I have to agree about electrolysis. I'm coming up on 3 years at 2 hours per week and I try not to think about the cost. It is the one thing that really makes everything else possible.
I strongly disagree with the concept that one has to be full time to have a notion of what is involved. I know people who are full time, but so cocooned in the LGBT community that they have never faced issues common in the mainstream. I know part-timers who have integrated well with society in female mode. They are accepted and acknowledged as their desired gender despite having to present as male occasionally to meet their family obligations. Having to move back and forth gives them great knowledge and insights that are valuable to anyone.
Regarding credibility attacks, the people most vulnerable are those who actually discuss their lives. I write about what I do because I consider it to be supportive of those who come here in search of information. Anyone who is interested can follow my journey through my posts here. Unfortunately, this is also fodder for those who attack because, given enough information, it is easy to take individual items out of context.
Ironically, some of the people quickest to attack the credibility of others are very close-mouthed about their own lives.
