[b.rose]

[transition] is a very scary path

As a transitioner, when my "fear of being me" outweighed "my fear of what others thought", transition no longer scared me.

That's why I don't tend to comment on those threads.

I tend not to comment on non-transition stuff because I do not understand why someone with any form of GD would not want to transition. Not transitioning is, at a deep level, baffling to me. Intellectually I think I understand but somewhere deep in my water I know I do not. So there is little I can contribute to help understanding beyond the describing of physical sensations - what breast buds feel like and so on. I am aware that the failure is mine so I do not intend criticism of others' decisions. My decisions may appear equally baffling to them.

Transition, OTOH, is a process I understand well, both socially and medically. I have been through almost the entire process except for my GRS surgery in a few months time and many of my friends have been through the whole process. So I do not mind commenting or offering advice on transition.

At root, perhaps the difference is explained by the fact that GD covers a very broad range of symptoms and the intensity of GD varies wildly too. Those with "GD-lite" are generally happy with their male identity or at least not as distressed as someone with "GD-heavy" who has developed a very feminine internal identity. This gives very different world views, very different goals and very different needs. The differing outlooks mean that misunderstandings are more common just as men and women often fail to understand each others motivations.

I guess that in some respects we are chalk and cheese.