gay feelings with them to start with, but over the past year weâve all gotten more comfortable about it.â
R, 17, London.
If youâre ready to come out, congratulations! Now youâve got your membership card, youâre joining a legacy of people whoâve gone before, a sense of belonging and queer culture â should you want it. The most important thing is that you are now free to be you AND shout about it from the rooftops. Or not â itâs your choice.
Coming Out as Trans
Coming out as LGB* is relatively easy compared with coming out as trans. Once youâve come out, life pretty much carries on as normal. WHAT? THERE ISNâT A PARADE DOWN THE HIGH STREET? No, Iâm afraid not.
Becoming trans requires work. Situations vary wildly. Some young trans people have been dressing in clothes often assigned to the opposite gender* since they were little kids. Some people have been doing so in secret or in a performance-based way as a drag queen or king.
*Youâll note that a lot of this crap wouldnât be necessary if society didnât have such closed ideas of what a man should dress like and what a woman should dress like.
When a person comes out as trans, it could mean admitting they sometimes like to cross-dress or that they intend to identify as their chosen gender full-time. As with sexuality, itâs the admitting it aloud part thatâs terrifying. This time, however, people expect a physical transformation afterwards.
The process is unique to every individual, but for people wishing to transition into a new gender full-time, there is a set plan. For most people, the first port of call is their GP. People under the age of eighteen will be referred to the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), while adults will be referred to a specialist gender dysphoria clinic or a psychiatrist. That is not to say that being trans is a mental illness of itself, but when dealing with such a big step itâs important to establish itâs the correct choice.
The NHS now recommends swift action for people desiring to transition. There are guidelines on the NHS website that you can take along to your GP, as most wonât be experts on this. Once youâve been referred, you may well start on hormone treatment â for MTF patients, this involves taking oestrogen, and for FTM, testosterone. The effects are sudden and, in some cases, irreversible.
It is important to seek medical help instead of self-administering hormones. The results are better. End of.
Hormones will change how you look and sound, but some trans people also opt for surgery. Some surgical procedures are available on the NHS, but some would have to be bought privately (like facial feminisation procedures). To have genital surgery (itâs worth pointing out here that a huge percentage of FTM transsexuals never have a phalloplasty â or winky job), most surgeons require you to have been living in your chosen gender for about two years.
Obviously, genital surgery is painful and the recovery period is lengthy, so some people choose to not have it. Others, however, feel they need a full physical overhaul. Itâs very much about choice and understanding whatâs right for you.
One thing is for certain: if you or someone you know comes out as trans, the most important element is the new identity. Choosing a name and making sure everyone uses the correct pronouns is as important as how you dress and look.
IRENEâS STORY
Irene, 33, is an MTF transsexual from New Jersey, USA.
I opted for hormones, after taking some time to be sure I wanted this, because it had been my understanding that they are a very important medical step that can produce profound changes in body and mind. For some people, theyâre more important even than the things that we have to do through surgery, but I wouldnât go that far for myself.
Iâm given to understand that I personally am on the slower end
R, 17, London.
If youâre ready to come out, congratulations! Now youâve got your membership card, youâre joining a legacy of people whoâve gone before, a sense of belonging and queer culture â should you want it. The most important thing is that you are now free to be you AND shout about it from the rooftops. Or not â itâs your choice.
Coming Out as Trans
Coming out as LGB* is relatively easy compared with coming out as trans. Once youâve come out, life pretty much carries on as normal. WHAT? THERE ISNâT A PARADE DOWN THE HIGH STREET? No, Iâm afraid not.
Becoming trans requires work. Situations vary wildly. Some young trans people have been dressing in clothes often assigned to the opposite gender* since they were little kids. Some people have been doing so in secret or in a performance-based way as a drag queen or king.
*Youâll note that a lot of this crap wouldnât be necessary if society didnât have such closed ideas of what a man should dress like and what a woman should dress like.
When a person comes out as trans, it could mean admitting they sometimes like to cross-dress or that they intend to identify as their chosen gender full-time. As with sexuality, itâs the admitting it aloud part thatâs terrifying. This time, however, people expect a physical transformation afterwards.
The process is unique to every individual, but for people wishing to transition into a new gender full-time, there is a set plan. For most people, the first port of call is their GP. People under the age of eighteen will be referred to the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), while adults will be referred to a specialist gender dysphoria clinic or a psychiatrist. That is not to say that being trans is a mental illness of itself, but when dealing with such a big step itâs important to establish itâs the correct choice.
The NHS now recommends swift action for people desiring to transition. There are guidelines on the NHS website that you can take along to your GP, as most wonât be experts on this. Once youâve been referred, you may well start on hormone treatment â for MTF patients, this involves taking oestrogen, and for FTM, testosterone. The effects are sudden and, in some cases, irreversible.
It is important to seek medical help instead of self-administering hormones. The results are better. End of.
Hormones will change how you look and sound, but some trans people also opt for surgery. Some surgical procedures are available on the NHS, but some would have to be bought privately (like facial feminisation procedures). To have genital surgery (itâs worth pointing out here that a huge percentage of FTM transsexuals never have a phalloplasty â or winky job), most surgeons require you to have been living in your chosen gender for about two years.
Obviously, genital surgery is painful and the recovery period is lengthy, so some people choose to not have it. Others, however, feel they need a full physical overhaul. Itâs very much about choice and understanding whatâs right for you.
One thing is for certain: if you or someone you know comes out as trans, the most important element is the new identity. Choosing a name and making sure everyone uses the correct pronouns is as important as how you dress and look.
IRENEâS STORY
Irene, 33, is an MTF transsexual from New Jersey, USA.
I opted for hormones, after taking some time to be sure I wanted this, because it had been my understanding that they are a very important medical step that can produce profound changes in body and mind. For some people, theyâre more important even than the things that we have to do through surgery, but I wouldnât go that far for myself.
Iâm given to understand that I personally am on the slower end
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