Hey there, my name's Rei. I heard about the site from doing a random google search. Hehe, I know it's not nearly as great sounding as, "My friend recommended it!" or something of the like, but hey. I am 21 years old. I am currently married to a wonderful wife who is supportive of my choices. So, I guess a little background couldn't hurt, eh?
Okay, first, despite the aloha, I'm not from Hawaii. I guess I'm just culturally broad. Anywho, I have always had this thing about myself that I never could figure out. I always felt out of place. As far as physical traits go, I am rather male. Definitely too male for me. I've always been the type to just chill inside and not go out and get dirty and such as a child. When I was entering my teenage years, I started to contemplate whether or not I was put together right. I went through numerous problems in life. I was addicted to heroin and other drugs, contemplated suicide, been in trouble with the law a few times. I've been a bit of a hassle to society.
So, recently, I sat down to think about my life, as I do every night before I go to sleep. I recollect everything I can in my life since I can remember and reflect on who I've become. At times this drives me into a bit of an emotional state, but it's better for me in the end. Moving along, while I was doing this "soul searching", as it were, it finally dawned on me. Maybe it wasn't what was inside that was wrong, but what was outside. So, I decided to do some research into gender. I found this website, as well as many informed Wikipedia articles, and discovered that there are a lot more people that I realized that have, or had, this "problem". I wish I could express the relief that I felt. The last thing I wanted was to be considered even more strange than people think of me now.
So, I gave it some more thought. After much thought and consideration, I realized that I was built right inside, but the outside came out all backwards. I have never felt "manly" or any of the like. When I was growing up, I would volunteer to do laundry for my family just to try my sister's clothes on. I thought this to be a normal experimentation at my age, but it just felt right. Looking back, I should have never ignored those feelings. When I recently informed my wife of this, she was amazingly supportive and not surprised at all. She has committed to helping me to transition from a male to a female. Just telling her made me feel happy inside. I've only felt that happy once before, and that was on my wedding day to her. True happiness. Oh my, what a concept. I'm almost in tears just thinking about it now. I'm still trying to find a qualified therapist here in Atlanta, Georgia, though. Some would say to visit the therapist and see if this is something I really want to do. That makes sense, no logic in jumping into a lake of disappointment, right? Well, my logic is thus: I have hated myself for so many years. It has been so hard to find inner peace. Since my discovery, I have finally found my inner peace.
So, that's my story thus far. I am hoping to make some wonderful friends here and learn so much from people who have been there and those who are still going through it. Community is the staple of humanity. My hopes are high that this community will welcome me with open arms. Thank you for your time, dear ones.
-Rei
