The following history is my own gender transition history. The path that each
transsexual walks is different from other transsexuals. However, there are
commonalities in our paths.
| Dates | Ages | Description | |
| 1956 - 1958 | 2 - 4 | ||
| First indications of gender identity disorder went unrecognized as part of a gender problem. (See Cassie’s First Idea of Her Sexuality.) | |||
| 1961 | 7 | ||
| Earliest memory with sense of unusual sexuality. (See Cassie’s First Idea of Her Sexuality.) | |||
| 1966 | 12 | ||
| Read Dr. Benjamin’s book The Transsexual Phenomenon and learned about my unusual sexuality. | |||
| 1971 | 17 | ||
| First Love: fell in love with my best friend, but could not express my love since it would be perceived as homosexuality. Although I occupied a normal male body, I was a heterosexual woman. He was a heterosexual man. | |||
| 1972 | 18 | ||
| Come-out to parents, after Mom found my woman’s clothes. They took me to a psychiatrist, who saw me for one session. I was not ready to talk to any psychology professional about my gender issues. The psychiatrist "diagnosed" inferiority complex that would resolve itself. Parents no longer accepted my statement that I was a transsexual. | |||
| 1982 - 1986 | 28 - 32 | ||
| Second Love: a love developed within me for my new best friend, but, as before, I could not express my love since it would be perceived as homosexuality. Although my sexual preference had shifted from heterosexual to bisexual and thus could relate to either male or female lover, I did not want a homosexual relation with my best friend. | |||
| 1986 | 32 | ||
| Sep | Third Love: Fell in love with my first girlfriend. I was in a denial phase and was attempting to adjust to being a man. The denial phase was to prove temporary, as usual. | ||
| 1987 | 33 | ||
| Jan | Come-out to girlfriend. She left me for my best friend. | ||
| 1996 | 42 | ||
| Come-out to naturopath, enlisting her help to feminize myself. Ineffective. Concept of feminizing the male body contradicts the tenets of Naturopathy. | |||
| 1997 | 43 | ||
| 28 9 |
Feb Mar Jul |
Come-out to doctor Come-out to psychologists Commenced electrolysis |
|
| 28 | Jul | Assessment by the Gender Identity Clinic at the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry (Toronto, Ontario) | |
| 25 | Aug | Determination by Gender Identity Clinic that I have a Gender Identity Disorder and that I am a True Transsexual. | |
| 1998 | 44 | ||
| 27 | Aug | Started going out cross-dressed in public. | |
| 3 14 |
Sep Oct - |
9 Nov |
Started hormones Come-out to family (staged: brother and his wife, then sister, then dad) |
| 29 | Dec | Sent Come-out letters to relatives. | |
| 1999 | 45 | ||
| Jan | Come-out to friends. | ||
| 12 19 |
Feb Feb |
Come-out to boss. Change to new psychologist. |
|
| 24 | Feb | Come-out to select group of co-workers. | |
| 2 2 |
Mar Mar |
Come-out to company. Name changed in birth registry. |
|
| 7 | Apr | Laryngeal Chondroplasty (removal of Adam’s Apple) and first voice surgery (suspension microlaryngoscopy) -- voice surgery ineffective | |
| 22 | May | Transitioned -- first day of full-time living as a woman |
|
| 14 | Jul | Second voice surgery (suspension microlaryngoscopy) -- ineffective | |
| 19 | Nov | First letter for Gender Re-Assignment Surgery | |
| 25 | Nov | Brother severed ties with me as he does not want to deal with the issue of my being transgendered. | |
| 13 | Dec | Second letter for Gender Re-Assignment Surgery | |
| 2000 | 46 | ||
| Jan | Realization that I no longer consider being a transsexual as a disorder, but as a condition of life. Peace and comfort of being who I am had arrived. I have become very happy to live. | ||
| 23 | Feb | Third voice surgery (suspension microlaryngoscopy with laser) -- ineffective | |
| 30 | May | Change of Sex Designation on Birth Registry changed to female. | |
| 31 | May | Fourth voice surgery (suspension microlaryngoscopy with laser) -- ineffective | |
| 2001 | 47 | ||
| 5 | Jan | Fifth voice surgery (doctor listed the operation as "laryngofissure for
dysphonia") -- Success! Finally! The procedure that was used involved opening the skin of the neck, opening the larynx, detaching the vocal cords at the front ends, stretching the cords, re-attaching them, trimming off the excess material, closing the larynx, making a couple of other changes to the voice box (including a correction of an ineffective crico-thyroid approximation), and finally closing the skin. (Note: laryngofissure is not the name of the procedure on the vocal cords, but merely refers to the opening of the voice box to facilitate working on the structures -- like the vocal cords -- within the larynx.) | |
| 2002 | 48 | ||
| 31 | Jan | Gender Re-Assignment Surgery (penile-inversion vaginoplasty with sensate
pidicled clitoraplasty) (Dr. Toby Meltzer; see Dr. Toby Meltzer Performs SRS photo-essay courtesy of Dr. Anne Lawrence) WARNING TO MALES: Viewing of the surgery can induce a strong feeling of sickness. This is a result of the subconscious mind's reaction to the idea of castration. |
|
| 15 | May | Gender Re-Assignment Surgery (labiaplasty) (Dr. Toby Meltzer; see Dr. Toby Meltzer Performs Labiaplasty photo-essay courtesy of Dr. Anne Lawrence) WARNING TO MALES: Viewing of the surgery can induce a strong feeling of sickness. This is a result of the subconscious mind's reaction to the idea of castration. (See Dr. Anne Lawrence's links for SRS In Scottsdale, Arizona for more information on SRS by Dr. Meltzer.) |
|
| 2003 | 49 | ||
| 9 | Jan | Minor revision of Gender Re-Assignment Surgery results, performed by local gynaecologist. (Clitoraplasty to bring the clitoris out of hiding under the prepuce. Perineoplasty to correct urine flow direction.) | |
Last Updated: 17 May 2011 (to fix broken links)