My heart goes out to you. It seems no matter what the situation is in life, talking to family is always hard. Remember who you are inside is the most important thing. Keep your head up high!
Hello.
I’m so glad you wrote to me because you’re obviously hurting and feeling isolated. Well there’s no need for that because there are lots of supportive groups out there which can provide you with information and support as you transition from your biological sex to the male gender you feel yourself to be.
First off, the people who told you that you were too young to know your true gender identify were wrong, wrong, wrong. We now know that our gender identity is essentially set at around age 2, right about the time we begin talking. Thus, most transgendered people have known their genders for quite a long time. And gender has nothing to do with sexuality, although many people erroneously link the two. Our gender identity isn’t dependent on the sex of our desired partner, but is rather our profound sense of who we are—either masculine or feminine.
As far as what’s next for you and how to talk to your family, here are several websites offering help. Most of these sites have a section on the steps of gender reassignment. In particular, I encourage you to get in touch with the first one “FTM International,” which has been very helpful to many.
http://www.ftmi.org/
http://www.ren.org/
http://www.lauras-playground.com/ftm_articles.htm
http://www.susans.org/Female_to_Male/
The most important thing is for you to reach out and connect with others so you can build friendships and relationships during your transition period. Be proud of who you are, and don’t let anyone tell you you’re not OK! Best of luck to you. Dr. J