What transpires in the 1st 6 months of transition is really up to you and how quickly the health professionals you choose to deal with get there act together. 1st you've got to find a therapist who is educated and ready to handle someone with transgendered issues, 2nd you've got to find a doctor who can get your hormones and spiro prescribed to you and last but not least, you must eventually come out to ppl and decide when to go full time. If you'd like someone to chat with, let me know and I can give you more info on how to reach me. Good luck and God Bless.

Discounting the ridiculous medical hoops you will be forced to jump through, let me just say, it will be hard. It is incredibly hard to work up the courage to walk out the door every single day. Waking up 4 hours early to negate every masculine feature and try to look feminine without looking TOO feminine, worrying about the look of every passing stranger, trying to decide on how to speak, there is a seemingly unending list of things to worry about. You have to do it all alone. I learned it the hard way when the one person I looked to for support pulled a 180 on me and started denouncing me for the very thing she had encouraged me to do upon revealing it to her. People will be flaky. You need to realize that you make this transition alone. While you might be able to find support now and then, people will change when they feel like your burden is too much for them. Be especially wary of those who may look at you like a novelty or gimmick. I had a friend who I got really close with who would brag about me and parade me around. But, when the thrill of having a wildly unusual friend wears off they ditch you fast enough to make your head spin. I suppose you'll find out who your real friends are, and they might not be the ones who are accepting or understanding of what you are doing, because they care about you and know what this decision is putting you through and could result in. After those in the GLBTIafsdasdfserfsa crowd turned on me and I retreated back into my shell of gender suppression, my good old conservative family and friends were the ones that helped me get back up on feet and I started all over again. Just thought I could leave you with these words of wisdom from my experience, maybe you can avoid the pitfalls that I fell into.