Hi folks! I'm working at putting together a zine by and for transmen regarding the ins and outs of the transition process, including personal stories, tips, and information regarding services. My original idea is regarding sort of a "the questions I used to have" theme, so, if you've discovered, through the course of your transition, o,r through talking to other folks you know, info on things that you think it'd've been really great to know starting out or answers to questions that've come up through the course of it. But I'm expanding that to include stories you may have that you don't feel have been represented by the mainstream conversation about transitioning (ie. transitioning as a person of colour, transitioning with a disability, opting for a non-medical social transition, experiences as a transman in the music industry, adventures in homelessness, sex work, etc). Personally, I think I'm going to include a bit about being a trans traveling punk as well as an informational article on safer sex for FtMs.

At present, not only is the trans population often overlooked and under represented in much informational literature being put out by sexual health organizations and the like, but furthermore, finding information directed towards transmen (FtMs) is even harder with the term "transsexual" often understood by many to mean MtF. I hope that, in putting this project out, not only will it allow for folks who are curious or even questioning themselves, but transmen starting and going through the process to have more of a feeling of community and a broad base of stories regarding transition, but, also, to fill that gap in the current literature that is being produced and disseminated by sexual health and sexual diversity organizations within the city as well as in the informational packages that mental health professionals give to trans patients often have little/no information for/by transmen in them.

Too often our stories are collapsed and homogenized and I really think it's time that we had something put out to expand that dialogue.

If you're interested, feel free to get back to me here for any support, or, send completed, scanned articles to geared2riot@gmail.com. The zine is going to be in a half-page format (fold a sheet of paper in half lengthwise sort of like you're making a kindergarten birthday card) so, if anything you'd like to include could be made to that scale, that'd be rad!


Deadline for submissions is April 25, 2009.

Look forward to hearing back from you with your stories!

-Niq Roadbike
(Please circulate widely)