Conversely, it’s hard to care about literature when you don’t have empathy.

Of course, the question remains how much people with low empathy are willing to pick up a book on their own volition. Though at least studies have shown (here is one) that reading fiction increased empathy even when people were not particularly empathic to begin with.

(￣▽￣)ノ

( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ

Serious response: Studies have proven again and again that reading fiction increases empathy. Many English teachers probably chose their jobs because they had a love for literature in the first place and their exposure to it has had its effect on them. [In that regard the absolute worst people on this planet are well aware of this effect and attack libraries, books with diverse viewpoints and the humanities whenever they get a chance to.]

I never had a choice, I was forcefully transed by my leftist parents who made me wear my older sister’s clothes when I was a child.

“Of course, Mister NPC, I will do the tedious, entirely optional side-quest with completely worthless rewards. You have had some rough times, I won’t leave you alone.”

Is there someone else I could talk to?

For those wondering why I am always posting French castles: Actually I am not even French, I just follow a bot on Mastodon which is posting all kinds of historical monuments in France, many castles among them. So occasionally I am posting some of those.

No Jar Jar is safe from him.

There may be a more specific term to it, but the only one I can think of is “gallery”.

It’s actually really simple. See… *unpacks a pile of books of advanced biology and genetics*

Although… *gets another pile of books about psychology and neurology*

And we have to consider… *drops another pile of books about sociology and anthropology*.

Pretty obvious, isn’t it?

Yeah, I totally agree and it’s a shame that the awesome games you mentioned are all indies most people probably never heard of. I was particularly amazed by “Haven” and it made me realize how rare such relationships are - not only in games, but in other media too. Two protagonists who are clearly in love, going on an adventure together and being sexy and flirtatious while at it. It should not be that rare, but somehow here we are…

Yeah, that’s the current scientific consensus.

For those who are unfamiliar with the science: Being trans is considered a developmental disorder nowadays. It is mostly likely due to an imbalance of sex hormones during fetal development. Basically the testes produce sex hormones which leads to the development of sex organs associated with one gender, but (for yet to be determined) reasons the same sex hormones do not affect the brain which thus develops into a different direction, thus creating the “gender incongruence” that affects trans people lateron.

Only a few days ago, a member of the Heritage foundation came out as transgender. Their collegues at the Heritage Foundation congratulated her - which would be a non-event if the Heritage Foundation wasn’t the one think tank which pushes queerphobic and transphobic propaganda like no other.

That makes no sense, right? Why would the employees of one of the most transphobic propaganda machines out there accept the gender transition of anyone?

As paradoxical as it may seem on the surface, it’s because queer-/transphobia is not principle by itself. It is only a piece of a larger puzzle that ultimately follows Wilhoit’s law:

Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition, to wit: There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect.

The in-group cannot do wrong. Period.
So who belongs to the in-group? Of course, the loyalists of the right-wing and whoever they consider to be one of their own (that may be subject to change, if you aren’t loyal enough to the cause). Loyalty to the cause represents moral righteousness.

A trans employee at a transphobic propaganda machine? In-group! So it’s fine. A rapist in the White House? In-group! No problem.
Sexual abusers in the police? In-group! No biggie!

But everybody who doesn’t belong to the in-group (however vaguely it may be defined) needs to be controlled and oppressed by the harshest of laws. They are disloyal, therefore they cannot be moral and righteous, they have to be immoral and therefore deserve punishment.

Queer-/Transphobia is one way how that conviction manifests: It is the accusation that the behavior of queer people (outside the in-group) is inherently immoral because these people cannot be moral. If they were, they would belong to the in-group after all, but they don’t, so whatever hatred one shows them is justified.

After the 1.0 update I picked up “Foundation” again. Unfortunately the game is still haunted by quite a number of bugs. I am sure those will be fixed, but for the moment it requires a certain tolerance to enjoy the game.

Congratulations! It is great that you feel more confident and euphoric by making such a discovery about yourself.

I do not want to diminish your joy, but keep one thing in mind: You are in for a marathon, no matter how much it may feel like a sprint right now. You have time to figure things out: What suits you best, what you want to do in regards to your appearance and your presentation and which steps to take next, etc.

Some things unfortunately take time, but that is also why it is important to not pressure yourself too much. You do not need to have all the answers right away.

One example is HRT: While the start of HRT is a big moment in the lives of most trans people, HRT is a slow process overall. Just finding the right dosage for yourself may take months and depending on various factors (genetic, age,…) visible changes may take a long time to manifest.

So, take the time you and your wife need to adapt. You can figure things out along the way.

In regards to the trans haircutter: As you do not seem to know that person, perhaps do not ask about her personal journey right away. It may come of as intrusive. If she offers such information on her own, sure, go for it.
But my advise would be to ask her about local resources. Most cities of a certain size have a trans/LGBT+ support network of some kind or other, something the haircutter may be a part of and/or may have taken advantage of herself.

Such networks are very useful to know about because its members can tell you about the right doctors which are familiar with HRT (not every doctor can be trusted with it unfortunately), other trans friendly health care providers, queer friendly businesses, various safe spaces, meetups and more.

But despite my reservations, please do not feel discouraged! Be assured, I am glad that you already feel more like yourself and I wish you all the best on your journey! 🍀

The links to the registration do not work for me.

Interesting. I have never tried to do such long ferments with milk breads. I have to try that out. Thanks for the tip!

I am a big fan of sourdough breads with milk, but from my own personal experience you have to be flexible with the hydration. Milk breads tend to be more dense and can be very hard to knead. Usually I up the hydration even further than the recipe suggests: When my usual breads tend to have a ~70% hydration, I often go up to ~80% when working with milk.

I’d like to change my gender now.