Bottom Surgery Funding Site- Signal Boost please!!!
Hello Everyone!
We are two trans individuals, Isaiah and Aaliyah, that are starting up a clothing company called Trans Army Apparel. Our website will be launching by the end of next week. We are selling trans themed gear and accessories- with a percentage of our profits going towards two individuals’ bottom surgery fundraising efforts. While many trans people don’t feel the need for bottom surgery, many do- and the costs for these surgeries, without insurance, is through the roof. Yes, loans are available to some but we believe that nobody should have to carry the burden of such heavy debt just for wanting to feel like themselves! There are many top surgery initiatives out there but we saw less for bottom surgeries and want to help support. Both of our bottom surgeries were (luckily) covered by insurance and because of how much these surgeries have enriched the quality of our lives, we want to help others get what they need and deserve.
Our plan at this point is to feature the profile of both a trans man and woman who are currently in the active process of fundraising for their bottom surgeries. 25% of our profits from our sales will be donated to these individuals for one year.
WHAT WE NEED: we are still collecting stories/applications of individuals that would like to be featured on our website for the year and get that extra fundraising boost. If you are interested please write to us with a bit about you and your surgery plans/hopes. If you are stealth, not to worry! Isaiah is 120% stealth himself and we respect your personal boundaries. If you do not want your picture featured on the site, or what to use an alias, all is good. We can work out those details. So if you or anyone you know if looking for help with funding their bottom surgeries, please email us at transarmyapparel@gmail.com
And for everyone else, please check out our site when it launches next week. We will post back once it does with our direct link. All of our products are trans designed and made- with pride and love.
The L&L Show Episode 3 - Follow Up Questions to Janet Mock
1. How do you feel about RuPaul’s Drag Race?
I enjoy it as a form of entertainment. I practice being a critical fan (I discuss it here) which involves me not promoting the show or live-tweeting due to its problematic issues involving trans women (this could be a dissertation, I’m sure) - though I do think RuPaul is expanding his idea on trans women, realizing that the lines between drag and trans womanhood does in fact blur, with fierce ladies like Carmen Carrera and Monica Beverly Hillz, who come from that world. We must also as a trans women’s community begin embracing our sisters who do work as showgirls or perform the art of drag. They are our sisters too.
2. re: TrannyPowah How do you feel about the T-slur? Will you submit?
I actually don’t use the word personally but do believe in its reclamation. My issue comes in when others, who may know a trans woman who reclaims the word or is friends with a drag queen (or merely watches Drag Race), believe they, despite NOT being a trans woman, can freely use it. I believe in self-determination and self-identification so I would NEVER tell another trans woman that she cannot call herself tranny, yet I would be careful of another trans woman calling other trans women trannies. (See how murky the waters are). Basically I believe this: Call yourself whatever you want, and call others what they want to be called (which may or may not be tranny).
When my book is completely done, I promise to submit a piece to TrannyPowah.
3. Did you get tickets to go see Beyonce’s concert this summer?
FUCK yeah. I will be there at Barclay’s in Brooklyn in August. I am hoping that the pregnancy rumors are just rumors because my entire summer is centered on this concert. I’ll be attending with my best friend Wendi and we are going to twerk all night. Plus, I’ve already seen Bey perform with Blue Ivy in her belly at the Roseland - a week before she announced she was pregs.
4. What are some of your guilty pleasures?
Channing Tatum, Ryan Gosling and TV! I watch too much TV: Scandal. The Real Housewives of (all of them except Orange County & Miami). Braxton Family Values. Homeland. The Killing. The Mindy Project. Mad Men. Currently marathoning The Good Wife.
Yes, I have issues.
5. What are some longterm goals for yourself and for your project #Girlslikeus?
My longterm goals include but are not limited to the following: Successfully launching the release of my book (which will be out in Feb. 2014) and ensuring that it (and I) reaches young women around the country; setting up a TWoC collective in NYC with my dear sister reina gossett to establish communiTIES; networking nationally and intergenerationally with TWoC; and continuing to contribute to mainstream media to further amplify the voices of trans women. My spiritual guide has always been Oprah - so I’d love a conversation TV series one day.
As for #GirlsLikeUs: What #girlslikeus has done for me is create a pro-sisterhood space of visibility. I’ve seen it help women in their communities connect to one another. That has always been the goal: to get us out of our isolation and into pro-sisterhood relationships and spaces. I also hope to launch T-shirts (on my never-ending to-do list), which will fund smaller trans women-created websites, blogs + media projects that speak on intersectionality (all those DONATE buttons).
#Girlslikeus is a visibility tool so I want it to be visible beyond Twitter. I see occupying space on Tumblr, Instagram, etc…so that’s great. But it also needs to spark real-life space. I don’t know if I have the bandwidth to create such a space but it is marinating.
THANK YOU both for the follow-up questions.
In love, sisterhood, solidarity + struggle,
Janet
TW: transmisogyny, racism, violence directed at camab trans people of color
There is a place in this world full of horror, untranslatable. Here, in the midst of violence inconceivable, we struggle. Would you envy us, if you knew?
As trans women and camab trans people of color, we inhabit a…
Learn it, and learn it well - from the brilliant minds behind a new space called Tranny Power which is ”a Take-Shit-From-No-One TWOC (trans women/femmes/genderescents of color) blog.”
And yes, this blog is a reclamation of a word that still stings many women - so please if you’re not a trans woman don’t go around shouting “Tranny” as your own.
Jahdksjshsch babe alert.
(via partnersofmtf)
janetmock:
fyqueerlatinxs:
Trigger Warning: sex work, anti-LGBTQ violence, drug use, rape
Trans Afrolatina Monica Beverly Hillz talks about her life prior to entering RuPaul’s Drag Race
“I had a lot of friends around me that did [escorting]. To me it was just like, ‘Who wouldn’t want to go out with a guy. He can pay you all kind of money. It’s fierce.’ First it started off with a sugar daddy, then when the sugar daddy gives up then it starts off with a trick then one trick turns into to two tricks. Then, ‘Ohhh I’m going to stop this week.’ And then you’re doing it, and you’re doing it to get all this money to get high. None of this is making sense. Something has got to give…I have a huge then where I don’t really like to talk about it because the more I talk about it I start to relive it again. I just want it to go away. I don’t want to keep thinking about it. I’ve learned from it. There was a point, a time in my life where I didn’t even love myself. I was really in a bad bad place. And I didn’t care what would happen to me. I could care less. I gave up everything. I lost everything. Most importantly I lost myself.”
-Monica Beverly Hillz, sharing the truth behind engaging in survival sex trade/work as a young trans woman of color. Thanks for sharing yourself with us and also offering safety tips to other trans women on “surviving in this world.”
(via partnersofmtf)
What Would You Do?: A transgender woman is insulted by a man at a diner. This is a really great segment they did where a trans woman, played by a real trans woman, is insulted and ridiculed by a man (played by an actor, of course) while she serves him at a diner. You’d be surprised at how many people butted in to defend her.
So much faith in humanity restored.
Fucking great how they supported her.
I may need to watch this show more often.
well, this is beautiful
That last guy though. He was going to sit there for as long as it took to make sure Kevin didn’t attack Carmen. He even said he had a good catholic upbringing. Catholics aren’t really known for their acceptance, and for him to not only defend her, but protect her, is just…wow.
Carmen Carerra on What Would You Do. I love this episode and she is so beautiful!
(via lgbtlaughs)
