SandraAbsent
03-03-2012, 12:19 PM
Well the cat is out of the bad and waiting to see if the shit hits the fan :)
Dear Father,
For what I am about to discuss, I am writing you a letter primarily because an opportunity to discuss this with you in person seems to never present itself. To begin, I want to say that even though I feel our relationship has been strained most of my adult life, I love you and your wife very much. I feel it is this strain that has made it so difficult to approach you with this subject. I suppose that without too much more gobbledygook, I will get to the point.
You and I will probably both agree that for most of my life the opinion has been that I am a little different. I can think of many times through my childhood where that presented itself. What is probably not known is that for most of my life, I have lived in what I would consider a very deep depression. Its led to an adult life in which I have by all measures self destructed including my health, my finances, my relationships, and my social life. What I haven’t ever discussed with you is the number of times in my life starting from childhood, that either figuratively or literally considered the option of just pulling the plug. It was never really discussed, but after my last heart attack, I actually checked myself out against the doctor’s orders. Something clicked and I checked back in and saved my own life. It was after this last episode with my heart that has prompted me to do something about what has been troubling me as long as I can remember.
Since that time I have been seeking counseling, peer support groups, and medical professionals to help come to terms with what I have going on in my head. The overwhelming conclusion is that I have lived my life with what is known as Gender Identity Disorder. This is a formal diagnosis used by psychiatrists and physicians to describe people who have significant gender dysphoria (discontent with the biological sex they were born with) To put this in much simpler terms, I am not, and never have been happy with being male. Under the guidance of professionals, I have made steps over the last two years to begin my transition into a life lived as woman. This includes progressively living more of my life presenting as a woman, cosmetic treatments such as laser hair removal, and more recently hormone replacement therapy. As of now, I live the majority of my life presented as a woman including my professional life.
I have known about this most of my life. Looking back I can remember events as early as my adolescent years, and while throughout my life episodes would appear, it was mostly repressed by fear, anxiety, and depression. Now that I no longer repress this, my life has been much happier and I truly feel I am putting my life back together piece by piece. Transition is a timeline and not immediate. To dispel any questions you may have at this moment, the answer is yes. I will at some point along this timeline be seeking to surgically correct aspects of my body. Before moving on, I want to insure you that this is not a “lifestyle” or “choice.” Every step that I will making is being handled by professionals and a standards of care that has been defined by the American Medical Association and the American Psychiatric Association.
I understand that by finally telling you this there are several outcomes ranging from disapproval to fully supportive. I also understand that acceptance of this will most likely be as much of a timeline as my own transition is. What I want you to know is that at any point if you want to discuss it I will be more than happy to listen and provide you with any resources that may help you understand this better.
Please know that I love you.
Dear Father,
For what I am about to discuss, I am writing you a letter primarily because an opportunity to discuss this with you in person seems to never present itself. To begin, I want to say that even though I feel our relationship has been strained most of my adult life, I love you and your wife very much. I feel it is this strain that has made it so difficult to approach you with this subject. I suppose that without too much more gobbledygook, I will get to the point.
You and I will probably both agree that for most of my life the opinion has been that I am a little different. I can think of many times through my childhood where that presented itself. What is probably not known is that for most of my life, I have lived in what I would consider a very deep depression. Its led to an adult life in which I have by all measures self destructed including my health, my finances, my relationships, and my social life. What I haven’t ever discussed with you is the number of times in my life starting from childhood, that either figuratively or literally considered the option of just pulling the plug. It was never really discussed, but after my last heart attack, I actually checked myself out against the doctor’s orders. Something clicked and I checked back in and saved my own life. It was after this last episode with my heart that has prompted me to do something about what has been troubling me as long as I can remember.
Since that time I have been seeking counseling, peer support groups, and medical professionals to help come to terms with what I have going on in my head. The overwhelming conclusion is that I have lived my life with what is known as Gender Identity Disorder. This is a formal diagnosis used by psychiatrists and physicians to describe people who have significant gender dysphoria (discontent with the biological sex they were born with) To put this in much simpler terms, I am not, and never have been happy with being male. Under the guidance of professionals, I have made steps over the last two years to begin my transition into a life lived as woman. This includes progressively living more of my life presenting as a woman, cosmetic treatments such as laser hair removal, and more recently hormone replacement therapy. As of now, I live the majority of my life presented as a woman including my professional life.
I have known about this most of my life. Looking back I can remember events as early as my adolescent years, and while throughout my life episodes would appear, it was mostly repressed by fear, anxiety, and depression. Now that I no longer repress this, my life has been much happier and I truly feel I am putting my life back together piece by piece. Transition is a timeline and not immediate. To dispel any questions you may have at this moment, the answer is yes. I will at some point along this timeline be seeking to surgically correct aspects of my body. Before moving on, I want to insure you that this is not a “lifestyle” or “choice.” Every step that I will making is being handled by professionals and a standards of care that has been defined by the American Medical Association and the American Psychiatric Association.
I understand that by finally telling you this there are several outcomes ranging from disapproval to fully supportive. I also understand that acceptance of this will most likely be as much of a timeline as my own transition is. What I want you to know is that at any point if you want to discuss it I will be more than happy to listen and provide you with any resources that may help you understand this better.
Please know that I love you.