Generic Advice for Beginning Transitioner

This list is alive. I'll add to it from time to time.

What advice do I give people who are just starting to transition? What are the important steps?

1. Make sure it is the right thing to do.

1A. Education. Get as much school as you can. Keep yourself educated and employable.

2. Support. Have a support system in place. (Keep your family as much as you can)

3. Beard. This takes anywhere from 3 months to 3 years. Best to start it early.

4. Voice. Work on it early. Work on it often. What is the point in transitioning if you can't communicate with people? This one is the most gain per amount of effort.

5. Hair. Do you need to grow it out? Do you need hair transplants? A wig? A fall?

6. Money (really should be higher on the list). Much of transition is not cheap. Run out and get stuck halfway to your goal.

7. Support. Have a support system in place. (Friends are invaluable)

8. Legalities. Do you live somewhere where you can change your ID. Do you need to consider moving?

9. Did I mention support? (Someone who understands what you are going through. Commiseration.)

10. Hormones. Other than hair removal this is really one of the biggest steps. It is hard to turn back from this. Get on an anti-androgen as soon as you can and estrogen/progesterone soon after.

11. Weight. Need to lose? Lose it early in the hormone process. It gets harder.

12. Hobbies. Do something OTHER than transition. Good Lord, have a life.

13. Support. This can be a lonely process. Start off with solid support. Some will leave you but SOME will stay. Stack the odds.

I'll add more later.