Privates Are Awesome!

[Guest Vere]

Not really.. I hate being a private. Thank god I hit my two year mark in February.

I've been on this site before years ago, before I was old enough to join, and now I've decided it's time to start the transition!

I just wanted to say, thanks to all of your posts on here, I've been able to gather enough information so I won't have to worry about my chain.

Especially being a JR Enlisted.

I was wondering if anyone had any stories or experiences with going through the whole mental health part, basically telling someone and getting the ball rolling on transitioning

so I can get a basic idea of how it works. I'm terrified of my chain of command, I'm in an infantry unit and I fear that if they find out, things would get nasty for me and there

would be nothing I could really do about it. Anyone care to share?

[Guest Emily Ray]

Vere,

Here are somethings you might find helpful. You can request and outside therapist, someone who isn't in the military and doesn't have to talk with your chain of command. Anything you tell a chaplain is confidential. That means the can'y tell any one inclueding their superiors. If you go to an endo and get a script for hormones and they discover it somehow you are free from prosecution because you have real scrip. You don't only have to use on base Drs. But you will have to pay yourself. And change your name before getting out legally so you can have the right name on your dd-214. I think that is a good starting point.

Huggs,

Emily

[Guest Vere]

Thanks Emily

Do I absolutely have to go down to mental health? I know we can meet with counselors

off the record with the military one source civilians for up to five sessions.

I'm just not sure what happens with them after that. Do you happen to know anything about that?

[Guest Billijo49504]

That's how it works. The councilor determines that you are sure that is what you really want to do. My therepist had seen several cross dressers before me, but never felt that they really wanted to transition. So I was the first one to get a hormone letter from him. Then you have to find a doctor that will treat you for hormones. Not all doctors will do that, for one reason or another. Now that's the right way to go about it. The dangerous way, is to self medicate your self.

[Guest Gina9223]

Please read the pinned thread, its full of information. One thing that has changed is you now must have 3 years to be fully invested in full benefits.

If you can swing the civilian therapist, then do so and MAKE SURE of yourself before you go to military medical.

But I’ve been hearing a lot of good things lately of people going to the military therapists and they do seem to be working to keep people in until the end of their contract.

Everything you say to the therapist is confidential.

You chain of command may ask you whats going on, you are not required to tell them. The military therapist may be required to inform your CO of the situation, just a sketch of the matter not a full debreif and mostly to reassure him that your mentally stable.

Anything you say to military cleargy sadly is supposed to be kept confidential but that’s not what I’m hearing. Some clergy are being out right asshats.

Along the way, the junior enlisted that work at medical and those that work for the CO may over hear things and they are usually the ones that disclose the information.

Once you are out, where you move too does play a large part in continued medical coverage. California, Seattle and the north east states seem to be far more open and caring for Transgender issues. I have one friend who’s on track for an orchi but she’s 6 months from finding out if they follow through.