Hi, I'm 21 and since I was in elementary school I've felt I was the wrong gender. But, I've always been scared to talk about these feelings because, as the oldest, my dad taught me that I need to be manly. That I need to like girls. But I don't. And recently, I've decided i can't take it. I want to become a woman, but I'm scared to tell anyone, and I don't even know how I'd start the treatments. My question is, how should I go about telling family and friends, and how do I begin the transition?
I think the most important thing I can tell you here is that you don’t need to have everything planned out right now.
Give yourself some time. It sounds like this is something you’ve recently started to come to terms with, So give yourself some time to be comfortable. Give yourself some time to accept who you are. Decide what steps you want to take.
Once you’ve given yourself a little time to breathe, decide who you want to come out to and in what order. Will your little brother be able to help explain to your dad? Is it not that important for some distant relative to know? Do you have someone you know will support you and care about you that you might want to talk to first? Is it safe for you to be out to certain people, such as coworkers, friends, or family members? Always keep your safety in mind. (For example, if it’s legal or common in your area for trans people to be fired or otherwise mistreated at work, you may want to have a backup plan lined up just in case.)
For some trans people, hormones and surgery help a lot! (Check out our timeline tag!) Some people, whether for health reasons or because they’re athletes or military or just busy, don’t see medical changes in as a priority, which is fine too.
If you decide that’s something you want,
if you live somewhere with single-payer healthcare, research your government’s policy because it might be covered at little cost
otherwise, if you have insurance, call your insurance company with your insurance card within reach and ask what your policy covers
if you don’t have health insurance and live somewhere with capitalistic healthcare, surgery in particular might be expensive (though hormones may be doable depending on your income). In that case, you’ll just have to look at the alternatives other people from your country take when they need healthcare but can’t afford it, such as seeking out nonprofits like Planned Parenthood (they do HRT now!) or, in extreme cases, traveling outside the country. Do your research and stay safe!
Otherwise, many people gradually experiment with their gender presentation, trying out lip gloss, then maybe eyeliner, or perhaps tucking. Take a look at our feminizing tag! You don’t have to do everything suggested, just pick and choose what works for you.
Another important step for many people is deciding whether not they want to keep the name they were born with. Lots of trans people find that after they realize who they are, the old one doesn’t fit, so they take a chosen name.