Girl Talk: I Transitioned From Female To Male

Posted by: Roman Rimer
11:00AM, Tuesday December 15th 2009

As told to Lauren Gitlin.

http://www.thefrisky.com/post/246-girl-talk-i-transitioned-from-female-to-male/

It was always kind of under the surface, this idea that I wasn't quite comfortable with my body. I remember looking at this book my parents gave me when I was 8 years old and I saw drawings of what men's bodies were like and what women's bodies were like, and how bodies changed through puberty. And I remember identifying more with male bodies, like that was the kind of body I wanted.

When I was 16, I came out as bisexual. Then a few months later I came out as gay. It's funny – even then, I identified more with gay men than lesbians. Coming out addressed my sexual preference, but not my gender identity. At that stage I didn't really have an awareness that they were different. I never thought I could change my body. I didn't know any transgender people. There was this idea that they were out there, but I never thought I could have that life for myself. I remember seeing the movie "Boys Don't Cry" with my parents. It was right after I got out of high school, and way before I started dabbling with transgender issues, but I definitely identified with Brandon [Teena]. I could see what was possible. I thought, That looks cool but: A) I probably would be honest with people I was with and B) he got raped and killed by his friends, so maybe it's not so much of a good idea. That was a depressing movie.