[bryony]

As the one who mentioned the term in the thread, I was simply explaining that it handily defines where I am on the spectrum - that is to say, my condition is such that I could not be happy living as an old woman, unless I had got there from being a pretty one - and that ship has sailed.

As you say, it is just a label but so are the labels "men" and "women", and if one of those feels right to you and the other feels wrong then labels do clearly matter to you as well. Neither male nor female fits me unless it is explained in such a way that is/was only supplied by the term autogynephile:

"a man's paraphilic tendency to be sexually aroused by the thought or image of himself as a woman."

The most important benefit of PM to me was to suppress the libido that was entirely bound up in this phrase. It was a source of pain and guilt for me, and it described my disorder precisely - and anyone who doesn't think that suffering a paraphilia is a disorder does not understand the meaning of the word.

Herewith: Wiki: "Psychological or Mental disorder, a psychological pattern associated with distress or disability that occurs in an individual and is not a part of normal development or culture."

I suffered anxiety and depression for over 20 years due to autogynephilia. Don't tell me it doesn't exist and/or it is not a disorder. Might not be to you folks, but it certainly was to me.

B.