I've begun the transition process and I'm going through my health care provder, Kaiser Permanente, because they have lots of resources and my insurance will cover many aspects of the transitioning process.
However they have protocols in place that you must navigate in order to advance. Gatekeepers, if you will.
I first went to see my regular physician. She referred me to a therapist. He referred me to the doctor who oversees the "transgender orientation" meeting. During that meeting, I was told I needed a "gender assessment" by a gender "specialist" who was supposed to contact me.
I waited and waited. No contact. Finally, I started reaching out to Kaiser to find out why I hadn't been contacted. Long story short, the therapist I'd been seeing IS a specialist. My first meeting with him WAS my assessment.
That means, in the eyes of my health care provider anyway, I am "officially" transgender.
I know there is no such thing as being officially transgender but to me this was such a relief. I've been questioning myself, wondering if I'm crazy or giving in to self delusion or stupid for even thinking this is possible for me. But to hear it from a trained professional was very validating. It feels real to me finally. Not just a subjective desire but an objective reality.
