for me personally i dated men as a teen trying to please everyone around me, then came out as a "butch lesbian" when i was 18 simply because i didn't know that anyone else was like me or that there was such a thing as "transgender". I first came to terms with being trans at about 20 and at 22 I expressed an interest in transition which wasn't received well by my dad so I pushed it back. When I turned 26 last summer it became a matter of transition or die. My relationship (8 years) started as a "lesbian" relationship although she had never been with a "female" before me. She never really identified as completely lesbian since she never really viewed me as female, she isn't attracted to bio guys but does like trans guys (although I'm the only one she's ever been with lol). I had very few lesbian friends to begin with, but some of them were a little resistant to my change at first, but over time they have come to see the change in me (how much happier I am) and accept it completely. So I guess it just depends on what kind of people they are to begin with.
