Hi jacqui.
Well once one knows who resides within, I recommend that one should make a start into transitioning as soon as they are able to. Life is to short to be living it in misery, yes misery, I came near to committing suicide and this was my deciding factor for starting. Actually, literally, I made my transition overnight. I wasn't even on the hormones yet when I began my journey as who I am and as I thought back I always was from a very early age but just was not aware of it nor did I really know what it was and to fearful to start.
I should have realised this back when I was in my early teens I passed as a girl or least ways by those who didn't know me personally. I could have transitioned back then in the sixties and the early part of the seventies. I had long hair nearly to my butt and I went around dressed in uniclothes, which was the fashion back then. But back then I heard so many horror stories about what could happen with guys that exhibited femininity and I did have my share at getting whoped by bullies at school.
I just didn't give it a thought and Helen, my best friend, and I just stubbornly rebelled that much the more and I just let people think what they would. Helen and I were both outcasts anyway and we stuck together like glue, Yep mischievous street waifs, getting into trouble but never anything serious enough to get in trouble with the law, well nothing so serious that just a finger waging and lecture from the local cop wouldn't fix. Actually he was a nice policeman, he sometimes got us some goodies on the way to driving us home .
You see Jacqui I was fighting two wars on two fronts at a time back then. When after sobering up from drinking alcoholically for twenty five years, trying escape from reality I discovered I was also a sensitive, *an empath and transsexual.* That brought me to a realisation that there was much more going on inside of me that I could no longer deny or ignore it. It was the empathy that drew me to examine who resided within more closely.
Cindy
