Is full-time really as easy as people think?

[CosmicJoke]

I really do not know when I will take my next step.  Life is good at the moment. 
I am happy.

Chrissy

Same here. The thing is you don't always know if that next step is going to go smoothly or roughly. That can make it hard to move forward.

[Courtney G]

I still can't imagine myself living full-time as a woman. My 4 year HRT anniversary happens on 12/31/25. I've had some cosmetic surgeries, with more on the way. Maybe, just maybe, if I feel I could pass a little better, I might go out more as a woman. I can't seem to think that far ahead.

Fortunately, I don't suffer as a result of living with people thinking I'm a male. I know many others for whom this is very unpleasant and I consider myself fortunate to not be in those shoes.

[NancyDrew1930]

I still can't imagine myself living full-time as a woman. My 4 year HRT anniversary happens on 12/31/25. I've had some cosmetic surgeries, with more on the way. Maybe, just maybe, if I feel I could pass a little better, I might go out more as a woman. I can't seem to think that far ahead.

Fortunately, I don't suffer as a result of living with people thinking I'm a male. I know many others for whom this is very unpleasant and I consider myself fortunate to not be in those shoes.

You may not think you can, however, just try it for a week and you may get some good compliments from people you know that will boost how you see yourself as a woman. 

[Courtney G]

You may not think you can, however, just try it for a week and you may get some good compliments from people you know that will boost how you see yourself as a woman. 

Perhaps. We'll see after I've had my first FFS surgery.

[KathyLauren]

You may not think you can, however, just try it for a week and you may get some good compliments from people you know that will boost how you see yourself as a woman. 

This!!

Back in my early days, I was facing this same fear: could I really do it?  I scheduled an appointment with my therapist to talk about it.  I went into the city early because of a storm, so I had a few hours to kill.  By this time, I always dressed femme for therapist appointments, so I had a whole morning to kill wearing a skirt and a wig.

I sucked up my fears and went for a walk around downtown Halifax as Kathy.  I was probably clocked more often than people let on, but everyone was pleasant and polite.  I talked to clerks, cashiers, waiters, and had a lovely morning of window shopping.  I had to out myself once, when I made a purchase at an outdoor equipment co-op, where I had to show my membership card which had my dead name on it.  No big deal, and I made a joke about it with the cashier.

By the time of my afternoon therapist appointment, I no longer needed it.  I knew I could handle full-time just fine.

[ChrissyRyan]

An away trip can be very helpful.  I did that several times and the results became better each time. 


Chrissy

[NancyDrew1930]

Perhaps. We'll see after I've had my first FFS surgery.

I haven't had any surgeries yet (I'm waiting for my bariatric surgery right now), however, when I went full time earlier this year, a number of people at work mentioned that they had been wondering when I would because I had been growing my hair and wearing scrunchies and hair clips (I had also been wearing women's pants, but to them the pants, while they did look feminine they didn't really give me that push over the line).  So once I started wearing skirts and flowery tops, they were surprised at how little it took for me to look like a woman, since my body was just androgynous because of how youthful I looked from being intersex.

[Lori Dee ✅]

"Everything you have ever wanted to do lies just on the other side of fear."

[BlueJaye]

"Passing privilege" plays a huge role in how this question gets answered.

[Courtney G]

"Passing privilege" plays a huge role in how this question gets answered.

I wish it didn't, but it really does.

[Camille58S]

I agree that geography plays a huge role in how successful going full time is. I lived in a small farm town, and felt very sure that I could never go full time. The whole vibe of the place made me feel held back. Last June, my wife and I moved to a more urban,and much more progressive area. It made a huge impact on my confidence level! I feel completely comfortable running errands wearing whatever I want to wear. People either don't say anything, or complement something about my outfit. It feels wonderful to be able to give myself the breathing space I needed to socially transition.
 The funny thing about it is that we only moved about 25 miles away from where we were! So, moving to the right place does make a huge difference.