[GoneGirl]

I agree with you, Rose. The odds are against you. Being born transsexual is a tragedy in the making. You pay the price one way or another. I'm wary, though, of blanket statements like, "Don't transition if you can help it." Every person's situation is different. I would advise those who are contemplating gender transition to have a plan. Many fail for lack of a realistic strategy to achieve authenticity. You can't just jump headlong into a transition without a lot of preparation -- educational, financial, psychological and social. Too many of us step into the fray with an incomplete understanding of the extent of our transgender nature. We make unreasonable promises to ourselves and to our loved ones, for example, that you only need to go so far. I'd rather a person assume that they are transsexual and require full transition to be complete, then plan for that. If it turns out that a stable balance is attained without full transition, so much the better. Of course, you could go about it haphazardly and luck out. To those who go that route I say "good luck". But each person's journey follows a different path. Too many paths lead to dead end streets or worse, but navigating the pitfalls is possible with determination, preparation, and, yes, a bit of luck.

Clara