devi (imported) wrote: Mon Nov 09, 2015 1:52 pm We have quite a bit personal variety here, -a huge amount! Much more than anyone would suppose, I think.

I'm quickly starting to figure that out!

Losethem (imported) wrote: Mon Nov 09, 2015 6:56 pm Let me add, as a voluntary nullo/emasculated man, that it's going to take you a while to build up trust with us because we've been burned (badly) in the past by others coming here telling us the same things you have. This is not said to discourage you, but understand some of us may not be willing to chat with you for a while until we know you're the real thing. I do hope it turns out that way in this case, we need more legitimate people working on this subject as we're in medical no-man's land right now.

Working with Jesus will be an excellent start to overcome our concerns/apprehension.

--LT

I totally understand (and appreciate) your apprehension.

I have limited hands on experience with fieldwork thus far (I'm only an undergraduate), but I do believe that honesty is the best policy when interacting with anyone in "the field."

While I can't say whether or not anything will become of my research (it stems mainly from my own curiosity), but I can say that honesty and discretion are my top priorities -- in my opinion, data means nothing if you've burned bridges in the pursuit of it.

For what it's worth, most of those burned bridges with us are journalists (or so-called journalists in some cases) that have treated our community poorly. You're coming from an academic direction, and you're freely admitting at this point that it's simply an interest you're pursuing. I would continue to talk to our friend here Jesus. It took him a long time to build the trust with us, but he did, and he's an excellent resource.

We are always looking for younger folks to take this up academically, and work towards getting us to legitimate sources of help other than the dead ends we often find. I successfully navigated all this only this year, but it is still very difficult for most men who desire to do these things to feel comfortable in their bodies to find help. We need more folks like you researching this legitimately and moving our cause forward. The "holy grail" for us would be the development of a standards of care process such as that which exists for those who are gender binary.

Good luck in your studies.