I was asked this today from a female friend who is a medical doctor and a trained counsellor.
?When you were thinking about starting your transition journey, what research did you do and did you know about the problems that you might encounter??
I did try to read as much as I could find on the internet. A great deal of what I read was papers written by doctors for doctors.
Many of those transsexuals who have gone down this road and have posted on YouTube will tell you mostly about surgical procedures and how it has affected them. The good and the bad. Rarely do you hear about the emotional pitfalls.
I was pretty much ok on this level and felt I knew enough. What I didn?t know was the right questions to ask. How can you ? It is only later that things come up and by then it is too late. I trusted that I had found a good hospital and surgeon. I don?t have any complaints on that score.
As to my initial surgeries, much of which changed my appearance,
I did realize that telling friends could mean the chance of alienating them as I was now presenting all the time as Philippa.
I was expecting that and was pleasantly surprised that most stuck with me. Until they didn?t.
I was well prepared when it did happen and I was sad but got past it.
Fortunately for me my sisters and other extended family still supported me.
I had at that time and still have a great psychologist and she has been my saviour on many occasions.
One of the things I have never seen talked about until recently is the need to make a new circle of friends. At first I tried to join LGBTQ groups thinking they would best understand me. There is quite a lot of bitchiness within some of these groups and they were not to my liking.
No need to expand on that.
I get on best with straight people.
Mostly I have found that I don?t know where I now fit in.
Lee Francis (Trans girl on YouTube) was talking about this the other day where she hit the nail on the head for me at least. She is looking for a male partner where I am not. I am heterosexual and prefer the company of women (GG?s).
Here is where the problem for me arises and maybe others. Heterosexual women are generally not interested in a relationship with a transwoman.
Therefore I think maybe I should be attracted to a lesbian but there is another problem. They may not be looking at a trans woman as a partner either as they are attracted to GG?s
I have many new people (GG?s) in my life who all accept me as I am.
Most do not know I am trans, they just think I am a woman with a slightly deep voice.
So, knowing what I know now would I still transition?
Absolutely. I am very much at peace with myself.
My only advice would be that you need to be prepared to be lonely.
Please note that this is what I feel and not necessarily fact in some areas.