Hi, I'm Lyric. I like this forum and promise to beam a few well-thought words in from time to time, though my time scarce. I'm not going to give you a long story that repeats things you've heard, so I'll just say this: I've been around for several decades (a bit older than Marcia Cross and not quite as good looking!). Not a transsexual, I fall into a category I call the "13ers"-- males who discover a interest in experiencing femininity from the inside (as well as the outside) at puberty. A comic book buff, I often fantasized having the power to switch genders at will. As with many others, I initially had a strong desire toward a feminine fashion aspect. I developed a love of women's hairstyles and a desire to experience them myself (and did increasingly over the years to come). Not content to be perceived as heavy metal rocker (which I wasn't), I longed to walk the streets looking as a normal woman. I gradually developed an interest in womenswear by using catalog & magazines to visualize the best looks for me. My wardrobe expanded. My hair somewhat diminished. My wig collection grew (lately I'm looking into extensions). I hate makeup, but realize it's utter necessity. I've never "joined the club"-- not yet sure I fit in with the Tri-S crowd, etc. While I'm sure I'll never be the total picture of self-acceptance, I've come to an understanding who I am and try not to get too analytical about it anymore.
My heart goes out to the difficulties of coping with transsexuallity, but seem to me the transsexuals have much more public understanding and sympathy than the bigenderist/crossdresser/13er. There are vast amounts of intelligent material on the web on the transexxual experience, but understanding those of us who don't quite fall into such an absolute catagory is limited. I hope to do what I can to change that.
--Lyric
PS - How do you post your own photo into your profile?
