Susan's Place Transgender Resources

Am I the only one that's noticeing this?

The FtMs on this website are all extremely young with a few exceptions.

Whereas the MtFs on this site are all older people with a few exceptions.

Am I the only one that's noticed that? Am I crazy? What do you this causes this?

Not sure, but mayhaps it's because girls are free to explore their masculinity without scrutiny whereas for boys expressing their selves in a feminine manner is frowned upon. 

I suppose you could post an age poll and divide it along FTM/MTF lines. (But that might leave out a lot of people who don't put themselves into those categories.)

Quote from: Arch on October 11, 2009, 06:31:52 PM
I suppose you could post an age poll and divide it along FTM/MTF lines. (But that might leave out a lot of people who don't put themselves into those categories.)

Great idea, I shall do that now.

I don't think that's accurate, I just think the older girls post more often.  I'm aware of a fair number of younger MTF girls on the forum.  It's not 50/50, but it's far from being just a few exceptions.

Personally coming from a post war beginning when being masculine was in hyper drive, I was raised that there were certain things that men and boys were expected to be and do.  One of them was not to be a 'sissy'.  That was worse than being 'of color'.  Sorry for anyone I may have upset, but if you came from that era you understand.  And heaven forbid if you were remotely Homosexual.  I was forced into football, which I hated.  I was pushed to be a certain way.  'Boys don't cry', 'Suck it up' and various other things.  And it took a while for us older girls to come to realizing who we realty are.

The FtMs have that freedom of being allowed to express their sexuality, thanks to the Feminist movement.  I don't have any hard feelings about all of this because there is noting I can do, except to be me Now.

JMHO,

Janet

Quote from: Ketsy on October 11, 2009, 06:39:50 PM
I don't think that's accurate, I just think the older girls post more often.  I'm aware of a fair number of younger MTF girls on the forum.  It's not 50/50, but it's far from being just a few exceptions.

Really? I don't know a whole lot...

I've noticed this, but I think it has got something to do with boys not being able to explore their gender like girls.

I'm 25, I hope I don't qualify as old yet.  I don't post a lot but have started to more recently since I've found myself at home in front of the computer more often.

Quote from: Heartwood on October 11, 2009, 07:05:23 PM
Really? I don't know a whole lot...

I guess it depends what you mean by old... for the purposes of this question I would consider anyone starting transition under 30ish to be a 'young transitioner'.  I've seen a fair number on the forum, some who post regularly and some who come and go occasionally.  I also would count anyone who transitioned young but may not be 'young' by years anymore, of which people there are also several on this forum.

That being said, though I think MTFs are fairly well represented on the age spectrum, I think what you're seeing may be the sort of inverse to what you actually said -- rather than young MTFs being the exception, is it more about the relative rarity of older FTMs?  I can think of maybe 2 on the forum that I know of?  I don't always read the FTM threads though so I might be missing some, but it seems most who post on here are 20-30 something, with some teens as well.

I'm 21 and 10 days... can I put down 11-30?  :D

Depends what you mean by young. I started transition in my 20s, though I'm 30 now. I do think there are a lot very young (teens/early 20s) ftms transitioning now, but I think part of that is awareness. There has been a huge gap in awareness between mtfs and ftms. Up until a few short years ago, very few people knew about ftm transition.

I apparently can not read. I voted wrong I am  FTM 40. I noticed at a group meeting I go to i am definitely on the older end of things. There are usually 3-4 of us that are older, most of the crowd is in thier 20's some younger.
Myles

<sup>edit- removed quote from removed post (personal info)

edit by asfsd4214- removed my post all together because it looks silly out of context  ::)</sup>

Quote from: heatherrose on October 11, 2009, 07:49:25 PM

By young I mean, younger than thirty years old.

Sigh, I guess it's official... I'm *old*...  :icon_no:

(lol  ;))

I feel old doesn't that count! haha.

Reality = started transition 19 now 21 and not much to show for it :p

When I was a teen in the 1960's and started living a double life, I knew maybe 10 to 15 others like myself (MtF although the term hadn't been invented yet) and only one FtM, but those were different times and there was no treatment for anybody and the only information around was through the grapevine, the "transsexual underground" if you will.

I started rebelling against my "assigned sex" in my very early teens and pushing for some kind of treatment. I didn't get legal hormones until I was 18 (legal age to go against my mother) and had SRS and "transitioned" at 24 (1974), as soon as it became possible. That's over 35 years ago now.

I'm 22 and have been on HRT for the past several months.  While I'm considered a young transitioner sometimes I can't help but wish I had put all the pieces together at an even younger age.  I used to think that all men were of the opinion that they'd rather have been born women.  Combine that with expecting boys to just "suck it up" and it postponed my transition.  Had I known I would have been in the 11-20 category.

As an *ahem* older transitioner, I have noticed a wide spread in age for MtFs, while most FtMs are a bit younger (mid-40s and below).  I think this is just because of historical reasons. 

Surgery was first available for MtFs and so has developed further than corrective surgery for FtMs.  I think the idea of MtFs has been around longer than FtMs.  (I had never even thought there were FtMs until about 20 years ago, but then I can be woefully clueless. :P)

If we ever get to a steady state of full social acceptance and well-developed corrective surgery, I think the balance will be about even between MtFs and FtMs, the backlog of older transitioners will be cleared out, and "older" transitioners will be those who are doing it after age 18.  But we're a long way from that.

- Kate

Quote from: Heartwood on October 11, 2009, 06:27:08 PM
Am I the only one that's noticeing this?

The FtMs on this website are all extremely young with a few exceptions.

Whereas the MtFs on this site are all older people with a few exceptions.

Am I the only one that's noticed that? Am I crazy? What do you this causes this?

I'm 21...

I think its partly due to when people can vary things... as Tristan said, 'girls' can be a lot more 'male' before things cross the boundry than vice versa.... Plus theres the whole male ego drilled into m2fs to raise a family and be a man... Then again, perhaps its most f2ms havent bveen into the trans community before now... due to surgery etc.... and coped? where older m2fs are those that have been here  a while.... and like, theres more even numbers of young people... On other sites, i see a lot of young m2fs too... Not many of them have transitioned yet mind, but that works both ways and is ageless... still.. I think one site as a barometer isnt quite a fair test. But it is interesting.

I didn't know ftms existed until nearly 2 yrs ago.  As soon as I found out I transitioned, pretty much.  It's never too late!  I'm very happy for those who can transition younger -- It will save them decades of frustration!


Jay

Well I'm a pre-transition teen and I can't say much about the numbers.

Probably the gender expression thing though, because I can get away with being pretty masculine without much hassle. Sometimes I even (gasp) pass in front of my parents and there's no trouble (just awkward "you should dress more girly"s).

I'm sure if any boy were taken for a girl he'd be given hell for it, especially by his father.

QuoteI am FtM and ages 21-30

Jay

QuoteI am FtM and ages 21-30

I'm 25 

Quote from: Jörgen, on October 12, 2009, 06:30:37 PM

No such thing as a late transitoner. People are different, do it at their own pace and according to available resources.

this.   :) :) :)

Simple answer really...
No one hates a tomboy but all of society despises a sissy.

Not fair but there it is.

MTF  41 and still cute

Quote from: Matilda on October 12, 2009, 06:40:43 PM
My point being that I wanted to specify what I meant by "late/older transitioner"

Still not clear to me, perhaps for different reasons. The poll asks what age we are now, not our age when we transitioned. Which one were we actually supposed to indicate? The answer would be the same for me, but not necessarily for other people.

So I am now post-op and under 30 years so I am not a late transitioner according to Matilda???

Mtf, 21-30.  I found out what hormones and transition were from YouTube of all places...

Quote from: SilverFang on October 14, 2009, 01:14:41 AM
Well I'm a pre-transition teen and I can't say much about the numbers.

Probably the gender expression thing though, because I can get away with being pretty masculine without much hassle. Sometimes I even (gasp) pass in front of my parents and there's no trouble (just awkward "you should dress more girly"s).

I'm sure if any boy were taken for a girl he'd be given hell for it, especially by his father.

So true...

Before I transitioned, my sister would sometimes borrow my male clothing (jeans, shirts, sometimes even boxers) if she was behind on her laundry.  No one thought anything of her wearing them.  Yet I can't begin to imagine how my family would have reacted had they seen me wearing her clothes.  I did, but they certainly didn't know.  Aren't double standards lovely like that?

I find it funny that according to the poll, the OP was both right and wrong... the majority of MTFs are older... but still under 30!

You know the word "transistion" is an interesting one, really I try to look at my life as a whole with decisions made rightly or wrongly...

I've done many things in my life and worn many labels, the only common thread is that I have always been me....Transistion suggests you're changing from one thing to another which kinda flys in the face that we generally all believe who we are from the start.

In the famous words of Cindy from Samoa....."I'm not trans anything!"

Quote from: Matilda on October 12, 2009, 04:59:41 PM

Then there are those young girls, late teens/early 20's, (with whom I don't correspond) who're in the early stages of transition and don't post much or do so occasionally.

I don't know whether or not to classify myself as early stage middle stage whatever stage but I am just a horrible procrastinator when it comes to transition.  Plus, I'm trying not to risk my senior year of college and just finish it out before I do anything more dramatic of course.

I think I post here somewhat often though but I really am not much help to a lot of people, I just chime in and stuff :p

:icon_flower:

I've noticed this but I can't really think why this is

I'm 26 & had GRS last year.

27 year old gal here.  Dr. Sanguan's graduate :laugh:

Quote from: heatherrose on October 21, 2009, 03:46:32 PM

Well Well look what the wind blew in! Where you been lil' bro?
Kick the dust off your boots and set a spell.  :icon_chuckel:

^__^ This made me smile. Yeah..been going through some weird phases. Haven't been on Susans much but am now returning :3

Quote from: myles on October 11, 2009, 09:23:26 PM
I apparently can not read. I voted wrong I am  FTM 40. I noticed at a group meeting I go to i am definitely on the older end of things. There are usually 3-4 of us that are older, most of the crowd is in thier 20's some younger.
Myles

I'm like Myles. I'm one of the older guys in a group of younger ones. And to be honest, I don't think it was only because FTMs were given more opportunity to do so because of Feminism as to why they are younger. Someone made an interesting comment to me when I began my transition: where are all the butches gone? And honestly, it's a valid comment and an interesting one. Does that mean that all young FTMs are butches? Not necessarily but it may be interesting to see if the recidivism increases in the next few years for FTMs.  But I do think that now that FTMs can be seen with any sexual orientation and not just dating women (I, myself, prefer queer women, whether MTF, cisgendered or otherwise) that we're seeing a few more of the younger guys appear. It's acceptable for them to finally express themselves as themselves rather than being a "pretend woman" (that's how I saw myself for 37 years -- a pretend woman).

I think that some of it also has to do with society's play on privilege. Man are discouraged from giving it up and women are encouraged to grab it where possible. So when "women become men"  that means they want privilege and that, to mainstream society, makes sense. But, when "men become women".. WELL! they must be nuts because who'd want to give up privilege!?

I also suspect that there are more resources for younger FTMs than there was 10, 20 years ago. When people hear transsexual they hear MTF. It's only in the last few years (thanks to Thomas Beattie and Chaz Bono) that they also hear FTM.  Times are changing and as transsexual becomes more apparent and ok to talk about in society I think we'll see more and more "out" trans and less stealth trans. This will mean higher numbers across the age spectrum, I suspect.

Anyways, enough rambling for one morning.

In 1950, I knew I was born in the wrong gender. When Christine Jorgenson was in the news, I could not see how I could do the same thing. I was only 10 and living in a medium size provincial city. I went to a very liberal university and had a Mick Jagger hair-cut and wore women's clothes except for skirts and dresses. As long as one was hetero, this type of presentation was just "rock star wannabe". Like "rock stars' often do, I got married and tried to be at least as normal as David Bowie claimed to be. I worked for an employer who tolerated a "rock star "look as long as one didn't expect any serious promotions. Then the organization found a "City Manager" with bell bottom suits and dredlocks and us androgynous people were in hog heaven.

However, the strain of just being close to the prize, but never quite there got really tiring ( you can look at the water, but you just can't swim) so I transitioned completely 10 years ago while in my fifties.


Anybody still awake?

Quote from: Heartwood on October 11, 2009, 06:27:08 PMWhereas the MtFs on this site are all older people with a few exceptions.

I voted to help confirm your suspicions,

but it just did not work,

what (by-the-way) is your idea of "old/young"?

;D ;D