ABOUT
VALUES
You'll notice that the bottom of the logo says "FOR US - BY US."
This is a variation of the motto "Nothing About Us, Without Us," which has been used by United States disability rights activists to emphasize the need for full and direct community involvement in policy and other matters that affect the community.
Much of the research and work done in the realm of trans healthcare is done on us and to us. When people talk about genital surgery, they talk about us and for us, but not to us. If they do talk to us, they talk to just one of us.
This is harmful. The motivations and experiences of those of us who undergo genital surgery are varied. We will not be able to fully understand and convey the nuances of these procedures if a critical mass of us are not included in the work being done the subject.
Community members and providers alike repeat misinformation and myths about surgery uncritically,
and finding honest, easy-to-understand information on the internet about these surgeries is pretty difficult. Negativity and inaccurate information may deter people from finding out more and discovering whether or not surgery is right for them. Surgeons and others who share information online, through published research, and at conferences
1) may not prioritize the same information that the community does
2) have their own biases which affect what information they share or how they share it, and
3) may be trying to market a service or otherwise advertise themselves.
Don't get me wrong - there are a lot of great resources out there, and many kind people willing to talk about their own experiences and share information. But, these resources may be held in private groups, or learning about particular subjects might require hours of searching through old conversations to piece together information. Not everyone has the media literacy or time to learn through these means.
Without accessible, comprehensive information that is not trying to move people toward a certain decision, people who may want to learn more, are in the process of pursuing surgery themselves, are caregiving for someone, or who are postop and still looking to fill in some of the gaps in their knowledge or learn about other's experiences, may be missing out on helpful information.
The goal of this site is, ultimately, to gather all of the knowledge that is floating around out there about metoidioplasty and phalloplasty and share it in a format that is (hopefully) easy to navigate and understand, and dispels the mythology that has been built up around these surgeries.
WHO MADE THIS?
This site was started by Elijah Castle, a trans health researcher and community member. Elijah currently works with the Hunter Alliance for Research and Translation at Hunter College. He has previously worked in gender-affirming surgery research at NYU Langone, and at Callen-Lorde Community Health Center as a medical case manager. For over five years, he has provided peer and community support and education on gender-affirming genital surgery.
PHALLOMETA.WIKI DOES NOT
1 / Allow surgeons or anyone else to advertise their services on this site
2 / Share information with the goal of convincing people to have a particular procedure done or go to a particular surgeon or surgical team
PHALLOMETA.WIKI DOES
1 / Share information that strives to be as unbiased as possible (with the understanding that 100% objectivity is not possible)
2 / Share information that is supported by medical literature and anecdotal information from the community
3 / Recognize the importance and legitimacy of lived experience, especially in the absence of academic research to validate those experiences
4 / Support people in having bodily autonomy and agency
5 / Support people in changing their bodies via gender-affirming medical interventions in order to achieve their desired embodiment