u/poo_is_number_two

Does anyone else have that issue and/or know how to fix it?

Thank you.

I’ve wanted to learn banjo since I was a little kid. I grew up seeing Steve Martin on old episodes of SNL, and seeing Eric Nagler on Sharon, Lois & Bram’s Elephant Show. I’m also a big fan of Pete Seeger and of Irish music.

So…what do I do first? What kind of banjo am I looking for to be Pete Seeger-esque? What style did he play? What book should I use to learn how to play something like “Solidarity Forever” at a labor rally?

Thank you.

I’m in Delaware and have Highmark BCBS. Any hope of getting it covered by insurance? I’m at the very beginning of detransitioning. I see a therapist at a practice that actually specializes in serving trans clients, but I’m the first person my therapist has seen who wants to detransition so she’s not quite sure of the answers to my questions.

A little while ago I heard someone on 880AM say he bought a new cap every few years. That made me realize I’ve been wearing my blue Mets cap for 22 years. It’s dusty and faded at this point.

How old are your caps?

I just got out of a therapy session where I talked a lot about the shame I feel in being trans, and also how I went to a Pride event on Saturday and felt really terrible being there because I don't actually have any pride in being trans. It's a shitty life, at least it is for me. I really miss the freedom I had pre-transition. I miss not being a political football.

Anyone else feel this way? Or am I a disappointment and detriment to the community for not being 100% proud and fighting 24/7?

I'm trans, and I have lower back issues. I'm currently a member of Planet Fitness and I've never had any issues, but that's likely due to my steadfast refusal to ever set foot in a locker room. I walk in, lock my purse up in one of the small lockers they have on the floor, do some machines, and then leave. I don't care what their policy is, I don't care if they would defend me, I don't want any trouble so I have never ever set foot in a locker room and never will.

With my back pain (which I've just started physical therapy for) I thought it might be a good idea to join the local YMCA in Delaware so I can use their indoor and outdoor pools. I know the C in YMCA stands for Christian, which makes me wary. Does anyone have experience joining a YMCA or using their pools? How easy is it to avoid locker rooms there? From what I've read of their inclusion policy it says they do allow locker room use based on gender identity in accordance with Delaware law and their own policies, but I don't trust those one bit. The less I can be in a locker room, the better.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.

Pride Month makes me feel bad for not actually being proud of being trans, and then all the bigots who come out of the woodwork to insult trans people and make me want to detransition.

I'm heading up to Waterloo from Delaware (the state not the county) for Memorial Day Weekend and I'm bringing my kayak. I already have a NYS State Parks pass and it looks like Cayuga Lake State Park and Seneca Lake State Park are both close by - do they have kayak launch areas? I'm just a recreational paddler, I'd only be on the lakes for a couple of hours enjoying the scenery and nature.

I'm also going to be visiting Syracuse to see the Syracuse Mets on the Saturday and Sunday of the weekend. I grew up on Long Island so I'm actually a huge Mets fan. I know chicken riggies are a CNY delicacy in the Utica/Syracuse region (and I love them!) but is there anything else I should try in Syracuse or the Waterloo/Finger Lakes area?

Thanks!

I’m only starting to dip my toe into the waters of detransition with the help of my therapist. We were talking last night, and in our conversation I realized that the government isn’t doing gender marker changes anymore. So what would happen if I did detransition? Could I get my passport and social security designations changed back to male? Would they be willing to do that since it’s a detransition and they don’t like trans people?

I was born in NY and live in DE so changing my birth certificate and driver’s license should be pretty straightforward. As would be changing my name. But I’m curious about federal document.

I started HRT in 2015. I've been living full time as a woman since...2018? I don't remember.

I don't pass. I can't use public restrooms anymore. I've had my workplace threatened by a patron because I'm trans. I DEEPLY miss being a nondescript American white guy because absolutely no one cared about me and it was wonderful. I could just go places and do things and not worry about who is around me, how I'm going to be perceived, or where I can use the bathroom. I've literally peed myself instead of using a public restroom because they scare me so much now.

I think I'd rather live the rest of my life as a gender nonconforming man than as a trans woman.

EDIT: And before I hear "try moving to a blue state" one more time...I AM in a blue state. The bluest part of that blue state. My Congresswoman is trans.

How do I detransition without feeling like a failure or a freak? Am I letting the trans community down? I'm co-chair of an LGBTQ group and I'd be afraid of them turning on me if I detransitioned.

EDIT 2: I also hate living my life as a medical exception. It was so tremendously embarrassing when I had to have a cystoscopy to see if the blood in my urine was possibly related to bladder cancer. Here I am, an alleged "woman", with a cystoscope inserted in "her" penis.