ASD and the practical/social aspect of changing sex-views?

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firemonkey
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08 Jul 2017, 5:26 am

I wonder how many people are out there who whilst genuinely transsexual would struggle to cope with the practical/social aspects of changing sex.
I think ,whether male or female, I would have always struggled on a practical/social level. My desire to change sex may have been genuine, but it was not matched with my ability to cope successfully with any such change.

I think in order to cope in such a situation one must subdue one's transsexual desires and accept as best one can one's sex.



Shahunshah
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08 Jul 2017, 5:32 am

I am curious and only answer if you want to. What is it like to want to change gender?



firemonkey
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08 Jul 2017, 5:54 am

It's hard for me to put into words. For me it was a frustrating experience. Whilst my psychiatric team acknowledged my feelings they were not keen on supporting any move towards transition due to my psychiatric label.



SaveFerris
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08 Jul 2017, 7:14 am

Shahunshah wrote:
I am curious and only answer if you want to. What is it like to want to change gender?


Although it's not the same as being born in the wrong body doesn't everyone fantasize about being the opposite gender at points in their life , and I don't mean for relationship & having sex reasons.


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C2V
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08 Jul 2017, 7:43 am

Quote:
I think in order to cope in such a situation one must subdue one's transsexual desires and accept as best one can one's sex.

Some people cannot subdue them, whether or not it's hard to cope with being trans.
So many pre-op transfolk end up dead because they are not capable of subduing what they are. The statistic was something crazy like 50% at one stage, and had a worse survival rate than cancer.
I know this is true of me. I don't (and certainly didn't in the past) cope with the practical and social changes of being trans. But I do not have a choice. I think in these cases it at least becomes more clear - no, you can't deal with this, but you have to. So you do or die. No one expects this to be easy. For most, transition is messy and brutal in every way. But that's how it is, and you got to do what you got to do.
If you can subdue that side of yourself and it's better for you that way, I'm not here to tell anyone else how to live. We all do what we must, try to sort things as best we can.
What practical and social issues around transition are too much for you to cope with? Have you asked advice from other queers?
Yah. I'm just down on this at the moment because these days, feels like dysphoria is eating me alive yet again.


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naturalplastic
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08 Jul 2017, 8:06 am

Yeah. I guess it would be quite a daunting thing to do. Change your gender. Like climbing Everest.

Bruce/Kaitlyn Jenner had the stamina, even late in middle age, to do it.

But not everyone who wants to do it has the stamina (it takes physical stamina to go through the operation, and emotional stamina to go through social stuff that that it would entail).



firemonkey
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08 Jul 2017, 8:12 am

For me it would have been (a)Social interaction issues which would have applied whether transitioning or not (b) Being able to cope with practical aspects of presenting as a woman such as deportment,fashion and make up sense etc . All things that don't come easily for a natural born woman who is,or may be,dyspraxic, let alone a MTF in the same situation.
Truth is I often looked like a third rate pantomime dame and would have struggled to blend in successfully.



naturalplastic
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08 Jul 2017, 8:19 am

I think that I see what you're saying.

you're saying that you are too socially impaired to be the gender you have already had years of practice presenting as (male).

So suddenly changing genders would mean learning a whole new set of social skills. A set at least as vast and complex as that for being male, and probably more complex (the equivalent female stuff is probably, if anything, more subtle and more complex than the body of social stuff men have to master).



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08 Jul 2017, 8:22 am

naturalplastic wrote:

But not everyone who wants to do it has the stamina (it takes physical stamina to go through the operation, and emotional stamina to go through social stuff that that it would entail).


I knew someone ( not very well ) who at the age of 40 and worked on a building site all their life had gender reassignment surgery , I had only known her a a short time before she took her own life.


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firemonkey
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08 Jul 2017, 8:50 am

naturalplastic wrote:
I think that I see what you're saying.

you're saying that you are too socially impaired to be the gender you have already had years of practice presenting as (male).

So suddenly changing genders would mean learning a whole new set of social skills. A set at least as vast and complex as that for being male, and probably more complex (the equivalent female stuff is probably, if anything, more subtle and more complex than the body of social stuff men have to master).


Well described. Being socially impaired certainly comes into it. My social skills now,as a male, are rated as very poor . If the female stuff is, as you suggest, more subtle and complex then I would have struggled even more socially in an attempt to transition.



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09 Jul 2017, 1:56 am

Quote:
you're saying that you are too socially impaired to be the gender you have already had years of practice presenting as (male).

So suddenly changing genders would mean learning a whole new set of social skills. A set at least as vast and complex as that for being male, and probably more complex (the equivalent female stuff is probably, if anything, more subtle and more complex than the body of social stuff men have to master).

And -
Quote:
Well described. Being socially impaired certainly comes into it. My social skills now,as a male, are rated as very poor . If the female stuff is, as you suggest, more subtle and complex then I would have struggled even more socially in an attempt to transition.

Every transgender person struggles with this, whether autistic or not. Everyone. Even genderqueer folks have to walk the line between what stereotyped role they're playing or not at what time.
Again I'm not advocating anything, people have to find their own way, I just hate to think that transfolk are put off making the change because they think somehow, it's going to be harder for them than everyone else.


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