Ownership at what Cost?
Doesn't matter if you identify as a cross dresser, transgender or transsexual woman or man, owning who we are is expensive. From the youngest transsexual child who can afford the therapy and medical help, to the person who comes out trans later in life the physical costs can even outweigh the mental costs- on paper.
Examples? What's a sexual realignment surgery costing these days with or without facial feminization costs? Plus the lifetime worth of drugs you need to begin/continue the process of syncing up your inner and exterior genders. If you are fortunate enough for the process to work at all.
The number of options in our trans culture are countless yet so unreachable for so many of us. I have said it before of my respect for those of you who stay deep in the closet for the benefit of family or work or both. I'm the first to admit I was there and tried to it and in the end just couldn't.
So are the non calculable mental costs potentially greater that the psychical ones? Who knows. Personally, yes-there is no way to put a cost on the days of my lack of productivity as I fought my inner gender battles. I know I'm speaking to the choir here, the process is similar to living two lives in two dimensions simultaneously.
Out of necessity and/or choice my investments have been mainly internal. I have purchased ownership of all of me and my closest friends have told me they can see it. Forget the cost of HRT. At the end of the day, my biggest costs have been the mental ones. It turns out, they were wise investments. Now, before you are diving into your purses for a calculator, consider this:
If you are putting a dollar amount on your transition and expect your money to buy gender happiness-I'm thinking "it ain't happenin' babes". Then again it's only money right?
Examples? What's a sexual realignment surgery costing these days with or without facial feminization costs? Plus the lifetime worth of drugs you need to begin/continue the process of syncing up your inner and exterior genders. If you are fortunate enough for the process to work at all.
The number of options in our trans culture are countless yet so unreachable for so many of us. I have said it before of my respect for those of you who stay deep in the closet for the benefit of family or work or both. I'm the first to admit I was there and tried to it and in the end just couldn't.
So are the non calculable mental costs potentially greater that the psychical ones? Who knows. Personally, yes-there is no way to put a cost on the days of my lack of productivity as I fought my inner gender battles. I know I'm speaking to the choir here, the process is similar to living two lives in two dimensions simultaneously.
Out of necessity and/or choice my investments have been mainly internal. I have purchased ownership of all of me and my closest friends have told me they can see it. Forget the cost of HRT. At the end of the day, my biggest costs have been the mental ones. It turns out, they were wise investments. Now, before you are diving into your purses for a calculator, consider this:
If you are putting a dollar amount on your transition and expect your money to buy gender happiness-I'm thinking "it ain't happenin' babes". Then again it's only money right?
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