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11/27 - 11/28/2014


LovelyLisa

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11/27/2014

I was up late the night before talking to my sister more about what I've been going through these past two and a half months. She just listened, didn't ask many questions. Looking back I wonder if I kind of lost her in the conversation. But I let her know what I'm feeling inside, some of the things that I talked to the therapist about. And let her know that if I don't get on top of this, I will probably need to transition. I think she understands but did not know what to think. I'm sure that hearing this from her older brother is strange.

We talked about one of the reasons why I have not transitioned, that it is tough to be a woman. They (we) are judged so much by how we look, weight and appropriateness of attire. Women are actually more verbally critical than men, though men do judge more quietly. Anyways, it is constantly feeling like one is or needs to be on display just to go to work, shop, etc. I plan over the next several months or so, trying to get out more, so that I can engage more socially will other non-tg's, get used to getting dressed and wearing appropriate clothes, etc. Just so I know how to handle myself with grace. I am going to need to learn how to do this regardless of what happens.

11/28/2014

We spent most of the day driving back from my mom's. It gave me a lot of time to think. I am thankful for so much, that I sometimes worry about any future decisions to transition. Mentally, I have to stop doing this so that I can give myself an honest assessment of where I am at and what I should do without imposing barriers. Remove the barriers and focus more on what I should do or need to do. At my support group, there was someone there that said, "sometimes you just need to be a bulldozer". I think that recognizes the fact that I will never come to terms with all of these mental barriers I impose on myself and I just need to plow ahead. Plow ahead to what is more my question right now.

--Lisa

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Hi Lisa,

It takes courage to be transgender. My therapist and my wife have both told me that they see how much courage it's taken me to get as far as I have, although I don't see it as that much. To me, you're remarkably courageous coming out to your sister. She deserves kudos too for remaining calm and just listening. I'm sure she has a lot to process.

I think it's tough to be a woman or a man and it's probably impossible to really determine the relative weight of either. I recently read that although people who have fully transitioned to their natural genders feel much more comfortable in their skin they still carry a secret about their surgery: whom to tell, when, etc. We all need to be courageous.

Your post brings up something I've been thinking about. I often read how women (particularly teenagers and 20-30 year olds) develop their confidence in themselves. Okay, but I don't read that about men, whom I think are also tasked and challenged with that. I sure was (and am). Is it so much different? Perhaps as you wrote, a particularly feminine challenge is to appear "good" in any setting, with the right level of casual/formal attire, the total look including accessories, and the fit. I certainly agree it's easier for guys to accomplish this.

Last, I also agree with your consideration of over-thinking things. I think we all do this especially when we're faced with such profound decisions and steps. (I wish I'd thought more before I proposed and got married the first time!) It's hard to trust our instincts. Consider how long your gut feelings have been there despite all the attempts to suppress/ignore them.

Be well,

Emma

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