Check out my YouTube video on this subject, and follow my channel at youtube.com/izzitmichaela for more content! Imposter syndrome is a demon I’ve become quite familiar with through my years of cut-throat academia, PhD. rejection, transitioning, and my career. Working through it’s many forms and strengths as well as helping my friends has made me realized just how pervasive and insidious imposter syndrome can be. This has the potential to affect everyone, not just the high-achieving. I find tit to be especially applicable in the trans community. Our transition will likely bring about a maelst ..read more

Transphobia, or the targeted harassment and discrimination against transgender people, often begins online – a place many LGBT folks turn to for community and hope. Many try to fight transphobia, but oftentimes it only leads to flame wars, creating a toxic space for trans people simply searching for a community. The internet was one of the few havens where I was able to first explore my feelings of dysphoria. Although at the time, resources were few and far between, I remember sneaking into my Dad’s computer room (yes, at that time there was only one computer per house) to read forums of cross ..read more

What’s in a name? Well, for trans woman, almost everything. Changing a name (both socially and legally) is one of the most important parts of our transition. I remember dreaming about the day when my friends and family would call me by my new name, the butterflies in my stomach when I heard it out loud, and the stupid grin on my face when I got my new license. Now, a few years into my transition, hearing my old name (referred to by the trans community as our ‘deadname’ – don’t EVER mention a deadname without our permission BTW) sounds stran ..read more

In honor of Transgender Day of Remembrance – an annual memorial to all those transgender individuals killed due to their identities, my partner Armani and I were given a chance to speak out. We were lucky enough to be chosen to give a seminar to the students of Eastern Connecticut State University, where we used our platform to advocate for the ending of violence against the transgender community. The skies were grey, reflecting the somber attitude of the day. N ..read more

Click here to visit my Patreon page and support the site! CONTENT WARNING: adult themes, surgical talk, and emotional subject matter. “You don’t seem like you want the surgery.” Do I ‘want’ it? I couldn’t figure out a good answer to that question. Do I wish every time I got dressed that I had a vagina? Yeah. Does my genitalia continue to hinder every part of my life, from sex to exercise to clothing to my happiness when I se ..read more

“You should try to get off of the pills when you get your new doctor,” I warned to my girlfriend as I noticed her taking her daily estrogen dosage. I was busy applying an estrogen gel to my leg, starting the annoyingly long process of waiting for it to dry so the hormones can be delivered transdermally. “No I don’t, oral estrogen is only dangerous if you smoke,” she replied casually. “No it’s not, my doctor said it increases cancer risk!” “Well I’ve spoken to multiple doctors who said it’s safe!” These sorts of conversations between trans w ..read more

“Dating apps are the new norm,” one of my best friends had said while lamenting our respective love lives. I remember that sinking feeling in my gut upon hearing this, as dating apps were one of the most depressing things I’d ever done on my phone. And I once used my phone to order lasagna from Dominos while I was alone in my studio apartment drinking boxed wine and…still lamenting my love life. I’m sensing a common thread here, might need to unpack that a bit later. ANYWAY, dating apps for a trans woman are either a ghost-town (with the oc ..read more

Do you know those shows where the heroes arrive in what seems like a glittering paradise of a city, only to slowly uncover a permeating malice that operates undetected beneath the surface?I’m starting to feel like that hero, and Boston’s starting to feel like that city.When I had gotten my job offer to come here, I couldn’t have been happier. The LGBT scene seemed alive with activity, contrasting heavily with the nonexistent LGBT experience (or, as I like to call it, ‘ex-queer-ience’) I had in Delaware. Rather than searching random, h ..read more

These past few years have brought with them a contradictory mixture of both advances and setbacks for transgender rights. On one hand, the levels of advocacy and support for our livelihoods and happiness has reached the public space in a way not seen previous decades. More and more medical professionals and insurance companies are recognizing gender dysphoria as a viable medical condition, and transgender activists and politicians are standing up to effect change with a gusto that, given our current administration, is sorely needed.On ..read more

In a few short years, the annual WorldPride event will be staged in Copenhagen! This annual festival combines celebration, awareness, advocacy, and acceptance in an event that reaches across the globe. In partnership with the EuroGames, this festival provides LGBT members from all over the world a moment to share their stories, inspire others, and make the world safer for all!As I began this blog, my goal is to reach a wide audience and use a combination of writing, speaking, and advocacy to make the world as safe as I can for transge ..read more