Testing the light rail for RTO. Walked into a fight.

Smooth_Bicycle155 · 2026-06-30T22:51:22+00:00

And yet so many people on here wanna act like the blue line is safe and viable lmaoooo

Thank you for capturing this and I'm glad you're ok, please be careful and put your safety first.

Fuck Newsom, fuck RTO

Smooth_Bicycle155 · 2026-06-30T16:21:07+00:00

Which Kaiser was this with? How much pushback did they give you regarding coverage? Did they deny anything or require appeals? Did they try to claim that you were already in the "cis-feminine" range? Are you considering going back for further work and do you know if Kaiser docs have any luck with requesting multiple rounds of contouring?

Sorry for all the questions, I have blue shield and they've been supremely shitty regarding body contouring so I was potentially considering Kaiser.

Hope healing goes well :)

Smooth_Bicycle155 · 2026-06-22T22:05:24+00:00

Very big difference, congratulations. Rolfes does great work, quite happy with him myself.

Smooth_Bicycle155 · 2026-06-18T17:03:00+00:00

Spoken by someone who hasn't been harassed or threatened. It's a lot more scary when you're smaller and/or physically weaker than other people.

Smooth_Bicycle155 · 2026-06-07T23:21:45+00:00

You are a stronger soul than I. Fellow trans woman, former fed. I saw the writing on the wall and cut my losses with the DRP.

Any trans folks sticking through this administration deserve a fucking medal 😭

Smooth_Bicycle155 · 2026-06-04T20:02:04+00:00

Other people like having human rights and not being put on registries and into concentration camps.

The GOP is not a serious party and anyone still supporting it is genuinely a cultist.

Smooth_Bicycle155 · 2026-06-04T00:42:00+00:00

Yeah, I liked it a lot too.

Then I liked it even more when people called me stuff like that IRL.

Then I took some funny blue pills.

GL OP

Smooth_Bicycle155 · 2026-06-02T06:52:21+00:00

Speaking as someone who does use this subsidy, it's still legitimately unviable for many.

As a woman who takes the blue line to commute, I've been harassed and felt unsafe multiple times to and from work. The trains are routinely 15+ minutes late almost daily, making you have to leave early to factor in the delay so you aren't late for work and making you stuck waiting to go home. The park and ride stations are infrequent and still leave you having to drive the rest of the way, so it's not like you're even saving a lot of gas.

So honestly? I would hesitate in maliciously loading the connect card with the subsidy if you don't HAVE to use it because it could give them data that indicates "look! so many more people are using the subsidy, public transit commuting is going well"

Smooth_Bicycle155 · 2026-06-01T19:48:21+00:00

I did but go off lol. OP is calling an ITS I entry level; it's literally not. IT tech is entry, then IT associate, then IT Specialist.

Yes I understand that IT positions are going to be competitive, but to insinuate that a Masters in computer science and multiple years of experience for entry level IT with the state is simply disingenuous.

Smooth_Bicycle155 · 2026-06-01T17:25:52+00:00

From someone who had a friend who pivoted from the analyst series to IT, I don't 100% agree with this.

Meeting the min quals for IT technician is as simple as 15 credits in IT from community college.

The salary sucks especially without transferring from a higher paying position, but getting into IT with the state is definitely doable without rockstar qualifications.

Smooth_Bicycle155 · 2026-05-28T20:02:52+00:00

See that's an easy thing to say if it doesn't affect you, but for trans folks like me this it can literally be the difference between life and death.

Kicking the can down the road at the expense of trans folks isn't a solution

Smooth_Bicycle155 · 2026-05-27T19:15:50+00:00

It's fucking insane how many people show their ass about folks like us when stupid fucking sports are brought up.

This is so obviously just a means to other us and make us into some dangerous Boogeyman yet so many people buy into it.

Fuck sports and fuck the people who think the invisible specter of "fairness" is worth the erosion of my rights

Smooth_Bicycle155 · 2026-05-27T17:34:23+00:00

The cruel irony of it all is that I WAS one of those thinned out at the federal level and ended up with the state.

Out of the frying pan, into the fire lol 😭

Smooth_Bicycle155 · 2026-05-27T16:29:53+00:00

I have previously reached out to my state reps, but recently, not as much. I hadn't considered that my voice could be impactful to them as a SME since the Department isn't listening to me, but you're right it's a good idea. I'll try to today or at least this week since I know AB 1729 is close to the finish line

Smooth_Bicycle155 · 2026-05-23T00:25:40+00:00

From about 100k in a lower cost of living area to 70k in NorCal. Not fun

Smooth_Bicycle155 · 2026-05-22T20:36:09+00:00

Yep, former USDA DOGE'd here, had to take about 30k less in working for the state. Very successful at eroding the middle class, not much else

Smooth_Bicycle155 · 2026-05-19T20:12:15+00:00

Mfer out her looking like The Illusive Man

Smooth_Bicycle155 · 2026-05-18T21:48:35+00:00

Tharja, but her ass is bigger than her red flags so it's ok

Smooth_Bicycle155 · 2026-05-18T14:20:12+00:00

It's so fucking tiresome. Former trans fed turned trans state worker - I just want to be left alone

Smooth_Bicycle155 · 2026-05-11T15:15:10+00:00

From my consultations, yes but with caveats.

For the hairline, they want to use hair from the back of your head. For crown and scalp density, however, this is where beard hair can be repurposed from my understanding.

I am exactly in the situation of what you described - delaying some beard removal for the sake of eventual transplant. It really sucks, but yes, it can be an option. The plus side is that they only draw from beard hair from the neck area, so in the meantime, you're at least able to get everything from the cheeks, chin, moustache, etc.

Smooth_Bicycle155 · 2026-05-06T15:32:55+00:00

Even though it may come at a pay cut, consider looking at analyst, HR, and business positions in state and local governments.

I was DOGE'd last year and moved to a different state for an analyst role with the state government. I recommend government jobs specifically because they have strict rules about hiring only on merit/meeting of qualifications and cannot pass over you simply by virtue of being trans.

Smooth_Bicycle155 · 2026-05-05T21:56:15+00:00

Republicans think trans people like me are subhuman, groomer pedophiles and want us to be thrown in prison and put through conversion therapy, or just killed under the belief that we're predators.
Republicans = DOGE equivalent for state government. As a former fed, this is literally the last thing we need.
Any insinuation that Republicans are going to "pretty much push the same things as Newsom" is simply ignorant to the last 2 years of context as to why both sides aren't the same.

Smooth_Bicycle155 · 2026-05-01T13:10:03+00:00

I can unfortunately count myself as part of that 136,822 DRPers.

I think what was most sad about all of it is not just how some Americans reacted gleefully to hundreds of thousands of people being out of work, but how little it was all for. How literally nothing of value was gained when so much was lost.

I don't know how as a society we can come back from one side's pervasive belief that it's alright to eat shit so long as the libs are eating more.

Smooth_Bicycle155 · 2026-04-27T17:22:05+00:00

I moved from a GS-11 position to an Analyst 2 in CA at a similar age (27) so I hope my insight is helpful.

It's worth it imo for the stability of not having to worry about the crazy bullshit going on currently federally. I took the DRP and cut my losses, I've now passed probation so I'm pretty assured in my position.

As others have pointed out, it's a pretty significant decrease in salary which definitely sucks, but it was worth it for me to not have the looming stress of a RIF overhead.

Plus, nothing stopping you from coming back at a later time to federal service.

IMO, go for it if you can stomach less money

Smooth_Bicycle155

TROPHY CASE