Finally approved. Listen in this week for the last (hopefully) of the work drama.

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Respected colleagues,

I am writing to inform you of changes that I am in the process of making. I am transgender, and have begun the process of changing my appearance to match that of my male gender identity. I will not be changing my name, but I will no longer be a "girl George". As I become more masculine, you may continue to see changes in my appearance and self-presentation, but please be assured that I am still just me.

It is customary in the English language to refer to men with the gendered pronouns "he", "him", or "his". I also ask that you start using male pronouns when referring to me, both in person and in writing, email, etc.. I recognize that this may be difficult at first, and I will not be offended by genuine mistakes if made without malice. However, this change is necessary to avoid confusion for clients, new coworkers, and others. I am aware that some of you may not understand or approve of this change, but I request that you continue to treat me with human dignity as I do you.

I will be out of the office until returning on [end leave date] and upon my return I intend to present fully as male. That will be the "official date" of transition here at the office, and I am in the process of changing all my legal documents to reflect this information. I expect that some of you may have questions. If you do, please do not hesitate to talk to me. There are some personal questions I may not answer, but questions about this process are definitely open for discussion with me directly. You may instead choose to discuss this with [director's name], who has requested that any questions or concerns that are not to be addressed to me for any reason at all be communicated directly to him. Additionally, you may wish to view the following links that are chock-full of great information about gender identity and the process of transition. You may also forward this e-mail if someone was missed from the addressing process and is asking about it.

http://lgbcenter.ucdavis.edu/lgbt-education/trans-ally-tips
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXAoG8vAyzI
… or, like my wife says, "go ask your Google."
http://www.google.com/search?q=what+is+transgender+transition

TPT#28 - Work Woes

♪♫ Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to schedule a meeting... George's leave time is up, but he's not headed back to work just yet. The letter still isn't approved, and they haven't decided how to handle the situation. They haven't even decided how to go about deciding. The only thing they have decided is that he should stay home until it's decided.

TPT#27 - Post-Operative Productivity

George is recovering well from top surgery. If you missed the link on our Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, or Google+, the meditations George used were "Stress Free Surgery: A Self Relaxation Program to Help You Prepare for and Recover from Surgery", by Linda Thomson.

As of recording, his work still hasn't figured out the email thing. We still plan on publishing it when it's been sent, so watch this space.

TPT#26 - Pre-Operative Problem-Solving

George has a date for top surgery... next week! We could've announced that sooner, but we didn't want to jinx it. Or spoil the surprise. Or something like that. He has work leave scheduled and pre-operative instructions from the surgeon. While he's on leave, we're hoping that his supervisors will distribute "the letter" via email, but some of them are still confused as to why that might even be necessary. If/when it's approved, we'll post a copy at TransPanTastic.net. Until then, you can find lots of other examples by googling "transgender transition work letter".

Also, we laugh about Child #2's attempts at swearing. Hence the "explicit" marker.

TPT#25 - Testosterone Changes Everything.

After four months on testosterone, George's body has begun to change. From voice to body hair to skin texture, he's much more manly. Or at least more teenage-boy-ly. Even more interesting than his physical changes, though, is the way his changing appearance changes the way others interact with him.

Also, if anyone wants to make a bathroom flipchart like the one we mentioned, send us a picture and we'll feature it on the podcast and in our social media!!

TPT#24 - Kindergarten Dad

Child #3 started kindergarten this week. The expected procedure is that on the first day of kindergarten, one parent accompanies the child to school for the morning, to help them adapt (and to fill out paperwork). George would rather have been elsewhere, but none of #3's other parents could make it so he was drafted. The upside: He was completely read as male the entire time. The downside: He was at kindergarten. All. Morning.

TPT#23 - Holy Absurdity, Petman!

Life is crazy. Kids are definitely crazymaking, but sometimes the pets are worse. Or maybe they're better, depending on your attitude and preferred level of crazy. Our three dogs are in their twilight years, and it shows. A is a deaf and senile, B is blind, and C is just kinda stupid. They're all expensive, but the kids love them and they had George before Jess did so she'll let them stay.

TPT#22 - Friends and Family!

George likes the family he was born with, Jess is often confused by that. Even so, they both like the family they have chosen for themselves, and the friends they choose to fill their lives with. Watching our friends and family adapt to new pronouns and secondary sex characteristics, often subconsciously changing their own patterns of interaction, has been an interesting exercise in sociology.

TPT#21 - Doctor, Doctor!

Sometimes our life is amazing. We have great kids, good jobs, supportive friends, and most importantly each other. But then something comes up that overshadows everything else, causes stress, and keeps us from enjoying the rest of life. Lately, that something has been health care. For many trans* folk, medical transition is a struggle to access, and George's experiences with trying to get his medical needs met have been a trial. The stress of it has been huge, and the hormonal roller coaster won't quit until his dosage is fixed. Unfortunately, the MDeity isn't listening, so he found another doctor with a slightly different outlook. Will things be different? We'll see.