Bravehearts: FTMs who cannot or choose not to medically transition

[weatherboi]

Originally Posted by Linus

Certainly agree but.. I will add one thing: what if everyone else on that island says your or implies not a man? You can believe all you want to who you are but I'd be surprised if it didn't affect you, over a period of time, when you're constantly barraged by opinions other than your own. For some, it's not an issue because they are viewed as their gender to begin with but for others it can be a challenge. Confidence and belief in one's self are huge at pushing this forward.

It is easy to have confidence/belief system chipped away piece by piece when constantly barraged by fear and ignorance. My experince is when I am constantly maintaining good confidence and can't just let it flow naturally it takes away from the growth of my being. My experince living in a conservative area is one of constant reminder of my gender because people here are so fearful of anything different. I attended a wedding a couple weeks ago. Friends of the bride and groom. They have known me long enough to understand I am who I am. I wore a pants suit vest and tie. The night was great. We danced, we sang, and everybody seemed to have a good time. A week later I find out they think I ruined their wedding. They think I was trying to make a political in your face kinda statement. Two days later I was at the local hardware store picking up some tapcon screws and some guys driving through the parking lot called me a dyke and threw a soda at me. LOL My first thought was to yell ...Hey I'm not a fuckin dyke! I didn't though. I don't really care because it happens all the time. My point is sometimes the people we are dictates how we have the experince. Obvious enough right? I can't speak for other people but I know when i am bogged down in the negativity I can't enjoy life no matter what choice/road/path I decide to take. Strategically placing myself in an environment that will support my desired lifestyle is pretty important.

[Andrew, Jr.]

I think it is a huge thing to have the environment of being condusive to transitioning. And that includes online as well.

Andrew

[Glenn]

Originally Posted by weatherboi

It is easy to have confidence/belief system chipped away piece by piece when constantly barraged by fear and ignorance. My experince is when I am constantly maintaining good confidence and can't just let it flow naturally it takes away from the growth of my being. My experince living in a conservative area is one of constant reminder of my gender because people here are so fearful of anything different. I attended a wedding a couple weeks ago. Friends of the bride and groom. They have known me long enough to understand I am who I am. I wore a pants suit vest and tie. The night was great. We danced, we sang, and everybody seemed to have a good time. A week later I find out they think I ruined their wedding. They think I was trying to make a political in your face kinda statement. Two days later I was at the local hardware store picking up some tapcon screws and some guys driving through the parking lot called me a dyke and threw a soda at me. LOL My first thought was to yell ...Hey I'm not a fuckin dyke! I didn't though. I don't really care because it happens all the time. My point is sometimes the people we are dictates how we have the experince. Obvious enough right? I can't speak for other people but I know when i am bogged down in the negativity I can't enjoy life no matter what choice/road/path I decide to take. Strategically placing myself in an environment that will support my desired lifestyle is pretty important.

In the oneness of allness, I am, in some degree or aspect, guilty of, or infected with, or suffering from, everything that I attack." (Charles Fort)

[Andrew, Jr.]

I think it is a real shame that people cannot allow others to be who and what they are.

[Julien]

I think this is a great thread for discussion for those of us who cannot transition for many reasons, but consider themselves TG. I am 49 and I feel like my time is limited for what I can or cannot do for my transition. Financially (and insurance wise) I cannot transition the way I dream of doing. So what is one to do when you are stuck in between? It is a frustrating place to be, not fitting in to how you see yourself. Any thoughts?

[Billy]

Originally Posted by Graphiteta2s

I think this is a great thread for discussion for those of us who cannot transition for many reasons, but consider themselves TG. I am 49 and I feel like my time is limited for what I can or cannot do for my transition. Financially (and insurance wise) I cannot transition the way I dream of doing. So what is one to do when you are stuck in between? It is a frustring place to be, not fitting in to how you see yourself. Any thoughts?

I have started My transition , it will be 5 years on 11/9/11.. I pay for My T and My Dr visits to get My levels checked .. I also have no insurance ..I have not done top surgery at this time , one reason is No insurance and another is the time I would have to take off .. I detail cars for a living and I am self employed , so if I don't work and being off 6 to 8 weeks does not work for Me .. I see Myself as a Man , I am seen as a Man , what is under My clothes is nobodys business but Mine and My girlfriends . I will legally change My name to William , but the F on the drivers license will stay the same as on My birth certificate What I have found out is a lot of folks believe it or don't even know there is a F for female and M for Male on your drivers license and most of the time they are looking at your birth date .. I am comfortable with where I am at this point .. I think it really depends on your head space ..

[Corkey]

I'm not taking T the hormone. But am on a booster that is homeopathic. I'm on SSDI and it will never pay for transition.
The T booster gains me energy and some muscle mass that due to my condition is deteriorating. My wife is super supportive.

[atomiczombie]

I was on a low dose T for 7 months, then 5 months on the full dose. I found I couldn't handle some of the changes my body was going through, so I had to stop. My voice dropped some, I have had top surgery and a full hysterectomy, however I am still read as female. I have accepted that this is as far as I will go with my transition. I like my body a lot more now, even though it is imperfect in many ways. I wish I could have gone further with the T, but it's just not in the cards for me. I am at peace with it and the fact that I will always wear my queer card on my sleeve.