Voice? Who cares

[ImagineKate]

A deep voice isn't necessarily the same as a male voice. Yes there are women with deep voices but they don't sound like men. This is not perfection. This is simply part of transition. It is optional but so is everything else - FFS, SRS, BA, HRT, heck even dressing in your affirmed gender.

[Sydney_NYC]

This one is a dichotomy for me.  I have confidence and go out like I own the world and care not if they stare or clock me.  I am full time in all aspects of my life.  I am not a woman for them; I am a woman -period.  That makes me happy.  However when this happens:

Phone Rings.
Me: "Hello?"
Man calling: Hi, can I speak with ainsley?"
Me: "This is her."
Man calling: "Good afternoon, sir."

Ugh.

So, this bothers me enough to want to change my voice.  Confidence or not, I am clocked regularly on the phone.  I can start out good with a voice not vibrating in my chest and still get clocked.

So, I agree with Muffinheart about the confidence and normality of being a woman satisfying me when I am out and about.  But, at the same time I totally empathize with those that want their voice to be more feminine to accomplish a feeling and experience that suits my feminine normality otherwise.  It certainly is not a deal breaker in my life, but it has come to be something I find myself dealing with more and more.

I have been there myself. In person, my voice never clocked me, but on the phone it did on occasion until recently due to improving my voice. A cis woman that my mother used to work with had a natural deep voice and was always sir'd on the phone. She used it to her advantage when you worked for a collection agency. She usually had the highest commission in the company. Still I think every little bit helps and resonance and speech pattern I think are more important than pitch. You can have a higher pitch and still sound male, but you can also have a very low pitch and still sound feminine, but it takes more work.

[ainsley]

You make a good point, Sydney.  I think if my female prosody, intonation and inflections are prominent, then I may be able to pass better with my voice on the phone.  I will try that.