Journey of self acceptance and "coming out."

I was wondering how people here came to accept the cross dressing part of their personality. Or what was the process of you coming out as far as you have in your cross dressing voyage of discovery.:battingeyelashes:

There are certain pivotal moments in my cross dressing that I think I will always remember.

1. As a very young boy around 4 or 5 I remember my mom letting me dress up in her clothes which I enjoyed.

2. Age 14 I was visiting an aunt on vacation and found her lingerie while she was at work. I dressed up in her stockings and corset. I was hooked! :heehee:

3. Age 14 My best friend and I start cross dressing together.

4. Age 17 I bought my first garter belt and stockings (black of course) from a lingerie store.

5. I throw the garter belt and stockings away out of shame and guilt. The first, but not the last time I would purge my fem. clothes.:cry:

6. Age 22 I tell the sales assistant at the lingerie store I am looking for lingerie for myself. First time I tried being honest at a store about who I was buying the lingerie for.:c9:

7. Age 27/28 I share with sponsor in AA that I was a cross dresser. First person I had told not including friend from when I was 14 who I lost contact with. I was terrified my AA sponsor, a person who knew me well, at the time would not accept me. Of course he did not mind that I cross dressed at all. The fear was all in my head. :)

8. Met an amazing woman who accepted and encouraged my dressing. We did not last as a couple but I will never forget her. :battingeyelashes:

9. Age 32 while in the army in Germany I bought a very short mini dress and lingerie. When off duty I went into town dressed and had my face wrapped in scarves so nobody could see me. This was my first time in public dressed. I was afraid but also excited. :cheer:

10. Meeting partners for the first time while dressed in Belgium. :)

11. Going clubbing while dressed for the first time. This occurred in the U.S. and I loved it. :daydreaming:

12. Visiting Rain in NYC for a professional makeover. I then went to an AA meeting in the Village dressed. It was a fantastic time.

13. Coming out to my wife that I am a cross dresser and her accepting it. :lovestruck::nailbiting:


So these are the highlights that I consider the most important in my cross dressing journey so far. I am sure I still have a long way to go.:)

There are my highlights. What are or were yours?

My most import moment was 10 years ago when I found a letter from my daughter telling me she knew about Stacey

I would say my pivotal events were as follows:

1. Age 10 found a discarded pair of my sister's pantyhose and tried them on.
2. Age 14, combined pantyhose and a little purple dress -- was so excited.
3. Age 20, bought my own pantyhose that fit right.
4. 2013, bought a dress for myself and a pair of shoes. Joined the forum.
5. 2020, tried make up, covered lower face with a mask. Finally made peace with dressing, realizing it was just something fun and interesting to do.
6. 2021, went out dressed, then again and again.

There has definitely been an acceleration in the whole thing. Something to bear in mind.

Hi Kitty Sue, I started around 10 or 11 stealing clothes and makeup from my mother. I always dressed at home and don't intend to change that. I came out to my wife 36 years into the relationship, that was 2 years ago and the couple survived but not without severe wounds. While the prospect of being found was one of my greatest fears, I always accepted myself, in the sense that I never felt shame or guilt. I thought I was doing something weird that people would never understand, but as far as I was concerned it was just me doing my thing and hurting no one (actually my wife proved to be the casualty).

Here?s my journey, For the most part, my pivotal events are much more recent, but really not much different than most other than at what point in my life they occured:
1. Childhood ? No CD experiences at all, other than clomping around in my mom?s high heels occasionally, just to do it. She did not get angry, just made me put them away when done.
2. Age 28 ? As a joke, put on one of my girlfriend?s ? soon to be my wife?s- night gowns, She asked if I liked it. I said no. I lied. Buried the impulse to explore CD for years.
3. Early 40s - Found a discarded pair of my wife?s pantyhose, impulsively put them on. Enjoyed it thoroughly, did it a few more times. Put those thoughts aside, and denied myself for the next 35 years.
4. Age 69 ? this past summer ? With wife out of town, succumbed to temptation and bought a pair of pantyhose, panty, and inexpensive heels ? my own stuff. Put them on at home with exhilarating result.
Bought dress, kimono robe, more hose/panties and nice heels on Amazon. Finally admitted to myself I was a CD, and leaned in without guilt or shame.
5. Took big risk and came out to my wife a few days after that ? did not try to hide for very long. She was surprised but still accepted me, with certain reservations that I found more than fair. We are in good shape, much to my happiness.
6. Joined the forum
7. Bought a whole bunch of new stuff ? worked on my makeup skills
8. No idea what is next, but I?m on my way.

A big turning point in my career was going into a share house with four girls.
We were all 18 to 20 and I got to share their clothes.
I was the chaperone in disguise on Saturday nights.

1. Age 3-4 ish seem attracted too femininity

2.Age 8 - Monumental event when I felt compelled to wear my mother's bathing suit and for the first time it felt like " I was me" and a supreme sense of peace & freedom came with it.

3.Age 8 - Puberty ....mesmerized by female fashion especially, catalogs, sounds, the feel, the look, the tenderness and the swish swish of my teachers skirts and slips and desperately wanted these things for myself - pictures of women in lingerie were hypnotizing.

4.Age - 15 - 18 - it seemed to fall dormant

5. Age 19 - 22 urge to dress up fully grows markedly

6. Age 22 - first year at UNI and it explodes with a need to buy wardrobe, make up and wigs, dresses you name it.
By now I knew I would need to dress fully as a woman to be myself - it just felt like that's the way I was - it did not cause me grief.

7.Age 22 - 27 Started living alone dress in full often.... enjoy being Kelly ... being myself... then at 27 hooked up with that Liberal old GF from HS in my last year of UNI and she was absolutely unaccepting of my transgenderism.
This shocked me. She was a self proclaimed supporter of Gay & Transgender rights - except in her back yard.
I pretty well gave up on marriage right then --- so it was a monumental experience - she was essentially rejecting who I was at heart and being such a champion of Liberality - It was instructive.
I was happy and she said she would not accept what makes me happy - the pain of any single life seemed small for me set against being unable to be me - so the single life is what I chose.

Age 28 - 59 pres - Had a wonderful career, always been pretty darn happy, had a great love life and no real complaints , I wish I could meet another T Girl to be Gfs with but outside of that
life has been quite happy and interesting - not always easy - but things worked out as good almost as I could hope from a TG POV - just need more socializing with other TGs would be nice.