Remember back in 2015 when Ashley put in a two-years-out down payment for bottom surgery with Dr. Bowers? Well, that two years later is now now, and Ashley has just gone through gender-confirmation surgery with Dr. Bowers, and she and Jay talk through its ups and downs. Ashley thinks back to her facial-feminization surgery in 2014, and she recalls letting her parents know about that upcoming surgery and their reaction at the time of near indifference. In contrast, a few months ago when...

After Ashley's wobbly visit with her parents over Independence Day weekend (http://www.missgender.com/2015/08/are-things-getting-better-s02e12/) in which her parents carelessly outed Ashley to her brother's parents-in-law, Ashley came to realize that her parents weren't using her pronouns when she wasn't around. So she decided to write a third letter to her parents. Ashley sent her letter in early November with the hope that maaaybe her parents might give some thought to practicing her...

Ashley went to see her parents over Independence Day weekend. Her brother Adrian, and his wife and parents-in-law were also there, so Ashley felt some reassurance that even if her parents weren't any better with her name and pronouns, at least the support from the other visitors would able to make up for it a bit.

Ashley chats with Jay about visiting her parents in December. They didn't use her birthname during the trip, but they didn't call her Ashley that often, either. Worse, it seems as if her parents are putting on an act while she's around -- because after they think she's out of hearing range, they go right back to using the wrong pronouns. So Ashley isn't sure whether it might be worth writing them another letter or perhaps trying another tack. Jay and Ashley discuss voice coaching and...

Ashley and Jay talk about Ashley's travels over the last few months, including the family reunion she attended in July, her brother's wedding in August, and her dad's 70th birthday in October. Her extended family at the reunion were super accepting, always using Ashley's correct name and pronouns. Her parents, unfortunately, still haven't made the switch 100%. At her brother's wedding, Ashley felt totally included among the other women, especially when they all went to get their hair...

Ashley gives Jay all the details about her recent trip to Argentina for her FFS (Facial Feminization Surgery) with Dr. Di Maggio, and the amazing help she got from her friend Andrea (on Twitter @ButtermilkPecan) while recovering and getting settled in a strange city. Like any surgery, it wasn't a walk in the park, but Ashley was pleasantly surprised that there wasn't much pain, and she had no complaints about her relatively smooth recovery, which Ashley credits to her doctor's delicate...

Ashely visited her parents in December and it didn't go as well as November did. Huh?

Ashley plans to spend Thanksgiving with her aunt and uncle, unless her parents agree to start calling her by her correct name.

Ashley's parents still refuse to call her Ashley, so she tries to explain how it important it is one last time.

Ashley visited her parents at the beginning of winter. Over her previous visit for Thanksgiving, she had heaps of support from visiting relatives, but this time Ashley had fewer allies -- mostly just her brother, who gets her name and pronouns right all the time. Her parents still use the wrong pronouns, and Ashley thought it might be because they didn't know how much it hurts her. Wanting to remove any doubt, she braced for confrontation and told them how deeply hurt she feels when...

Even though Ashley's name change has gone through, she's wasn't sure whether it would make any difference when she visited her parents over Thanksgiving. It turns out, Ashley's cousins, aunts, and uncles seem to have become all the more supportive, while her parents still lag behind. Ashley goes over a conversation with her parents in which she tried to gently ask them again if they could please use her pronouns. She was expecting that it might be a five-minute conversation -- mostly just...

After having filed her paperwork and heaps of waiting -- among other steps -- Ashley's court date for her name change finally arrived. Ashley goes over the happenings that day and how things played out, including her game plan for getting out of bed by 5:30 a.m. Ashley and Jay chat about some of the documents Ashley has to get updated, some of which Ashley has already tackled, others of which she's leaving until her gender marker has been updated too. Oh, yeah -- in Texas, it's a complete...

Ashley had been trying to remain patient with her parents' refusal to use her new name or correct pronouns, hoping that they'd come around on their own. In a letter she sent them a couple months ago, she sternly asked them to call her Ashley and decided to correct them whenever they refer to her incorrectly. With Mom & Dad staying in her guest room just down the hall and the weekend's imminent raft of corrections, Ashley felt a building sense of anxiety in the weeks leading up to their...

Ashley has waited for months for her parents to start using the name Ashley instead of her birth name, but they won't, so she tries to explain her request again in a carefully worded letter. Unfortunately, the letter doesn't go over well and her parents tell Ashley that she's hurting them by not considering their point of view. Ashley's parents are visiting in a few weeks and she'd love to try a new restaurant with them, but she worries that her parents would out her as soon as they...

Ashley answers 7 Questions for the we happy trans project, such as who's been most supportive of her transition, changes she'd like to see in the world, and how she's helping to make those changes. Jay asks how Ashley's new coworkers are accepting of her gender identity, given that some knew her since before her transition while others have only ever known her as Ashley. Ashley receives a postcard from her vacationing parents, but they addressed it to her birth name and Ashley can't...

Ashley is frustrated by her parents' lack of acceptance, and suggests that instead of emphasizing her new happiness to them, she could instead explain how bad she'd feel if she had to return to her life before transition. And if they don't come around and she tries to bring this up with them, should she try to broach this over the phone or might she have better luck with a letter in the mail? Jay and Ashley chat about the group sessions organized by her gender therapist that she attends...

Ashley teaches Jay about the nuances and changing meanings of some of the more hurtful slurs directed toward trans folks, with help from GLAAD's transgender glossary of terms (http://www.glaad.org/reference/transgender). Jay asks Ashley to elaborate on what she means when she says she's "always been a woman" and if that means she regrets not having come out at an earlier point in her life. Together, they discuss whether it would be feasible to raise a baby as gender neutral until they...

Ashley's father seems to view her gender therapist as a sort of puppet-master (puppet-mistress?) pulling Ashley's strings, even though Ashley switched from individual counseling to group support. Ashley's parents say that they accept what she's doing, but they make a point of telling her they don't condone it. Jay thinks it means they now understand it's not a phase, but Ashley infers it's more likely that they think she's crossdressing. Ashley wonders how to get through to her parents and...

Ashley visits with family and friends during the yuletide season and her parents obstinately use the wrong name and pronouns for her, creating confusion among some guests. For Ashley, it's like insisting on using a woman's married name even after she split with an abusive husband. During her visit, Ashley's dad conspicuously mentions that it's okay if she doesn't attend mass with the family on Christmas, which makes Ashley wonder if her dad is telegraphing some embarrassment to be seen...

Ashley gets laid off, inferring through the business-speak that it was a means for the company to cut costs. She and Jay discuss searching for a new job now that Ashley is presenting as female full-time, but Ashley expresses doubts about whether she can pass during the entirety of an interviewing process--especially during phone interviews--and she forms a plan to deflate the elephant in the room. Jay asks Ashley to elaborate on her blooming albeit sporadic attraction to men, or more...

Over Thanksgiving, Ashley's parents reveal that they still misunderstand her transgender status, claiming that she's cross-dressing and that she's making her coworkers uncomfortable. Her parents also wonder if Ashley's gender therapist is putting ideas in her head, and worry that keeping and finding employment will get harder for Ashley. Ashley attempts to talk with her dad about some recent MRI studies indicating that transgender status is likely rooted in biology—that transgender people...

Jay figures it's time to ask Ashley about sex and romance as a trans woman, asking her about underwear preferences, whether she ever finds panties arousing, and the added complexities of a trans woman dating lesbians. For instance, would Ashley tell someone she's dating about her trans status before they have sex? Jay wonders whether testosterone blockers affect erections and if that has any negative effect on sexual intercourse. Ashley doesn't rule out being attracted to trans women and...

Ashley gets catcalled and wolf whistled at while entering Target and feels a little apprehensive, but also feels a little pleased. Jay asks if her mixed feelings are unique to transwomen or if they're common among all women. They discuss the men's clothes Ashley has already given away and the few masculine outfits she's keeping for the time being. Jay asks Ashley about changing her watch style and whether she's considered other accessories like toe rings, earrings, and other piercings....

Jay asks Ashley if she had considered wearing a wig until her hair had grown out to a length that she felt was more feminine. Ashley answers a question from a viewer about her views on men wearing women's clothing as she was growing up, including performers like Eddie Izzard and comedy troupes like The Kids in the Hall and Saturday Night Live. Jay also checks in with Ashley whether her early explorations with women's clothes had any erotic subtexts. They also chat about shopping for...

Ashley talks about her parents' recent visit and how she asked them to consider calling her Ashley rather than her birth name. There's also trouble with the bathrooms at work. Jay and Ashley talk more about so-called "girly glasses" and so-called "girly drinks". Ashley announces her nail polish bottle count and suggests a way to trade some of her lesser-used polishes in exchange for others she might rather have.