You are strong……be who you are…..
Transmen Educational Resources
What is Gender and Who Is Transgendered: An article by Dr. Carl Bushong that discusses gender as it is perceived by many people and societies today which is you are either male or female and it is determined at birth by your genitals. This is contradictory to the theory Dr. Bushong and many other professionals in the biological and medical community feel is correct, that gender is not either male or female but rather a blending of male and female characteristics.
Hudson’s FTM Resource Guide: This Guide is intended to provide information on topics of interest to female-to-male (FTM, F2M) trans men, and their friends and loved ones. Non-trans men have also found the pages on men’s grooming and clothing to be helpful. Transsexual, non-transsexual, intersex, transgender, genderqueer, questioning, and “just plain folks” are all welcome.
*The descriptions of the FTM surgeries listed in this guide are generalized. It is important to note that each individual surgeon may use a different technique for any given procedure. If you are considering any procedure, you need to research any and all options that are available and to have conversations with any surgeon you are considering in order to assist you in choosing the procedure and surgeon that best suits your body type, needs, and expectations. *This site may contain graphic pictures or images of surgical procedures
Hudsons Guide: FTM Genital Reconstruction Surgery: This section describes the main types of genital reconstruction (GRS) procedures that are currently available to trans men. Chest Surgery and hysterectomy/oophorectomy are detailed in their own separate sections.
* The descriptions of the FTM surgeries listed in this guide are generalized. It is important to note that each individual surgeon may use a different technique for any given procedure. If you are considering any of these procedures, it is important to research your options thoroughly and speak candidly with the surgeons you are considering in order to assist you in choosing the procedure and surgeon that best suits your body type, needs, and expectations. *This site may contain graphic pictures or images of surgical procedures
Hudsons Guide: Chest Surgery: Most (but not all) trans men will have at least one surgical procedure in his lifetime related to gender transition, if not several of them. Chest surgery is the most common surgical procedure sought by trans men. The goal of chest surgery is to create a contoured, male-looking chest.
*The descriptions of the FTM surgeries listed in this guide are generalized. It is important to note that each individual surgeon may use a different technique for any given procedure. If you are considering any procedure, you need to research any and all options that are available and to have conversations with any surgeon you are considering in order to assist you in choosing the procedure and surgeon that best suits your body type, needs, and expectations. *This site may contain graphic pictures or images of surgical procedures
Hudsons Guide: Hysterectomy/Oophorectomy: *The descriptions of the FTM surgeries listed in this guide are generalized. It is important to note that each individual surgeon may use a different technique for any given procedure. If you are considering any procedure, you need to research any and all options that are available and to have conversations with any surgeon you are considering in order to assist you in choosing the procedure and surgeon that best suits your body type, needs, and expectations. *This site may contain graphic pictures or images of surgical procedures
Sava Perovic Foundation: This is a link to the Sava Perovic Foundation ( FTM surgeon) website which contains information about their FTM surgical procedures. If you are considering any procedure, you need to research any and all options that are available and to have conversations with any surgeon you are considering in order to assist you in choosing the procedure and surgeon that best suits your body type, needs, and expectations. *This site may contain graphic pictures or images of surgical procedures
Yahoo Groups FTM Surgery Info: Group Description (You must create a Yahoo account to access group) An extensive resource for info, photos, & research regarding surgery options for Female-to-Male transgender persons. This is a restricted group, you will have to contact the group moderator and provide some information and be accepted by the moderator in order to gain access to the group discussion.
Yahoo Groups FTM Phalloplasty Info: Group Description (You must create a Yahoo account to access group) This is a peer to peer discussion group on phalloplasty procedures for FTMs. We welcome all FTMs who are seriously considering phalloplasty surgery as well as those who have completed a phalloplasty. This is a restricted group, you will have to contact the group moderator and provide some information and be accepted by the moderator in order to gain access to the group discussion.
Issues: From schools and healthcare to immigration and identification, policies affecting trans people are advancing every day. Find the latest information about existing laws and policies, and how you can improve the laws and policies in your area. National Center for Transgender Equality
Organizations
Local, State and National Organizations: A link to the PTGS – Central IL / State / National / Organizations page which contains a listing of organizations
Youth Organizations: A link to the PTGS – Parent / Caregiver / Youth page which contains a listing of youth organizations
Legal – Staying Safe Issues: A link to the PTGS Legal / Staying Safe Issues page that has information and links to information on discrimination issues, the bathroom issue, hate crimes, name change brochure and much more!
Resources That May Be of Interest
Laura’s Playground: FTM Transman Articles and Lists, there are many resources listed here
GLBT National Help Center: This group provides support (phone and IM) for GLBT or questioning individuals on a variety of subjects related to the GLBT community such as coming out, relationship, bullying issues and more.
Family / Friends: A link to the Family / Friends page with resources to use on the subject of the “coming out” process to family, friends and at work with some likely reactions you will experience.
Coming Out: There is no one right or wrong way to come out. It’s a lifelong process of being ever more open and true with yourself and others — done in your own way and in your own time! This is a well written booklet on the issue and timing of coming out. HRC (Human Rights Campaign)
Resources For People With Transgender Family Members: Many people are affected when an individual comes out as transgender. In every aspect of life – be it at home, in the workplace or in the community – spouses or partners, children, family members, friends and coworkers of transgender people also struggle with the complexities of gender identity and gender transition. Issues such as non-discrimination policies and access to comprehensive healthcare are often as important for employees with transgender family members as they are to transgender employees themselves. HRC (Human Rights Campaign)
Transgender FAQ: This resource can be used to help someone who does not understand gain a simple basic understanding of what being transgender is….and isn’t. HRC (Human Rights Campaign)
Resources:Transgender: Find a listing of transgender related topics HRC (Human Rights Campaign)
Transgender Visibility Guide: This guide was designed to help you and your loved ones through that process in realistic and practical terms. It acknowledges that the experience of coming out or disclosure covers the full spectrum of human emotion – from paralyzing fear to unbounded euphoria. The Human Rights Campaign Foundation hopes this guide helps you meet the challenges and opportunities that living as authentically as possible can offer to each of us.
Crisis Phone Line – from Stop Bullying.Gov Website
Bullying can affect youth in many ways. They may lose sleep or feel sick. They may want to skip school. They may even be thinking about suicide. If your child is feeling hopeless or helpless or they know someone who is, please call the LIFELINE at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) 
.
Trevor Project Lifeline: If you are a trans or gender-nonconforming LGBT youth (ages 24 and younger) and are considering suicide you can reach the Trevor Project Lifeline at 1-866-488-7386.
Trans Lifeline: If you are a trans or gender-nonconforming LGBT person considering suicide, Trans Lifeline can be reached at 877-565-8860.
Local and Regional Professional Transgender Services
Peoria / Bloomington / Regional Professional Transgender Resources: You will find a listing of Peoria / Bloomington / Chicago area professional counseling/ medical providers here who are friendly to the transgender community.
Howard Brown Health Center – Chicago: Here is your link to the Howard Brown Health Center in Chicago. They offer comprehensive medical services to the LGBTQ community.
Howard Brown Health Center – THinC (revised procedures): Transgender Hormone Informed Consent (THinC) The new treatment protocol is designed to reduce barriers to care, improve the informed consent process and provide even better services to our community by shortening the process to receive hormone replacement therapy in an affirming and affordable way.
SRS & FMS Surgeons
TS Surgery Guide.com: A guide to FFS & SRS surgeons in North America and the world. I found this guide to have an accurate description of the SRS surgeon that I used and there is also contact info and a link to the surgeons website here as well.
transhealthcare.org: A guide to FMS & SRS surgeons in North America and the world. There are a lot of surgeons and services listed here although there seems not to be much information on all surgeons on this site.
Local Service Providers
Fun Places to Go: A link to the PTGS page that has local LGBT friendly fun spots in the Peoria area. Go out… and have fun!!
Books
Local Public Library Systems >Transgender Books link: The books listed below may be available and many more on various transgender topics of interest are available through your local library link here.
*NOTE- some books may not be available at all libraries, you may have to ask the librarian to get a copy for you if it is not available.
Transition : The Story Of How I Became a Man: Chaz Bono’s groundbreaking and candid account of a forty-year struggle to match his gender identity with his physical body and his transformation from female to male.
Beyond Magenta : Transgender Teens Speak Out: “Author and photographer Susan Kuklin met and interviewed six transgender or gender-neutral young adults and used her considerable skills to represent them thoughtfully and respectfully before, during, and after their personal acknowledgment of gender preference.
Life at School and in the Community: Strategies for coming out to ones friends, interacting with school personnel, and dealing with bullies. Advice is also given on how to organize groups such as gay-straight alliances.
Man Alive: A true story of violence, forgiveness and becoming a man. Standing at the brink of the life-changing decision to transition from female to male, McBee seeks to understand these examples of flawed manhood as he cobbles together his own identity.
There are a great selection of transgender topic books listed below available from Amazon
FTM: Female-to-Male Transsexuals in Society New Edition: This is the most comprehensive, professional book to date on FTM transsexualism and the many aspects of their life journeys. For its volume, this book is clearly understandable and reads without excessive use of scientific and academic rhetoric, thus making the book available to a broad audience.
Finding Masculinity: Female to Male Transition in Adulthood: This anthology examines the many facets of life that transition impacts; transitioning on the job, emotional and spiritual growth, family, navigating the medical community, as well as romantic relationships.
How I Changed my Gender from Female to Male: The Complete Story of My Transition with Helpful Advice and Tips for Others on the Same Journey: When the author, Thomas Underwood, began to become outwardly the man he always was inside, he found it a very difficult and challenging journey, emotionally and physically. He sought advice from friends, counselors, support groups, websites, and books. This is his story of his transition.
TS Trans Bodies, Trans Selves: A Resource for the Transgender Community 1st Edition: There is no one way to be transgender. Transgender and gender non-conforming people have many different ways of understanding their gender identities. Only recently have sex and gender been thought of as separate concepts, and we have learned that sex (traditionally thought of as physical or biological) is as variable as gender (traditionally thought of as social).
Transgender 101: A Simple Guide to a Complex Issue 1st Edition: Written by a social worker, popular educator, and member of the transgender community, this well-rounded resource combines an accessible portrait of transgenderism with a rich history of transgender life and its unique experiences of discrimination. Chapters introduce transgenderism and its psychological, physical, and social processes. They describe the coming out process and its effect on family and friends, the relationship between sexual orientation, and gender and the differences between transsexualism and lesser-known types of transgenderism.
