Very Good! Nice smile, too.
Medical science and mental health science are always evolving as new things are learned and theories proven or disproven. And yes, all this causes definitions to change and evolve over time. For me, I identify as non-binary. I have no plans to physically transition as I never felt that I was in the wrong body. However, what I did eventually come to realize was that I have always been this amalgam of male and female energies and sensibilities. Once I realized that, lot of things in my earlier life made sense. Also, the definitions changed as clinicians realized that all transgender people don’t have dysphoria.
While I am not physically transitioning, I have essentially socially transitioned. In all the organizations that I have been a part of, or held offices in, since I retired and relocated here in 2016, DeeAnn is the person of record. Very few have met, or even know of, Don. The only thing left would be to have all my documents renamed, but that is a lot of work for very little benefit. On occasion I do go out as Don. The most recent times were back in February and March when we went to be vaccinated. I didn’t want people to get confused by looking at DeeAnn but seeing Don’s ID.
One thing to remember is that only somewhere around 30% of trans people have affirmation surgery. The reasons are varied. If your medical insurance doesn’t cover it, or you don’t have insurance, many people cannot afford to self fund. Some may be poor medical risks due to pre-existing conditions. Some may not be able to leave work for the 6 or 8 weeks of recovery. Some may be caregivers for someone and can’t get a replacement for that time. And finally, some just do not want to do such an invasive surgery. Anyway, the message is that there are many that would be eligible to transition, but do not. I suspect that the general population assumes that every trans person has affirmation surgery, but obviously that isn’t the case.
I had a good friend who was intersex, but sadly she passed away a couple of years ago. We met shortly after I moved here and it caused me to do some investigation of the subject. Once again, I think the beliefs of the general population are suspect because many probably believe that the condition is obvious. What I learned is that some people essentially show no or hardly any noticeable signs. Their intersex condition shows up at the chromosomal level. Kills the theory, doesn’t it? Anyway, she was one of the fortunate ones. She was born in the early 50’s but her parents resisted the advice of doctors and did not allow any surgeries. She grew up male, married and fathered 2 daughters. Her transition began, but only with HRT, 2 or 3 years before we met.
Anyway, it is a complicated world and there are many roads to town. Best Wishes for your journey!
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