G’morning everybody, I've been wanting to tell you all about something, which is mostly personal, but is going to result in some slight changes at work as well. I think most of you already know, but I still feel the need to make sure everybody knows for sure. Over the next several months you may begin to notice some changes in my appearance. As you may have noticed, I’m not very “girly” and tend to get a bit defensive if someone calls me a “lady” or similar. This isn’t because I’m a “tomboy” or a lesbian, but this is due to the fact that I am a transgender male, or FTM (Female-to-Male). I've been going through the transition process for a couple years now, so I haven't exactly kept this hidden. On Wednesday the 29th of March I'll be taking one of the biggest steps in this process, which is the main reason why I'm even writing this e-mail. I have an appointment with one of my doctors so that I can begin hormone therapy. It's a fairly slow process though, so it'll be a while before there are any noticeable changes. Within the first few months I'll be getting more facial hair and my voice will start to break, so hopefully this won't be quite as disturbing to you, now that you know why. :P The appointment is around 10, so I definitely won't be here in the morning, but I'll probably be back in the afternoon. I ask that you call me Ronnie, and use male pronouns when referring to me or about me. I know most of you already call me Ronnie, but some of you still insist on Veronika, so I say this to you: please, try to stop. I understand that this can be difficult to remember, and I'm aware that slip-ups will occur (hell, even I slip-up), but I hope that you will at least give an attempt at using the correct name and pronouns. I'm working on getting my name legally changed to Ronnie Chance as well (Chance being my birth name, before adoption), so I hope you all can get used to that as well, and not be so confused when I use it. Some of you may not understand these changes that I'm undertaking, and some of you may not approve of it. That's fine, as it is your right. However, I still expect you to treat me with some basic human decency. Although, I’m really not worried about any of you taking this badly or being an ass to me. I would gladly answer any questions you may have, or direct you to additional information, so feel free to ask me anything you'd like to know. (: Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I look forward to continuing this journey and this apprenticeship surrounded by great people! Respectfully, Ronnie Chance