Happy? Holidays?

Very simply, the holidays are a tough, tough time for a significant percentage of LGBT people. Not everyone has been accepted by their families, or has been able to find an extended family of like minded individuals...in our case, transgender individuals.

Perhaps you remember the Cyrsti's Condo post about the on-line counseling services offered by the BetterHelp group.

In my correspondence with them, I asked if they had any services directed towards the LGBT community. Recently, I received a fantastic response, a "Pride Counseling List" of phone numbers (including other countries) which can provide you with a quick help line in times of dire need.

The overall link to the "BetterHelp" site is located on my "blog list" "Do You Wanna Hook Up" located on the right front page of the blog towards the bottom. Or you can go here.

Please always remember, if you are depressed and stuck in the closet (like I was for years) your life too, can change on a dime and often the darkest hour is just before the dawn! Trans people can be remarkable survivors.

Every Once in a While!

Yesterday was one of those "A-Ha!" moments when I happened to get a quick glimpse of what the future holds for me on HRT.

If you are not familiar, hormone replacement therapy happens in stages too, not unlike the rest of your Mtf transition. Of course, your change will depend on upon dosage and levels of testosterone already in your body. Always remember, estrogen will only take you so far, then has the potential to be very toxic.

Initially the first changes I felt were with emotions and with increased tenderness in my breast area. Overtime, my breasts filled out to perhaps a small "D" cup and my hair went positively nuts. Along the way too, my body hair began to thin out.

Finally, my hips began to fill out as I saw for the first time yesterday. I could see what could/would have been, had I been born a cis woman.

You also need to remember with me, my advanced age (68) and the amount of time (6 months) I spent off HRT when I had the liver/iron problems. Add in the six months I spent initially on a bare minimum estrogen dosage and I feel I have been on serious HRT for three and half years.

I have always read, one must be on HRT approximately three years for hip development to occur.

At any rate, my quick glimpse yesterday was at once exciting and sad. Exciting on how far I have come and sad it took me so long to get here.

The Essence of Feminity

Connie delves into the "earth being flat" or the essence of femininity:

"FABULOUSCONNIEDEEDecember 21, 2017 at 12:13 PM

Mirrors and pics are two-dimensional. Depending upon them to affirm a trans woman's femininity leaves that femininity two-dimensional, as well. One of my favorite things to say is that a trans woman can't really see herself fully until she sees her own reflection in the eyes of others. Reaching the third dimension requires much effort - even more than all of the primping and posing it takes to make a good picture. Simply attempting to achieve a physically passing appearance becomes, at some point, a flat existence.

I know there are many who would argue that their cross dressing experiences are not flat and two-dimensional. They might say that their feminine self is nothing more than an extension of their three-dimensional male self. I understand it because, well, "been there, done that." As for myself, I had reached a point where even that was making me feel flat - no matter what gender I was showing myself to be. Even when I was living 80% as my feminine self, I was really no better than 50/50, because I had to be ready to make the change, either way, sometimes at a moment's notice. I felt like I was in a limbo, and I was not a good example of a woman or a man. Yes, I was cheating myself of a full, three-dimensional life, but, worse than that, I was cheating family and friends of my full self and the attention they deserved. Showing myself in a selfie, or, more to the point, as a selfie, was selfish and disingenuous. That is not what I ever want to be again.

Maybe, someday, I will reach a fifth dimension - about the time of the dawning of the age of Aquarius? (dating myself once again) :-)"

A GREAT point!  Thanks Connie...maybe Aquarius is here for the LGBT  transgender community.