Transitioning in High school/College/Workplace?

[Jermaine]

Was wondering if anyone had any experience on transitioning while having to go to places where you have to see the same people while getting on HRT. I'd love to hear about it

[Tessa James]

I am a college trustee and consider our public schools to now be one of the best public places to transition.  Most colleges and high schools have an LGBTQ group,alliance or club.  Most colleges have a "Diversity Plan" and fundamentally recognize our rights and express that in non discrimination statements and policy.  I recommend finding our about your particular institution and their specific policies.  Your teachers can be made aware of your transition and be helpful in reducing classroom hassles but they are individuals too and we can hope they are in favor of life long education....suggesting they can learn from you too.

Good luck

[FTMax]

I would imagine that's most people in the world. Very few people transition in isolation.

I transitioned in place. My coworkers were mostly my friends, so all of them knew I would be going on T well before I actually did. I told my boss about a month before I started T and he was supportive. I didn't tell any of the clients I worked with until after I had top surgery. I made it very clear that I was going out for a surgery and when I came back I sent around emails asking them to use a different name. Everyone was totally fine with it. No issues in over two years.

In the time between starting T and having top surgery (like 4-5 months), the only comments I'd get about it were from my voice getting deeper. Everyone assumed I had a cold and I didn't tell them otherwise. After the "Hey I had surgery and changed my name" announcement, nobody commented on it anymore.

[Kylo]

Depends on what the people around are like.

I don't see that many people, or have to mix with that many of them, so no hassle for me. People went on about my voice in the first month of T because I sounded hoarse. Now it's not hoarse but noticeably deeper, nobody's said anything. Guess I'll see what happens as things progress.

[Rlake633]

Hey!
I have experience in this. I knew i wanted to transition my senior year of high school. I wanted to talk to a therapist and see about taking T, but my parents were not excited by any means about it. So we made an agreement that after my sophomore year of college I could start hormones. That was not a short waiting time by any means.
My freshman year of college I lived in coed traditional housing which frustrated me, especially first semester when i was in a dorm filled with 'not my type of people'. Second semester was better when i switched dorms. Even though everyone one on my floor was female (as opposed to fist semester), we were all really close and they respected my pronouns. Outside of close friends i was seen as a butch female because usually once i talked people would figure it out.
My sophomore year I was in a suite style housing with 3 other girls i was close to. With the suite style housing i had my own room and shared a shower and bathroom with my suite mates. This helped ease some of my stresses. That year i also joined a fraternity (only two people knew and i don't exactly know how that happened pre-t, but it did) I didn't really go to all of the events or hang out with the guys all that much during my sophomore year. It was mostly out of fear that they would figure me out. Also, that year in all of my classes except for my foreign language class (because it was only 20 people) I was seen as a guy for the most part and i deleted all public photos of me being female on social media and changed gender to their on FB to appease my parents.
At the end of the semester I started T and it was amazing. My job acted like nothing happened which was nice and when i returned to school for my junior year (my current year) the guys in my fraternity didn't mention anything about the voice drop or differences (might have been because i hadn't seen them for 3 months). There were a few people that asked if i was sick but i told them i started hormones and they had "oh yeah duh" moments and that was it.
Now as far as my living situation goes i'm living on a traditional male floor and we all share a bathroom and showers. I haven't had any issues other than initial nerves at the beginning of the semester of being found out, but its been fine. This year i have been more social and the guys in my fraternity are my best friends. It's really nice to get some of that male socialization i didn't really grow up with. I recently got my top surgery over break and i'm excited to be apart of swim club next school year on the boys team. Things are really looking up and i have had a great transition. I go to a big 10 school so there are about 25,000 students that go here. It's made my transition a little bit easier than what I suspect transitioning would be at a school of 2,000.
Hopefully that helps?

[Jermaine]

Hey!
I have experience in this. I knew i wanted to transition my senior year of high school. I wanted to talk to a therapist and see about taking T, but my parents were not excited by any means about it. So we made an agreement that after my sophomore year of college I could start hormones. That was not a short waiting time by any means.
My freshman year of college I lived in coed traditional housing which frustrated me, especially first semester when i was in a dorm filled with 'not my type of people'. Second semester was better when i switched dorms. Even though everyone one on my floor was female (as opposed to fist semester), we were all really close and they respected my pronouns. Outside of close friends i was seen as a butch female because usually once i talked people would figure it out.
My sophomore year I was in a suite style housing with 3 other girls i was close to. With the suite style housing i had my own room and shared a shower and bathroom with my suite mates. This helped ease some of my stresses. That year i also joined a fraternity (only two people knew and i don't exactly know how that happened pre-t, but it did) I didn't really go to all of the events or hang out with the guys all that much during my sophomore year. It was mostly out of fear that they would figure me out. Also, that year in all of my classes except for my foreign language class (because it was only 20 people) I was seen as a guy for the most part and i deleted all public photos of me being female on social media and changed gender to their on FB to appease my parents.
At the end of the semester I started T and it was amazing. My job acted like nothing happened which was nice and when i returned to school for my junior year (my current year) the guys in my fraternity didn't mention anything about the voice drop or differences (might have been because i hadn't seen them for 3 months). There were a few people that asked if i was sick but i told them i started hormones and they had "oh yeah duh" moments and that was it.
Now as far as my living situation goes i'm living on a traditional male floor and we all share a bathroom and showers. I haven't had any issues other than initial nerves at the beginning of the semester of being found out, but its been fine. This year i have been more social and the guys in my fraternity are my best friends. It's really nice to get some of that male socialization i didn't really grow up with. I recently got my top surgery over break and i'm excited to be apart of swim club next school year on the boys team. Things are really looking up and i have had a great transition. I go to a big 10 school so there are about 25,000 students that go here. It's made my transition a little bit easier than what I suspect transitioning would be at a school of 2,000.
Hopefully that helps?

Thanks so much for sharing rlake, pretty eye opening for me! Kinda suprised me that in work nobody said anything. I'm pre-t but just thought itd be weird to pop up with some facial hair out of the nowhere y'know? And yea that male socialization just kills the dysphoria huh?
One thing i was in particular worried about is that everyone on campus will know my business and I think they will perceive me as less of a man just because they know what I looked like pre-t,whatever. I'm glad to hear about your good experience congrats on top surgery and making friends along the way

[WolfNightV4X1]

For me I took it at work, my first job the changes happened gradually. New customers knew me as a guy and I got called sir a lot, but my coworkers know me as my female name and pronouns from when I first joined still looking female (the changes happened within three months, me looking more male and less female).

Eventually my workplace said our hours would be cut so they offered to transfer me to a new store, so I did. My new coworkers pegged me as male right away, I told them the name I went by, and I was a guy ever since.

It mustve been a godsend, the transfer. I got a new change of scenery to fully kickstart my transition without going through the trouble of a new interview and job searching.

[Jermaine]

I am a college trustee and consider our public schools to now be one of the best public places to transition.  Most colleges and high schools have an LGBTQ group,alliance or club.  Most colleges have a "Diversity Plan" and fundamentally recognize our rights and express that in non discrimination statements and policy.  I recommend finding our about your particular institution and their specific policies.  Your teachers can be made aware of your transition and be helpful in reducing classroom hassles but they are individuals too and we can hope they are in favor of life long education....suggesting they can learn from you too.

Good luck

Thanks appreciate the info Tessa. My school staff and teachers are all LGBT friendly but the students for the most part aren't [small town]  Idc about the students though as long as my professors and boss respect and understand i'm fine.

[Jermaine]

I would imagine that's most people in the world. Very few people transition in isolation.

Some people enroll in virtual school,online jobs,etc very rarely but they're out there lol. You transitioned in a nonchalant fashion though haha. How cool.

[Jermaine]

For me I took it at work, my first job the changes happened gradually. New customers knew me as a guy and I got called sir a lot, but my coworkers know me as my female name and pronouns from when I first joined still looking female (the changes happened within three months, me looking more male and less female).

Eventually my workplace said our hours would be cut so they offered to transfer me to a new store, so I did. My new coworkers pegged me as male right away, I told them the name I went by, and I was a guy ever since.

It mustve been a godsend, the transfer. I got a new change of scenery to fully kickstart my transition without going through the trouble of a new interview and job searching.

I can totally relate to passing to the customers. Getting sir'ed by them always makes my day. That transfer seems like its living proof of the saying "Everything happens for a reason" lol