Has anyone faced any problems or issues over sharing their images?

[stephaniec]

I disagree. This is going to be one of those cases where I say 'it depends' and, unfortunately the bar for that is 'passability'. It sucks but it is what it is. Deep stealth is possible, but personally would be too much of a PITA.

I'm sorry, this issue always drives me insane, I mean really if your sick and you want to get well you do what you have to do or just live your life the best you can, your choice. as far as passibility   goes like it's been quoted on this site by a very knowledgeable person who we all know that the most that can possibly pass 100 percent is like 5 % of those who transition. I've seen some super models that you can still clock. The only thing I can say if this is  the way you need to live just do it because time on this planet aint that much. And you sure shouldn't spoil your life in constant despair because people might think your trans.

[Eva Marie]

My female presentation doesn't look anything like my male presentation so if anyone saw it they would not know it is me. I showed my avatar picture to a coworker that I had gotten close to that was leaving the company and she confirmed that to be true. I also remove geotagging information from my pictures before linking to them, and my photobucket account belongs to my old screen name and that name is generic and is non-identifiable. I do live in the L.A. area but I've never said exactly where.

I think I have been discreet, but that all doesn't matter now because soon I'm coming out.

So my answer is no.

[Alaia]

I also remove geotagging information from my pictures before linking to them

This is an important one that I think is easy to overlook, especially for those who aren't tech savvy. Very easy for someone to start stalking you if you are posting up the geolocation as part of your pictures.

[LizMarie]

I think that if you are discrete and careful in what pictures you post, especially avoiding those that disclose locations near where you live and/or other people from where you live, then you are fine.

Let's face it. This is the 20th century and if someone wants to badly enough they can and will string together information to allow themselves to identify you. Nobody, not even young transitioners, is going to get away with living fully stealth the way some women did 40-50 years ago (such as Lynn Conway before she voluntarily came out). There is simply too much interlinked information.

My advice is just be discrete and you should be safe, at least for posters in the United States. Other nations may have far worse situations.

[JLT1]

LTL,

You could post it in the "Just for Us" section if you want feedback with (possibly) a higher degree trust.  There seems to be a way to delete photos after a while.

I gave up on stealth.  On March 5, I teach a 4 hour class at work to over 1200 engineers and I will be in boy mode.  I will teach part 2 in boy mode on April 4. A colleague is taking part 3.  However, I'll teach part 4 in June, as me, Jennifer, after going full time the week before. Heck, the email list (with a webcast video link) from HR goes to over 14,000 people. 

I wish you luck and am glad to see your posts again.

Hugs,

Jen

[Dee]

Personally, I've never had an issue, but I'm not scared or worried about it outing me. What does make me uneasy though, is the multiplicity of whatever is posted and shared. Once you post something, it's essentially out there for everyone to access freely. I remember some before and after morphing video series that was just a collection of images from picture sharing threads, including Susan's. That's a pretty significant invasion of privacy, and seeing those videos really made me think twice about what I share.

And that's not to say it was a bad thing. It just hit pretty close when I started recognizing people from here, and the thought is unnerving.

[Michelle G]

I've read that as facial recognition software gets more powerful employers may use it to scour the internet to see where an applicant my have accounts on Facebook, tumblr, blogs, message boards etc.
That's why it bothers me to see so many teens posting their half dressed (or worse) selfies all over social media not knowing that it may hamper their employment opportunities.

To some extent that may effect some of us as well, which is why I try and keep my face off of web pages and social media posts....just to be safe

[Jenna Marie]

No, but that's because paranoia keeps me from ever sharing any. So I'm reading this thread with interest!

It's not actually that I'm afraid of being outed - I'm already out to a lot of people and make no effort to hide my past - as that I don't want coworkers, acquaintances, etc. finding an account where I've talked at length about things like my mental health and my vagina. I approach it the same way as my cis coworker, who confided that she is on a support site for women with hysterectomies but makes a real effort to keep that account un-linked with her real-world identity.

[RosieD]

I've read that as facial recognition software gets more powerful employers may use it to scour the internet to see where an applicant my have accounts on Facebook, tumblr, blogs, message boards etc.
That's why it bothers me to see so many teens posting their half dressed (or worse) selfies all over social media not knowing that it may hamper their employment opportunities.

I am sorry LtL as this question is a bit hi-jacky but - do you folks in the 'States really have to worry about that sort of thing?  I don't know if anyone over here has needed to but I would imagine the EUHCR would be quite interested in asking why they thought they had the right to prevent an employee/potential employee the right to a private life.

Rosie

[Xhianil]

i cant share any because of age, plus even if i could then anybody could find it within m town and make my life more of a living hell.

[MadeleineG]

i cant share any because of age, plus even if i could then anybody could find it within m town and make my life more of a living hell.

+1

Thank you for bucking your generation's trend of oversharing.

[Xhianil]

+1

Thank you for bucking your generation's trend of oversharing.

yea just sitting in class you see at least 80% are snap-chatting and instagraming.

[Ltl89]

I am sorry LtL as this question is a bit hi-jacky but - do you folks in the 'States really have to worry about that sort of thing?  I don't know if anyone over here has needed to but I would imagine the EUHCR would be quite interested in asking why they thought they had the right to prevent an employee/potential employee the right to a private life.

Rosie

Yeah, businesses discriminate all the time because of photos or posts that they find questionable. 

Thanks everyone for your thoughts.  I have to think it over, though my therapist thinks it's silly to feel concerned. 

[stephaniec]

Yeah, businesses discriminate all the time because of photos or posts that they find questionable. 

Thanks everyone for your thoughts.  I have to think it over, though my therapist thinks it's silly to feel concerned.

totally agree with the terapist

[Jamie D]

Just a couples of quick question.  Has anyone had any problems with sharing their images here on susan's?  Has anyone recognized you or seeked you out in real life?  Has anyone outed you?  Has it caused any potential problems for your security or privacy?  Did it make stealth and passing harder in any way?  I'm just curious about other people's experiences.  Please share anything that you think may be relevant or helpful.  All genders are welcome to share.  Thanks.

One always needs to be careful when posting any sort of personal information, including images.  The subscription area and my personal blog are two places that are not crawled by spiders and other sorts of bot programing.  As I write this the site is being crawled by 82 Chicom spiders (Baidu).

Though we try to intercept creeper, trolls, ->-bleeped-<-s, harvesters, and predators, they sometimes get through.

[Ms Grace]

I haven't had any problem. At the moment, in dude mode I don't look much like my avatar anyway. ( )

I'm a bit more concerned about when I go full time, since I'm relatively well known (or known of) in numerous circles - not trying to big note myself, not a megastar or anything, just that my involvement in work and my art means I'm vaguely known of by several hundred people. Personally I'm more concerned about my posts, some are deeply personal, some are about work colleagues, friends and family. Even though I don't use names, once I do go full time if people who know me do stumble across this site they'd be able to put a lot together. Part of me is "good luck to them" part of me is less dismissive.

But photos, no.

LtL, I know you're struggling with this issue big time at the moment. It is terrible that a single one of us has to feel any degree of shame about being transgender. Yes there are jerks out there whose lives are so sad and meaningless they have nothing better to do with their pathetic existence than to attempt to hate on, denigrate and shame trans people. But then there are jerks that do that across all categories of existence - to women, to men, to gay people, to people with a physical or mental disability, to people from a different race and/or religion, to homeless people, to anyone who dares to be in the slightest bit different and live their life as they must through no fault of their own. Need I go on? It is hurtful and harmful and some nutjobs can make it outright dangerous. I say all of this not to make you feel more fearful but to suggest that what those people say and think isn't worth a speck of fly poop. Seriously. Part of learning to live is learning to not live in fear of those people. But posting a pic is utterly your choice. You must feel safe. If you feel like you'd like to get some feedback but don't want to post to the main site consider PMing people on the site who you feel you trust and ask them if they wouldn't mind commenting on and keeping private a pic you would PM them. I'm sure there are many here who would be able and willing!

[Ltl89]

I haven't had any problem. At the moment, in dude mode I don't look much like my avatar anyway. ( )

I'm a bit more concerned about when I go full time, since I'm relatively well known (or known of) in numerous circles - not trying to big note myself, not a megastar or anything, just that my involvement in work and my art means I'm vaguely known of by several hundred people. Personally I'm more concerned about my posts, some are deeply personal, some are about work colleagues, friends and family. Even though I don't use names, once I do go full time if people who know me do stumble across this site they'd be able to put a lot together. Part of me is "good luck to them" part of me is less dismissive.

But photos, no.

LtL, I know you're struggling with this issue big time at the moment. It is terrible that a single one of us has to feel any degree of shame about being transgender. Yes there are jerks out there whose lives are so sad and meaningless they have nothing better to do with their pathetic existence than to attempt to hate on, denigrate and shame trans people. But then there are jerks that do that across all categories of existence - to women, to men, to gay people, to people with a physical or mental disability, to people from a different race and/or religion, to homeless people, to anyone who dares to be in the slightest bit different and live their life as they must through no fault of their own. Need I go on? It is hurtful and harmful and some nutjobs can make it outright dangerous. I say all of this not to make you feel more fearful but to suggest that what those people say and think isn't worth a speck of fly poop. Seriously. Part of learning to live is learning to not live in fear of those people. But posting a pic is utterly your choice. You must feel safe. If you feel like you'd like to get some feedback but don't want to post to the main site consider PMing people on the site who you feel you trust and ask them if they wouldn't mind commenting on and keeping private a pic you would PM them. I'm sure there are many here who would be able and willing!

Yeah, one of my big fears is that I'm very public about my life.  I think I've shared almost everything that has happened to me since coming out.  Even without a picture, it would be easy to guess who I am if you knew me.  Still you are right about what you say.  I shouldn't need to live in fear.  I just need time to think it over.  You know how I love to analyze things to death.  It's my speciality. 

[Ltl89]

Which happens automatically if You snap away with a smartphone - unless You remove all those nasty metadata before posting up...

What if the location tag is marked off in the camera settings?  Would it still contain some data that shows location?

[Tori]

I don't think so. You can always use the google machine and download some free metadata removal software for your computer.

My biggest issue with posting an image as an avatar is I have to look at that pic every single time a page loads. Be sure to pick one you like.

[Ms Grace]

Yeah, one of my big fears is that I'm very public about my life.  I think I've shared almost everything that has happened to me since coming out.  Even without a picture, it would be easy to guess who I am if you knew me.  Still you are right about what you say.  I shouldn't need to live in fear.  I just need time to think it over.  You know how I love to analyze things to death.  It's my speciality.

I'm no stranger to over analysing things. It is of course wise to look before one leaps but over thinking a situation is a fear response, a desire to ensure nothing bad can possibly happen...problem is that for those of us who are observant about life and who have over active imaginations then everything is potentially dangerous when you over think a situation. I used to be like that for years and it would have been a key reason my first transition attempt went belly up. I've learned to dial back my over thinking and over analysing, acknowledge the real and immediate dangers in the world but drop the fear that was holding me back. Not just from being transgender but in many other areas if my life.