Birthday Wishlist


Well, tomorrow I’m turning the ripe old age of twenty-eight years old, successfully having survived the dreaded year-of-rock-and-roll-death, and a few readers have lately been poking a bit into the question of what an amazing wonderful elderly spinster like me would want for her birthday. While obviously treating the question as anything other than rhetorical would be silly, I thought it might be fun to do some daydreaming and take a little stroll around the web to point out some of the awesome, must-have items for every discerning skeptical transsexual ex-junkie feminist atheist. I’m sure my readers have MANY such people in their lives they may need to shop for, so why not provide a little guide?

Take Me There: Trans And Genderqueer Erotica

This is, as is pretty self-explanatory, a collection of trans-themed erotica. But what takes it there from interesting to fucking amazing-looking is the collection of brilliant trans writers featured in it, such as Kate Borstein, Patrick Califia, Tobi Hill-Meyer, Julia Serano, Rachel K. Zall and S. Bear Bergman. Trans erotica, by trans people, for trans people? WANT!

Powered By Estrogen T-Shirt

Because I am.

Well… powered by estrogen, nicotine, methadone, caffeine and spite, to be more precise.

Poison Statue

Everyone’s favourite transgender video game icon: salvaged into being an image of femme trans woman strength and power from originally being described as trans only due to a weird confluence of misogyny, transphobia and Reagan-era censorship laws, she represents, to me, the amazing power of our community to construct our pride even from reclaimed scraps of our oppression.

ALL ELEVEN DOCTORS action figure set

ALL. ELEVEN. DOCTORS.

Even Eight! Eight is almost impossible to find! So much wanting, so very much…

Luna, by Julie Anne Peters

A brilliant young adult novel centered on transgender themes that gets all kinds of wonderful reviews and is deeply cherished by a lot of trans women I know.

Almost Perfect, by Brian Katcher

A brilliant young adult novel centered on transgender themes that gets all kinds of wonderful reviews and is deeply cherished by a lot of trans women I know.

“I’m Out of Estrogen… I Have A Gun” pill box

Oh hell yes. The only trouble is that the point of a pillbox is technically to prevent you from not having your estrogen.

Tokidoki Unicorns!

The next best thing to My Little Pony (of which I already have a rather substantial collection). These come in little “blind boxes”, so you never know exactly which unicorn you’re going to get. So cute! Tokidoki are a truly wonderful toy company. Check out their other stuff too.

Birdo Plush Doll

The other great trans icon of video games, also rescued from being an act of trans-misogyny and ridicule. And this one is cuddlier. And doesn’t cost almost as much money as a session of laser or electrolysis.

Mexican Brown-Tailed Bat Plush

I don’t think I really need to explain why I’d love this. Look at it. Just look!!!

Seriously, I really really love bats.

Estradiol Jewelry

I mentioned these once before, but seriously, I ADORE these and I’d be ordering them immediately if I had a credit card or paypal or something. Science + Estrogen + Jewelry… three of my favourite things, together at last!

Octopus Earrings

I may not love these as much as the estradiol molecules, but seriously, these are awesome. I would never run out of compliments on them, I’m sure.

“It’s A Trap!” Surlyramic necklace

I have weird feelings about the whole “trap” thing. It’s a word I desperately want to reclaim, given its playfulness and origins in geek culture, but the associations with the “deception” / “really men” / “extra gay” memes are really strong is, as is the shadow of murders committed on the basis of such “deception”. However, the idea of proudly declaring myself to be exactly what I’m supposed to be ashamed of through a Surly is just far too tempting an idea to pass up. Wear my status loud and proud.

Joan Jett Ladies Of The Eighties Barbie

It’s a Joan Jett Barbie doll.

Seriously.

Joan Fucking Jett.

I’m sorry, did I just totally annihilate your consciousness with amazingness?

ORRRRR… if we were to ditch the whole wild fun completely impractical daydreaming thing, and if you were actually wondering what you could actually do for my birthday, and are cursing my lack of a tip jar (still trying to get that sorted, I’m afraid), there is one idea I had.

How about donating to the Vancouver Trans Youth Drop-In in my name? The TYDI is a terrific program. It gives trans youth (25 and under) a place where they can simply come and hang out on Friday nights, in a safe, warm, accepting, understanding environment, meet other trans folks, eat some food and maybe draw some pictures or watch a movie or play video games and also talk about things they may not be able or comfortable enough to discuss with family or their cis friends and stuff. They can feel a little less alone, see positive trans role models, make friends, and leave with the sense that there are people and structures available to offer them support.. and that there are people who do understand, and do care about them and want them to be happy as who they are.

Out of all the various trans non-profits and charities in Vancouver, it is the one I most wholeheartedly support and believe in. Money goes towards things like food, activities, bus tickets and things for the kids if they need them, things like maybe getting a float in the Pride parade, and an annual summer camping trip (one of which was my first ever three days being full-time, and an extremely significant and beautiful moment in my transition).

I’d be immensely proud to be able to get them a little extra money. You can just go ahead and e-mail them at transyouthdropin (at) yahoo (dot) ca (the director, Fin, will probably be who you’ll talk to), and ask for details as to how you could make a donation (like who to make a check out to, and where to send it). And feel free to mention why. πŸ˜‰

Comments

  1. Anders says

    Hmm… looks at Transyouth DropIn homepage… schedule hasn’t been updated since 2007? That was technically before you admitted that you were trans, right? Are you sure it’s not a phantasmogoria of an overheated brain? πŸ™‚

    Anyway, I sent your overheated brain an e-mail. Hopefully it will answer me. Do they know that you sometimes go by the name Reed? Otherwise they’ll be terribly confused.

  2. EthicistDan says

    Take a look at the custom buttons/keychains/magnets etc. (all designs are interchangeable for all of those formats) at antieuclid.com. There’s a whole Doctor Who section. You’ll love it! And I promise this is an honest suggestion and not spam. Happy birthday!

    • says

      Cool! Just send me an e-mail if that ends up being doable, but of course it’s okay if he doesn’t have time or is too busy or whatever. For jackets, btw, I’m usually a women’s medium, but sometimes large if it’s a particularly snug cut.

  3. Kit Walker says

    Huh. I had you pegged as older. Not a lot of big Prince fans within a decade of my age group (I’m 22, to be precise).

    Happy birthday!

  4. says

    I love bats too! In Phoenix, there’s (or at least there used to be) this road/man-made canal area. It’s pretty dumpy looking if you don’t know what’s there, but if you arrive at sunset, you can be surrounded by 5,000 bats as they pour out of a runoff tunnel to fly and hunt for the night. It’s pretty amazing.

    Great list (I had to stop myself from clicking half the links, what with the pesky detail of having no money), and great idea to support the charity. Happy birthday! You’re still a spring chicken for a little while yet.

  5. Sas says

    Aww, Cyndi Lauper Barbie is not as good as Joan Jett Barbie. πŸ™ Pity, I like Cyndi. And this makes me miss Jem.

    Have a happy birthday, Natalie!

  6. Erin W says

    Consider the donation done.

    Regarding Luna, it’s certainly one of the better books out there for telling our story, though I’d recommend it more to the sibling of a trans girl, since that’s the POV of the book. Guess we’ve got to start somewhere, though.

  7. Dorothy says

    All I can offer is my best wishes on your birthday.
    Let me see, 28 … from my having been born in 1941, I kinda feel that you have a bit of catching up to do.
    Will you be in Kamloops? I would like to meet you.
    Seems to me that we fought for the right for people to be treated as they wished to be, way back in the 60s. All the problems you write about seem to say I gotta start fighting all over again. Dang! Oh, well, (rolling up sleeves) . . .

  8. Kim says

    I don’t know what the rules are on FTB about using plugins or getting tips/donations, but since you’re on wordpress, from a technical standpoint it would be super easy to set up a paypal donation button.

    So yeah, if it’s technical assistance you need, I’d be happy to help. WordPress sites are what I do.

    Hope you get some lovely things for your birthday. πŸ™‚

  9. says

    Happy Birthday, mindblowingly awesome writer! You’re eleven days before me, which is far more exciting to me than sharing a birthday with Charlie Chaplin.

    I will keep the youth drop-in center in mind for the next time I have a bit of spare cash.

    LJ

Leave a Reply to carolw Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *