Good for you for reaching this level of self acceptance. I am roughly the same brand of CD as you and had many of the same struggles you have had in accepting myself, so I feel a kinship.
It's easy to feel intimidated in a site like this, but one valuable point to remember is that CDs occupy the margins of society, maybe even more so than gays, lesbians and TS people. We all feel like outcasts to some degree. Because it's harder to blend in and disappear, more of us feel confined to the closet and spend too much time worrying about the quality or style of their presentation. My particular way of dealing with being a misfit is to dress as tastefully and presentably as I can and get out there as a man in a dress. Not many in this forum agree with my way of doing it but are still respectful and supportive, I think because everyone here understands being a misfit to some degree.
So, welcome to the forum. I hope that going forward you manage to have adventures of your own in the world, then share them. By doing so, you'll be helping to encourage someone else who is struggling to free themselves from the closet of their fears.
