I didn't want to fill a foreign thread with my problems, so I started a new thread for my response.

Quote from: PiaBianca on August 04, 2013, 11:40:40 AM
Here in Germany that's not possible. You have to have some RLE before you can even be considered for HRT.

Quote from: Theo on August 04, 2013, 06:00:29 PM
Actually that is much more dependent on your insurance company and your therapist than anything else. It is not a prerequisite per se...

Are you sure? What does that mean? Can you please explain? I'm somewhat panicked by the RLE as I won't pass quite well.

At least some RLE is necessary for most therapists to send you to an Endo for HRT. But it is okay to start HRT before going fulltime like in my case. My therapist gave my the permission for HRT at the end of our first meeting. It depends on you and your therapist.

Lara

Very cool. Now I'm even more keen on seeing a therapist soon. I already started to have RLE (although it was only for some hours at nighttime). If I get some advise on makeup (to hide my 5 o'clock shadow) and if it gets cooler (to hide my arm and leg hair - my SO doesn't know nothing), I can really start on going public in female mode. I'm very courious how that will work.

And if some RLE is sufficient and there is no need for full time, that might do the trick. When I start HRT, my passability will increase and make it possible to go full time more easily. I feel that going full time at work will require much training of makeup and a good passability, although the University staff might be more open minded.

Okay, now I feel excited for the next steps. Hope that stays for some weeks or at least until I have the first meeting with my therapist.

But be carefull when choosing a therapist choose obe with transgender experience. Where in Germany do you life? I have a wonderfil therapist in Berlin. She is also Psychatrist and therefore able to subscribe medicine and speech training (Logopädie) and she ist also expert for the court which will ease the official gender change a lot for me and it will be much cheaper for me.

Lara

Coming up on 6 months' worth of HRT, started hair removal about 4 months prior to that. To date I have not done any "official" RLE at all, at most occasionally meeting some friends en femme.

My therapist saw no issue with this approach, but did tell me that she has had problems with some insurance companies in the past, so it is indeed quite variable. Entities such as the AOK tend to require RLE, while some of the smaller state insurances do not. The situation for private insurance companies is similar, with some following the AOK systematic, while others are more humane.

Generally the situation in Germany is a bit up in the air currently, as the TSG (the law governing the treatment of transsexuals) is pretty much defunct after a variety of law suits. This, almost anarchic, state has led to a variety of approaches in the market, without any clear guidelines. Potentially you may therefore be able to circumvent some of the RLE components even with the AOK, but it will require a lawyer and a bit of patience.

Quote from: Lara1969 on August 07, 2013, 11:38:50 AM
But be carefull when choosing a therapist choose obe with transgender experience. Where in Germany do you life? I have a wonderfil therapist in Berlin. She is also Psychatrist and therefore able to subscribe medicine and speech training (Logopädie) and she ist also expert for the court which will ease the official gender change a lot for me and it will be much cheaper for me.

I live in the Rhine-Maine-Area and got some information regarding therapists from an advisor who works in Mainz and advises transsexuals there. The therapist I chose is female (which is really important to me) and a medical therapist. Therefore she should at least be able to do prescriptions herself (but I heard that she doesn't do that and rather sends you to some specialist (which sounds good I suppose). I don't know if she can help me with the court yet.

Quote from: Theo on August 07, 2013, 02:03:01 PM
My therapist saw no issue with this approach, but did tell me that she has had problems with some insurance companies in the past, so it is indeed quite variable. Entities such as the AOK tend to require RLE, while some of the smaller state insurances do not. The situation for private insurance companies is similar, with some following the AOK systematic, while others are more humane.

I heard the Techniker Krankenkasse would tend to being difficult, but I really don't know. I'll see how it will work.

Quote from: Theo on August 07, 2013, 02:03:01 PM
Generally the situation in Germany is a bit up in the air currently, as the TSG (the law governing the treatment of transsexuals) is pretty much defunct after a variety of law suits. This, almost anarchic, state has led to a variety of approaches in the market, without any clear guidelines. Potentially you may therefore be able to circumvent some of the RLE components even with the AOK, but it will require a lawyer and a bit of patience.

Yeah, I know. Since I plan SRS, the majority of decisions is not of a big importance to me; nevertheless it might speed things up if I don't need to finish the path before getting my new name and 'female' on my ID card. Whenever things can be parallelized, it tends to speed things up.

That said, as I plan SRS, I'd have all the options even without the recent rulings by the BVG. Nevertheless you're right, it might smooth things up a bit.

No one ever required me to have RLE... I live in the Rhein-Main Area as well. Maybe I was just lucky though...

Good look to you!

Quote from: Sianna on August 08, 2013, 03:10:35 PM
No one ever required me to have RLE... I live in the Rhein-Main Area as well. Maybe I was just lucky though...

Good look to you!

Would you care to tell me, whom you had as therapist? My fear of the RLE is overwhelming; even though I want to have some RLE and will have... I don't want to go full time prior to hormones.

I was seeing two. The one who wrote my letter for HRT was Dr. Norbert Boller in Frankfurt. He has some experience in this field. I wasn't even close to living fulltime, but I showed up being me. As far as I remember in his opinion RLE is not necessary anymore.

Thanks a lot. I'll keep him in mind. But since I already called a therapist and I'm waiting for a callback, I'll keep my hands still. Additionally I think I'd feel a bit awkward telling my problems to a man. I've only got very few male friends as I'm better talking to females.

Quote from: Lara1969 on August 07, 2013, 11:38:50 AM
But be carefull when choosing a therapist choose obe with transgender experience. Where in Germany do you life? I have a wonderfil therapist in Berlin. She is also Psychatrist and therefore able to subscribe medicine and speech training (Logopädie) and she ist also expert for the court which will ease the official gender change a lot for me and it will be much cheaper for me.

Lara

I'm looking for a therapist to start my FTM transition, can you recommend me yours?   Thanks in advance

Hi, Lurak!

Welcome to Susan's.

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Being from Europe and also from a country (Finland) where the whole RLE, HRT, TS diagnose and all the possible things, seems to be impossible to achieve, unless you please the psychiatric staff to the extreme...so...just a though.

Depending on the actual Rhine-Maine area, you might have Belgium and/or France close by...perhaps even Netherlands within a reach for a day trip?

Belgium and Netherlands at least seem much more open to trans people and giving treatment, so you might also want to think about those countries.

I did similar thing and crossed to Estonia, which seems so much more open to help trans people.

Just throwing an idea, don´t lock yourself to one country. There is no need to stay within German borders in EU, you might get help easier in some other country. Keep your mind open 

(Oh yes, and I didn´t check the thread start date  But anyways, the advice is good now as it was in 2013, when I actually went to Estonia first time to get help)