if you were growing up today, would it be different?

[Lena]

Many on here are older (mature) crossdressers. I wonder how many of my/our generation are actually TG but realize they will never transition because of the stage in life. So, they accept where they are in life.

But since attitudes are different now, how many CDs of my/our generation do you think would have transitioned? How many have lived and struggled with it because of society at the time was different?

I'm curious and wonder about stuff often.

[nvlady]

I am 72. Yesterday, today, or a hundred years from today I would not consider transitioning.

[franlee]

I am 72. Yesterday, today, or a hundred years from today I would not consider transitioning.
Same here!

[Acastina]

I'm as sure as I can be that, if today's relatively enlightened climate had been the norm when I was young, I would probably have transitioned and never looked back. I have lots of wonderful memories of the compromised life I've lived, but there's something down deep inside that will always feel cheated by having been born too soon to really be understood and find fulfillment. It's hard to explain, because there's so much to be happy about in the way some things have turned out, but I will go to my grave conflicted and frustrated to some extent. Of that I am as certain as I can be.

I have pondered the OP's question, often.

[Dana L]

I'm as sure as I can be that, if today's relatively enlightened climate had been the norm when I was young, I would probably have transitioned and never looked back. ...

I feel the exact same way. Couldn't have said it better myself!

[Ozark]

I am 66 and I'm just a crossdresser. I like wearing women's clothes. I've been reading about "Male Lesbians" but I don't know if that applies to me either.

[docrobbysherry]

I have no clue what I would have done or would do today as a young trans. Since I only began dressing 18 years ago. Also 72 now.

[OCCarly]

I am transgender. I am not on hormones yet but I am in the early stages of a slow, careful transition. If I were young in today's world, I would be a very pretty teenage girl. As it is, I am not going to throw away any more of my life than I absolutely have to being the man I never really was.

[Teresa]

Lena,
Much of what we know is in hindsight, most of our lives are compromises. I married young and just worked worked for the right reasons at the time, build a home up pay the mortgage started a business. Kids come along and time is compromised between them and keeping customers happy, all the time CDing is being dealt with in the background. The thoughts of being a CDer/ TG or TS didn't come into it, at the time I was a guy doing a weird thing sometimes. When the big reveal came twenty years ago the thoughts finally surfaced of what am I ? Why do I do this and what do I do about it, how does my family fit into all this ?
I'm still not 100% sure of the line between TG/TS but would I change anything ? Well I might not have had two great kids and three lovely grandchildren !

I guess the older generation just got on with the job without analysing things too much ! The ifs and buts come when you have time on your hands, by then it's probably too late to change anything even if you wanted to.

[MsMissy]

I am 72. Yesterday, today, or a hundred years from today I would not consider transitioning.
Me too. Only 35 though.

[Cheryl_Layton]

It's a VERY interesting question which I've pondered on more and more at this stage in my dressing. I'll be able to answer the question more truthfully when I see how this phase of my dressing plays out - which is much deeper and better than anything I've previously experienced.

The reason that my dressing is better is largely due to the current climate and modern technology.

I certainly don't rule out the possibility of transitioning.

[kittie60]

With what I know now, yes I would have transitioned.

[PaulaQ]

If I were growing up today, I'd transition as a child, no question about it, and saved myself decades of despair, depression, alcoholism and drug abuse, and suicide attempts. I've lived a life that up until two and a half years ago when I started transition, was a complete fraud, a sham, and a lie. It was empty, hollow, and completely devoid of any meaning. Successes I should've enjoyed were empty for me. Failures only reinforced how worthless I was. I hated who I was with every fiber of my being.

Women don't have it easy, but I'd take my chances on life as a woman over what I experienced pretending to be a man.

[Lacey New]

I doubt that I would ever have transitioned however I probably would have been able to have been more open to others about my CDing and as a result, the direction of my life would no doubt be different. But isn't that true whenever we choose any path in life? What would have happened if I took this job versus that one? Married this woman versus that one, etc, etc. I don't cry over spilt milk - content where I am.

[Claire Cook]

When I read about today's transgendered kids, and how they and their parents are coping with this, I'm realizing how times really have changed. Looking back at the 40's and 50's when I grew up, I remember many things that should have tipped me off that I was different. If I were growing up now, I think yes, I'd want to do T blockers to stop puberty changes and start HRT as soon as I could.

But then was then and now is now, and I would have missed the wonderful 40+ years I've spent with my wife. Now my transitioning means spending as much time as I can as me.

[Krististeph]

AWESOME QUESTION!

Because of my parents (they were old enough to be my grand parents) I would say not too much.

But- If my sister was my mom, and she lorded over my 'dad', 30 years prior, here is what I might expect (still a degree of old school here):

A bit of indecision, at first, then she would go with it. Dad would actually be more supportive, initially. Lots of crossdressing at 12-14, but highly physical in sports- but mostly non-contact sports: XC skiing, cycling. Kung-fu would be a large influence, lots of support in that. Aikido too.

Sent off to cycling/skiing/kung-fu/aikido/gracie jujitsu camps. Along with piano lessons. (My sister was always more practically smarter than Mom, bless her heart). Maybe even ballet. Perhaps as a retaliatory (to my TG) effect. No matter- ballet and kung fu/taichi mesh quite well, actually.

By 14 she would be pushing me- to test out of high school early. GED at 15. Working (enfemme) at 15 to help pay for college- tearing through physics and philosophy with the latest computers... [remember this was decades ago]. Crazy support for my most outre' stunts- laden double centuries, triple centuries; two week long survival/hunting expeditions. Perhaps eve running away on a train- riding a container car out to the west coast...

But she would push the hormones- I would have to take the meds. My best friend/aunt/sister/mother... 13 years older than me... so cool and with it- so understanding. Not what she was used to- but she would trust the zeitgeist- and follow with the best aggressive advice for treatment/support.

I would have no choice... and she would watch over me. And when I finally matured at about 20 or 21- she would let me go into the world- incredibly prepared. Probably do a 4-8 year stint in the Army. Combat or Intel, or both. After- come home, try to settle down.

When the surgical transition? Your guess is as good as mine. Probably 17-18. She loved being a mother/mentor.

[steftoday]

Yes. In a New York minute.

[Lena]

With what I know now, yes I would have transitioned.

I was going to ask if we thought a few lives would have been saved from suicide if it had been more common. But even today, trans children are taking their own lives.

[BLUE ORCHID]

Hi Lena :hugs: , I will be 73 in three weeks and have been in this program for about 69years now,

I'm very happy having the BEST of BOTH WORLDS...:daydreaming:...

[Lexi Moralas]

Great question , I have no idea if I would have transitioned , but I think I would have given it some serious thought

[CarlaWestin]

Great post. I'm right around the corner from 60 and I'll have to say that transition has been rather alluring over the years. But, in retrospect, I've had some amazing man experience in my life. Such as my career and having a child and flirting with women from a bad boy's point of view. And even now that I'm older, I might consider feminine facial surgery or maybe breast implants but, full transition would be a little extreme.

[DeidraDee63]

Hi, for the record I am 67 and finally about 2 years ago was diagnosed as having a variation of Kleinfelters Syndrome resistant to testosterone and have now been on Estrogen since, would it have been different for me YES!!!!!! for several reasons, one I would not have ended up disabled (severe osteoporosis) and in chronic pain, which affects not only me but my family probably worse then transition, I would not have lived with the dysphoria which we all know is rough. I am convinced of this without a doubt at least I have peace of mind that I am not mental but have a birth defect as result of prenatal exposure to DES. I'm sorry for the soapbox but there are others like me that may benefit from my experience.

[Beverley Sims]

I won't transition now, I missed the bus.

I would have caught that bus and paid my fare to the end of the line when I was twenty.

With all the information available today, medical practices as they are and peoples attitude towards transition, I would do it in a blink......


If I was twenty.

[Krisi]

I was born during WWII. Do the math. I would not transition if I were born today, last week, last year or last century. I understand that I am male and always will be. I like to wear women's clothes and other things to make me look like a woman, but I never wanted to be one except in a fantasy.

[Sharon B.]

I would like to think one of my older sisters might have treated me differently if we grew up in this world today, as far as transitioning probably not but I would be more at ease in my dual life.

[Giselle(Oshawa)]

i am pretty sure i would but it would depend on my family and how they thought about such things.

[Angela Marie]

The path not taken. Not only in this instance but many others. Who can tell what we would have done when. But what I do know is that I have been blessed with a wonderful life; family, friends, etc. Like everyone I've had my ups and downs and regrets as we all have. Life's experiences, good or bad, make us a better person if we lean from them. I have fond remembrances of the past, enjoy the present, and look forward to the future.

[Karren H]

Today. Pretty sure in would have elected to transition. Maybe between High School and College. Go to some women's preppy college far away from home and start a new life. Yep.

[Cheryl James]

If there was such a thing as a "do over", I would transition in a heartbeat. As a young child, teenager, and, even, as an adult, I would go to bed and pray that when awakened I would be a girl. I knew from the earliest of ages that a cruel trick had been played on me. On the otherhand I would have missed out on being a dad to two wonderful kids. I would have missed out on being an accomplished athlete (although, I could do that as a female, I guess). But, to wake up everyday in ones own skin would be a dream come true for me.

[Krisi]

Angela has a good point and it's something I have thought of. Would you trade your life for that of a transsexual woman? Would you not have your wife, your children, your grandchildren, your friends and your career?

It's easy to think the grass is greener on the other side of the fence but sometimes we forget that it's pretty green on our side as well. And that's a really big fence to jump.

[Christie ann]

If I knew then what I know now and with the current society being more aware of the issues, yes. I knew from an early age that I wanted to be a girl but that idea was not entirely welcome in the 1970's.

[Lorileah]

then again who is to say your life would not have been far MORE awesome? You could have adopted children, or worked in a shelter. You could have mentored kids. Maybe you would have married the perfect man (or lived with the perfect woman, maybe even your wife). You could have had an excellent career even in your current profession. You could have saved a house full of puppies from a fire. Life is what happens while you're waiting to die. Think this way, the people who would have transitioned may have gone on to a fuller and better life. The grass is on both sides of the fence but the fence may have a gate on the other side to worlds you never dreamed.

I am transitioning, so the point is moot. The question, like PaulaQ would have been when. And getting back to the above, prevented a life of fear and confusion. I won't say a life wasted, I am awesome at what I do. But I could have been awesomer if I had transitioned...or I could have settled into a routine normal life. The main point is that I would have been happier with ME.

I remember early in my life here saying things like "I'm too old" "I couldn't do that" but here I am. One person asked me "And how old will you be tomorrow? Will you get younger? If you need to do something do it today." Life is short. It took me a couple lessons to learn that. My advice to those following is do what you NEED to do to be happy. If you are happy, those around you are happy. Those who can't be happy for you, thank them for being part of your life and move on

[Mayo]

If I had known then what I know now, I would have begun actively questioning my gender identity in my teens rather than at 50. I'm still not sure if I'll ever transition (I think not) but at least I'd have figured it out much earlier in life.

[PaulaQ]

Would you trade your life for that of a transsexual woman? Would you not have your wife, your children, your grandchildren, your friends and your career?

I'd make that trade in a New York minute. Even if it meant being murdered by an unknown assailant at age 35, or dying from breast cancer at 50. I want a real life - not the imaginary thing I had that barely exists anymore anyway - a son who doesn't speak to me, an ex who hates me, lifelong "friends" who have no use for me now. A career that grateful though I am to have kept it through transition, is completely joyless to me.

For all of you who say "I'm too old now." I'll just say two things.

I've had 25 year olds say the same thing to me - do you think they're right, because I don't.

It's only too late to transition when you are dead.

[Rhonda Jean]

I was given a crazy amount of freedom with clothes, hair, nails, etc. when I was growing up, which was in stark contrast to the zero tolerance my parents had for other things. I think if the internet had been around then they would have been terrified by what my choices indicated. I think in many ways ignorance was bliss. I doubt I would have been allowed such freedom if they'd been better informed. I'm one of the few who'd say I think it might be worse now for me.

[vicky_cd99_2]

That is a hard issue to tackle. Having the same body not a chance. My life while it has been a roller coaster ride of emotions has been great. I might tweak a few things but without being in a different body I think I will stay a part time girl.

[Stephanie47]

I've been dabbling in women's clothing since the late 1950's. Sure, I'd feel better about myself today, if I was starting out today. However, that perception is based on enduring many decades of self loathing, questioning my sexuality, etc. Would you really know who you are or what you are now, if you were a teenager with no experience? There is still a lot of negativity in society concerning anything but heterosexual males and females. There may be more of the appearance of acceptability but there is still a strong undercurrent of negativity. You make reference to transitioning. From my personal observations talking to others who do not know I am a crossdresser, there is an acceptance there are men and women who are born into the wrong body. People seem to agree it is a genetic mistake. Most people I encounter just accept gays and lesbians are here to stay whether or not they understand or agree with it. Crossdressers? Society is not ready yet to encounter and accept crossdressers on a daily basis.

Personally, I am a plain vanilla cross dresser who has no desire to transition from male to female. I am content to who I am.

[KristyPa]

I think it is easy to say once its to late to say yes but I also don't know what I would do. I have thought about this off and on all my life .Dressing as a girl has been with me all my life I don't think I would have went full time because of having a good paying job and family.
I love to dress its the most exciting thing I do. I got married at 22 and divorced at 28, dressing had nothing to do with the divorce. I dressed in secret all my life never went out in public until I was 35 and love every time I did. Now I have a live in girlfriend and cant go out so I really miss it.
If I could have changed things first off I would never have married her. I was young and let her pressure me into it. I would guess I would have met someone else and married her.
To finally answer the question I would not have chosen a life as a girl over my male life and my female life when I choose to.

[Acastina]

I woke up this morning thinking about this thread, and a favorite line by Jackson Browne keeps rolling through my mind, from Running on Empty:

Gotta do what you can just to keep your love alive
Trying not to confuse it with what you do to survive

Unlike many of the comments here, I don't have children or a notable career to show for my compromises, only a lifesaving marriage late in life and a number of useful distractions.

[Claire Cook]

I was going to ask if we thought a few lives would have been saved from suicide if it had been more common. But even today, trans children are taking their own lives.

Yes, Lena, this is a sad fact I think we too often forget. Times may be changing, but the reality is still there.

[JillSierra]

I thought of it when I was younger but no, and no regrets either. I 100% agree with Blue Orchid "....happy having the best of both worlds".

[Cheryl T]

Firstly I would have come out at a much younger age. Were I in my late teens or early 20's I would be out and about all the time.
As for where that would lead?? Well, if I felt as I do now, I'd be in the same place. Content to dress and be me with a twinge of "what might have been". But...I don't know. With all the freedom, information and acceptance today there's an excellent chance I would have pressed on and transitioned.

[grace7777]

Angela has a good point and it's something I have thought of. Would you trade your life for that of a transsexual woman? Would you not have your wife, your children, your grandchildren, your friends and your career?

It's easy to think the grass is greener on the other side of the fence but sometimes we forget that it's pretty green on our side as well. And that's a really big fence to jump.

Well for me I have never been married, no children. friends come and go. So then there is the career. I would think I could have been an accountant as a transwoman.

If I had transitioned at an early age, maybe I would have more friends. I would not be facing the gender dysphoria I face now. Also, maybe being who I truly am would have allowed me to be more successful in my career.

Life has not been terrible for me though. The reality is I have the life I have and I have to make the best of it, and I do intend to make the best of it.

[S. Lisa Smith]

I love my life now. I wouldn't transition, but I would take better care of myself and would be a slender man and svelte woman. I love my male life, but I love dressing up also!!!

[Ally 2112]

I have been back and forth on this question for years at this point i say no .For me it way to much to handle and i don.t think i could deal with it

[Stephanie Julianna]

If I was to magicly be a teen in this time period, stripped of any memory of my incredible wife, kids and grandchildren, I would transition. That being said, I was born in 1949 and the next few decades made that chose a non-starter. The few Transexuals that came into the news where always exposed in the Supermarket Tabloids as oddities. I remember as a tween buying any paper that had Cover stories about April Ashley or Tula et al. When the general public talked about them it was as if they were talking about some side show. I could not handle being an outcast. Young TG's have many more options today with more families being open to their needs, the best example being Jazz of reality TV fame. She is one lucky girl.

[Jacqueline StGermain]

I'm also with Acastina on this.
Had some great times as a guy, tough times as well. I guess that's typical of anyone.
That being said, and hindsight is always 20/20, I would have absolutely WANTED to, but reality would have gotten in the way.

[Acastina]

One thing that may be overlooked in this discussion is that, until just a few decades ago, crossdressing, even in private, was or could be considered a criminal offense. New York, for example, required that one wear at least three pieces of gender-appropriate clothing. A variety of legal theories supported these laws, from disorderly conduct to the prohibition of disguises to offending public morals. The results of an arrest and conviction could obviously ruin lives and careers and marriages a lot more than simply being out can do today.

So it wasn't just the kinds of social disapproval that we still face today that inhibited children from expressing the forbidden transgression of gender norms and parents from meaningfully recognizing that their child was fundamentally different. We all owe a lot to pioneers like Virginia Prince and the Stonewall rioters and countless, largely anonymous others who sacrificed and fought, won and lost, countless battles large and small to drag western culture toward a greater enlightenment on the complexities of the human condition.

It's one thing to venture out fearing only that the neighbors will notice or you'll be recognized by someone you know, that you'll be verbally abused or laughed at. It's quite another to end up in jail for trying to be yourself in ways that obviously mean no harm to others.

[Lena]

Acastina, good points. Sad but true points.

Me personally, I would have thought very hard about it but I don't have the courage for that drastic of a change. It would have been nice to have been accepted because of my natural features. I constantly had my family telling me to act like a man. Walk like a man. Talk more masculine. Stop playing with dolls etc.

I'm very happy where I am now and I've finally stopped trying to act like someone else. My kids are raised, I have a stable job and happy married wife. I wouldn't do anything now to mess that up.

And maybe if things had been different, I wouldn't have had to go through the alcohol abuse stage or the self loathing. Back then, if you were different you were alone. Now, with the internet, you can always find at least one like minded person.

The only thing different I would have done is come out to my wife earlier and embraced this part of me.

[Sometimes Steffi]

I'm really not sure. I got into CDing as a fetish in my early teens, so I'm not sure if that follows the typical TG/TS pattern. But, I knew that my dad would have been really upset if I turned out to be a girl, so I probably repressed a lot og my TG feelings then, and I would probably repeat that.

But, I would have told my wife before we got married, and she has said that if she knew this about me, she wouldn't have married me.

So, who really knows where I would be today.

[lingerieLiz]

This is an old question that many of us older members have thought about. And, 50 yrs from now the younger ones will ask themselves. Somethings are easier today yet others are not.

When I was young the general population didn't know about alternate lifestyles. For a long time I thought I was unique. I was very lucky in that my sisters' coaching made it possible for me to learn to be a girl. What I realized was that I was not gay, nor was I transgender. I liked girls, but I also enjoyed appearing as one. I've had a great exciting successful life and family. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

If I was a late teen today I probably would go 24/7 as a girl, but would never transition. But remember, life might be very different this time around so I'm happy where I am in life.

[MissDanielle]

I'm 31 and I'll dress as much as I can after I move but I just can't see myself transitioning. I'll make my apartment as girly and femme as possible.

[sometimes_miss]

I've had a great exciting successful life and family. I wouldn't trade it for anything.
My life has been the opposite; no success, no family. So if I had to do it all over again, maybe transitioning would have been my direction, because I didn't understand until well into my twenties that I really was a guy. If psychologists had supported the TS feelings I had when I was young, I just might have gone along with that idea because I didn't know any better.

There are so many 'what if's' that it's hard to figure it all out. If I were a child today, I most likely would have avoided all the psychological trauma of the facial deformity birthmark, as insurance covers that now. Bullying is spotted earlier, and often less tolerated. Available child care would most likely have prevented me being put into a situation were I was molested and subject to the psychological tricks used to convince me that I was supposed to be a girl (kids minds are surprisingly malleable when growing up, I'm a perfect example of that). If not, perhaps someone would pick up on my borrowing my sister's clothes to wear, and if it seemed that someone really cared about me, I might have told them about my feeling like I was supposed to be a girl, believing that god made a mistake, and all that. Perhaps they would come to the conclusion that I was TS and steer me on that path, as at one point, I really did believe that I was supposed to be a girl, and would have been much more comfortable with the idea of becoming one, as so much of my life seemed to be horrible because I had to be a boy. Especially since today, they recognise that sexual identity and sexual partner preference are two distinct things. In short, there are so many things that are different from 50 years ago.
So yeah, life would have been very different.

[reb.femme]

Many on here are older (mature) crossdressers. I wonder how many of my/our generation are actually TG but realize they will never transition because of the stage in life. So, they accept where they are in life.

But since attitudes are different now, how many CDs of my/our generation do you think would have transitioned? How many have lived and struggled with it because of society at the time was different?

I'm curious and wonder about stuff often.

For me, it is the lost years of not being able to dress that make my heart ache. Oh to be younger, but I'll not be the first or the last with that lament. Presenting femme back in the 70's and 80's would have been a sure way to ensure I got a regular good kicking on the local estate. :heehee:

I don't think that if I had my time again, I would have considered transition, as I've always been too male orientated. But never say never. An earlier start could have precipitated a whole different thought process. I loved the girl kit of the 80's so that is definitely something I missed out on. Society was not understanding at the time, but the modern day attitude is a lot more accepting, so that's something to be thankful for. I'll just enjoy my life as it is and hopefully will be, for a long time to come yet. :daydreaming:

Becky

[Julogden]

I would probably have transitioned. I think that we'll see people who are strictly CD's have no desire to transition, but people whose dressing is driven by gender identity issues would.

[carrie001]

I don't think I would have transitioned, I would be much more out.

[BillieJoEllen]

There is no doubt in my mind that if things were like they are today I would absolutely have transitioned.

[Acastina]

If I was a late teen today I probably would go 24/7 as a girl, but would never transition.

What you're describing is actually a form of transitioning, ala Caitlyn Jenner. The non-op transsexual, a perfectly reasonable alternative to the full surgical route. As the general public learns and accepts more about gender anomalies, it's only natural that more shades of grey populate the spectrum of life situations. One of the indicators that surgical providers used to look for is a loathing of one's genitals; now that doesn't seem so important in the age of legal same-sex marriage and mandatory decriminalization of same-sex relations. Assuming you're suggesting a full change of identity (driver's license, voter registration, passport and so forth), and social functioning on the other side, that's a transition.

I know. That was me from 1982 though 1989. Trouble is, from my experience doing what I just described in my thirties, you've built up so many male experiences and socially conditioned viewpoints and attitudes that it's really hard to re-train yourself to feel and act convincingly that you grew up as a girl. You never got to be a silly pre-teen or go to the prom in a dress, never got your mother's daughter-training, and guys have little mystique when you've hung out with them all your life and know just how messed-up and insecure they can be. Add immutable passability issues like height and physique, and the issues multiply like bacteria in a Petri dish.

[SANDRA MICHELLE]

If I were 16 years old right now I would live my life as a woman, pretty certain of that. Of course I am not and life has gotten in the way of me being the woman I would like to be. Not that I am complaining, I have a wonderful wife and fantastic family and am on the back side of 59. I would not have transitioned fully but would love to have been able to present fully as woman 100% of the time.

[reb.femme]

...I would be much more out.

Slightly off topic, but my wife works with a very openly gay man with a very effeminate nature. He is a fantastic guy and a natural comedian, so over a beer one night I asked him, "when did you come out to your mum", to which he replied, "I don't think I was ever in".

This is a typical response from him, but is so apt a point of view. He is about the same age as me, lived through the same years during which I was hidden, but he was in plain sight. I was more fetish based in the early days and this was not a thing to tell to anyone, but I think it a fair reflection to say he lived no lie, whereas I did.

Becky

[Charlyne]

My first thought on transitioning is that I have men's size 12 feet and my physique is quite male. I don't feel I could transition into anything other than being an "oddball".

[heatherdress]

If you are a crossdresser, and simply a crossdresser, the answer would probably be "none". Why would a crossdresser want to transition?

[suchacutie]

I'm pretty sure I would not have transitioned, but it seems likely that I would have discovered Tina a lot earlier in life. I love being able to present and live in both genders so I can't imagine that changing because of outside factors.

[Bea A]

When I was 14, I remember my mom asking me a question after she caught me dressing (for the umpteenth time). "Do you want to dress all the time and have an operation?" If I knew then what I know now at 51.. I would/should have said yes. But alas I did not... so here I am today.

[LaurenS]

What a great question. If I had grown up into the modern society of today, I don't know that I would transition, but I would not have squandered my youth by not enjoying and accepting myself more.

I would say this is probably the only regret I have. Of course it's easy to say that with a few decades of wisdom behind now, that I would not have had then.

[Jenniferpl]

Wonderful question along with a wide variety of responses.

Difficult to say if I would transition. Probably not mentally strong enough to put myself through all the pain it would cause my family. Of course according to this question, I would be say 20 years old today, which would mean I was single and no kids to think about. With the technology and information available today, would seriously look into it.

[JamieTG]

No I would not transition if I were growing up today. However I would hopefully be more open about myself and not live in shame and fear like I did growing up in the 50's and 60's.

[Joy3]

I would have seriously considered it in my teens.

[Gretchen_To_Be]

If the internet, and all of the information, inspirational examples, and ability to purchase stuff had existed when I was a teenager, I would be a woman today.

[Adriana Moretti]

I still havent grown up yet....I dont think I ever will xoxo but I honestly dont know...if i was a kid again would it be different ? Good question, I probably would have saved 5 years with the research thats available today.

[Jeri Ann]

Disregarding my gender issues, I do not regret the life I have had. However, if I could know what I do now and be a teenager in the much more permissive culture that we have today I would definitely transition.

I have always dreamed of a different life where I could grow into womanhood, have Mr. Right sweep me off my feet, get married, adopt kids, be a soccer mom, and experience life with the love of my life.

Jeri

[Sarah Doepner]

I'm not sure how to respond and be totally honest. If I were 16 or 26 now instead of 66 there would be a totally different set of concerns and options than those I faced in my youth. I imagine I'd be somewhat afraid of how crossdressing or transition would impact my career or change relationships. It's difficult to make that leap from what I have now to how I could be happy, productive, creative, love and be loved if I were living a modern authentic life. I'd like to think it would all work out better than what I've had, but that's the optimist talking.

I'm still wondering what my next choice will be as I learn more about my nature and what will allow me to live more authentically. I've found already that dressing at home and for support group meetings isn't enough for me. I've started coming out to family and friends, but that doesn't seem to meet my needs or solve the quandary I seem to face. Will I just need to find strength and spend more time out and about en femme? Will counseling help me find balance and comfort or is it a just a step toward hormones?

None of those questions were even on the table as I grew up. The world has changed around me and the choices, questions, concerns and options are so different I just don't know what the right answer is.

[CindyB]

I really don't think I would of transitioned although the thought has always been in my mind. Technology and society being more accepting has absolutely no bearing on my development. Growing up in small Texas town and living in Texas has definitely squashed any thoughts of transitioning.

Now, would I have done things differently? You betcha! Knowing what I know now, there's certain people I would of opened up towards. There's definitely some missed opportunities in my past. I think back and the things I probably missed out on if I was just open, honest, and more trusting. Of course back then I thought I was alone, weird, and different. Goodness, if the internet had just existed when I was 15 :)

[TrishaLake]

I think it would be for me....The internet has taught me so much and made me realize I am not so different than others. I would have been honest with my mates and honest with myself. I would have removed allot of heartache from my life...but that is life right...a learning expierence.

[Adelaide]

I became a teenager in the 70's and didn't have a clue what I was feeling....I had nobody to talk to, nothing to read about how I felt, no internet, no therapist....just all alone. In today,s world, I would surely transitioned, at least to pre-op.

[sometimes_miss]

I became a teenager in the 70's and didn't have a clue what I was feeling....I had nobody to talk to, nothing to read about how I felt, no internet, no therapist....just all alone. In today,s world, I would surely transitioned, at least to pre-op.
I grew up in the same era; although I knew of Christine Jorgensen, and of gay people, I didn't really know about any other crossdressers but me. The only other guys I knew about who dressed up as girls were all gay (sometimes I used to go to work with my dad and we had deliveries to Greenwich Village in NYC a lot, so I was exposed to the gay culture existance very early on). So I used to wonder how many other guys were living with the same secret that I had.

[StacyCD]

Until the advent of the Internet and this forum, like many, I felt alone and did not understand my feelings/desires. I doubt I would ever transition. However, it certainly would be nice to not have fifty years of thinking there was something wrong with me.

[DonnaP]

Not really sure if things were different if I would do anything different I am retired and dress more now than ever and like most I started in my early teens sister thing sometimes Moms. I my self just feel so relaxed when I am dressed and would love to be out and dressed 24/7 but I am chicken. I almost hooked with another from this site but as I said before I chicken. Out but someday maybe I will try again with a member. So I guess I would not Transition. Oh look at me Rambling on.

Hugs
DonnaP:battingeyelashes:

[Barbara Jo]

Since I grew up in the 1950s.....
About the only awareness I had of anything TS was "Christine Jorgensen" and even she was not discussed in polite circles .... most just made Juvenile jokes about her if anything .
The subject of transvestism was not even known to me.

So, I wondered what the hell was wrong with me for liking to wear my mom's and older sister's lingerie, etc which I wore in complete secrecy.

I was a bit of mess and my parents took me to psychologists when I was about 9 years old to find out what was wrong.
However, I was so ignorant about the subject and so embarrassed about my "dressing" it that I never admitted it to them .
Looking back, the psychologists were probably as ignorant about the subject it as I was.

Also, when, I was a about 11 years old (in 1958) my doctor gave me shots of testosterone.... every week for a couple of months for an undecended testicle in an effort to solve it .
Straight testosterone treatment would not have been given today for my condition.
This resulted in an early puberty and, I now have coarser facial hair than I would have had.
In any event the testicle was surgically removed when I was 12 years old.

Facial hair is the main thing that keeps me from venturing out in public regularly as my body is rather feminine otherwise.
I hate heavy makeup.

So, yes, of course it would be different if I grew up in today's environment.

[Alytv]

This is actually a pretty hard question, but as was growing up as a teenage crossdresser in a small town and trying not to leave any hints behind or breadcrumbs that may have lead to being "caught" was equally tough right?

If the question was, "knowing what you know now but being younger again would you tread a different path" the answer would be yes but a qualified yes. Physically my stature wouldn't change, I'd still be tall and therefore stick out more than most ladies so that would still be on the down side (as Acastina points out!). If I was young again in this age and didn't have the lifetime experiences I now have, I'd probably still be the same unconfident and emotionally insecure teenager I was back then grappling with the same issues I am today! Besides, that is really a fantasy question and one that I do fantasise about.

I'd love nothing better to wind back the clock, trust me, because I know some of my life choices would be different - choices around things I'd do, how I would view myself and how I would approach relationships. It would most likely have lead me down a much more different path and one that probably would have been a lot more of a rollercoaster but ultimately would have been truer to myself. To me, being either a CD or TS has a lot more acceptance attached with it now, even if that acceptance for me at the moment is the ability to write these words to you, and for you ladies to read this, in relative freedom and personal security. What choices would I have had as a person growing up in my day and age as a CD to converse - none to limited and with far more personal exposure or risk. For me, it has been an amazingly cathartic and anxiety releasing couple of weeks just interacting on this forum that words could never do it justice.

Part of this of course is an admission to myself that I should have done some of those things I'd wished I had done, or maybe it's expressing regret I didn't. But winding back the clock is not an option so I am being truer to myself now by some of the things I have done this year and will do next year. A bucket list seems to be a popular phrase, well I have a handbag list to do which will go some way to living my life as me, rather than who I have maybe constructed as me.

Aly

[Donna June]

I always thought of this and came to the conclusion that if I had all the resources back then, that there are now, especially the internet, I would have definitely transitioned, probably even SRS. Like many others here I felt isolated. Also, the few times I saw people in the TG world, such as on Phil Donahue, they were like like cartoon characters. It was much later in life that I found out there were thousands, make that millions just like me.

[Patty Phose]

I would probably dress more and go out more.

[Ingrid1999]

I hit my teens just when the AIDS epidemic hit -- Rock Hudson got sick, people suffering and dying every day, when people did not even really know what was going on, and there was nothing but fear and ignorance. That was also the era of "killer tranny movies" and I was terrified to say anything let alone do anything about my feelings. What scientific information I was able to find, told me I was sick. I was so ignorant and scarred, I put all my childhood CD'ing in a mental box and butched up as much as possible. And since I was not "gay" per se, it was easier to bury my gender identity and carry on.

If I were a young adult today, there is no way I could have resisted coming out. As a young adult in today's world, I would not be able to box up my gender identity, it would be impossible. Today is like the polar opposite of the 1980s, I dont know if I would ultimately transition but I would be somewhere on the gender queer/MTF spectrum and I would have the freedom to experiment and find my true self at a much younger age.

[prene]

If it was soon enough to start hrt and stop all this YUCKY male development.
Facial hair, bone structure, adams apple and such.

If I were to grow up in another 20 years when the science is even better ... YES for sure.