I think it has been said there are as many genders as there are members here, probably more. A further complication is that we don't get up every day feeling the same about ourselves -again, probably just as well.

The counselor -if non-binary states are understood at all- sees us infrequently, and expects us to be the same as noted on the last visit. We each have a spectrum.

For example, though I am a content surgical E, Internally I indentify mostly as what I am but on a range between M and M2N. As time goes by the center of the range shifts over the years towards the M2N end.

WE may have our wishes and troubles, but so has the counselor!

daifu-orchid (imported) wrote: Sun Apr 19, 2015 4:18 am WE may have our wishes and troubles, but so has the counselor!

That is true, but a counselor has two things they will be doing.

1. Covering their own ass. I get why they do that, I have a professional license myself and you'd be amazed at how many people think a professional license = you must be God like or I'm suing. Grandma has sniffles, sue. Little Bobby got the measles because the partents didn't vaccinate - sue, clearly it was the medical establishments fault.

2. Working to see that the patient before them isn't crazy and knows what they're asking or navigating through. You have to know a lot about yourself before you can get a counselor to take you seriously.

My recommendation is find a good counselor. This doesn't mean rounds of counselor shopping, but be sure you don't waste your time with family therapists when what you need is one that works routinely with gender non-conforming people, which is what we are no matter where we fit on the spectrum of gender. While any of the latter can be useful, my recommendation is to find one that isn't transgendered themselves. For some odd reason the TG therapists who are TG themselves can't see beyond the gender binary. I've been ignored, hung up on, etc. by those folks because I didn't set myself up as desiring a male to female change. I was up front with them. It may seem like a waste of time, but I actually prefer them to hang up on me than to string me along - Go for the NO! It tells you that you need to move on to a different person.

A person wanting to use the resource I have identified MUST get a letter of support from a qualified therapist. As a matter of fact, I won't even talk to you if you've not taken that step. I'm happy to make a referral, but I also need to know the person isn't wasting the doctors time. I can speak of generalities (IE potential cost, etc.) but I will not put you in contact until you have the letter. Hopefully that will make it clear.

Short version is there is now a resource for folks who want more than castration (IE penectomy or full nullo). Let's not fuck it up.

--LT

Wise words. The resources in US are scant in this area, and truly precious.

The road to getting appropriately nulled seems a little better, but only with care to guard the resource.