Question about gender reassignment.

[vetobob9]

When you decide to seek gender reassignment, how and where do you start? What is the process like?
I have a bunch of questions but I think I will limit to just those for now. Thanks.

[Katesback]

the internet has all the information you would ever need. One only need to a search in Google.

[Ashley Lynn Swift]

Well I found calling around to several different doctors and thearipst offices to be quite helpful in actually locating a therapist that specializes in Gender Identy Disorder aka GID. As to the transition process it's definately not an easy road or a quick fix. It takes time not only because you must meet set requirements base on where you live to be eligible for the surgery but you really have to grow into yourself and be totally comfortable with who you are and what you are doing. But a thearipst is the best place to start. They can definately help you too understand the process better

[Billijo49504]

If you have insurance, check with them. Or you can check with a local LGBT orgination. Another idea is to ask your own doctor. They might know of some one in your area...BJ

[GypsyKaren]

There are Yahoo chat groups of the past and present patients of the top tier surgeons, being able to talk with others who already used them helped me more than anything, just do a search. Like Kate said, Google is your best friend, and asking specific questions here will get lots of responses.

The process? Get lots and lots of money, unless you're one of the fortunate few who has insurance that will cover it. Thailand is quite a bit cheaper than here, I had mine done there four years ago and I'm more than happy with the results, even my gynecologist is impressed.

There's also the Standards of Care or whatever they're calling them these days to deal with, most of the Thai doctors will give you some fudge room with that, expect the North American doctors to follow them to the letter.

Probably the biggest step in the process is being 100% sure that's what you want, once it's gone it's gone for good...fell free to PM me anytime with questions, I'm cheap.

Karen Starlene :star:

[vetobob9]

How do you do the real life experience as the other gender? What does that mean?

[Frances]

You have to live full time as the other gender, using a female name, dressing in women's clothes in every situation for a prolonged period of time (two years), never reverting to your male self for comfort, be it on the phone or in person. In other words, living as a woman in society, even if you can easily be read or look like a guy in a dress.

Did you read about the RLE in the standards of care?

[vetobob9]

You have to live full time as the other gender, using a female name, dressing in women's clothes in every situations for a prolonged period of time (two years), never reverting to your male self for comfort, be it on the phone or in person. In other words, living as a woman in society, even if you can easily be read or look like a guy in a dress.

Did you read about the RLE in the standards of care?
I tried reading the link provided. It was informative but some of it was hard to understand.

[Frances]

Can you please tell us more about yourself? I would like to know what has lead you to get interested in transition. You have a lot of posts, so you have been around for a while on this forum, but obviously not in this section. Maybe we could help you better, if we knew where you come from.

[vetobob9]

At the moment I am curious. For most of my life I was socialized that homosexuality and crossdressing were bad and transsexuals were clownish cartoon figures. I actually used to preach against it. Maybe not preach but I would use the scriptures that deemed them bad. Then I read several science articles indicating these traits may actually be genetic. A couple of years ago I took a college course titled the Evolution of Human Sexuality that stated that

1. Homosexuality. crossdressing, and transsexuality, and transgenderism are the result of genetics as shaped by the biochemical interactions of the mother's body and the fetus she is carrying. I learned that poor women are more likely to have daughters while upper middle class and wealthy people are more likely to have sons.
2. Further, these tendencies were also connected to what kinds of foods both parents ate while they were teenagers.
Then I questioned, if these are genetic in nature, then that means God made them that way for a purpose. And the class I was taking showed that crossdressers and transsexuals actually do provide a great benefit to society, as do homosexuals.
I remember there was a passage from the new testament where Peter had a dream. All kinds of unclean creatures were brought to him and he was told to eat them. And Peter said, I cannot touch these because they are unclean. And God said to him, "What I declare to be clean, let no man declare unclean."

I cross dress at home but will occasionally under-dress when out and about. But I've never thought about transitioning. I am, nonetheless, curious about it. There are certain things that, while I am male, I do them like females do. My walk, the way I throw things for example. Several months ago, when I started growing my hair, my niece commented that I pushed it back in the manner that a girl would. I didn't even do it consciously. I was merely doing what I thought was the only way to do it. At the same time she said my girl name would be Rebecca. That's what my other neice said years earlier. The two are years apart. The first one said it around 1996 and the second one said it in November of last year. I found it interesting they both selected the name that I actually use when I wonder what it would be like to be a woman.

[Jennifer Marie P.]

Istarted by going to terapist and make sure thats the path you want to take.

[Stephenie S]

Sweetie, don't worry about it. There is so much info on the internet that it will take you months, maybe years, to sort it all out. If you have specific questions, bring them here. You will get answers.

It certainly doesn't sound like you need to think much about transition yet. You are nowhere near that point. Those who do transition do so not because they WANT to transition, but because they HAVE to transition. If you know you are female, you may decide you have no other option but to transition. Remember, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. If you think you just MIGHT like to be a woman (doesn't everyone?) transition is not for you. Crossdress if you must and enjoy that.

S

[Beth-Lock]

You have to live full time as the other gender, using a female name, dressing in women's clothes in every situation for a prolonged period of time (two years), never reverting to your male self for comfort, be it on the phone or in person. In other words, living as a woman in society....
In Ottawa this is treated as old-fashioned I am told, through it still tends to take at least two years to go though the steps. A major difference is that many places do not allow taking female hormones until after the two year RLE, while in Ottawa, that is viewed as cruel, since some transwomen have trouble passing without hormones, and so on. I have completed the two year RLE but still have not been able to get on hormones though. It tends to be an individual thing some places. The thing about hormones is that after taking them for several months, some of the changes are permanent. That means that before starting them one should be sure one wants to be a woman for the rest of one's life.

Merely living as a woman for a long time, even just two years, likely will present you with so many problems to be resolved, and heartaches, that you will soon realize that what you have started optimistically is a more serious matter than you could imagine at the beginning. Losing old friends and alienating relatives, are a couple of agonizing things that are typical, and it is no fun being so alone without them. Depressions are also all too common. Transition is playing a hard game and playing it for keeps. That's why you need one or more therapists and various other professional consultants usually too. If you succeed, you might well join the people who have successfully transitioned, found it has been all worth it and perhaps even those happily married in their new gender.

Good luck on your journey Rebecca!