My therapist has reminded me that I foresaw this, but I don’t think I correctly anticipated how much better it would make me feel.
I was raised believing that gender is a social construct. At some level, I think I was skeptical that the hormones would make me feel better. I was convinced that the effects [...]

Two years ago at the CAMH Gender Clinic
“I have the perfect name. What do you think about Dawn?”
“It’s a very nice name, but it’s not clearly gendered.”
“What do you mean?”
“If someone hears it, over the phone, for example, the name doesn’t tell them your gender. Based on my experience, it’s easier if your name clearly [...]

I seem to have crossed the passing point. People who I encounter in everyday life assume I was born a woman, almost without exception. Even my voice, which is still enough to get me called ’sir’ over the phone, seems to pass muster when backed up by my appearance.
Everyone used to stare, or double-take, or [...]

I’m in the final stages of my coming out process. Last week, I emailed my PDF to a pile of ex-colleagues. There may be a few people who haven’t received it yet, but I’m pretty much done.
I got lots of great feedback from people, and that was really gratifying. It’s funny–being known as being trans [...]

Ever since I began considering transitioning genders, I’ve been reading about how hard it is. From the outside, it wasn’t obvious exactly why it was hard. Now I’m not so confused.
It’s a many-headed beast, complex in countless ways. Consider only one dimension: my name and my gender, as it relates to the bureaucracy of government.
I’ve [...]

My liver is almost back to normal as of a week ago. My Endo returned from his summer vacation just in time to agree to prescribe me hormone therapy contingent on a new blood test, to be conducted next Wednesday, on my 35th birthday.
I’m settling into full-time life as a woman quite comfortably. People clock [...]

I mailed my name change paperwork off today. For some ridiculous reason, they still take six to eight weeks to process these things, so the leaves will be turning by the time my name change is done.
In Ontario, I can get my gender changed on my driver’s license with a letter from my doctor, so [...]

So, I’ve been feeling pretty good for a crazy trannie who just abruptly went off her mood stabilizers and androgen blockers, and further-tapered her anti-depressant dose (in response to the liver situation, discussed in the last post).
Today, not so much. I was getting along fine until I spoke with my mother, and she began dispensing [...]

Today didn’t start off in the best way. I awoke to my phone ringing. That’s not all that surprising, or bad in itself. Based on the volume, I concluded that it wasn’t in the bedroom, so I let it ring, certain I’d never make it anyway.
Then it started up again a moment or two later. [...]

Tipped off by a friend, I went to see George Smitherman speak at the University of Toronto this morning. He was the opening speaker at Healthy Queer Communities, a one day free conference on Queer Studies in Education, put on by OISE (the education faculty).
I must be a little heated up about this SRS + [...]