Hi, im Richard aka Rica, born in a male body, but heart and soul is real woman.. ive been gay all my life, very feminine and girly one actually..my family accepted me for being a gay and i love them for that..i grew up loving for who am i, not until when i turned 30 that i feel something different from what i want anymore... deep in my heart i really want to be a real woman physically, so i tried crossdressing and it made me really happy... currently im working in the Middle East and as you all know, gay is not acceptable here..so i do crossdressing privately which i enjoyed it a lot and it really makes me feel good about myself.
But then, again, my heart says i want more than just crossdressing... i want to have a real long hair, i want to put make up everyday, i want to wear high heels everyday...i want to dress female clothes completely... so i am thinking to start my transition.. i want to start HRT..but i dont know how to start it...i am considering a lot of factors (ie health, work, friends, family)
can anyone please advise me how to start the transition? what are the things that i need to do? things that i need to know?  what to expect when u start the transition?
Please help!!!!!

A big warm welcome to the family Rica!  Most start their journey with a Therapist who has gender experience. I know that is probably not possible where you are though. With that said you can start by reading and getting to know the processes and what they entail. I would start with the WPATH Standards of Care. It is the current guide for transitioning and covers everything from looking at your symptoms to post op if you go this route. It is basically the world template at this time. I hope one day you are in a friendlier environment and can proceed from there. 

Here is a link to the WPATH standards.  https://www.susans.org/wiki/Standards_of_Care_for_Gender_Identity_Disorders

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