Susan's Place Transgender Resources

I'm starting hormones in about a week and a half, and one thing I've discussed with my therapist occasionally is that, according to her, the 'normal' thing that happens is that people start presenting in public at least a few times before they start hormones.  I've never gone out in girl mode, mainly because I can't pass because of facial hair (still working on that).  So I'm curious what other people's experience has been -- did you go out in girl mode before starting hormones?

Yup

Oh wrong forum

anyway I shown myself as male long before hormones, it is easier for us then you ladies to start with and I think it takes guts to go out the first time 2nd and even a few more.

Same here

I voted often, meaning full time.

I believe that due to the way things work in the UK I'll have to go full time before hormones! eeek! :o (I'd soooo love to be corrected on this), so yeah I will be part time as soon as I feel I'm ready completely sans HRT.

if your going through the NHS verry likely, if it is private not at all. they allow you to work at your own pace.

It's unlikely I could afford private, though I'm quietly determined to start saving as much money as I can...shame I despise overtime.

I actually started part time and hormones at the same time.

As of now, Never.

I do not know if I have the courage to go FT/PT because I haven't tried. I mean I dress girly sometimes but not with the intention Ok today I'm presenting female, I don't know if I look enough and there are no 3rd parties to give me feedback and I don't trust I can be objective enough in front of a mirror. And at the same time I don't want this to be an excuse.  :-\

I feel like I need to let go of all this somehow - breathe, be more free. Gaah!
Sorry for the partial hijack, I just love the sound of my own voice (ughh, wrong idiom :laugh:)

Quote from: ƃuıxǝʌ on May 08, 2010, 07:49:10 PM
Need to add another option there: Full Time before hormones.
There are a number of us who have done it that way, for varying reasons.

Same here.

Quote from: Laura Hope on May 09, 2010, 12:52:57 AM
Same here.

Me too

Part time before and after hormones. Various reasons.

Cindy

Wrong forum, but I haven't gone out in 'girl mode' since I came out to myself again earlier this year. I don't think I even could anymore. The first thing I did was get a haircut, and the next thing I did was go home and change into male clothes. Haven't worn the female ones since.

Quote from: LordKAT on May 08, 2010, 07:50:42 PM
Yup

Oh wrong forum

anyway I shown myself as male long before hormones, it is easier for us then you ladies to start with and I think it takes guts to go out the first time 2nd and even a few more.

ditto. the upside for us is there's (usually) fewer public consequences (staring, etc). the downside for us is if we're not passing, no one knows we're out! But yeah, I definitely applaud the ladies for their guts. It must be scary those first few times with the way our society is.

Somewhere in between would be the option I would choose if it were there. I started presenting androgynous a little at a time and slowly progressed to presenting full time as female. It really doesn't have to be on or off in the beginning. Actually I guess it never has to be anything but for me it helped me gradually change which made me feel more comfortable and also prepared those around me for what was to come. Worked for me!

Yes, I agree with sister Cindy, Various reasons  :D :D :D

Quote from: CindyJames on May 09, 2010, 02:25:11 AM
Part time before and after hormones. Various reasons.

Cindy

It is easier to start part-time than quickly come out full-time dress. I haven't yet due to not sure how I would be preceived by family and friends plus strangers. I also not sure if I look like a women if I did. I wear sometimes female underwear or socks,a scarf,gloves in the winter/fall time,jacket that considered for either gender. At times in the past women  jeans or pants. :) :-* :angel: :laugh:

I don't know how you define "part time" and "full time"

I wear girls pants and tops all the time, jeans tees and hoodies mostly, I wear girls shoes, I don't wear mens clothing anymore except for my coat which is pretty gender neutral I wear it when outside. I've always had long hair since I was 13, I use skin care products for various parts of my body and I try to walk femininely ;)

Tho.. I dont grow or paint my nails, I dont wear any make-up, I dont wear dresses or high-heels outdoors, basically I just dont want to appear overtly feminine just now. And I also don't use the girls bathroom..

Sigh, maybe I'm part-time?

Quote from: ƃuıxǝʌ on May 09, 2010, 03:41:50 PM
This is how I defined it:
Part Time = wearing female clothes at home, male clothes at work.
Full Time = female clothes all the time.
For those of us in the workforce, with workplace dress codes, it's much easier to define 'part time' and 'full time'.

I guess I'd be part time then :( I'm not sure if I'll be wearing girls clothes at my workplace.. not until I get advice from a counsellor  about how to do it best.. :)

When I was younger and passed better yes ie ages 16-18 it was a strange ritual where I would gussy up and sneak out at night alone. However I stopped after I fell in love with someone I've not done this ritual since.

Although "girl clothes=all the time=FT" Thing... You know I wear alot of androgynous/gender non-specific clothes I own and I don't intend to throw all of those clothes away.

So that makes me part-time as well :-\
I've never worn 'proper' men's clothing and I'm not going to start to for work.

Im full time now and havent started hormones yet, hopefully will soon.

I started part-time in my teens, in the 1960's, before hormones were readily (and legally) available to me. I did some DIY, whenever I could steal pills, but it  wasn't often. Worked out okay - I made a good looking girl even without much in the way of curves - picture Amelia Earhart.

Quote from: CindyJames on May 09, 2010, 02:25:11 AM
Part time before and after hormones. Various reasons.

Cindy

I am with you there Cindy.   I wear as much female clothing as I can get away with when I have to present as male.  And as for the hormones, I started on AA's this weekend, yay.  Feeling better already.

I felt I had to know that transitioning would be worth it even if I could never pass, and there's only one way to find out for sure. Yeah, it was scary, but I took comfort in knowing it would never be as difficult as it was the first time.

For the purposes of the poll, I meant part-time to be going out in public as a girl/woman for some amount of time.  Or if not public, then around friends or something.  Basically I wanted to know if the person presented fully as female to other people before starting hormones.

I mean I've been wearing girls clothes from the waist down for over a year now, and my hair is down to my shoulders, but I don't really consider that part-time (especially when electro requires me to let the face hair grow 3 days out of the week).

Sadly my appointment to start hormones has been pushed back due to scheduling problems at the gender clinic I go to, so I have to wait another 2-3 weeks :(.

I voted "often" as I haven't started hormones and venture out presenting female 2-3 times a week.  I present male at school, but all of my school friends have seen my female presentation.  I think I will be going full-time soon (sometimes I don't know what's stopping me), I just want to start HRT first.

I am also under the opinion that getting a glimpse of what my life will be like after transition is necessary before taking as drastic of step as HRT.  Plus, it can only get easier, I figure the public will get less scary with some effects  of HRT.
jenna