OldEggNewTricks

That must have felt great; I'm so happy for you <3

Hehe. I'd figured out that not every guy wanted to be a girl pretty early -- that's probably one of the reasons I was repressing so hard. But when I found out that actual trans people didn't always know, and you could just... be trans if you wanted, that broke my brain :3

I think it's OK to be selfish, so long as that means prioritizing self-interest over that of others, rather than being greedy at others' expense. And transitioning does not cost anybody else anything: you don't owe it to anyone to be anything other than yourself.

After all, nobody is going to look out for your well-being as diligently as you yourself.

BTW, the comic in the fist panel is this one.

Sweeet! That hair rocks.

Niiice <3

Oh yeah and I’m getting my hair dyed this week!

Ooh, what color?

... TWO months HRT (ah, ah, ah) ...

So I got my GID diagnosis at last! I'm now certified Trans, for what it's worth. Switching from DIY to prescription injections next week, yay ~

Plus a surprising (welcome) result in the Japanese election. Hope for marriage equality in the near future?

Well, hopefully nobody, but it implies revolution: which again requires quite a bit of social organization but is something that does still happen around the world.

Now, whenever this topic comes up the standard objection is that a group of private citizens couldn't beat, say, the US military, but that's not the point: you need to overthrow the government. If the military supports you (unlikely) or refuses to get involved (possible), this is a much more realistic proposition.

Sure! As the saying goes: soap box, ballot box, ammo box -- in that order. But it's hard work. The crazies are motivated, so we must be too.

Talk to people. Show them that trans people are not demons (most of the time). Make friends. Let them know that these laws hurt you and people like you. Get involved in the community. Contact your elected representative in government. Often. Get other people to do so too. Join or support an activist organization. Get involved in politics. Run for office. Vote! And make sure others do too.

Failing that, emigrate :3

Yeah, not talking too much is often a good plan if you want to keep things simple :)

Plus, stuff like nail art of course isn't exclusively feminine. If I go out with (very) light makeup, in women's jeans and painted nails, internally I'll be overflowing with girl stuff euphoria, but to everyone else I'm just some dude. Since my body shape, face and hair aren't remotely feminine (yet!), there's not really much to code "woman". I think I'd have to wear a dress and full-on eyeliner for anyone to notice.

Good advice.

Painting my nails was the first remotely fem-presenting thing I did (other than shaving!). Very few people even noticed. One of the people I work with, after I came out, said I just looked a bit more stylish than usual. The biggest response I got was paying at my local where the owner knows me well -- "oh, you've painted your nails" / "yup". And that was it.

Having said that, I don't have nearly enough courage to go to a salon or anything yet! Let us know how it goes!