Picked the day...

[Faith_G]

The first day of my new life will be July 12, 2010. I'll be meeting with the company owner next week to tell him my plans and find out if I will still have a job.

If I get fired, I will go home and burn the man clothes the same day.

[pamela_a]

Congratulations Faith. I hope it goes well for you.

Burn your old clothes anyway. The only thing I would change is where you burn them if things go badly.

[Frances]

I have been living full-time for year, and I still had my boy clothes until last weekend. It takes me a long time to get to things. (I started my transition at 40!) I gave them to three trans guys who shared an apartment. They did not have a lot of clothes, and seemed very appreciative. Not as symbolic as burning, but it made me feel good.

[Katesback]

Its a long road ahead. Also the most important thing to know is sitting down with the boss and getting his approval is not the same as when you actually start working as a girl. Thats when the real test begins.

But hey getting fired is often a good thing since it forces us to ADvance real quick.

[Kaitlyn Michele]

Hi Faith

hugs:

go get em!!!

[Jorja]

Go get em Faith!!!!
First, know there are thousands of us behind you all the way. Second, Nobody said this journey would be smooth and easy and without incident. And finally, I am sure you will succeed with the best of results. You are not the first and surely not the last. Go, be happy with your decision.

[PretzelGirl]

Wow! It has been quite a last year for you Faith. Best of luck. Your path is already set, it is just finding the way to walk it now. Congrats!

[Stephenie]

Maybe the meeting will go well enough to burn them anyway. Hope all goes as you wish.

[katieblush]

Faith good luck to you from across the pond,i have a interview in two weeks time and i have to inform them of my intentions to transition at work almost straight away give or take a few weeks,so i really feel for you.

I know a girl who has just come out at work and the build up to the said date for her made me feel nervous lol,but all is well with her,shes even on public transport to work now,cool.

Best wishes

[Victoria Anne]

you go Faith , all my best wishes for you. I am slowly coming out more and more , on hrt now and each time I see a post like this it gives me a little more courage.

[SamanthaStMichaels]

Don't burn all the male cloths! You want to keep some of the comfy baggy stuff for lounging around. Many of my GG friends have male cloths just for lounging. I find it funny they can wear male cloths like baggy sweatpants, T-shirts, and even boxers. It's not immoral for them. But we can't wear women cloths. UGH

[CharleneT]

I hope that meeting goes well. Kate's right though, support from HR is good, support from those around you is necessary. There are stories galore both ways, I hope yours is positive

Do you have a way to celebrate on the 12th ? Do if you can! Also, take a picture of yourself that day (or have someone else do so). May seem silly, but I'll bet later you'll be happy to have a snap shot of the day.




p.s. now that I think about it, I still have most of the men's clothes in the basement and attic. Time to donate to GW it seems !

[Traci Elizabeth]

Yes, take pictures for sure to remember that day.

I am sure you will be very beautiful that day and your co-workers will be envious.

[~Emma D~]

Hi Faith
I hope the day goes well for you
Just be positive and be yourself

Best Wishes

[Empress Lainie]

[SIZE=4]Congratulations dear. Believe me, I think this will always be a day to remember. Hopefully in the best sense.

Living as the person you really are is indescribably happy.


Guy clothes? I really want to give mine to my son but don't see him that often since he lives in San Diego. And I do need the closet space. You can always give them to good will too.[/SIZE]

[luvSophia]

Congrats to you Faith on setting a date! And good luck to you in your meeting with the boss. Just go in there with the same poise and self-confidence I saw during our short time together and I am sure you'll do fine. And while getting fired was the best thing that could have happened to me personally I don't highly recommend it as a plan of action so don't go that route!

[Tomara]

Hi Faith
Congratulations !
I hope your meeting with your employer is a positive one.
All the best to you my friend.
Tomara

[Veronica_Jean]

Faith,

I hope your day goes well. I know the nervousness since I did that slightly over a year ago myself.

A couple of unexpected concerns was time off for surgery (I had not even started hormones), which bathroom I would use, and what they needed to do. My supervisors had no idea how to deal with this, but were willing and happy to go ask HR and find out what made sense.

We sometimes forget that we have been living with this for years (or decades) and this is the first time these people have had to deal with it themselves. Make sure you let him/her know your quality of work will not be affected in any way by this change. In fact it is likely to improve from taking away this huge load of stress from your life.

Good luck,

Veronica

[Freddy12]

Congratulations!

You have the support of a bunch of people here!

I certainly hope that the meeting goes well with your boss. You are a courageous woman for having taken this step without knowing that you would still have a job.

Burn those guy things no matter. It no longer represents who you are!

[alexmarie]

Congratulation I hope everythings goes the way you want it to. Good luck Alexmarie

[Faith_G]

Thanks everybody! I will be talking to him Monday to find out when he has time for a meeting. I'll let everyone know how it goes.

[PortiaHoney]

As with everything else in this world - anything worth anything is worth waiting for. Give your employer time to adjust and help with arrangements for you to transition in the workplace.

I told my employer last October. Firstly, they asked me when and I let them know about my plans which were a bit vague at the time. It was all dependant on so many factors, doctors, psychiatrists, my own learning, personal arrangements. I told them it would be sometime soon, but I would let them know with plenty of warning. After meeting with everyone, I had a date of May 2nd, when I was due to return from holidays. My plan was to do as much as I could before taking the last step of working as a woman, laser, medications, clothing, deportment, voice work, getting my staff used to the idea of the changes. There is plenty to do. It's not just a matter of throwing on a dress.

So many times I wanted to pull that date forward. I found it hard to wait. And I kept getting delays from all concerned - don't pick the holiday season to decide to transition! My employer kept telling me to be patient and leave the goal as it was. As it is, I still haven't had the opportunity for the medications to do their full job, the laser on the beard has still to finish off that darn mo and I still find myself on a bit of a rollercoaster emotional wise. BUT, I have been FT at work since 10th May - 4 weeks. It has been interesting. Absolutely no bad experiences, quite a few laughs and some really heartwarming conversations with co-workers. Have I made the wrong decision - absolutely not. Was the timing right - maybe even transitioning when I did was rushing it a little but definately not overly too soon. Be realistic in your expectations - both from your employer and yourself.

I can only hope that your (and anyone else in this boats) experience is as good as mine has been. A smooth transition is all in the preparatiion. Like a good marriage - it's all about being open and truthful. Don't be afraid to educate others about our condition - most people are afraid of gender diverse people. Through education they learn we are not to be feared. Thanks to the efforts of many pioneers, there is a lot more acceptance in the community than there used to be, but it's still no picnic. A lot of the time, we tend to shy away from attention (not all of us seek the attention that drag queens seem to crave which just gives off another sterotype for us to overcome) and some people see this as we have something to hide. Unless we let people know we are human and still have feelings (maybe even more-so), how are they to know that we really are good people?

Most of all, be proud of who you are.

[morgan51]

Good luck to you my prayers are with you, enjoy your new endever. Be happy!

[Melissa A.]

All the best to you, Faith. You deserve it.

Don't burn them. Give them to a deserving charitable group. Somebody can use them.

Hugs,

Melissa

[Mariah]

YAY!!! FAITH!!! you need to party that day I'll come up and party with you if you want ^.^

Mariah