Finally finished my transition timeline yesterday! Obviously, all dates are approximate, but I'm SUPER happy with it as it sits!

Testosterone
March, 2016 - Appointment with therapist scheduled for testosterone note
May, 2016 - Appointment with endocrinologist scheduled for testosterone
June, 2016 - On testosterone

Top Surgery
December, 2016 - Appointment with therapist scheduled for top surgery note
June, 2017 - Appointment with surgeon scheduled for top surgery
July, 2017 - Top surgery crowdfunder starts
August, 2017 - Get name changed
October, 2017 - Top surgery crowdfunder ends
December, 2017 - Top surgery complete
January, 2018 - Gender marker changed on ID & passport

Hysterectomy & Phalloplasty
January, 2019 - Appointment with therapist scheduled for hysterectomy note
June, 2019 - Appointment with surgeon for total laparoscopic hysterectomy scheduled
September, 2019 - Total laparoscopic hysterectomy complete
October, 2019 - Appointment with therapist scheduled for phalloplasty note
October, 2020 - Appointment with surgeon scheduled for phalloplasty
November, 2020 - Phalloplasty crowdfunder starts
February, 2021 - Phalloplasty crowdfunder ends
April, 2021 - Phalloplasty complete
May, 2021 - Appointment with surgeon scheduled for semi-rigid penile implant
October, 2021 - Get gender marker changed on birth certificate
November, 2022 - Have semi-rigid penile implant

May, 2022  - I'm finally freeeeeeee!!!!

So yeah. How realistic do you think this is? Obviously to get even close to these dates, I'll have to be working my butt off from the second I get my GED when I turn 18 in June, 2017... Thankfully my family is accepting, so I should be able to live with either my parents or my grandmother for a 1-4 years extra, probably 2 years each, and pay minimal rent... So I think it's doable.

I would not expect that much money from a crowdfunder to afford much of anything. Unless you are famous on youtube or have a lot of friends that want to give you money it won't happen. You will need to work your butt off with a real job (I afforded top surgery with working one year at a walmart). I did not do much besides work and come home. Extra curricular activities that cost money have to be kept to a minimum. I cannot see you affording a hysto or phallo with a job right out of highschool. If insurance does not cover those things then it just won't happen. The time frame of everything seems reasonable if money is not a problem but I have only went as far as top surgery myself so someone else will have to comment on that.

As I said, I would be working my butt off. I make comics and sell art prints freelance, I'm learning to sew so I can make custom-made clothing freelance, and I'm getting a job the second I'm able to get my GED. Doing it within this timeframe is really only a hope, but if it gets pushed back a year or two or three because of money, that's fine too. My grandmother has said she will pay for at least half of my top surgery, so I'm hoping that holds true. A lot of the money I'm saving will be for hysto + phallo.

The only part of your timeline that may not be possible depending on what all you're looking to have done is "Phalloplasty complete". At a minimum, phallo is a 2 stage procedure. For most people it is 3 or more stages, and on average it takes around 2 years or more to have completed all the stages and be complication free. The heal time between each stage is anywhere from 3-9 months depending on what is done, who the surgeon is, and what their availability looks like to get you back in for the next stage. Most of them do not schedule every stage up front.

Like Alex said, I wouldn't hold your breath for any kind of crowd-funding. You'd have to be extremely well known online or have a lot of friends and family willing to donate. And if you have friends and family willing to give you money, they may as well just give it to you instead of doing it through a crowdfunding site where you'll lose a percentage to them.

For reference, this is my timeline:
- Summer 2014, came out
- December 2014, started T
- December 2014, 3 sessions with a therapist for top surgery referral
- February 2015, consult with surgeon for top surgery
- March 2015, legal name change and gender marker update on all documents
- April 2015, top surgery
- December 2015, meeting with care team (primary care doctor & mental health specialist) for bottom surgery referrals
- January 2016, scheduled consults for hysto and bottom surgery
- January 2016, all bottom surgery referrals received
- 3 February 2016, hysto consult scheduled
- 24 February 2016, bottom surgery consult scheduled
- Summer 2016, metoidioplasty stage 1
- Winter 2016, metoidioplasty stage 2

I'm hoping to have my hysto the week after the consult (or the same week if they have an opening). I need 2 weeks to be able to fly for the bottom surgery consult, so if they can't get me in then I'll have to wait until March to have that done. I need 3 months in between hysto and stage one of bottom surgery. I need to wait 6 months to have testicular implants placed, so Winter is the soonest that could happen. I will probably wait longer though due to life stuff I will have going on in January.

I can't say anything is or isn't realistic beyond the phallo observation. People told me it was not realistic to expect to complete my medical transition in under 2 years, but I am very much on track to do it. BUT, I had saved up money in advance, found trans-friendly insurance, was gifted money for top surgery, and was lucky to have lots of high quality local resources. So you may be fighting an uphill battle in that regard.

Switched up some dates and the like in order to make it more realistic... A decade is a long time, but I'll have to deal.

Testosterone
March, 2016 - Appointment with therapist scheduled for testosterone note
May, 2016 - Appointment with endocrinologist scheduled for testosterone
June, 2016 - On testosterone
June, 2017 - Get name changed

Top Surgery
June, 2018 - Appointment with therapist scheduled for top surgery note
December, 2018 - Appointment with surgeon scheduled for top surgery
October, 2019 - Top surgery complete
November, 2019 - Gender marker changed on ID & passport

Hysterectomy
June, 2021 - Appointment with therapist scheduled for hysterectomy note
December, 2021 - Appointment with surgeon for total laparoscopic hysterectomy scheduled
April, 2021 - Total laparoscopic hysterectomy complete

Phalloplasty
June, 2021 - Appointment with therapist scheduled for phalloplasty note
June, 2022 - Appointment with surgeon scheduled for phalloplasty
September, 2024 - Phalloplasty stage 1 complete
September, 2025 - Phalloplasty stage 2 complete
March, 2026 - Get gender marker changed on birth certificate

If it makes you feel better you may get lucky and the laws will change before 10 years to get your gender changed on your birth certificate before bottom surgery.

Quote from: Alexthecat on January 11, 2016, 03:28:32 PM
If it makes you feel better you may get lucky and the laws will change before 10 years to get your gender changed on your birth certificate before bottom surgery.

You can now in some states!

Quote from: FTMax on January 11, 2016, 03:31:03 PM
You can now in some states!

I thought you had to change your gender marker in the state you were born? Is that not correct?

Quote from: m3morpho on January 11, 2016, 03:44:28 PM

Quote from: FTMax on January 11, 2016, 03:31:03 PM
You can now in some states!

I thought you had to change your gender marker in the state you were born? Is that not correct?

It all depends on what document you're talking about and what state you're in. I was born in Maryland and live in Virginia.

You can update your records with Social Security with a letter from your doctor saying you're transitioning and should be in the system as Male. You can do this anywhere in the US, and it is free. I'd wait to do it until you've changed your name. To change my driver's license, it required another doctor's letter that had to be mailed to DMV headquarters. They sent me back a letter to take to the local office for a new one. The whole process took about a week from mailing the doctor's letter to getting my new ID in the mail (VA mails them to you). To change my Passport, I took my updated Social Security card, driver's license, original birth certificate, name change order, and another letter from my doctor to a Passport office and filed an application for a new passport. It took 3 weeks to process and got lost in the mail for a week, but now I have it.

Maryland will amend birth certificates if you request it, but there's really no point now that I have an updated Passport. It can be used to show citizenship, which is the whole point of the birth certificate. I will probably only get around to modifying my birth certificate if I move away from the area and it is no longer convenient to go to Maryland government offices in person.

The Wiki has a page on documentation updates. My suggestion would be to (1) change your name, (2) update with Social Security, (3) update your Driver's License, and (4) update your Passport. If your state has weird rules about the Driver's License, just jump straight to the Passport. It is easy to do and doesn't require anything surgical. They are picky about the verbiage of the doctor's letter, but it is online. I think I've also posted a thread here about it so people can just copy and paste. I will dig it up if you want. Though it doesn't allow you to drive a car, a Passport is a great form of ID.

Ohhhh okay. I'm personally worried about my birth certificate, as well as everything else, because I want to move to Belgium after my transition and they need a copy of your birth certificate for their records. Basically I'm worried that if my birth certificate doesn't match the rest of my documents, then there will be a problem, because I doubt there's a protocol for trans people in immigration, you know?
Either way, that's some great info that I need to keep in mind!

Belgium will indeed want a copy of your birth certificate, and not just that, but a certified, notarised, apostilled copy - which you will have to have officially translated and notarised again once you are here. There is no protocol for trans people in immigration. I'm applying for Belgian citizenship, but I'm doing that before my name change simply because the paper work nightmares involved in doing it the other way were too daunting. This way, I can get Belgian citizenship, use the Belgian government service to change my name, and then use that to change my US documentation. Actually works out as being somewhat more affordable and less of a headache considering that I already live here.

Thomas

Quote from: m3morpho on January 11, 2016, 09:30:49 AM
Finally finished my transition timeline yesterday! Obviously, all dates are approximate, but I'm SUPER happy with it as it sits!

Testosterone
March, 2016 - Appointment with therapist scheduled for testosterone note
May, 2016 - Appointment with endocrinologist scheduled for testosterone
June, 2016 - On testosterone

Top Surgery
December, 2016 - Appointment with therapist scheduled for top surgery note
June, 2017 - Appointment with surgeon scheduled for top surgery
July, 2017 - Top surgery crowdfunder starts
August, 2017 - Get name changed
October, 2017 - Top surgery crowdfunder ends
December, 2017 - Top surgery complete
January, 2018 - Gender marker changed on ID & passport

Hysterectomy & Phalloplasty
January, 2019 - Appointment with therapist scheduled for hysterectomy note
June, 2019 - Appointment with surgeon for total laparoscopic hysterectomy scheduled
September, 2019 - Total laparoscopic hysterectomy complete
October, 2019 - Appointment with therapist scheduled for phalloplasty note
October, 2020 - Appointment with surgeon scheduled for phalloplasty
November, 2020 - Phalloplasty crowdfunder starts
February, 2021 - Phalloplasty crowdfunder ends
April, 2021 - Phalloplasty complete
May, 2021 - Appointment with surgeon scheduled for semi-rigid penile implant
October, 2021 - Get gender marker changed on birth certificate
November, 2022 - Have semi-rigid penile implant

May, 2022  - I'm finally freeeeeeee!!!!

So yeah. How realistic do you think this is? Obviously to get even close to these dates, I'll have to be working my butt off from the second I get my GED when I turn 18 in June, 2017... Thankfully my family is accepting, so I should be able to live with either my parents or my grandmother for a 1-4 years extra, probably 2 years each, and pay minimal rent... So I think it's doable.

why is everything so spaced out if you don't mind me asking?

I suppose that everything but the phalloplasty timeline is doable, but have you considered taking it one step at a time?  Honestly I am not too fond of how many people rely on other people's charity to try and get their surgeries (or anything else other than actual basics needs--i fully support all forms of social services and that kind of charity), and if I were you I would focus mainly on testosterone, top surgery, name change, and developing a career.  You can't put your whole entire life on halt for transition's sake, especially at the time in your life when you have the most options to pursue avenues of interest for a career or for education.  Once you have a mortgage, car payment, taxes, health insurance, and bills to pay you become very limited on flexibility when it comes to seeking out new jobs or trying new paths.  One thing being on T is teaching me is that transition is a game of patience.  We wish there was a magic pill, but you will not suddenly be the perfect man you see yourself as overnight, and you have to accept that or you will just be depressed all the time.  Crowdfunding (which I am not a fan of) and art commissions are not even going to get you STARTED with the huge cost of phalloplasty.  Instead I would seek a job in trans friendly businesses like Starbucks so that you can get insurance that will help you cover these things.  You can work your butt off for a thousand years making art and still not have enough to pay for phalloplasty cold l, especially not when you have bills to pay.  My homeowners taxes were $3,700 this year alone.  I would make getting a good career started and getting great insurance my priority then be patient in regards to my surgical timeline.  I know we would all like to finish in a snap, but since you are not already financially stable, it is going to be really difficult to predict whether you will be able to get surgery in five years, ten years, or twenty years.  Getting into a job where you can earn the money for things like surgery is the key to getting it done.  Not trying to rain on your parade, just trying to give a different perspective in regards to the reality of money.