I began HRT six months ago. I am one of those older TG/TS girls that had a gender struggle from earliest childhood, came out to a therapist 50 years ago with no help or understanding from him, so lived in constant shame and self condemnation for my "perverse" desire to be a woman. Ten years ago I began a journey of self acceptance, which has resulted in me beginning my transition and living full time as a woman. So needless to say 40 years of negativity towards myself does not dissipate easily, so over the last ten years I practiced small steps in coming out until I went full time six months ago. But I could not claim complete confidence in being out as a woman in the first months. What I have seen is that as I began to experience what for me was surprising and dramatic effects of HRT, my confidence in being out as female has grown. Those breasts are mine! My skin is soft, my body shape is changing and my face more feminine. I have felt more and more that this is the true me, even if it had to wait 50 years to come out, and I move through my day with a confidence and joy that I would not have dreamed possible in the days of hiding behind locked doors and drawn shades. So I wonder if anyone else has experienced this in the first stages of physical transition, in that it actually helps the social transition? Which also helped me to realize that I am now ready for the next step in my transition, SRS.
