Amazing !!! What a huge step congrats 😁 so happy for you 

Hooray for all of us! 

I *might* have updated my pronouns.  I *might* have had a sparkly day in which I have felt things and settled in to things, and breathed through stress, and NOT felt disconnected from myself.

Yay ! Bubbly days all around haha. Glad to hear it 😁

Hey hannah !    I will preface this with the fact that you shouldnt have to hide who you are for anyone but I understand how difficult this can be, especially with longer term relationships. My advice would be to try and speak to your wife as you deserve to be you.   However, you could also try opening a bank account such as revolute or chase as they are entierly on your phone. You can also buy stuff from ali express or especially shein. The experiences ive had have been good and they always come in descete packaging so you can wait to open them in private. That is what I do currently.

YAAAAAAY!!!!!!   So happy for you and your good day!    I am having a bubbly excited kind of day too!  WOOT!

@Melody Goldfinch   YES! ALL of this! It makes it SO much harder.    Like, the last few days we have been in London, and I have just been more and more growing in to myself.    I bind every day, but, today I been binding and packing for the whole day, just around London, after each day just more growing used ti being me, more than in the rural place I live all the time. And I have been feeling MORE comfortable with all kinds of aspects of being / identifying as male. I even updated my sig.    I don't even know if I could explain how this has fallen in to place to me right now.    But, not entirely the point. The point being. I feel *happy* that I can *feel* this, but, I don't know how to bring this to my children in the fullness of *this* - which is why, mostly, I aim in a more non binary way, but...   Hmmmm. 

Following the funeral my brain has done a full 180 and now realising how short life is and how important it is to enjoy every second im feeling good ! I went for a swim today which felt great and then painted my nails black (im getting better ) 😂 it was payday so i ordered myself a nerdy hobby and some nerdy hoodies as I was able to save more this month that planned so decided a treat was in order 😂   Im thinking about updating my drawing tablet as mine is a super super old ipad mini and I cant update it anymore. Im really enjoying my drawing at the moment but its hard to know what tablets are good and where to get good prices!    Today is a good day 😁

Well, Hey Hannah! It's REALLY awesome to meet you!   I am SUPER happy for how you feel for introducing yourself, and I feel really honoured to meet the real you. Thank you.

https://idahocapitalsun.com/2026/07/16/united-methodist-conference-to-move-meeting-out-of-idaho-citing-lgbtq-immigrant-safety-concerns/     Seems like a very prudent decision.  I'm sure the Idaho GOP won't mind at all.     Carolyn Marie

https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/publications/physical-attacks-trans-adults/     Carolyn Marie

thanks for the welcome i do take safety into concideration and am looking at all options before i proceed and i am enjoying this site and i learning a lot too. congrats to the site and mods for enabling a valued resouce

Hi, @brenmac68.  Welcome to TGP!   Definitely, just being yourself is good.  If the place where you live is a bit lawless, and especially if it is anti-trans or anti-LGBTQ+, be cautious about how you express that.  Your safety is important.   As for labels, you can call yourself whatever fits.   If you need help working out how to go about transitioning, I highly recommend talking to a gender therapist.  I see that you are in England, and I know that wait times through the NHS are insane.  But if you have the option to go through private health care channels, it would be worth doing so.   Anyway, feel free to check out the site, join in any discussions, and start your own threads if you wish.  And, if you feel so inclined, please drop by the Introductions forum to tell us a bit about yourself.

Good afternoon   Coffee is done but I can quickly make more if someone drops by.   Hey, speak for yourself. LOL.   Hey @KymmieL what don’t you speak for your self😁 I was giving an age RANGE and I am a Senior citizen  in fact our stupid government classifies me as Elderly.  Now THAT I take offense too!  I am not even close to Elderly, but I do have to admit to being a senior citizen.  And I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one here who is.  So put that in your gas tank and see how high the octane is.   how’s the flying biting bug business going?

@Toli   It really is that much harder when you have kids, isn't it? I always hear how kids are resilient and they bounce back fast but I saw someone somewhere say that if that were true, would there be that many therapists? lol! But seriously, it's not an easy choice to make when you have a responsibility for the safety and well being of your children.

hey guys i have to agree with the thoughts on labels . i myslf have felt deep down that im more feminine than male whuich is my birth gender . due to transgender not beng a thing when i was growing up and not having awareness of it or how to go about changes i have grown up being masculine , my issue is that dispite labels im not sure where i fit. im thinking seriously about transition but im on my own and living in a bad area where rule of law is lacking . i woll make my choices in time but i think im just going to label myslf as fitting into the me category know one knows what or who i am and i think its a private and prsonal thing. So im just going to be me and people con like it or hate it. thats my take anyway

My GP put me on anti depressants to help me cope with the day to day depression of my situation, but like you said, they will not prescribe anything to do with gender affirming hrt. I have decided to go private as I have the funding available to me.  I won’t disclose who I’m going with as everyone’s situation is different and what works for me, might not work for others… but in terms of cost, I’m looking at £350 for the first month then £150 per month after and then the cost of prescriptions on top. Hopefully my first consultation should be done within 12 weeks, but it may vary.

This is very interesting, Randi. Thank you!

I facilitated a local support group last night and we had a surprise visit from a member hadn't attended in 6 years. Since then, she transitioned, and friends and relatives made this music video about her journey. Emotional warning - I know that this will resonate with many of you - consider having a box of tissues handy to wipe the tears as you watch!     -Timi

Hey, speak for yourself. LOL.   Wednesday had a follow up with my PCP. Again my T level is undetectable. Which is what this girl wants. A weird thing happened though. My Dr. gave me a prescription for a med to help me sleep. Seems to be working. Anywho, When I went to the pharmacy window to pick up my med. The pharmacist  asked who I was picking up for and my relationship. She must have correlated the name and thought I was a woman picking up meds for another person. A little weird but affirming none the less.   I go for a mammogram today. so, no sleeping in for me. I may crawl back in bed once I am done.    Well got to go coffee is calling me.    Kymmie