Successful trans men

I wish I knew about men like these growing up, I wish I knew that trans men could be successful after a lifetime of never seeing anyone ‘like me’ excelling in life. So here are some trans men - some that you may have heard of, some that you may not - that are successful in a range of careers. Never let being trans hold you back, never think you can’t do something, never think there is not a place for you.

Ben Barres American neurobiologist for Stanford University and advocate for women in science. Barre’s research on the interactions between glial cells and neurons changed the way that we understand the brain and opened up a whole new field of research.

Stephen Whittle Professor of equalities law. Founder of FTM Network in 1989 and Press for Change in 1992. Whittle has been heavily involved in trans activism since joining the Self Help Association for Transsexuals in 1979. His research and activism has been instrumental in ensuring the rights of trans people in the UK.

Michael D Cohen Actor, teacher and coach. Making his break in award-winning Nickelodeon sitcoms Harvey Danger and Danger Force he was the first series regular actor to publicly come out as transgender. Cohen has a BSc in cell biology and a masters degree in adult education, teaching at his own acting studio and providing workshops.

Chris Mosier American triathlete and award-winning coach. Six time member of Team USA in both duathlon and triathlon, Mosier also won two national championships in racewalking and was the first transgender athlete to qualify for the Olympic trials to compete against other members of his gender.

Yance Ford African-American film producer and director. Ford received an Emmy for Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking and was nominated for an Oscar for his part in producing and directing the documentary Strong Island which follows the death of his brother.

Kael McKenzie Canadian judge. Serving in the Canadian Armed Forces for several years, McKenzie later attended law school and and worked as a lawyer before being appointed as a judge to the Provincial Court of Manitoba in 2015. 

Shane Ortega Native American former flight engineer in the US army, former marine and professional bodybuilder. Throughout his career Ortega has served in Iraq and Afghanistan in over 400 combat missions. He has a long history of advocating for the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and the recent banning on transgender service members in the US army. 

Drago Renteria Chicano photojournalist and deaf and LGBT activist. Renteria founded the Deaf Queer Resource and is CEO of DeafVision - a webhosting and development company run by deaf people and the founder of the National Deaf LGBTQ Archives. Renteria has been instrumental in both creating and hosting many online deaf/queer spaces online along with being heavily involved in real-world activism for decades.

Phillipe Cunningham Elected city councillor for ward 4 Minneapolis and previous special education teacher, Cunningham holds a masters degrees in Organizational Leadership & Civic Engagement and in Police Administration and is passionate about tacking inequalities in his community. 

The vast majority of these men did not get puberty blockers early. I think that’s important for trans youth to know… that stupid legislation can’t stop them from being trans and transitioning well, even if the hoops are worse and take longer. (I think trans youth should be able to transition when and how they need to, but in the face of current transphobic legislation, you need to understand that even if they manage to delay you, they can’t stop you.)

Ben Barres, in fact, didn’t transition until he was 43 and already a full fledged neuroscientist in a faculty position. He chose to use his circumstances, and the differences in treatment he experienced after transitioning, to draw attention to gender discrimination in his chosen field in all directions. I’ve spoken to a number of people who knew him over the years and have never heard anyone express anything but profound affection and admiration for him as a mentor and a teacher as well as a groundbreaking scientist.

So, you know. They really can’t stop you. Sometimes in science I hear trans folks, especially transmasc folks, expressing fear that they’re somehow letting the side down by choosing to live life in the way that feels most authentic to themselves. Ben’s legacy puts the lie to that fear: in choosing to transition in 1997, very publicly — in academia your name is part of your publication record and all his previous work was obviously published under his deadname — he was able to use his particular perspective and unique experiences to advocate for others even harder than he might otherwise have been able to do.

His memory is a blessing. His legacy is a gift.

The tweet: https://twitter.com/Lionhearted_ben/status/1629919975203848192?t=HfF1j3BVqZMgZEIHgVnz3w&s=19

And in case Twitter is being a fool, here's the PDF itself: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PiO5JAc2_erXL9rEPU-Gj4DXQ3N0dTbe/view

Shout-out to a friend for showing me this!!

I'm getting out of the sticker business, y'all!

I have too many stickers and I'm tired of running an etsy shop. I have lowered the prices on all my stickers, pins, and charms, and I'm going to stop reordering things when they run out. So these are now all officially limited edition.

My shop is enbywerewolf.etsy.com

Preview of Sam Long’s story, drawn by the amazing Cynthia Yuan Cheng! (@cynthiaycheng, cynthiaycheng.com)

Becoming Who We Are Kickstarter ends Dec 14! Preorder now to help us fund the book!

bit.ly/becomingkickstarter

Hey this looks really awesome but there are 5 days left and it still needs quite a bit of funding to hit the goal. Spread the word, signal boost, I want my books! There are tiers specifically for libraries and retailers as well, so especially share with any librarians or bookshop owners you know!

My friend Mads needs help funding top surgery!

They’ve been working towards this for several years, working multiple jobs including manual labor and picking up side work whenever possible. I honestly don’t know anyone working as much as Mads. But cost of living is just too high to save any meaningful amount, and they’ve run into problems with insurance multiple times during the process

They’re trying to crowdsource enough for meds and the required time off work, but the initial surgery cost ($10,000) is due in approximately 3 weeks!

(link in rb plz rb with link)

Are you a trans, nonbinary, or gender diverse video game player living in the US/UK/Canada? You are invited to participate in this survey on avatar creation and customization. Follow the link for more information. :) survey respondents will be entered into a drawing for a $25 gift card for their online gaming store of choice ♥️🎮🏳️‍🌈

https://tinyurl.com/avatarstudyinfo

Who am I? I'm Xan (they/he) :) I am a PhD student at Indiana University and I study avatar creation and play for gender diverse gamers

Graphite drawings and oil paintings by Pharaoh Rohn Grayson now on my etsy shop: enbywerewolf.etsy.com

Pharaoh is a nonbinary artist currently incarcerated in a mens prison. They are trying to raise funds to help a fellow trans prisoner pay for paralegal training. I had trouble opening an etsy store of their own (issues with their name change not going through with social security), so I'm putting their pieces for sale in my shop.

Graphite drawings are $495 and oil painting $325. Check out the shop for details. And share with folks you think may be interested!

Sticker sale time!

I have a lot of stickers (and some pins and charms) and it's time to get some moving! From 11/12-12/12, stickers, charms, and pins are 25% off! And I will send a secret surprise sticker with every order.

Visit me at enbywerewolf on etsy (check the notes for a direct link), and use code 25STICKERS for your discount. If shipping isn't available to your country, sent me a message and I'll add it.

Support your local queer artist!

Hi all, I've created a fundraiser for my friend Ashley, who is a trans woman in prison. She wants to take a paralegal course in order to help herself and other queer prisoners navigate the prison industrial complex, and also give her a skill she can use when she is released. If you can help with anything at all, it would be much appreciated. She already has some of the funds she needs to pay for the course and is trying to raise $665 more. This is hard, since prisoners in Washington state are only allowed to earn about $100 a month by working in prison (and much of this money is used to pay for basic needs, like hygiene products, food, and clothing).

Please share, too! Thank you!

Hey y'all, I'd appreciate anyone from the UK signing this petition to allow trans/nonbinary kids to stay closeted from their parents if they're out at school. It's obviously very important that children be able to keep potentially dangerous information about their identity away from their parents, and explore it safely in a school environment.

If it reaches 10k votes the government must respond, and 100k means they need to debate it, but any votes are good for raising awareness and profile.

If you're not from the UK please share this so others see it

also please remember to click the confirmation email or your signature won't count!! <333