Preview Of Two Word Tuesday - Spencer's Journey

Typically, a post for 'Two Word Tuesday' consists of two words, followed by a link or a video.  This week's post will be no different.  However, this week, I wanted to tell an important story.  It's the story of a 30 year old guy named Spencer from Melbourne, Australia.  I learned of Spencer a few days ago from a video on Tumblr.  The video led me to his Youtube page.  I was able to look into someone's world from a perspective you don't often see, and I had to share.  It's fascinating.  It's educational.  It's something that mainstream media doesn't show you.

Spencer is an FTM (female to male) transsexual.  The video I saw was of him at his plastic surgeon's office getting his bandages removed after having his breasts removed.   It was the latest step, and for Spencer, perhaps the final, in his journey.

For every person that decides to enter the FTM process, their course may be different.  The common starting point is wearing a binder, clothing that either minimizes or hides your breasts.  Depending on what you choose to wear, it can be very uncomfortable (sweaty, itchy), and sometimes very painful.  Binders come in all shapes and sizes.  A lot of FTMs use the "do it yourself" variety, by using a tight sports bra or Ace bandages to lessen the appearance of breast tissue, then wear loose fitting layers on top.  There are also a number of companies that offer professionally made binders online.

The next step is commonly hormone therapy, often referred to as "T" (for Testosterone).  Depending on what part of the world you're in, before getting a prescription for T, you may have to go through psychiatric counseling and get cleared by a psychiatrist.  That was part of Spencer's process in Australia.  Then, a medical doctor prescribes Testosterone to be injected at home every two weeks.  This increases muscle mass, deepens the voice and aids in hair growth.  For Spencer, he started at a dosage of 100mg every two weeks, and eventually went to 250mg every two weeks as his treatment progressed.

Once Spencer started building muscle mass, he ordered P90X, an extreme upper body workout program from the U.S., designed to quickly lose fat and gain muscle.  He also started preparing for the next chapter in his story.  One that would take him almost 10,000 away from his home to a doctor's office in Sunrise, FL.

Spencer and his girlfriend came to Sunrise to see Dr. Charles Garramone, a board certified plastic surgeon, to have his breasts removed.  Like I said before, the video I saw was after the surgery.  The results.  But wait until you see Spencer and his girlfriend.  They're so excited, so proud.  It's a dream come true for him.  You can't help but smile.  And the results.....amazing.

Everyone's "journey" is different.  It's not known if Spencer is going to stop his where he's at now, or if he's going to have gender reassignment surgery.  It doesn't matter.  In his mind, in his heart, and now, to the rest of the world, he's a man.  In a way, he always was.  Keep that in mind the next time you see someone that, to you, may look like a girl, but wants to be referred to by a boy's name.  It's a matter of respect.  Regardless of where he may or may not be in his "journey", it all comes down to respect, and I think you'll understand after watching these videos later today.

Keep in mind, this is the story of one person.  There are millions of others worldwide like him.  For more information about the FTM transgendered community, visit FTMInternational's website.  They are one of the leading advocates and organizations for the community.  For any FTMs themselves who are reading this that are looking for resources, a nice place to look would be Hudson's FTM Resource Guide.  It has everything from grooming tips, information on Testosterone, surgeries and urinal etiquette.

Just a note:  None of the videos that I will be posting later today contain nudity, nor do they contain any bloody surgery stuff.  At the top of the post, I will add a link to Spencer's Youtube page, and his Tumblr blog.