Birthday versus Re-Birthday

[mavieenrose]

Hi all,

After my SRS I thought for a while of no longer celebrating my original birthday and of only celebrating my 're-birthday'.  In the end though I found that I still needed to celebrate the old date and so now I have two special days a year (just like the Queen of England!)

My birthday is quite a public affair, with wishes from family, friends and colleagues, while my re-birthday is quite different.  It's a day when my parents send me a little card and tell me how proud they are to have me as their daughter, and it's a moment for me to reflect on how far my life has come from those difficult and lonely days in the past.

So basically I've been living for quite a few years now with two, distinctly different types of birthday and this seems to work for me, each one gives me something I need.

I was just wondering how others feel about this and which special day/s you have decided to celebrate...

MVER XXX

[Kate]

Kate was born on August 10th, 2006: the day I began taking estrogen.

I'm pre-op, but I think even after SRS, 8/10 will remain my real birthday.

Hmmm... not a bad target for clothing sizes, either

~Kate~

[Laura Eva B]

My birthday is the day I popped out of my mums womb ....

The most significant day in my life I guess ?

The day I will always celebrate  ....

When did Laura "emerge", day 1 of HRT, day 1 of RLE, day 1 of SRS ...  ??

Truth to be told, I've been Laura as long as memory goes back, so why create re-birthdays ?

Can't see myself ever celebrating my SRS anniversary other than with a "private" dinner out with a few close friends.

Laura x

[Judge Yourself]

Still pre everything - but yeah i'm still going on my birthday being May 1st - because it was my original birthday plus if a rebirthday falls on when you came out as such.. i did that on my birthday too, to my dad

[Kimberly]

Kate was born on August 10th, 2006: the day I began taking estrogen.

I'm pre-op, but I think even after SRS, 8/10 will remain my real birthday.

Hmmm... not a bad target for clothing sizes, either

~Kate~

Interesting. My thoughts are similar; When I FINALLY hit on what was wrong, or more specifically shattered the façade and peeked though... HRT, GRS, etc. are just means to an end, although I will not be too surprised if I end up with three birthdays...

[mavieenrose]

When did Laura "emerge", day 1 of HRT, day 1 of RLE, day 1 of SRS ...  ??

Truth to be told, I've been Laura as long as memory goes back, so why create re-birthdays ?

I suppose for me, my GD was very much about having one particular physical deformity that I desperately wanted removed.  Because of this I suppose for me my SRS has always very much felt like a second birth, the day that a large part of who I am finally made it into the world...

That said I can see that depending on each person's particular experience of GD this could be quite different.

MVER XXX

[Rashelle]

I consider Sept. 12th. as my rebirth date. I now have two brith days as far as I'm concerned. As to me I was finally able to have the anatomy/body that I was meant to have and that will always be a special date to me.
Rashelle

[trbrink]

Although I will probably always remember the day of my GRS surgery, I will not celebrate it as my birthday.  My birthday was when I was born by my mother.....In my view I had a horrible birth defect and the date of my GRS surgery was just the day that corrected that horrible birth defect. I have always been me since the day I was born, so consequently, that is why I celebrate the day I was born by my mother as my birthday.

[Godot]

I'm pre everything and don't plan on any kind of hormones or surgery..but the day I came out and realized I was a boy I'll always remember. It was a good day..I felt like I'd just been renewed. I dunno how I'll celebrate it but my old birthday I'll probably celebrate more though

[Northern Jane]

I do keep two birthdays.

The first one, of course, is the day on my legal birth certificate, the public day. I don't know what time I was born on that date.

The second is a 'day of thanksgiving', when I give thanks, and is VERY private - it is the day without which I would never have had a life and I DO know (approximately) when I was born - when they wheeled me out of the "delivery room" about 10 a.m.

The second date is far more important to me. The first date was purely by "coincidence" and the result of other people's lust but the second was deliberate because it only happened through the compassion of a good doctor who was willing to forgo his fee to save my life and give my life to me. That is the kind of compassion and generosity one can never forget.

[Renate]

So many birthdays...

For me, the only "other birthday" will be the day I went to court and changed my name.
That was day one of full-time and burning my bridges entirely.

[Lin]

Although I will probably always remember the day of my GRS surgery, I will not celebrate it as my birthday.  My birthday was when I was born by my mother.....In my view I had a horrible birth defect and the date of my GRS surgery was just the day that corrected that horrible birth defect. I have always been me since the day I was born, so consequently, that is why I celebrate the day I was born by my mother as my birthday.

Well said!!!

[Fer]

for me, my GD was very much about having one particular physical deformity that I desperately wanted removed.  Because of this I suppose for me my SRS has always very much felt like a second birth, the day that a large part of who I am finally made it into the world...

MVER XXX

I agree with this statement.  For me that's how it feels.  Not even 2 months post-operative yet but I'll celebrate two birthdays this year too.

[Vexing]

People still celebrate birthdays?
I only do the big numbers, 21, 30, 40, 50.

[cindybc]

My first birthday was June 30th 1945 I always was Cindy but Cindy didn't trully awaken and walk out as herself until she awakened August of 2000  and was officially born Sept 7th 2004 finally feel complete happy and free and I love who I am.

Cindy

[Rachael]

My birthday is the day I popped out of my mums womb ....

The most significant day in my life I guess ?

The day I will always celebrate  ....

When did Laura "emerge", day 1 of HRT, day 1 of RLE, day 1 of SRS ...  ??

Truth to be told, I've been Laura as long as memory goes back, so why create re-birthdays ?

Can't see myself ever celebrating my SRS anniversary other than with a "private" dinner out with a few close friends.

Laura x

Exactly...  I was born the day i was born, I always will be, And ive been a girl all my life.... I dont even remember the day i went on hrt... it wasnt important beyond making things right. Why remember it? ft? dunno. Do remember the day i started dating my boyfriend... the day i passed my driving test, the day important things in my life happened.

[Danielle M]

Well girls and boys, to take that confusion from my platform I am getting my SRS and FFS all done on my natural birthday, 28th August 2009.  Happy birthday to me
Post Merge: August 12, 2009, 04:00:31 PM
Hi, I look at it as when you gained the realisation of your innerself as the conception, then the preceeding journey of 'treatments' weather ftm or mtf as the gestation period finaly you get a rebirth (you can set this date) so you can end up with two both are signifigant, I choose to have my 'rebirth' on my natural birthdate, so I dont have any debate, I just get pressies and birthday wishes, I am always the one who fully realises the greater signifigance of this day even if all my friends and family only think of one half of the 'birthday'. It is allways a special day even if you split it!!!!!

[tekla]

Have all the birthday's you want, but I'm only buying you drinks and a present one day a year, so pick one.

[LordKAT]

Two birthdays, one public, one important. Caem into the world in september but woke up and can have a life as of April 17, 2009.

[FairyGirl]

why not compromise and celebrate them all?