Ask Matt Briefs: Short Questions, Short Answers
November 12, 2012 by Matt Kailey
http://tranifesto.com/2012/11/12/ask-matt-briefs-short-questions-short-answers/ (http://tranifesto.com/2012/11/12/ask-matt-briefs-short-questions-short-answers/)
The Ask Matts are accumulating again, so we have a column of briefs, more substantial than what is in my own.
A reader writes: "I am transitioning and I have decided that I don't want testosterone treatment simply because I do not desire facial hair or chest hair. I am planning on having top surgery, but not bottom surgery. Is there a place for trans guys who aren't going full-board male? I've heard of non-ops, but what about not taking T? I will be attending my first support group soon, and I am so nervous and so excited at the same time."
There is definitely a place for trans guys who are not taking hormones, not having surgery, or both. One of the "problems" with medical transition is that there is a certain path that has been put out there as a "blueprint" or a "map," and the expectation is that everyone will follow this path. The reality is that not everyone does, and only you can determine what constitutes "transition" and "done" for you.
Another (unfortunate) reality is that, in some cases, you will not be taken seriously, not only by non-trans people, but by some trans people as well. Depending on the community, there can be hierarchies, where those who are using hormones and have had surgery are at the top of the hierarchy and consider themselves to be "more trans" or "more legitimate" than those who are not using hormones or have not had surgery. This doesn't occur everywhere, but it can happen, and it can happen even in support groups.