TransPanTastic: Transgender parenting, work, marriage, transition, and life!

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.

We can be found online at http://TransPanTastic.net/, you can email us at TransPanTastic@gmail.com, and "TransPanTastic" is searchable on most social networks. We would love to hear from you, so let us know what you think or what you want to hear about!

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 the website for that.

We can be found online at http://TransPanTastic.net/, you can email us at TransPanTastic@gmail.com, and "TransPanTastic" is searchable on most social networks. We would love to hear from you, so let us know what you think or what you want to hear about!

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.

We can be found online at http://TransPanTastic.net/, you can email us at TransPanTastic@gmail.com, and "TransPanTastic" is searchable on most social networks. We would love to hear from you, so let us know what you think or what you want to hear about!

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!!

We can be found online at http://TransPanTastic.net/, you can email us at TransPanTastic@gmail.com, and "TransPanTastic" is searchable on most social networks. We would love to hear from you, so let us know what you think or what you want to hear about!

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.

We can be found online at http://TransPanTastic.net/, you can email us at TransPanTastic@gmail.com, and "TransPanTastic" is searchable on most social networks. We would love to hear from you, so let us know what you think or what you want to hear about!

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.

We can be found online at http://TransPanTastic.net/, you can email us at TransPanTastic@gmail.com, and "TransPanTastic" is searchable on most social networks. We would love to hear from you, so let us know what you think or what you want to hear about!

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.

We can be found online at http://TransPanTastic.net/, you can email us at TransPanTastic@gmail.com, and "TransPanTastic" is searchable on most social networks. We would love to hear from you, so let us know what you think or what you want to hear about!

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.

We can be found online at http://TransPanTastic.net/, you can email us at TransPanTastic@gmail.com, and "TransPanTastic" is searchable on most social networks. We would love to hear from you, so let us know what you think or what you want to hear about!

TPT#20 - More Comings Out...

... or is that coming outs? George expressed his identity to a family friend who happens to be his boss. As his boss, she was able to begin checking into the employer's needs, but we were more interested that family friends be aware of the situation, as we were planning on telling the kids. We want them to be able to talk through and process this as needed over the summer, and grandpas and aunties should probably hear it from us first! The kids, however, seemed more interested in ice cream than in their "new" dad.

Check TransPanTastic.net for a list of books we, our children, or our employers, found helpful!

We can be found online at http://TransPanTastic.net/, you can email us at TransPanTastic@gmail.com, and "TransPanTastic" is searchable on most social networks. We would love to hear from you, so let us know what you think or what you want to hear about!

TPT#19 - Wedding Weekend

George & Jess went to Seattle, home of the Space Needle, GenderCast, the Seahawks, lots of rain, and our good friends who just got married! The trip was George's first time going "full time", and it was, overall, a positive experience. From the Trans*101 talk we stumbled into, to the gorgeous wedding, to the drag king show, a fun time was had by all.

We can be found online at http://TransPanTastic.net/, you can email us at TransPanTastic@gmail.com, and "TransPanTastic" is searchable on most social networks. We would love to hear from you, so let us know what you think or what you want to hear about!

TPT#18 - Everything but the Kitchen Sink

Our conversation today was a bit rambly, as is our life often. First we indulge in a little ratings-whoring, so please rate us on iTunes, follow our twitter, tumblr, facebook, google+ (all listed in-site as "TransPanTastic"), and leave comments on our site! We then proceed to discuss positive things about our kids (they're not always rant-making), our upcoming trip to Seattle for a friend's wedding, and healthcare/self-care for HRT and surgery plans.

We can be found online at http://TransPanTastic.net/, and you can email us at TransPanTastic@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you, so let us know what you think or what you want to hear about!

TPT#17 - Six Weeks on 'T'

"You mistake my choice not to feel as a reflection of my not caring, while I assure you the truth is precisely the opposite." Spock's words in the most recent Star Trek movie fit a metaphor we've used for a few years, when hitting the off-switch on one's feelings to logically assess and address a situation. So at the risk of starting to sound like a YouTube channel, we continue the testosterone updates, but through the magic of the interweb, one week after our "one month" episode, we reach "six weeks" of HRT. This week we learn that George is not only becoming a pansy, but a pointy-eared logical vulcan, and a caveman as well, complete with body hair and toilet humor.

We can be found online at http://TransPanTastic.blogspot.com/, and you can email us at TransPanTastic@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you, so let us know what you think or what you want to hear about!

TPT#16 - One Month on 'T'

At just over a month on testosterone, George has just had his third injection. We discuss the ups and downs of the injection cycle, and how that experience has affected George so far, and how Jess is dealing with poking him in the rear on a fortnightly basis.

We can be found online at http://TransPanTastic.blogspot.com/, and you can email us at TransPanTastic@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you, so let us know what you think or what you want to hear about!

TPT#15 - Here Be Swears.

Holy smallfolk, Batman! Kids make Jess swear. And to be fair, there's a lot to swear about. Extra-special needs, autism, developmental delays, occupational therapy, public school nonsense, and trying to juggle careers and transition in the meanwhile, make us very busy and occasionally frustrated.

We can be found online at http://TransPanTastic.blogspot.com/, and you can email us at TransPanTastic@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you, so let us know what you think or what you want to hear about!

TPT#14 - Coming Out!

We had to cut a significant amount of content from this episode, from personally identifying information to lots of throat-clearing as George's vocal cords start to thicken as a result of testosterone. And speaking of testosterone, now that the medical part of George's transition has gotten underway it's time to start informing friends and family. You never know how people will take the news that their child, friend, or sibling will be changing gender, but George's experiences so far, with the few people he's had "the talk" with, have been fairly positive.

We can be found online at http://TransPanTastic.blogspot.com/, and you can email us at TransPanTastic@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you, so let us know what you think or what you want to hear about!

TPT#13 - At Last!

We run almost a full half-hour today, as George finally had his appointment at the itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny, yellow polka-dot gender clinic, and he finally gets testosterone. Recorded just shy of a week on T, we discuss our initial impressions of his new experience.

We can be found online at http://TransPanTastic.blogspot.com/, and you can email us at TransPanTastic@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you, so let us know what you think or what you want to hear about!

TPT#12 - Be Realistic!

A trip to IKEA, and a bathroom snafu on the way home, made us think about how important it is to be realistic. George finds it important and helpful to see the world and his own place in it from a range of viewpoints, both to effectively present himself as he is at this early stage of transition (still pre-everything), and to map out a plan or timeline for effectively managing the process of transition when he, like many trans* folk, want it now!

We can be found online at http://TransPanTastic.blogspot.com/, and you can email us at TransPanTastic@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you, so let us know what you think or what you want to hear about!

TPT#11 - Transition Update, and Other Support

After a quick update on George's process toward medical transition (he's still waiting on any formal medical intervention), we discuss other support that we've found for this journey, both online and in person.

We can be found online at http://TransPanTastic.blogspot.com/, and you can email us at TransPanTastic@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you, so let us know what you think or what you want to hear about!

TPT#10 - We Are Sick!

With a family of five living in one house, when one of us gets sick we all get sick. But never at the same time. First child 2 brings it home from school, then it passes from person to person, and just as one of us gets better, another gets ill. As a family that prefers natural medicine over synthetic whenever possible, we seem to be managing pretty well.

We can be found online at http://TransPanTastic.blogspot.com/, and you can email us at TransPanTastic@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you, so let us know what you think or what you want to hear about!

TPT#9 - Unpacking Gender Baggage

This gender thing is complicated. The binary as a social construct is not entirely applicable to the entire range of human experience, and the terminology used within a binary system can be confusing or frustrating to individuals who don't fit their culturally expected roles. This week we discuss identity, pronouns, and how the recent shifts in George's presentation have affected the way others interact with him.

We can be found online at http://TransPanTastic.blogspot.com/, and you can email us at TransPanTastic@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you, so let us know what you think or what you want to hear about!

TPT#8 - George's 'Princess Man'

Last week was all-about-George week, but some of you have asked about the other half of our fine team. So this week Jess talks about herself and her experience as pansexual nonbinary/genderqueer quasi-femme.

We can be found online at http://TransPanTastic.blogspot.com/, and you can email us at TransPanTastic@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you, so let us know what you think or what you want to hear about!

TPT#7 - Transition + Biography = Trans-ography?

George talks about his life so far as trans*, from childhood up to now, answering the common question, "When did you know you were transgender?"

We can be found online at http://TransPanTastic.blogspot.com/, and you can email us at TransPanTastic@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you, so let us know what you think or what you want to hear about!

TPT#6 - I Can Haz Testosterone?

George finally gets to the endocrinologist, hoping to start T sooner than later, but she tells him to check with the surgeon. Surgeon? He hadn't scheduled with a surgeon yet. Whoops! Please forgive the page-flipping at the start, George is finding the right page in his notebook to read from.

In other news, We got our iTunes listing. If you came here by way of iTunes, and you like what we're doing, let them know. If you came here by way of another podcatcher, or via some signal-bump on another queer site, go subscribe on iTunes anyway, because star ratings and reviews will bump us up the listings and let more people in on the fun! Go to https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/transpantastic/id629125132 to rate and review us, and we'll love you for it.

We can be found online at http://TransPanTastic.blogspot.com/, and you can email us at TransPanTastic@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you, so let us know what you think or what you want to hear about!

TPT#5 - Effing Therapy...

While George waits for his appointment with the endocrinologist, he decides to visit a therapist. Family and friends are supportive, but an outside viewpoint can be helpful while we wait. The WPATH Standards Of Care and ICATH model of Informed Consent may not require therapy for gender transition anymore, but that doesn't mean that it isn't beneficial anyway. We can be found online at http://TransPanTastic.blogspot.com/, and you can email us at TransPanTastic@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you, so let us know what you think or what you want to hear about!

TPT#4 - Unhelpful Queers, Helpful Insurance.

Lily Tomlin, in character as Ernestine the Operator, once said "You must think HMO stands for 'Help Me Out'!" The endocrinologist's prettyboy receptionist was unhelpful and borderline obstructionist, to the point that a number of George's friends were expressing concerns about bigotry and discrimination. His insurance, however, wouldn't have any of it, and he's now (finally) on his way to an appointment with the endo. In other news, we've decided that since we have a lot to say lately, we're going to release every week for a month or so, and then get back to every other week when things settle back down.

We can be found online at http://TransPanTastic.blogspot.com/, and you can email us at TransPanTastic@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you, so let us know what you think or what you want to hear about!

TPT#3 - Parenting Is Hard.

We have kids. Three of them. Jess brought numbers one and three, George brought number two, to share a home for just over two years now. Numbers one and two are special-needs, and all three of them like to drive us crazy.

We can be found online at http://TransPanTastic.blogspot.com/, and you can email us at TransPanTastic@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you, so let us know what you think or what you want to hear about!

TPT#2 - Gyno Says What?

Between referrals and phone calls, George has to visit "that" doctor. Nobody likes visiting "that" doctor, and men least of all, but this one turns out to be surprisingly helpful!

We can be found online at http://TransPanTastic.blogspot.com/, and you can email us at TransPanTastic@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you, so let us know what you think or what you want to hear about!

TPT#1 - Here We Are!

In our inaugural episode, George discusses his transition, or lack thereof, so far. Also included: parenting, podcasting, and a throwaway reference to The Kills.

We can be found online at http://TransPanTastic.blogspot.com/, and you can email us at TransPanTastic@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you, so let us know what you think or what you want to hear about!