HighwindMkII (Josh)

Team big light, generally. I want to be able to see things.

With that said, the obvious answer if available is obviously to simply have both.

But if only one, definitely functionality over form here. Seeing is more important than comfort. Lol

Not all of these are going to be common issues, but they are still problems that some trans people would face when seeking healthcare.

I just wouldn't want anyone to be medically harmed because their doctor didn't know. That's really all I'm getting at here.

I do understand that a lot of these things are influenced by T or E levels and would normalize into acceptable ranges after some time on therapy.

But I know a trans girl here in Alabama who hasn't been able to start therapy due to cost and lack of insurance. Her ranges would be read as high or low.

Blood ranges differ significantly between CIS men and women. Normal hemoglobin can very as much as five or six points.

Granted, hormone therapy WOULD push those values into normal range for a trans person's gender identity. Lipid profiles, liver enzymes, and iron levels also differ a fair bit.

For what it's worth, I do understand where you're coming from. I'm very overweight and have been for a long time. So weight does tend to get pointed to when I have issues. So I can emphasize some.

Regardless of any of this, I hope you're getting proper care from your doctors now.

As I said... 99% of the time I don't think cis or trans should be relevant. I just think that 1% is incredibly important when it comes to health.

Healthcare is just a hugely important topic to me in general. It's the biggest reason I jumped in. I just want everyone to have access to good care.

Not my intention at all. Just trying to inform. I'm just not great with words. So I'm deeply sorry for offending.

I'm not trans, but I was in the healthcare industry for 10 years as a cardiac technician. Knowing a patient's biological sex was important for setting guidelines on our equipment.

Not trying to belittle you, mate. It wasn't my intention. I apologize.

Though I do want to tag my friend @foxyfaebug.bsky.social here. If I'm wrong on this stuff, please let me know.

I do empathize with you guys. I know full well that your gender identites are being weaponized to use against you in some really gross and inhumane ways.

I'm just concerned that trans folk who aren't open with their doctors over these fears won't even bother seeking treatment when they need it.

Unfortunately, we can't easily transfer that information between providers. As previously mentioned, I spent a decade in the medical industry. Nothing about healthcare is easy.

Heck, I'm having an MRI on my back soon and I have to have them put that on a CD so I can take it to my neurosurgeon. Lol

And just to be clear, this isn’t about gatekeeping or treating trans people differently in a bad way. It’s about giving them the best care possible. I care about this because I have close friends who are trans, and I’d want their doctors to have all the info they need to keep them healthy and safe.

That’s why it’s important for a doctor to know both your current gender identity and your sex assigned at birth. It affects which cancers to screen for, how to interpret labs, what meds are safe, how to manage clot or heart risks. Without that info, they’re basically guessing.

I get what you guys are saying, I really do. But it seems like neither of you have a good grasp on medically relevant factors when it comes to men v women.

Normal ranges for blood tests differ and cancer risks are different. Not to mention how hormone therapy can impact other things.

Intake forms are for building your medical history so that the doctor you're going to see is already acquainted with your medical history instead of having to ask all of those questions directly during your first visit.

It's just how we do it in the medical industry to streamline the process.

Thanks for posting that!

Yes. But this is a medical form. Lol

Yeah, but this was a photo of a medical form. So it's that 1% of the time where it is relevant. That's all I'm saying.

Just an example that I'm familiar with, mate. There's many, many other things like higher risk factors for certain illnesses that are tied to chromosomes and stuff like that.

99% of the time, I agree that trans women and cis women shouldn't be separate, but medically speaking... It's very relevant

Disclaimer: I was a cardiac technician for a decade. :p

There's actually quite a few things that can differ based on biological sex. Women tend to have a higher resting heart rate, for example. This is because -on average- women are smaller than men and have smaller hearts as a result. So they beat faster to pump more blood.

Biological sex is important

More power to Taylor.

But no Devon, it is not. Lol

Aaron Barret right now: 😧

Super weird that there are versions that are almost identical except for the sky. Lmao.

Wait, hold up... It's slightly different than yours. Lol

A hanging wall scroll shows Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII standing beside the Hardy Daytona motorcycle with his sword, against a textured red background. The wall scroll is displayed in a home office with bookshelves holding books, gaming consoles, and electronics in the background.

Don't really have space to display it since I had to move back in with my parents. So it's normally rolled up and placed in a corner. I miss having it displayed alongside my other FF7 posters and art. (Including one of your signed prints!) 😭

Heeey. I got that wall scroll too. Girl I was crushing on have it to me some 20+ years ago.

I'm lucky my parents were able to take my son and I in. If that wasn't a possibility, I don't know where we'd be right now.

The world is cruel. Needlessly so.

This stupid country wants to punish poor people, in general.

I'm disabled. Horrible fall messed my back up. I've had three surgeries for it. Looking at a fourth one soon. Been denied SSDI four times so far.

Lost my car and my home as a result. It's so fucked up, Phil.

YouTube video by Austin Lee Matthews (Maus) Wheel of Voices Panel - MagWest 2025

Here is the full Wheel of Voices panel I hosted for @magfast.org ! youtu.be/VtQUqSWvPeM?... Featuring Arnie Pantoja, Briana White, William Christopher Stephens, John Eric Bentley and Austin Lee Matthews (me!).

So if you’ve ever wanted to hear Aerith and Barret perform Steamed Hams: