I think the phrase is, "20% of life is what happens to you and 80% is how you react to it". Even so for a TG back then?
The further back the better, even 70's. I guess the 80's is what I am most interested in since that was my decade of childhood.
So today there is a lot of stuff about TG rights. I am guessing not so much back then?

Here is the thing - being able to go out in the world as a TG person and functioning depends on a couple things -
How well you pass (as no one would know you are TG).
How confident you are (as people do not tend to razz the confident ones).

If you have one or the other, you will be fine. It helps if you are not all "loud and proud" about it also. I know some TG who have a lot of problems and they happen to be the same ones who are "in your face" about it. Or they are the nervous ones who are fairly new.

My own case is this, and what i am really curious about -

I do not pass all that great. My typical presentation is made up, skirt blouse, just trying to look decent. I am not some "dude in a dress", I present best I can.
Almost no one gives me a hard time. Most do not even seem to notice me. I have a normal yet humble job where I go as "Erin" and no one bothers me. A few of the women seem interested in the "TG person" and most everyone pretends I am a real person.
Reason no one bothers me at work nor in public is because I do not act nervous or whatever. I am so used to doing this that I do not notice nor care if someone is staring. It is like, "Oh how cute, they have never seen a tranny in real life".

But what was it like for non-passing TG during the 80's or even close to it? Anything like today where if you at least conducted yourself in a proper social manner, stayed away from bad places (like drunkard venues or rough neighborhoods) and at least made an honest effort to be presentable, you would be fine?

One reason I am wondering this is because more often than not when a TG reports a lot of problems, they are either nut cases to begin with or they just look really horrible. Even today.
Also because though historically the GLB sectors have had problems, the T part has been and is fairly small so we don't have as many stereotypes.

So for any given TG out there, if they were set back to the 80's, what would their lives be like VS what it is today?

I hope this all makes sense.