How did you know?

[postoplesbian]

  I have noticed a wide variety of thoughts and lifestyles in the transsexual community. Some MtF's have male oriented jobs and hobbies while others have female oriented ones.
  What I think I'm getting at is without jobs, hobbies or lifestyles to use as a judge of gender how do you know?
  For example, I don't judge gender by the above listed means, but by what comes naturally. By nature, or without thought, so to speak.
  If I had to use an example it would be my naturally soft spoken voice. Another example is my meek countenance. Other examples might be my small writing or involuntary body language I don't give any thought such as how I stand or how I sit. Things others may notice. Things I do not have to practice or perfect.
  While I can't put my finger on it, so to speak, the way some things just "feel" inside. The way I feel with doing things that were attributed to women in times past. Housework, sewing and such. Stuff that just comes natural I guess that agrees to the examples above about voice, writing and body language.
  Even when doing a male oriented job with male oriented hobbies some things just feel right inside even though they are attributed to women in times past.
  I would appreciate examples of how some others know in manners I described above.

  Frank

Gender never had anything to do with what a person does because a woman can do anything a man can do.

For me i had to get rid of that nasty male sex drive and that nasty thang that was between my legs. So i immediately had an orchy and had my testes removed within the first 3 months and by 9 months i was post op. The rest is herstory 

[tekla]

because a woman can do anything a man can do.

Pretty much the reverse too.  And its not the male sex drive that is bad, its the lack of responsibility that too many men accompany that drive with that is bad.

[Northern Jane]

Due to the overbearing social pressure of how I was raised, I tried to force myself to override my instinctive feelings and be male.

In a way I suppose I was lucky in that respect because I was never able to figure out how to do that and was so easily "read" that even trying was futile. I guess that's why I never had to "come out" - because I was never "in". If I had managed that, I to might have got to 30 or 50 before having a melt-down.

[meow meow]

Gender never had anything to do with what a person does because a woman can do anything a man can do.

For me i had to get rid of that nasty male sex drive and that nasty thang that was between my legs. So i immediately had an orchy and had my testes removed within the first 3 months and by 9 months i was post op. The rest is herstory 

actually, no there are things women can do that men cant and things men can do that women cant...example a woman cant get a woman pregnant and a  man cant get pregnant

[coolJ]

In a way I suppose I was lucky in that respect because I was never able to figure out how to do that and was so easily "read" that even trying was futile. I guess that's why I never had to "come out" - because I was never "in". If I had managed that, I to might have got to 30 or 50 before having a melt-down.

I actually succeeded constantly having to prove my "manhood" always suppressing the truth inside and my meltdown is happening now at age 43. Its no fun being a transsexual after having a family that really depends on you. My advice to all those who feel they're TS when they're younger is to really look at who you are inside and get yourself in the right life. I believe we all yearn to be as free as we can, unfortunately being in the wrong body and the wrong life is much like prison-no matter how good the present body and life might actually be. This is how I know I'm a woman inside because of the feeling of being free. When I think of myself becoming a real girl I feel this wonderful freedom and its just undescribably awesome! I really hope that before I die this can become a reality.

[V M]

I often wish I would have acted upon my feelings at a much younger age. I feel like my whole life has been a meltdown of sorts. Of coarse there were not as many resources like there are today. I'm finally coming to terms in my 40's

[placeholdername]

actually, no there are things women can do that men cant and things men can do that women cant...example a woman cant get a woman pregnant and a  man cant get pregnant

It probably won't be too long (20 years maybe?) before they don't even need men for that.  The Japanese got two female mice to have a dual-mother baby mouse a couple years back.

"Men--can't live with 'em, and now you don't have to!"

[SarahFaceDoom]

Just knew.  Not on some "I know I am a girl!" at five years old type thing.  Just a general dissonance between myself, my body, and the people around me.  Since transitioning that dissonance isn't really there for me, and I feel closer to life, than before.  before I transitioned, I felt like I was living a life removed--always just detatched from my life.  Now I am invested in my life.  I feel like me.  It's not about dolls, dresses, and makeup either--it's something that is beyond all of that.  I feel like now, I could be a girl with a mowhawk, jeans, and a t-shirt.  Like my ideas of what make up my gender identity only extend to myself.  Whatever my experience is termed, it is me now.

[cindybc]

SarahFaceDoom
Just knew.  Not on some "I know I am a girl!" at five years old type thing.  Just a general dissonance between myself, my body, and the people around me.  Since transitioning that dissonance isn't really there for me, and I feel closer to life, than before.  before I transitioned, I felt like I was living a life removed--always just detatched from my life.  Now I am invested in my life.  I feel like me.  It's not about dolls, dresses, and makeup either--it's something that is beyond all of that.  I feel like now, I could be a girl with a mowhawk, jeans, and a t-shirt.  Like my ideas of what make up my gender identity only extend to myself.  Whatever my experience is termed, it is me now.

I love it, as much as I think of myself as a fluent writer even I could not have come up with as descriptive a words as this to explain how I feel about my own womanhood, the inner-self in harmony with the outer-self. I will keep this post in my blog where I know where to find it when I need it.

Cindy

[SisterGirlfriend]

In a way I suppose I was lucky in that respect because I was never able to figure out how to do that and was so easily "read" that even trying was futile. I guess that's why I never had to "come out" - because I was never "in". If I had managed that, I to might have got to 30 or 50 before having a melt-down.

I'm with you. I'm so glad I never was pressured into conforming to a stereotypical male role. I always had openly feminine interests like dance, make-up, and I even enrolled in fashion school.  I wore women's clothing quite openly as a "boy", so the only thing that's really changed amongst those that know me is gender pronoun use and the effects of hormone therapy.