Good Afternoon!

[Guest AnnieB]

Not quite sure what to say. The majority of it is said right over there <-

I'm MTF, and just coming out of my uncomfortable stage. My family was a bit homophobic, so I was sort of conditioned early on. Except for my mother, who is a great support.

Well...I exist, I suppose?

[Guest Donna Jean]

Hello, Annie!

My, it's so good to meet you this afternoon!

Heck, I used to live in Indiana! And I see that you still do....lol!

Let me get you some hot coco and a big plate of Sally's cookies...then you can sit over here and just realx.....OK?

Folks will be coming by to say "Hi" to you shortly...everyone is friendly....

We moderate the site to keep everyone safe from the idiots...and you can just be yourself...no judging here!

So, Honey...get all comfy and kick off your shoes....

It's so nice to have you here!

HUGGGGGS!

Donna Jean

[Carolyn Marie]

Aninie, Welcome to Laura's!

It's so good to meet you, Hon.

Have a seat in the Member's Lounge and relax. We won;t put any pressure on you.

I encourage you to look around the forums, ask questions, post your opinions,

check out the chat rooms if you are of a mind to and your fingers are nimble,

and have fun.

We are a family here and offer love and support to everyone.

After five posts, you can send private messages (PM's) to members if you

are shy and have a question you don't want to post publicly, or just want

to make a friend.

I look forward to hearing more about you. So please do post!

Carolyn Marie

[Guest AnnieB]

Thanks you guys. I'm pretty manly, sadly. Over the years, due to all the surgeries I had due to my (now mild) cerebral palsy, along with being surrounded by homophobic friends, I sort of conditioned myself to think and act male. Now that I've accepted it a bit more though, the voice in my head (No, not that kind of voices in the head , the kind you think your thoughts with) Is female! I just noticed this recently, because it was so second nature to me that I didn't even think about it!

I'm currently undergoing a bit of therapy to peel back the layers of all the conditioning I've done myself and expose my female personality. It's going to be a wild ride, because I'm finding it difficult to act entirely female even on the internet. I've always sort of associated being my female self with pain, as I'm sure a lot of you other MTF's have at certain points.

Wish me luck!

[Carolyn Marie]

Annie, it does take a while to adjust your outward personality to reflect the person you are within.

When I first got here I was terribly shy and introverted and it took me a while to

show my feminine side. But once I got going, with some pushing and prodding

from my friend Donna Jean, well...now you couldn't shut me up if you tried.

My advice is to just relax and be yourself. Everything will fall into place in good time.

There is no need to put extra pressure on yourself.

The real you will come out when she is ready.

HUGS

Carolyn Marie

[Guest AnnieB]

I myself am a teenager. I have all the problems associated with GID and GD in teenagerdom. Bipolarity, obstinacy, depression, having no goals due to not considering living as a male worth it, etc etc. I was on several medications, but to no avail.

My mother knows about my condition, but to be honest, I've done a lot of lying to cover this up over the years, and I don't blame her for believing as she does, that this is just ANOTHER lie covering up something ELSE. Sadly, she's making me wait a WHOLE YEAR () before pursuing any treatment.

She also seems to be under the impression that my bipolarity, obstinacy, and depression have absolutely nothing to do with my dysphoria (Even though I have repeatedly explained that DYSPHORIA is the opposite of EUPHORIA and therefore specifically implies all of the above problems), which I have carefully researched and come to the conclusion that they are closely related.

Anyone else here have problems with bipolarity prior to starting female hormones? Studies I've read say that it's because the brain itself is female and the testosterone is confusing it.

[Guest ~Brenda~]

Hi Annie

Well of course you exist sweetie You are past your uncomfortable stage with yourself and that is very good! Self-acceptance is very important to being able to move forward. OK, you have to wait a year. Many of us have waited for decades. You are going to be just fine sweetheart

Welcome!!

Love

Brenda

[Guest Robin Winter]

Welcome to the club. First thing you gotta know is the secret knock. It goes like this.... *raps out a complicated series of knocks*

For gods sake, whatever you do, DON'T forget that knock. Other than that, you'll be just fine.

*Hugs*

Shi

[Guest Kaz]

Hey

[Guest AnnieB]

This support means a lot to me.

[Guest Zabrak]

You'll find lots of acceptance and support here. Welcome.

[Guest AnnieB]

Funny enough, I had this fantastic idea that I might as well share with you. I'm pretty attractive, save for the weight I've put on since I left school. Was going to launch an acting career for stations such as Disney, etc, but I have lingering problems in my right foot from my spastic diplegia.

Anywho! I was thinking I could take a picture of myself holding a blank doll about my own size, then complete gender reassignment (Facial feminization, hormones, surgery, the whole nine yards), and then take a picture of my female self in the same position as the doll, with a doll holding myself in the same position I was as a male. I could then composite the images together into an image of my younger, male self holding my older, female self, as a sign of my experience and maturity.

Perhaps this could be the cover of an independent album of vocal duets between my male self, with half of the song recorded now, and my female self, with the other half recorded in a few years?

[Guest Shane_82]

Welcome

~ Shane

[Guest AnnieB]

Your warm greetings mean a lot to me

[Guest angie]

Welcome Annie,

I am that little red head named Angie.You really don't have much to worry about

as far as masculine appearances sweety.Once you are approved to start transition,

all that look will melt away.Everything about you will change,even your facial features.

I was once a very manly man,so big an muscular.Thought there was no way it would all

go away,but it did and more so,and I am so very happy with the out come.And I am 53

years young.

You will find oddles of support and lots of loving sisters.

So welcome to the Playground Annie.Know that you are safe here and can always be yourself.

Biiiig hugs of welcome little sister,

Angelique or just lil ol me Angie

[Guest Jean Davis]

Hi Annie

Welcome to the Playground.

I'm so happy to hear that your mother supports you. The people here are wonderful and you'll find a lot of support here at laura's.

So feel free to post any questions and comments you may have.

LUV

Jean