Can I be transgender if it's only physical?

[Kylo]

I assumed this is the difference between a transgender and a transsexual person.

For a transsexual it is the body aspect that causes problems, for a transgender person it can be other aspects including the body.

I must be a transsexual because for me it is the physical body that matters, not the rest of it. And to some extent of course how much the physical body matters to sex and sexuality. Other than that, I don't believe I am interested in the rest of the trappings of the male gender. I simply feel that my born body is wrong and it caused me considerable shame, self-loathing and avoidance.

But... there is more to it in practicality than just what we want for ourselves. If we get that desired body, society is going to view us and start treating us as something else, and at the same time we are going to have to start acting how it expects in order to be accepted. So even for transsexuals the transgender role will almost certainly come into it. . .

[Catherine Sarah]

Hi orange juice,

I agree with you completely. You have a very strong sense of self awareness and capability to work through issues. My suggestion about therapists was essentially based on that slippery slope of depression and anxiety you mentioned. That's where having a sounding board that can simply ask things like, "Why do you think that is" etc

I believe we all have the answers to our own life's course within us. It simply takes as Qrachel said, communications to bring it out. Anyone who tries to sell you some other course of action, hasn't a clue what they're on about, and is displaying profound disrespect to the uniqueness that is wholly belonging to you. Communications, be it with a therapist or a friend who can help you define and extract your uniqueness, is the key to your success.

Now; having said that. Might I now put a fork in the road for you. Consider this. Should you spend a great deal of time, energy and foresight into understanding your life's path, you may find that it all comes to naught, if and when you chose hormone therapy.

For the simple reason, Oestrogen is going to remap your brain by feeding the deprived and atrophied oestrogen receptors. HT will also starve the testosterone receptors as well. This by enlarge may change your critical thinking and outlook on a raft of issues. So before you become encamped round your conclusions, I might suggest you consider the bigger picture.

With love and respect

Catherine

[Catherine Sarah]

TO  T K G W

Just beware of labels. Don't get hung up on them, They can be quite misleading. In the major part of the T community, transgender and and transsexual mean the same thing. What is most important is how you relate to yourself. You are the most important person in this community, not some legalistic jargon.

You possess a uniqueness that is specific to you. It needs to be nurtured and fostered so you can become the best you possible can. You don't need, nor want to be a clone of me, the person next door or your local statesman. You need to be you.

The most important thing in a forest, is the tree. It doesn't matter if it's a eucalyptus, pine, fir, or gum. It just needs to be a tree. Without a tree, there is no forest.

Huggs
Catherine

[kaitylynn]

Have to agree with Catherine on this...HRT will change your perspective.  To what degree, there is no way to know.  When I started my transitional path in '96, the first things I noted after the initial settling out of raw emotional energy was how my point of view changed.  Things that had been all encompassing to me started to take a back seat to things that became glaringly more important.  I realized that I needed to stop to raise my kids.  These changes have stuck with me.  Within 4 months, my entire approach to life was altered.  Friends used to me reacting and thinking in one direction were well aware that I was not hat person.

My therapist loved hearing about how that experience worked huge changes in my life.  She never tried to tell me what they meant, but instead allowed me to discover the beauty of what I had come to know.  She was a sounding board or mirror more than a guide or mentor.  She helped me to see ins and outs of facets on my personality that will effect my transition.  She has also helped me to temper and solidify a course of action, not by giving me goals or anything...but by allowing me to feel what is possible in the short term and what I would like to achieve in the long term.  Therapy, with the right person, is an asset and not something that should be discounted for its overall value.

For decades I have researched anything and everything I could find regarding transgender and transition.  I came to have an academic understanding of what these are and how they have affected my being on a whole.

I relate this to maybe put another perspective out there on what therapy can be.  What you are writing sounds familiar to me in so many ways.  Macho, yep...with my friends I was always seen that way.  It was a great facade that has carried me in strange directions over the years.  In the end, I believe it is what the inside dictates you do that is the important consideration.  Bizarre, yep...even people that you let know will find it that way unless they are directly dealing with it at some level.  How much does that matter to you?  What sort of constraint will facing changing perception of who you are by others control your efforts?

I am out to everyone except work and even there I am out to some.  Hormonal levels now have me on an even footing within myself again.  The further these changes take place, the less I worry about what outside perceptions matter. 

I am transsexual by the definition, dysphoria with body image is strong, but so is my need to be comfortable with my feelings and emotional states.

Anyway, rambling...way too much coffee this morning.  My thought, the more tools you have the more likely you will be able to overcome any of the myriad of stumbling blocks that will show up through transition.  If they are there, why not take advantage of them?

[Kylie1]

I could have written that too.  You're definitely among similar people here.
Xx