I was asking this because this morning my brain got working on something besides the college classes I'm taking.
I seem to have been shot to center stage on places on the transwomen community on myspace. I don't know how it happened because I'm not even listed as transsexual on my profile, but I'm still getting adds and end up supporting all kinds of women right around my age group who aren't doing so hot in their transition or are doing WONDERFULLY or aren't even transitioning at all. Somehow they all popped out at me.
So, I'm being exposed to more and more types of transitioning, and it's pretty interesting. I figured I'd just start a thread with a few types I'd noticed and let anyone else add onto it.
The pronouns reflect the actions/awareness of the individual AT THAT POINT IN TIME. Don't bash me on it.
The, "do it or die" type.
This is the type that has either known his/her entire life and pushed it down, or ignored the signs and finally got gutsy enough to make the connection. In both scenarios, the strength of the drive to express oneself and not live a lie anymore becomes so overwhelmingly strong that immediate and deliberating action is required.
The resulting start of this usually isn't too hot. No preperation, no knowledge, and doubtful to have any support either, he/she jumps right into transition full time and gun-ho! That dude who looks like he'd be better in a rugby match that teeny beety boppy dress he's wearing that shows the fact all too well? Yeah. Or that little bitty girl with noodle arms in sports shorts and a muscle shirt? Yup, even the most uneducated in society get it.
Give a few years of emotional hell from poor adjustment as he/she starts this radical journey, to the time when that insane drive to reach a goal pays off.
Then you have someone so passable that she/he will be at a party for transsexuals and get called a biowoman/male by someone crediting herself as a know-it-all for transsexuals! A strong man or a woman, hardened by the trial of transition and the pain it brought along, ready to apply that strength in every possible way to a new life.
Often proud to be a man or woman with, "Harry Benjamin Syndrome," and fights for transsexual rights pretty hard.
You can't tell the difference
Claire(Gracie Faise) is a great example of this one. Someone who's known the situation for his/her entire life and met the challenge with vigor.
"NO mommy I am NOT wearing that eewy pink dress, give me some jeans!" "Hey pops this is Sandra, I'm staying over at her place and we're gonna do our nails."
For these individuals, transition is merely the seizing of an opportune moment. It's a coming of age thing.
By the time they finally get on corrective hormone therapy and officially start they're transition under the care of a therapist, you wouldn't know.
They've already done as much as they can up to this point, and a few subtle changes in face or body aren't going to live up to a lifetime of skills learned as being practically fulltime gives. The process goes smoothly as can be because the only thing different about their lives is they're taking a couple pills now.
Often these men/women don't even recognize that they ever used to be any sex other than their respective gender. Why would they? It's not like there's anyone to call them on it either because they started putting in the hard work right from the beginning.
Kinda. Sorta. Maybe.
I've only encountered one FtM like this so I will basically disregard him. He IS on these forum though:D The rest are women.
This is the guy who dips his foot in slowly and takes it out swiftly. He's too scared to jump in, so he borders on the edge. You never know who you'll meet on the edge of transition. Crossdressers, ->-bleeped-<- admirers, none of them are a bad thing but for someone who's unsure if he's got the guts or not to transition, well it's DISTRACTING.
He then begins these activities, cross dressing now and then to starting a full fledge myspace page. The page usually has the attitude of, "Hi my name is -insert long name here- (Alexandria, Cleopatra, Ferguliscious, etc). I'm a cross dresser."
Eventually after years of doing this either he or someone else talks some sense into her. A therapist, hormones for a few months, and then decisive and intelligent action. She's IT. After a few years of dealing with men's wants and desires, she knows how to look at a man and she knows how to move her body. She knows the right sounds to make. At the same time she's got years of being a successful businessmen or some other specialty to make her a dizzying mix of professionalism and sensuality.
Not afraid to admit she used to be a dude. If she's gonna be with someone they had batter accept her and her past entirely, and she ends up the trophy wife of some really hot man or woman with a long line of GG women glaring at her the entire way out of jealousy.
OR, he gets so lost up in this halfway point that well, he/she becomes the next top-awarded ->-bleeped-<- porn star, take Wendy Williams for example. Cocaine and boob implants and a nice bloated belly revealing last night's late trip out to Mcdonalds to CURE THE MUNCHIES. Yuppers.
This, then that, then whatever.
This is the man that's got military service under his belt or the woman who's been next to America's Top Model. It's because whatever these people do, they do it well. Awareness of the gender identity might have been apparent for a short time or a long time. Either way until he/she is fully convinced that transition is the right thing and then if it's the right time to transition, he/she is going to continue being darn'd good model of the sex his/her genitals represent. This man/woman thinks in depth about if transition is nessecary for happiness, if gender is really such an important thing, and in general that if he/she keeps working hard then there's some happiness to be found outside of transition. I mean, why leave all that hard work behind?
When he/she eventually does come to that conclusion, the identity which he/she has been building on for his/her entire life is in peril. Clinging to that, sometimes there's a relapse and progress is lost. Then again, if transsexual could pull of not transitioning, it's these types.
After long deliberation and lots of hair pulling and frustration, it finally happens. Hormones. Just because this has happened doesn't mean he/she can't wig out and go back to stage one again, and it often happens.
For those who stay though, they keep on in their lives as if nothing is different. People start to notice though.
"Hey bob, your skin is looking absolutely vibrant today! What's the secret?" "Woah Jodi, you're so full of energy and you're getting your job done so much better than anyone else, wow."
Eventually it goes from subtle to obvious.
"Bob, your hair is getting long and you're changing your voice and you've lost a lot of weight, spill" "You used to be SUCH a star and now you're acting like a lesbian who's bossy and aggressive and like you'd rather be hanging out with my husband than me, your own best friend. honey, what is going on?"
Eventually it goes from obvious to flaming obvious.
"Is that NAIL POLISH?" "Um Jodi, why do you have a shadow on your face and why are you wearing slacks?"
Soon after the pressure to transition isn't coming from inside but from outside/ She/he has waited as long as possible and simply can't hold off any longer, I mean boobs or a beard or whatever, everyone knows even if they're no informed and new acquaintances are shocked when they find out that no, that wasn't a woman they were speaking to, that's just Bob the weird guy or Jodi or whatever the case may be. There isn't a choice anymore, it's got to happen.
So, after putting it off for as long as possible, Bob or Jodi either announce something like this, "Hey guize! It's not Jodi anymore. It's Joe. Hence the Facial hair."
OR
New city, new life, cut contacts and just do it.
I honestly thing Kate is a great example of this, and that this is the one that represents me the most as well. Though, she ended up doing the just 'tell all' thing where as I just ran away and started a new life.
Do YOU have any types to share?
And, which type are you most like?
