Well, there are many reasons someone could come to dislike cops, but their legacy and ongoing patterns of brutality and racial discrimination both come to mind.

Any idea which European countries are good ones for doing this? 👀

No problem! And not necessarily, but it’s worth thinking about. Even if you don’t have mental health problems to discuss with them, a therapist can help you get referrals and or write letters for other doctors you might want see

Welcome to the sisterhood! :)

I am in a similar place to you (trans fem NB, mid 20s, in the US, egg recently cracked), and I can share what I’ve found helpful so far.

First thing you should do is take a deep breath. Transitioning is a marathon, not a sprint. And you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to!

If HRT isn’t an option right away, there is a lot you can do with clothes and makeup, like trying out skirts, painting your nails, getting your ears pierced, and growing your hair out. Voice training is also something you can do, and I know a lot of people say that the sooner you start, the better, even if it’s just a few minutes of practice a day.

I second reading Whipping Girl, with the caveat that some of the language is outdated. Another book that I liked even more was Yes, You Are Trans Enough by Mia Violet. It’s a really good read!

EDIT: Also, I should have mentioned - if you don’t have one already, getting booked with a gender-affirming therapist is a good idea too

I have a similar setup, and no. Once it’s configured, it’s easy peasy, but it would probably be a difficult and confusing process for a non-technical person to get through without help. Addy.io is a great service that a non-technical user shouldn’t have any issue using

Is there a particular reason why Cyprus is such an outlier for being much more Christian?

My therapist has years of training to know how to appropriately and responsibly help people with their emotions and trauma. An AI can say words that might be similar to what a therapist would say, but there’s no way I could ever trust an AI to handle such personal and important parts of me

That was an excellent and well-thought out response, thank you for sharing it! It’s a thorny question for sure, and I appreciate your nuanced view

The solutions look a lot different for the real loneliness epidemic than a “male loneliness epidemic”. You fix the first by creating more walkable cities, more third places you can be without needing to spend money, and giving people the time and money they need to go out, do things, and socialize.

The proposed solutions for the “male loneliness epidemic” seem to be a lot more like shitty men saying “women need to lower their standards and be okay with being my therapist/mom/girlfriend, while I change nothing about myself”

Littering, especially cigarette butts. Nothing sends me into a blind rage faster than seeing someone flick a cigarette butt out their car window. Not littering is SO easy, the bar is on the floor, and yet so many people just don’t care at all.

I am a trans woman who was raised Catholic, so I feel similarly. I’ve had to do so much work in therapy just to get to a place where I can accept myself for who I am. A lot of those old beliefs were baked in deeper than I realized.

I carry a lot of resentment towards my (very devout) parents for raising me in the church, but I also recognize my experience is not emblematic of every person’s experience being raised in a religious household.

Oh, not too bad. Feeling annoyed with my hair, today. I’ve been growing it out, and it’s about shoulder length now. However, when I started to grow it out, I did it with an undercut. Now I’m trying to grow the undercut out to have all my hair the same length, and it’s at an awkward stage right now. I can’t really put my hair back, because the disconnect is too stark and the undercut is awkward length. But my hair gets greasy after like a day, so wearing it down means I have to stay really on top of washing it. Not the end of the world to deal with for a few months, but just kind of obnoxious

Gang stalking is not real. I recommend reaching out to a therapist as a first step. If there are other resources you need, they’ll be able to help you get them too.

Gilchrist? No, he’s the current lieutenant governor.

Mayor Duggan running as an independent is going to make things interesting - I have a feeling he’s going to drag down whoever the Democrat is more than he will the Republican, unless/until he drops out. Barring anything there, I think the Republicans being in charge nationally is going to be a boon for state-level Dems - the backlash to Trump 1.0 was a big part of the blue wave in 2018 when Whitmer was elected the first time around.

Right now, nothing, really. There’s a lot of confusion and volatility at the moment, so I’m trying to keep a cool head rather than react blindly. I’m going to keep my head down at work, keep contributing to my 401k like normal, not make major unexpected purchases, and maybe re-up on some bulk staples. If shit keeps getting worse, I’ll adapt from there

Pass. Anyone the Dems field will be better than him. I’d be perfectly happy with Gilchrist or Benson

Honestly? Sounds like a pretty decent life path

Ah shit, is there a ban on politics questions? Sorry. I’m almost always on mobile, so I miss stuff in sidebars a lot

When I started my most recent job, I insisted on getting a separate work cell phone. I don’t have any work stuff on my personal cell, and I don’t bring my work phone or laptop home unless I think there’s a snow storm and I’ll need to work from home. Otherwise, it all stays sitting on my desk. If there’s an emergency or I’m out sick, my boss has my personal cell number, but I otherwise keep a pretty rigid wall in between work and home - it helps a lot