Davida,
I think the hardest thing I've ever done is learn how to be happy with myself regardless (not necessarily with or without) the acceptance of others, and that's not a battle that's just won and pushed aside-- it's an ongoing challenge. For years, I suppressed being a woman and looked for someone to give me validation for my feelings-- family, friends. In the end, I realize that it was never their decision to make for me. No one was going to say, "Living your life as a woman is something I think you should do." Why would they? Who in their right mind would say that to a person, even if they were biologically born that way? The way you life your life is your own decision, not anyone else's, and that's going to take a lot of courage and a lot of tears to overcome.
I have a wife and a daughter, too, and we're still working through things. I'm not scared of losing them to the court system, but that doesn't mean that our relationship won't change. That's a terrifying prospect. Change is always scary.
Society, though... well, I don't know. To me, it seems like society respects confidence. There are outliers, of course. Not every individual is a perfect representation of "society," and not everyone is going to respect you regardless of how hard you try to please them... so, I just don't try to please them, anymore. I be myself the best way I can, and I ignore those that don't accept that. If you're thinking about transitioning, I would encourage you to find a niche of society that will accept you regardless of how you present yourself. I used to live in a very small, conservative area, but I eventually moved to larger, more liberal city. Some would probably say it's still small and conservative, but it's so much better than it was. For me, anyway, a new neighborhood, new friends, and new coworkers is what I needed to learn to accept myself.
