Susan's Place Transgender Resources

So all my sisters know I plan to transition, and one good friend does as well.  My mom died in 2002, so obviously I don't have to tell her.  I had sort of planned not to tell any more family members until I was closer to HRT/surgery, because I thought it might be confusing for them to hear that I was now identifying as male when I was still largely presenting as female.

Then it occurred to me that it might actually be more traumatic for my dad to be told, "Hey Dad, I'm transgender.  Getting the boobs lopped off tomorrow.  See ya, bye!"  Maybe a longer lead-up time would be kinder, since there would be more time to adjust and ask questions.  The issue is that I suspect I won't get an ideal response from him.  He's 70 years old, and I'm 44.  He's pretty used to seeing me as his daughter.  He knows I suffer from major depression, and he's going to assume this is part of that.  (Which it is, sort of, but not the way he'll assume.)  He may well decide that I'm nuts.  He's not LGBT-phobic or anything, but attitudes can change when the "T" stops being a letter on the end of a weird acronym and becomes your firstborn child. 

I'm interested in hearing from people who told potentially problematic relatives early on versus late.  Did it go well?  Do you regret not waiting longer?

I told everyone about 6 months before I had planned.  Best decision I've made on this whole journey.

Shock of knowing it was coming was better then the shock of seeing it.

Sent from my LG-H820 using Tapatalk

I ended up telling him, and his response was textbook awesome.  He was supportive and asked appropriate questions, and didn't at all say or do anything weird, which I was worried about.  At the end he kissed me on the head and said, "I kiss boys too."  It was so sweet, it practically made me cry. 

Quote from: The Flying Lemur on April 25, 2017, 02:13:29 AM
I ended up telling him, and his response was textbook awesome.  He was supportive and asked appropriate questions, and didn't at all say or do anything weird, which I was worried about.  At the end he kissed me on the head and said, "I kiss boys too."  It was so sweet, it practically made me cry.

What a superb outcome...good on you for getting up the courage...awesome. Well I guess that really couldn't have gone better!!!

Quote from: The Flying Lemur on April 25, 2017, 02:13:29 AM
I ended up telling him, and his response was textbook awesome.  He was supportive and asked appropriate questions, and didn't at all say or do anything weird, which I was worried about.  At the end he kissed me on the head and said, "I kiss boys too."  It was so sweet, it practically made me cry.

Good for you telling him and better yet his loving response for his child.
   Daddies are putty in the hands of their daughters even when they become their sons. I know I would do anything for my daughter. Well almost anything. I will not stop HRT because she cannot accept it.

  Hugs,
   Jeanette

Sometimes people surprise you.

People I thought would reject the idea were cool with it. Yet my mother who has thrown around this idea she's "progressive" and scientific for decades proved to be a hack.

Good to hear it went well.