@Bobbie: You are exactly right. This will take years and a lot of hard work. As impatient as I sometimes feel about this whole process, I know that a lot of people are working to make things better. I don't know if I have much to add except to work through things my own way and to support others who are in a similar situation. But those of you who have done a lot to help, and you know who you are, THANKS.

This site has done so much good, it was a profound solace to me when I first started sorting out my own thoughts on my situation. And there a lot of great doctors out there, I've met quite a few on the forefront of pushing for change on our behalves. What I think those progressive doctors could most use is some of the legal/activist expertise of the global trans community to put public pressure on the mainstream medical organizations, which left to their own initiative tend to cater to their more conservative members, I'd say.