Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Transgender-Specific Self Defense course to be tought in Colorado

Hi all!
This just in,

So a good friend of mine,
Tom Luxx Has called me the other day and has offered to teach a Transgender-specific self defense intensive.

Tom has been studying and teaching martial arts for over 15 years.

He curretly teaches, in addition to his regular Martial arts classes, a womens self defense course.

Talking to him one night at pub, I mentiond how one of the problems for members of our community was being attacked, and being somewhat more vunerable after and during transition.

I honestly didn't realize that somthing would come of that, so it was a pleasant suprise, when cathing up on things earlier this evening that he mentioned that he wanted to offer a Transgender-Specific self defense class.

I thought it was a great idea, so we will be back in touch very soon with the particulars.

I thought I'd go ahead and start spreading it arround as he is already working on the flyers.

It will be on Saturday, March 29'th, and will likely be an all day intensive.
There may be a second day offered on the following weekend depending on the demand and popularity.
He has said that he is willing to do it even if only two people want to show up.

Tom, has said that this will be a self defense course and not a martial arts class.

The emphasis on the most practical, useful techniques for getting of an attack and dealing with an attacker.

I am very glad for Tom's willingness to support our community and I will glad to support him all I can in his endeavor.

If anyone is interested, please feel free to contact me.
Sara M

I will post updates as more information becomes available.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Safe2pee.org: making restrooms a safer place

Hi All!
If you havn't been to this website you ought to check it out!

You can find gender or safe bathrooms by city and area.
Uses Google Maps to help you get there.
Mobile browsing and text message entries are supported.
It's easy to enter a new bathroom or find an existing one.
What a great website.

Wonderful service! and so easy to use!

Check it out!
You can even visit it on your iPhone!

www.safe2pee.org

Sara

Science: Researchers develop Crystals that can absorb CO2 like a Sponge


http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2008/02/15/tech-carbon-capture.html
"Scientists have created metal-organic crystals capable of soaking up carbon dioxide gas like a sponge, which could be used to keep industrial emissions of the gas out of the atmosphere.


Chemists at the University of California Los Angeles said the crystals — which go by the name zeolitic imidazolate frameworks, or ZIFs — can be tailored to absorb and trap specific molecules."


The crystals could be particularly used for scrubbers in power plants as they are durrable and easy to produce.




Science: New Ocean map reveals high human impact



"Fishing, fertilizer runoff, pollution, shipping, climate change—these are just a few of the ways that human activities influence the oceans that cover 70 percent of Earth's surface. And in all that vastness—139 million square miles (360 million square kilometers)—less than 4 percent remains unaffected, and more than a third has suffered serious human impacts, according to a new map published in Science."

The Harry Benjamin Syndrome Movement.

I want to post this as this is a comment I made to a thead to and aobut the Harry Benjamin Syndrome movement (or HBSm as it will be here on aout labled)

I made this post in response to some confusion I had at the time about the HBS movement, and I wanted to post it here as it represents my revalations about who they are and what they do.

"Whoa, I think I just got it.

They think that all people who are actualy transexual are intersexxed.
As a biological condition.

So therefor if someone is not then they are just a Fetishist?
Like "I have an actual, real physiological problem, and you are just perverted."
So they think that GID doesn't exist, because for them, their "gender disphoria" is caused by biological means.
A "birth defect" or somthing like that.

So that anyone who says that their "gender" is not in allignment with thier body is either wrong, or, is a intersexxed HBS transexual and needs to be treated with GRS.

WOW.

So they think the whole idea of things like "gender being sepperate from sex" is false.

O.M.G.


That's pretty heavy.
So they think the entire "t" movement, and the GLBTQ stuff is a perversion and false.

Oh my God.

I'm having trouble swallowing this one.

I need a minute.."

That pretty much sums it up.

These are people working against our rights.
Bring them with a
Full broadside.

Saturday, February 16, 2008

The Dangers of Herbal use For Transgender HRT

I made a post a while back in which I argued for the availibility of information regarding Herbals used for Hormone Replacement Therapy for Transgender folks.
I now need to clarify some of that in light of new information.

While I don't agree with the lack of information, (which is why I post this here) I do agree that they are not nessicarily safe.

One of the points listed is that to get any noticeable effect, one must take handfulls at a time.
This does increase breast growth that is noticable, but it is slight.

There are also some inherant dangers that need to be pointed out.

Most herbals (phyto-estrogen, etc.) contain Black Cohosh. A blood thinner.
Now while in small doses, this might be fine, in large this could be potentially quite dangerous.

I recently discovered some information sent to me in a personal message regarding herbals that brings up somthing more serious. This information comes from Laura Amato, the proprietor of Lauras Playground, a Transgender resource website.
I will quote some of this here: 
  "I have used herbals myself as have many users. I did get some slight growth but not enough to transition on. I also got something else I didn't bargain on, a stroke. The problem is there is a GG recommended dose and an MTF dose which is far higher because they have to take megadoses to get even a small effect."

it continues: "...I've recieived quite a few (emails) from herbal users. 36 Had strokes and 3 had heart attacks. I've had both."

This is quite  important. If using herbals is known to cause heart attacks and strokes, then they must be treated as highly dangerous.
The problem may lie in the aforementioned presence of Black Cohosh, but only a biochemist or doctor could know for sure.
Nevertheless, the practical experience of these people suggests that the use of herbals for the purpose of HRT is very risky, and possibly life threatening.
Those who wish to do so, do so at their own risk.
Personally, I'd rather get the real thing from a pharmacy.

The brands listed included Evenesce, Natures Day, And Transformations (considered the most dangerous)