joehumphrey (@joehumphrey@writeout.ink)
I'm posting this here because I don't have the character limit needed to post it on my main account, so bear with me.
Something I just thought of. For a number of years, I received treatment for low testosterone. When I was born, I had a hernia surgery that damaged my right testicle and stunted its growth. When I was twelve, they removed it because they worried that it showed signs of becoming potentially cancerous. It wasn’t a big deal. I got a prosthetic and now I have one flesh testicle and one robot testicle. I’m a cyborg. Flash forward to my mid-thirties when I asked my doctor if my noticeably soft and high voice could be due to a lack of testosterone from my single testicle. He said it wasn’t likely but possible and ran some blood tests and discovered that my testosterone was almost totally bottomed out, possibly due to my testicular situation, and also from my obesity. So they started me on testosterone treatments. First, it was androgen gel that I rubbed on my chest and was warned to keep far from my wife, who would be affected detrimentally if she touched it. That I wasn’t comfortable with for long, so we switched to testosterone injections. I did that for years, and it made a difference. I felt my energy change, my mental health improved and, oddly, I felt more “masculine” whatever that means in my life. I’ve never been particularly masculine in the traditional sense, despite my size and general appearance. What I’m getting at, is that low testosterone was affecting my mental health, and taking supplemental testosterone improved that mental health, as well as my self-image because I felt more confident in my gender. I felt more masculine, which was great because I’m a man. No one ever once questioned my use of T for my mental health and self-image. It was just never a thing. The doctor figured out that this would help me, so they gave it to me because that’s a doctor’s job. To treat the health of their patients. I’m a cis man so I pretty much get what I want without much fuss. That’s a privilege I have and other people don’t. Because society is fucked in the head. So my question is why the hell is it anyone’s business? If someone started questioning my use of Testosterone to treat my mental and physical health, I’d tell them to fuck off and mind their own business. It’s got nothing to do with anyone beyond my family and my doctor. Again, that's my privilege. It boggles my mind that people receiving gender-affirming care are being denied that treatment because of how they identify. Hormonal treatment to help with mental and physical health, just like me. Treatment that helps align my body with my idea of what my body should feel and perform like. And most importantly, it’s NO ONE’S FUCKING BUSINESS. It’s absurd and offensive that trans people can’t follow their doctor’s recommendation and treat their health/identity concerns without being scrutinized, bullied, and even denied that care. Children who desperately need this care are being denied it and it’s leading to their death in many cases. The way we treat trans people is horrifying. It’s truly offensive. Things need to change and quickly. We’re losing babies because we’re allowing politicians and zealots and bullies to dictate the health decisions of children instead of doctors. That’s one of the most demented things I’ve seen happen in our culture in my lifetime. These are people trying to live their lives and treat their health in the best way they know how. More importantly, in the best way their DOCTORS know how. It’s no one’s fucking business. Tangentially, I could make a very similar post about abortion. I have an idea! Let's not get involved in other people's medical decisions! Can we do that please?
Been the victim of fraud. Unfortunately - yes.
When I was younger and Chip 'n' PIN was becoming popular, many smaller shops had a Paypoint machine that would print the entire card number and CCV on the receipt. I was so paranoid about fraud, especially given that there was sufficient information printed on the receipt that anyone could do an Amazon order with those details. I used to get a black permanent marker and scribble the details out before putting the receipt in the bin.
Imagine my horror when a decade later, I learn that I have been the victim of fraud, and a type of fraud it was entirely impossible for me to prevent. In the UK fraudsters watch for new companies popping up on Companies House and then use the details to go on a shopping spree. The way it works is like this:
They see my name, address and date of birth on the website. They are looking for a name that matches their surname and first initial. So for me that could be Alexander Jones for example. They go to a retail park and pop into Argos. They order several thousand pounds of stuff. When they go to pay, the person at the counter helpfully asks "Do you have an Argos credit card? If you apply for one today, we'll transfer the balance of today's purchases to the card" and armed with my address, date of birth and name, and a card that already has the same surname and first initial as me - they are accepted for an Argos credit card. Post nothing for the goods they just bought and leave the store. They go next door to JJB sports, and then whole process repeats. "Do you have a JJB sports card? If you get one today...."
They visited 6 stores in an hour and repeated this process at all of them. And a week later I start receiving credit cards.....
It's a surprisingly common scam (or it was), brought on entirely by the shops bring pushed to get people to sign up for credit cards.....
I had to be on a register for several years, so if anyone tried to open an account or take out credit in my name, I would get a phone call to check if it was actually me.