Reine that is what I cannot work out about some of the post ops here, is why can't they simply respect a
person's right to live how ever they feel is right for them? While I don't necessarily agree with their decisions
I am in no position to judge them or try and tell them what to do. And you are right, some of the comments
here are very insulting, even to me and I fully intend to have GRS/SRS as soon as I have saved enough money.
Irrespective of GRS/SRS I still have friends from all walk of life, even the local Mayor and other Cairns Regional Council
are now good friends with me. I also know lots of LGBTIQ people, but I also know a lot more of every-day heterosexual
people as well and that is also who live with by the way. My life is no different to any other woman, noone treats me
any differently, I get straight guys coming up kissing and cuddling me without any problems, some of whom even know
I am pre-op, but they don't even think about that or let it be an issue. So where is the handicap by not having GRS/SRS?
But having said that, I am not saying that there won't be benefits for me to have surgery because I know that it is right
for me. The reality is I am in no position to say that it is right for someone else and I won't go putting them on guilt trips
or trying to make them feel bad because they don't share the same ideology as me. In fact I see there are other reasons
behind why my view point is also different - while it isn't perfect yet, I do live in a more accepting society that isn't so
judgemental about other people for a start, and a place where there are laws in place to protect gender rights.
Attitudes towards transgender people and the laws that protect or incarcerate them vary from state to state and
country to country. So these generalised statement don't help anyone to understand the the true reality of being
a woman, these are completely unnecessary statements intended to put fear into pre-op transsexual females.
It is NOT always true that you get sent to a male prison if you a pre-op MtF Transsexual, they have tried that here
and realised it wasn't a good idea after a trans woman hung herself after being repeatedly raped here in Australia. So
human rights groups have stepped in some time ago to make sure that never happens again. Pre-op trans-women are
housed in the correct facility that matches there legal gender identity. You only need to be legally identified in your
documentation, such as a drivers licence with the gender marker changed to be able to do that. Today you can even
have your passport changed. So if you can be legally identified as a female, then you will go to a female prison here.
I also refused to allow the hospital to put me in any wards with males when I was in hospital late last year when they
first questioned me about my change in gender to my medical records. I showed them my new female ID and their attitude
changed in an instant. They gave a private room in female surgical wards so I even more comfortable. Also the Ambulance
crew who transported me to hospital and all the staff were fantastic. I was so treated with all the respect and courtesy of
a lady the whole time - no discrimination ever anywhere
So yeah, I still want to know where the big handicap in my life as a woman is because I haven't had my GRS/SRS yet?