1 year forced RLE for Hormones - how to?!

[Lebedinaja]

In some countries, its required to go trough 1 year (some times even more, sometimes not as long) of Real Life Experience to be able to (maybe) get Hormones. The sould-doc rates the success,... I guess you may already know it.
From what I have heard from ... victims and docs, you need to do things like come out everywhere, family, friends, work, use a new name, ...

so I dont know how it is at your place, but was it your choice? were you forced? what did you have to do?
could you just tell your sould-doc : yes ... sure... did everything you wanted - and then its done?

[Laura_7]

Well you might look up transgender groups of the respective countries and ask there.

As far as I have read quite a few countries change the practise due to being sued if people are attacked.

[kira21 ♡♡♡]

The UK is like this.  It's cruel.  Add to that a 16m wait for referal to GIC with possible months wait to be assessed locally first.  It can be pretty long before HRT.  It's not right.

[HoneyStrums]

I was RLE, for over the needed time, long before my first apointment, with proof, Since comming out, Ive never worn aything male. and started feeling good enough about myself, That I actually started volutiering, that same day.

When I got the information letter, going over the GIC carepathway, A year and a half later, at my first apointment I asked just what it was that would count as proof, they said some form of legal document, with preffered name on. and a working refference, I said what does that mean? they said if your unemployed register with a job agency under your preffered name, and or the jobcenter.

So I said, I thought as much, here is the numbre of the cumunty center were I voluntier in a charity shop. Here is my deed poll for you to copy, and a bank statement requested just after presenting the deedpoll at the bank. will that count.

They said yes.

Odly enough, RLE is only required for srs over here.

So no, I dont think it is possible to just say, Ive done it.
But yea, When I saw the RLE section, I Was like, good thing I already got this, Even the long waiting tme only works in my favour.

[Mariah]

I chose to go full time before hormones, but I didn't have to wait terribly long for hormones. It was about 2 and a half months between the two. You hit the high points of what is required. Hugs
Mariah

[Valwen]

it is a cruel and outdated practice that when applied to hormone treatment has almost universally been shown to be vastly more negitive than positive. The jury is still out on the whole GRS RLE but thats not one I have ever though to be a big problem, few people can afford surgery very quickly, where as hormones are in many cases far more important and take lots of time to do anything. Many trans people find passing as there prefered gender almost impossible pre hormones and what type of test can RLE be if the person in question is not being seen as the gender they are presenting as.

I live in Massachusetts USA, I saw a doctor once and they wanted to get my bloodpressure under control first, so two weeks later I went back and started blood pressure medication three weeks later I went back and they added a new medication for my blood pressure (it was dangerously high, like mid heart attack high) three weeks after that it was down a good amount and I started on a moderate dose of T blockers and Estrogen, almost a month later we upped my dose.

so for me it was about two months between first seeing my doctor and starting hormones, I had seen a therapist for like 6 months before that so a letter from him was easy. but all of this was before transisioning, in fact I was like two months in to HRT before I started telling more than a handful of carefully chosen friends.

Serena

[Lebedinaja]

it is a cruel and outdated practice that when applied to hormone treatment has almost universally been shown to be vastly more negitive than positive. The jury is still out on the whole GRS RLE but thats not one I have ever though to be a big problem, few people can afford surgery very quickly, where as hormones are in many cases far more important and take lots of time to do anything. Many trans people find passing as there prefered gender almost impossible pre hormones and what type of test can RLE be if the person in question is not being seen as the gender they are presenting as.

I live in Massachusetts USA, I saw a doctor once and they wanted to get my bloodpressure under control first, so two weeks later I went back and started blood pressure medication three weeks later I went back and they added a new medication for my blood pressure (it was dangerously high, like mid heart attack high) three weeks after that it was down a good amount and I started on a moderate dose of T blockers and Estrogen, almost a month later we upped my dose.

so for me it was about two months between first seeing my doctor and starting hormones, I had seen a therapist for like 6 months before that so a letter from him was easy. but all of this was before transisioning, in fact I was like two months in to HRT before I started telling more than a handful of carefully chosen friends.

Serena

wow, good path, seems like this part of the transition went all right.
If you want a doctor here, or talk with a psychologist (soul doc) about your problems, you may get a date to come in about a half year or later 

Getting to the point of starting the whole process, the therapist/psychologist needs to know year for one year, and then you need to be RLE 24/7 for (I read it up) more than one year.

So the whole process is kind of ... 

[Sammy]

To my knowledge in those countries (mostly former E-European bloc) people just resort to self-medicating, also because it is often difficult to find knowledgeable endocrinologists either.

[LordKAT]

personally, I changed my name first thing. Before telling anyone, before calling a therapist or even knowing I needed one, before any doctors or whatever. When I saw the therapist, they put the date of my name change as first day of RLE.  It worked well in my favor and I wasn't even asked about it much.

[mfox]

1 year isn't strictly required in the UK.

From my experience, it's based on how far along you are and how much you've figured out (on your own sadly) how to live convincingly in your gender.   For some people that might take 1 year, for others it might be less (or more).

For example, for MtF, have you had your body/facial hair removed (or are undergoing this process)?  Have you learned how to dress appropriately?  Wear convincing makeup?  Pierced your ears?  How long have you used your new name, and come out to everyone?  Etc.

I was able to start official HRT at my second GIC appointment (only 3 months after I first attended the GIC), which they said is "standard".  But, I had already been getting RLE on my own.  When they first saw me I was like 8-10 months into "figuring out" how to live as my gender, getting laser, etc., and was only 4 months full-time.

[cheryl reeves]

i hate to sound like a troll or worse,but i have always agreed with rle,for living fem for a yr. lets one know if srs is right for them. the reasoning is too many cders transition for the wrong reasons and later regret it,i knew a ts who transitioned and regretted it for they werent prepared for rle at all and when it hit,it hit hard and she was trying to transition back the last i heard.

for me i weighed the pros and cons and found if i transitioned i would be a murderer for i would be killing off a innocent party who does not deserve being murdered,this is what transitioning means to me. ive had gd all my life but learned over 46 yrs on how to balance the 2 sides,what helps is gender neutral clothes and with my wifes approval im now wearing panties 24/7 and this has helped alot.

[kira21 ♡♡♡]

Yes it is possible to go through faster in the UK,  depending  on the gic you end up at and who you see there.

I had all documents changed Inc passport, name and gender marker, was on hormones from the Internet  and social transitioned for a substantial period before hand. I entered from. Seeing a private councillor,  who told me I was a straight forward case,  no complications and would go straight through. (no drugs,  drink, doubts, etc.)  It still took over a year for them to get me to even get to see their endo.  They said it was because they do the same steps for everyone regardless of stage or situation.

Uneven standards are one of the problems of the system.

[Lebedinaja]

Yes it is possible to go through faster in the UK,  depending  on the gic you end up at and who you see there.

I had all documents changed Inc passport, name and gender marker, was on hormones from the Internet  and social transitioned for a substantial period before hand. I entered from. Seeing a private councillor,  who told me I was a straight forward case,  no complications and would go straight through. (no drugs,  drink, doubts, etc.)  It still took over a year for them to get me to even get to see their endo.  They said it was because they do the same steps for everyone regardless of stage or situation.

Uneven standards are one of the problems of the system.

at least UK has this kind of system...
So you were able to change everything before even seing a doctor for that case? wow.... internesting whats possible over there, even getting hormones trough the internet
Im sure I could get it too, but Im afraid I could f*** myself up, not knowing how much I should take and so on.
Very awesome that you did all those things before that, I think I wouldnt be able to, would be kind of dangerous walking around like a boy/girl, society doesnt like that.

[mfox]

I think I wouldnt be able to, would be kind of dangerous walking around like a boy/girl, society doesnt like that.

Especially in the first 6 months or so, it was much easier for me to walk around like a tomboy.  Fem clothes that still looked a bit masculine like collared shirts.  Society seems pretty happy with girls who looks boyish, rather than a boy who looks girly (a "man in a dress" being one example).

[HoneyStrums]

The trouble with the GIC, is that for the most part its a transexual factory.

The getting through the system is faster, but prolonged at the same time with regards to state of transition.

Example, if you have already been RLE for over a year, that isnt taken into consideration, untill that stage of the process. So yes if you can allready supply what they  need, after that things will speed up, but, you can also look at, the waiting for that stage of the process as un-necessary time.

Basicaly, All time prior going in, plus all time waiting, this can be see as having to of lived full time for years, before getting past that stage.

And what i ment is, the process favours, pre-op transexuals. due to none-op transexuals needing extra evaluations.
When one would think, that not needing the processing for srs would mean exiting the factory sooner. When what it actually causes is daleys in the previous processing stages making it take longer to get to the stage of, you dont need this part, your done.

what takes up the time is the processing. A waiting time is to be exspected. But the ok you dont need this, skips that part, and makes you wait for, another person to say, you dont need this part, instead of a person being able to say, you dont need all these parts, but you need this one, so we will move you forwads to here.

We have to be Processed though each stage, even if all that processing does, is say ok you dont need this. Because different people are employed for each stage, and moving forwards is up to them you after a consultation with them. Because one employee cant bypass another employee.

And that is the distress, because we end up, waiting to be told to wait.

But the good things is, apart from RLE we realy dont have anything in the ststem, that says you got to have this before this. The processing exsist to creat paperwork that say, hormones were offered and declined and/or All of the effects including the risks concerning hormoans were made clear and the patient understanding this, still wants them.

But RLE for hormoans? That I cant get my head around the need for.

To clarify, my use of the word we, is reffering to any and all under the processing of the UK seacroft
"Gender Identity Center"

[Khatru]

This is the case here in Sweden, although I think some people they can get access to hormones during the RLE-year. I think it depends from person to person. I'm not sure I like this idea, but I think there's a point with it, in that that they want to make sure that transitioning is really right for you. It's a long process tho.

[Venus]

That does sound really cruel. I don't think I could bring myself to go out into public dressed as a girl if I didn't have the voice, the breasts, and the butt. What's between my legs wouldn't be so important, but without those things... no way.

[Serenation]

I only went to gate keepers after already changed my name and been living fulltime for years so they just skipped it.

I think the system needs changing to suit non binary but theres nothing wrong with living as target gender on their terms or yours, sooner the better right?

[Dena]

That does sound really cruel. I don't think I could bring myself to go out into public dressed as a girl if I didn't have the voice, the breasts, and the butt. What's between my legs wouldn't be so important, but without those things... no way.

Eeeeerrrrrrrr you just described the last 35 years of my life, no breast, no butt and low voice 

[Venus]

Eeeeerrrrrrrr you just described the last 35 years of my life, no breast, no butt and low voice 

Sorry!!! I didn't mean that in regards to anyone else. That's just for me personally, how I feel. I'd just never have the confidence for it, you know? In that respect, that makes you a heck of a lot stronger than me.