Ok, heres some old school.
Years ago, the demographics of transitioning was, around 45 years old, white middle class, median income, married with kids in their teens, home owner, vested in a savings or retirement plan.
that was the 'norm' it figured, that though aware of the issue, the person had little to no support or information network. there was limited internet access, no public acceptance, so everyone was a 'stand alone' for the most part.
the age factor, lent that finances were secured, homes, savings were there available to leverage, children were of an age that a failed marriage would have minamised effects.
the big news on tg and ts was the one soldier that went overseas as a male, and returned home a female, the worlds first 'front page view' of a completed transition.
all this set up, that in the 40's a 'man', could start transition, have the financial resources, be assured his children were of age to be cared for, and perhaps understand. additionaly, that age in life, still gave enough time to 'realise the dream' and live life after transition.
fast forward 20 years from the mid 1980's to the mid 2000's .
internet is in everones home. the age of information is in full swing. chat rooms, forums, yahoo groups, and nearly every medium has an entry point into open discussion and support. the younger generations embrace this new technoligy, and discover through new " Google searches" that they are not alone. Sites like
susans.org, urna, tg city, spring to live bring a new internet community to the tg scene, providing additional information and support. the Benjamin Standards are opened to the medical community, and medacine has come out of the dark ages. Jerry Springer, Oprah, Dr Phil bring " transgender folk" into everyones home. feature movies, " TransAmerica" debutes, we as a community are out of the closet. Doctors are educated, surgens see oppertunity, cosmetic surgery, now acceptd in main stream America branches out into transition FFS, Breast aug, etc, for transgenders.
The internet and the media ride the wave, and break down the doors that were closed or unheard of a few decades before.
health insurance companies that never offered any coverage for transitioning, begin to now offer, in whole or part, benafits that cover counsling, hormones and gender reassignment surgeries.
countries like thailand see the American clients, and promote their services, often without the 'red tape "requirements, offering travel and surgical 'packages' at 50% of the cost elsewhere. combined with insurance, srs/grs now becomes an affordable and accepted option for younger people.
gender dysphoria, modern day, seems to be a growing movment to let a child define themselves. the gender steriotypes of old are long gone. now, transition can begin in grade school. horones are offered before puberty sets in with their extreme hormonal effects to the body . surgical options follow shortly there after.
be it good, or bad, things change. the average ages still vary greatly, but as noted, gender dysphoria often has a delayed onset, often not showing until later in life.
where srs was an option only for perhaps 1 in 100,000 back 25 years ago, with price tags of $25000 or more in a totaly self pay system, it has opened up now, to be available to nearly everyone that has the true desire and nature to persue it, with insurance and mandated health insurance behind them.
where a time existed, where there were a half dozen surgens, now the numbers seem limitless.
these few paragraphs are by no means scientific or medical facts. they represent my opinion and observations over many years , from my onset, through transition, and now, coasting down the home stretch, looking around at the information and acceptance the new girls have, compared to the way it was back when.
im not saying it is utopia acheived, but for sure, we as a community have come a long way.
