Urgh, people actually celebrate this?

[Renard]

My mom congratulated me when I started :/ Said something along the lines of "Welcome to the sisterhood." I remember taking it literally and wondering what this thing had to do with my aunt lol

And out of curiosity, did any other guys hide/try to hide their period? Kreuz mentioned hiding his. I myself hid it for at least two-three months, if i recall correctly.

(Then I finally figured out that there were probably better options than wearing thick black sweatpants every month for five days, and told my dad. I think I cried for a solid hour or so afterwards. Not a fun day.)

[GentlemanRDP]

Well, some extreme feminists would say that getting theirs is a sign of womanhood,
As for me, I say that it's more of a sign of god's discontent with women.
"And you women shall bleed for seven days out of every month to remember where you stand in the eyes of men!"

[schism]

i freaked out when i first started.  pretended nothing had happened all day then burst into tears when i got home, then my mum decided to buy me a ring to celebrate but before she gave it to me made me promise not to have sex until i was married... so much awkward.

[Leek]

I can see why someone might celebrate it. If a person is a woman and is therefore comfortable with a female's body, she might see it as symbolic of her fertility and ability to bring life into the world, carry on the human race, etc.

From the transguy perspective of dysphoria of course it's hard to fathom, but eventually--when (if?) you go on T and the period ceases--you might be able to appreciate it in others because it is no longer your burden to deal with. After all, if it were not for this process in cis-females, none of us would have been born.

[anibioman]

when i had my first i kept it hidden i find it weird that people would ever celebrate this. i like that shark week is no more for me when i do get it i get really agitated and anti social.

[Natkat]

And out of curiosity, did any other guys hide/try to hide their period? Kreuz mentioned hiding his. I myself hid it for at least two-three months, if i recall correctly.

I have always tried to hide it, I have no problems with other talking about period, but I never show when I got something myself and always hated it.
Sadly I grew up in comunetys with very few girls, so it where harder to hide.
-----
gentlemand:
I had the same kind of thought,
I feel pretty sad for women like, you must bleed and me in pain every months like a punishment for not getting pregnent,
if you do then you must wait 9 months and have a painfull time getting birth.

[Ayden]

And out of curiosity, did any other guys hide/try to hide their period? Kreuz mentioned hiding his. I myself hid it for at least two-three months, if i recall correctly.

I did, but mostly out of embarrassment. When I was in middle school I was on the wrestling team, and I had to fight so hard to be accepted by the other guys that I probably would have gnawed off my arm before I admitted it. Now though, I mostly just complain and glare at my stomach with as much of a death glare as I can manage.

I don't get triggered so much by it anymore, it's mostly just something I like to pretend doesn't happen. But I guess one person's irritation is another's celebration, eh?

Edit: In the end I would rather deal with the bleeding than be pregnant. Pregnant ladies are one of my biggest phobias.

[Sharky]

Saw this...

I've never even met a female that wanted to celebrate it. I'm stealth, so girls often yell at me that I have no idea what they go through and try to make me feel sympathy for them(which I do) by using guilt and scare tactics.

And Sharky lol... actually I think the statistics now are OVER 1 out of every 10 kids have vaginal sex before they're even 12.

Actually now that I think back to the 6th grade, I believe it. I remember 2 girls in my homeroom talking about their sexual escapades. I guess there was about 15 girls so 1 in 10 sounds correct. They used to get playboy bunny stickers and tan the logo onto themselves. They covered the bathroom mirrors with stickers and lipstick.

I know every older generation thinks the younger generation is morally declined.  But can you imagine what it's going to be like in the future?

[anibioman]

wow 1 in 10 under 12 thats crazy although in 6th grade two kids in my class of 24 had oral sex with each other and in 7th grade two kids i knew had sex with each other. after that i lost track of who was ->-bleeped-<-ing who the only reason i knew about the others is because they were the first people to be getting it on so it was talked about alot but i think my school had less of a problem then most.

also as for pregnancy it was rumored that a girl who was in 9th grade at the time had an abortion and another rumor about a guy in 10th grade i think getting a girl from another school pregnant.

[Felix]

That is horrifying!

This may not equate to first periods, but I was sitting in my bedroom when I was about 10-11 whatever. Wearing my sisters clothes and feeling good. I knew nothing about sex (I'm old). I started to play with my hair and curl it etc, so I looked like me., trying make up, what we do!

I had an orgasm.

My dad had told me that boys had white stuff come out of their penises, and it was normal. I didn't know what he meant. My sister had explained periods to me and I had questioned my mother why mine hadn't started.

When I 'orgasmed' it was the most awful day.

I cried.

I honestly thought I was a girl and god would correct it.

No one should tell a 11yr old  that she is a boy and its task is to be the man and father children. I wanted to have children. I pushed my dolly in the pram.


Sorry, I'm coming out of a black one and I need to keep going.

Hugs

Cindy

I'm going to leave it as I have had a massive GID attack and I do not want to re-trigger.

Hey Cindy you are loved and it's not fair what happened to you. I thought God would correct it for me too. I thought when I grew up I'd get a penis. I thought it would be okay, because nothing could ever go this terribly wrong, it was a simple mistake.


Regarding first periods, I got mine on an airplane coming home from England, and had no idea what was going on. I thought I'd pooped out the front. It was a little brownish. After getting home I changed my underwear and was utterly stunned when the next pair got dirty too. I asked my dad what to do, and lol he didn't have much more clue than I did.

[Mr.Rainey]

Celebrating menstruation is like celebrating falling down stairs.

[Keaira]

Hey Cindy you are loved and it's not fair what happened to you. I thought God would correct it for me too. I thought when I grew up I'd get a penis. I thought it would be okay, because nothing could ever go this terribly wrong, it was a simple mistake.


Regarding first periods, I got mine on an airplane coming home from England, and had no idea what was going on. I thought I'd pooped out the front. It was a little brownish. After getting home I changed my underwear and was utterly stunned when the next pair got dirty too. I asked my dad what to do, and lol he didn't have much more clue than I did.

Well, if I start bleeding I will probably freak out, maybe even more so than some of you guys. Because this was never mentioned in all my reading about MtF's. I will be even more at a loss for words than you Felix.

BTW, what part of England did you go to?

And I've never heard the term 'Shark Week' before.

[Felix]

Well, if I start bleeding I will probably freak out, maybe even more so than some of you guys. Because this was never mentioned in all my reading about MtF's. I will be even more at a loss for words than you Felix.

BTW, what part of England did you go to?

And I've never heard the term 'Shark Week' before.

I went, um, to all the touristy places? I was the youngest one on the trip. I was a "student ambassador" for about a month, sponsored by Duke University. I stayed with a host family in London for a couple of weeks, spent a week with an Irish family in a less urban city, and did a lot of frenetic schedule-following and also a lot of aimless wandering in Scotland and Wales. I probably should have said UK, I guess.

Lol I love the term Shark Week. I hadn't heard it before coming here.

Celebrating menstruation is like celebrating falling down stairs.

This made me choke and almost spit soup all over my keyboard.

[Lukas-H]

I always understood the reason why it might be celebrated in many cultures, as it's considered the age when a 'girl' comes into 'her' 'woman-hood' since it signifies the ability for that person to be able to bear children, but I am extremely glad that my parents never celebrated it. My mother did tell a few people, that many years ago, but there was no party or anything like that. I never saw it as anything important either, but that's just my personal experience; it was annoying and painful and an inconvenience, but I tried to go about my life as much as normal whenever that time comes around.

[Felix]

My daughter has had some spotting. No full-blown menstruation, but it's probably soon. I've been dealing with it like a practical issue, showing her American Girl books and anatomy textbooks, and making sure she has the right gear and knows how to use it. I assume that my not doing more than that is normal and not a function of my trans issues. I hope.

[El Capitan]

I always understood the reason why it might be celebrated in many cultures, as it's considered the age when a 'girl' comes into 'her' 'woman-hood' since it signifies the ability for that person to be able to bear children, but I am extremely glad that my parents never celebrated it. My mother did tell a few people, that many years ago, but there was no party or anything like that. I never saw it as anything important either, but that's just my personal experience; it was annoying and painful and an inconvenience, but I tried to go about my life as much as normal whenever that time comes around.

That's it though I hate the (obvious) associations with being a 'woman' and a 'girl'. Everyone sees me as a female because I have these bloody things and I get really dysphoric about not being seen as who I really am

(I don't think I'm explaining myself very well)

I dunno,  thought more of you guys would understand how dysphoria inducing the 'womanhood' thing surrounding periods is 

(that's not me trying to start a fight!)

[schism]

i'm guessing pretty much every trans guy understands the dysphoria surrounding it, it's unpleasant and a forced reminder of having the wrong body, so for us, celebrating it sounds horrific when all it does is make us feel like ->-bleeped-<-.  but at the same time, becoming a woman has always been an important part of life and that's not going to go away, and it shouldn't- there's nothing wrong with people finding joy in their bodies, which is kind of what we're all aiming towards.  if a cis female and their family are excited about her entering that stage of life and want to throw a party, more power to them... but our feelings of discontent also need to be recognised and respected.  so i think what the guys here are saying is that they have the ability to recognise that social and cultural pride in woman, while also sympathising with how in themselves it induces dysphoria.

[Lukas-H]

That's it though I hate the (obvious) associations with being a 'woman' and a 'girl'. Everyone sees me as a female because I have these bloody things and I get really dysphoric about not being seen as who I really am

(I don't think I'm explaining myself very well)

I dunno,  thought more of you guys would understand how dysphoria inducing the 'womanhood' thing surrounding periods is 

(that's not me trying to start a fight!)

I totally understand what you mean here. I understand the dysphoria part too, it really hits me hard sometimes. I only used the words in quotation marks because that's the general expectation, but as we all know, not every person who menstruates is a woman. I think schism said it better than me and I totally agree with his statement.

[dalebert]

I dunno,  thought more of you guys would understand how dysphoria inducing the 'womanhood' thing surrounding periods is 

I think the subject drifted into the general celebration of periods and away from your original point that as a guy, it feels so out of place and wrong to you. That makes sense and as a guy, I empathize with you. I am under the impression that for the vast majority of FtMs, the periods lessen and ultimately end as you continue to take T, but maybe others can expound on that and the extent to which I may be mistaken. Also, I know many choose to get a hysterectomy at some point for health reasons even if the periods have stopped. Maybe that's an option to talk to your therapist about.

I think it's something you have to look forward to that they will stop one day. Until then, I think Margaret Cho had something to say about it. If you feel you can have a sense of humor about it until the day comes that they'll be over, click the links. If you think jokes about it will make you feel worse, don't click them (the 2nd ones a little dark to the tune of Cyanide & Happiness, just a heads up). I just wanted to express my empathy for your situation and lighten your mood if that's possible.



http://imgur.com/iY3D6

[Æsher]

And out of curiosity, did any other guys hide/try to hide their period? Kreuz mentioned hiding his. I myself hid it for at least two-three months, if i recall correctly.

Yeah, I hid mine from my mum for a couple of months before she found out. When the topic came up with friends I would either not participate in the conversation or pretend I had some kind of problem and hadn't got it yet. IIRC, to this day I've never mentioned it to anyone besides my mum and this thread.