CW: transphobia-lite(?)

She's so caught up in my "case" being such an outlier that there must be "something else" going on. She says she never noticed anything in me as a child that would point to gender dysphoria, and that since I was a fairly strong-willed child I would have let someone know. She's also linked to reputable-seeming studies about mean age of first experiencing gender dysphoria in trans youth, which peg it around 4-7 years old.

And she's right. I never had any gender dysphoria as a child, not really, and I still don't even see myself as a "girl stuck in a guy's body". I consider myself a guy who wants to become a girl, not because being a guy is so horrible, but because being a girl seems very nice.

My therapist tells me this is valid, that people have their different experiences of being trans, but my mom is so caught up in this data she's found.

Another thing—she's adamantly against me doing HRT due to the risks of estrogen and trauma from her breast cancer. I've since found data claiming that breast cancer risk in trans women on HRT is higher than for cis men, but lower than cis women, so unless she thinks my sister ought to take estrogen blockers there's no reasonable worry there.

All this culminates in her saying that she can't bear to live with me if I choose to go on HRT. She's not kicking me out, but she wants us to live separately. Problem is we're both jobless which makes getting approved for two new apartments difficult.

Needless to say this all sucks. Before I broached the topic last year I never would have expected this kind of reaction from her. I just don't see why it has to be such a scary thing for her. Every time I try to talk to her about it I'm filled with the doubt that radiates from her in waves. I do want to move out on my own but financially it's not the best move.

Idk what I'm asking for here. Data or anecdotes about realizing you're trans later in life would be nice? Warm fuzzy feelings from internet people? I dunno

  • ZoomeristLeninist [they/them, she/her]M
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    edit-2
    1 year ago

    your feelings are valid trans-heart im sorry ur mom is acting so negatively. i also realized i was trans later in life: not too long ago, when i was 22. i also have had those “impostor” thoughts, telling myself that my experiences werent “real” enough. a lot of that is internalized transphobia and the best way to know is to just think abt it. would you be happier as a feminine person (or even just not masculine)? if yes, you are trans. not all trans ppl have dysphoria, so dont get hung up on that. it all comes down to what you want, who you are

    best of luck comrade cat-trans