How important is understanding?

[NatalieInProgress]

Until recently, I was always of the opinion that I didn't need everyone to understand what I was felling, rather, I just needed them to accept that it was real. recently however, I have begun to feel an increasing need to be able to have people in my life who understand what it is I am going through.  I am curious to know whether others feel this pull and whether or not is reasonable to ever expect our family and friends to be able to come to some level of understanding about what it means to be transgender.

[Jayne]

I think we all have a desire to have people in our lives who understand us, if someone understands what we are going through then they can support us so much better.
The people I work with have been on transgender awareness training courses & the level of support & understanding from them is amazing.
Friends who support me but don't have a deep understanding of being trans have sometimes accidently triggered my dysphoria, often when they have had nothing but good intentions that were let down by a lack of understanding

[katrinaw]

being alone is always my biggest fear, especially if my family and current friends all reject me soon...

Not sure how I would cope, its that tactile feel about real close friends, the sharing of life face to face...

Its the close friends that support you going through life changes that are people you crave for the most, I am trying to build my support network across friends I know by temperament that they'll be good with my change, of course they need to be tested and know first of all.

L Katy 

[enigmaticrorschach]

i'm the same way. since the day i was born, i was alone and have continued to be alone. i hardened my heart and thus lost my abilities. i never believed anyone when they said they understood what i felt. to me, true understanding is being put in my shoes and going through the exact same thing. relating and understanding were 2 different concepts. however now, i still have yet to know if i'm still being truly understood

[Fids]

For some reason, being Transgender is something that few people who aren't Trans understand (though a fair number of people support us)  A lot of cis people are very attached to their own gender (as are we, I suppose), so they can't really imagine a world in which someone would not want to be the gender they were assigned at birth.

For me, having other trans and nonbinary friends is important.  It helps me feel more valid, real, and worthy of my identity.  Cis people don't have that same level of understanding, as supportive as they may be.  So I really do believe that having at least a few understanding individuals in your life is very gratifying.

It's one of the reasons I joined this forum!

[suzifrommd]

I find people are much more accepting/supportive when they understand why I'm doing what I do.

Yes, it would be wonderful if everyone educated themselves (and if no one littered, and if everyone parked within the lines, etc.) but expecting them to do that is optimistic, and the media so often gets it wrong, so self-education may be worse than being educated by someone who really understands.

Every time someone is curious, I see that as an opportunity to make things better for all of us by furthering understanding.