There's a moment from Lady Gaga's interview, where the interviewer asks her "There was that rumor that you had a male appendage." And she responds with "Maybe I do. Would it be so terrible?" In reality, assuming a random cis person, who's not a public figure, would say that, would you consider it rude and invalidating of your experience, or is it ok?

Ello!

I am MtF and today I have been tasked by my therapist to crossdress next session. She told she wanted to help me break through my anxiety surrounding this topic.

My question is: How can I prepare myself for this as best as possible? I already have some clothing. Mainly skirts a few tops and thigh highs. I also will take my clothing with me in my backpack. Please help ;-;

Note: I am pre everything. No hormones, no social transistion, nothing.

I’ll delete this later more of a vent

Does any trans women. Just feel immense sadness that I cannot biologically cannot have a child. Like I stay up at night just wishing I could have children. Just wishing I could feel the pain and joy of pregnancy. I just want to be a mum and I can’t. I want period pains. It just, no matter what I do, it won’t magically appear

I go through this from time to time, the immense sadness that is, I just wanna know if I’m not alone on this issue.

I know this is ironic because Im pretty active on a lot of trans subs, but I feel like I kinda really dislike most trans subreddits. It seems like most of the posts are either people who are doing way better than you, or someone experiencing the most terrible thing ever. Subs for people to post photos are obviously going to be skewed towards people who are confident in themselves, so its just a wave of passing trans people, who look way better than me. Other subs are half and half people posting about getting HRT or other good things, and are doing better, or people who just got kicked out or had some horrible transphobic experience. It genuinely feels like whiplash between jealousy and the misery of being trans, neither of which I really like. While I do still use these just because I like the sense of community, I find these aspects pretty unpleasant. I know its bad to be jealous, but its hard not to when you see so many people doing better than you. Also lots of trans subs are either incredibly cis hating or very kinky or both. Do you also feel this way and why/why not?

or, rather, I wish i wanted to be/stay a girl. Women are so terribly beautiful, but being percieved as one makes my skin crawl. I've been ruminating over what this says about me for about a month now, but i've been socially out for almost 5 years. I rarely think of myself as a woman, and when i do it is because of social circumstances eg. being misread or talked to by elders/cis men; it always depresses me. But womanhood has always attracted me, i mostly grew up really feminine and i still carry many 'girlish' interests even as a guy, though i know that doesnt necessarily mean anything. Even so, having a female body doesnt reflect me in a weird and abstract way i'm sure transmasculine people can relate to and understand, and i do feel euphoria upon being treated as a guy. Not to mention the burden being a trans person represents, especially with my unsupportive family and being socially out but not transitioned medically. I've pretty much decided I just want to be a drag artist after I transition, but I'm still a little worried i'm misreading some signals in my head which will lead to me regretting transition. So i guess I'm posting this to check if anyone else has felt this way and if it ever gets better or if i'm genuinely just making up the whole trans thing...

Gonna delete this in a day or two but this bullshit has been too distracting to function normally.

I was arguing with a transphobe who asked for sources so I pulled this all together from around the web. Feel free to save/use it as necessary!

• https://youtu.be/r7mHzEcaVbE?si=fXPiJC7s1lwUK4FX
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sw1Cq_o5ZUA
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGBYYcH7CS8

Here are statements of support for gender affirming care from:

• American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
• American Academy of Dermatology
• American Academy of Pediatrics
• American Academy of Physician Assistants
• American Medical Association
• American Nurses Association
• American Association of Clinical Endocrinology
• American Association of Geriatric Psychiatry
• American College Health Association
• American College of Nurse-Midwives
• American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
• American College of Physicians
• American Counseling Association
• American Heart Association
• American Medical Student Association
• American Psychiatric Association
• American Psychological Association
• American Society of Plastic Surgeons
• American Society for Reproductive Medicine
• American Urological Association
• Endocrine Society
• Federation of Pediatric Organizations
• GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ Equality
• The Journal of the American Medical Association
• National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women's Health
• National Association of Social Workers
• Ohio Children's Hospital
• Pediatric Endocrine Society
• Pediatrics (Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics) and Seattle Children's Hospital
• Texas Medical Association
• Texas Pediatric Society
• United States Professional Association for Transgender Health (USPATH)
• World Health Organization (WHO)
• World Medical Association
• World Professional Association for Transgender Health

Here’s some more sources and context:

Definitions & Framework

Measuring Sex, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine published this consensus report in 2022 to guide the National Institutes of Health on measuring sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation.

Methodology

• A multidisciplinary committee reviewed existing measures and research across clinical, administrative, and survey settings.
• Committee members developed consensus definitions and evaluated how different questions perform in different contexts.

Findings

• The report defines sex as a multidimensional construct based on a cluster of anatomical and physiological traits, including external genitalia, secondary sex characteristics, gonads, chromosomes, and hormones.
• The report defines gender as including identity, expression, and social position.
• The committee concluded that gender cannot be reduced to sex assigned at birth or to specific sex traits.
• The report recommends collecting the information required for the purpose at hand. It supports a two-step approach using sex assigned at birth and current gender when researchers need to identify transgender experience.
• The report recommends a separate intersex-status question when that information matters. It advises against treating intersex as a simple third response to a male-or-female sex question.

Limitations

• The report addresses measurement and conceptual clarity. It does not settle every philosophical dispute about the meaning of sex or gender.
• Recommended questions can require revision as terminology and evidence develop.

World Health Organization: Gender and Health

The World Health Organization distinguishes sex, gender, and gender identity in its public-health guidance.

What the source establishes

• Sex refers to biological and physiological characteristics such as chromosomes, hormones, and reproductive organs.
• Gender refers to socially constructed norms, roles, and relations.
• Gender identity refers to a person’s deeply felt internal experience of gender, which may or may not correspond to physiology or designated sex at birth.
• Sex, gender, and gender identity can each influence health and access to care.

Limitations

• This is institutional guidance rather than an original empirical study.
• Definitions vary somewhat across fields, so debates should identify whether the context is clinical, demographic, biological, or social.

American Psychological Association: Understanding Transgender People, Gender Identity and Gender Expression

The American Psychological Association provides definitions for transgender identity, gender identity, gender expression, and related terms.

What the source establishes

• Gender identity describes a person’s internal sense of gender.
• Gender expression describes how a person presents gender through appearance and behavior.
• Transgender describes people whose gender identity differs from the sex assigned to them at birth.
• Gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation describe separate concepts.

Limitations

• The page summarizes professional guidance and research. Use its linked scholarship for contested causal claims.

Sex Development, Chromosomes & Intersex Variation

Sex Redefined

Claire Ainsworth’s 2015 Nature feature reviews research on differences of sex development, chimerism, and cellular sex.

Methodology

• This is a science-journalism feature based on interviews and published research.
• It follows sex development across chromosomes, genes, gonads, hormones, anatomy, and cells.

Findings

• Typical XX and XY development accounts for most people, while variations can produce discordance among chromosomal, gonadal, hormonal, and anatomical traits.
• Genetic changes, mosaicism, chimerism, hormone production, and hormone-response differences can affect the developmental pathway.
• A single chromosome test cannot describe every sex-related trait in every person.

Limitations

• The article provides a synthesis for general readers. It is not a primary prevalence study.
• The article uses “spectrum” as a broad description of trait variation. Reproductive biology still recognizes two gamete types.

How Sexually Dimorphic Are We? Review and Synthesis

Blackless, Charuvastra, Derryck, Fausto-Sterling, Lauzanne, and Lee published this review in the American Journal of Human Biology in 2000.

Methodology

• The authors reviewed medical literature on chromosomal, gonadal, hormonal, and anatomical variation.
• They combined prevalence estimates for conditions that departed from an ideal of complete sexual dimorphism.

Findings

• The authors estimated that about 1.7% of live births show some departure from complete chromosomal, gonadal, genital, or hormonal dimorphism under their broad definition.
• The estimate became the main source for the widely repeated 1.7% figure.

Limitations

• Late-onset congenital adrenal hyperplasia contributes most of the estimate. Many people counted by the paper have unambiguous genitalia and identify as male or female.
• The paper’s category is broader than definitions centered on ambiguous genitalia or discordance between chromosomal and phenotypic sex.
• The number should always appear with the definition used to produce it.

SRY Gene: MedlinePlus Genetics

The National Library of Medicine explains the role of SRY in sex development and describes conditions that can result when the pathway changes.

What the source establishes

• SRY usually appears on the Y chromosome and helps direct development of the testes.
• SRY variants account for a portion of 46,XY complete gonadal dysgenesis, also called Swyer syndrome.
• An SRY translocation onto an X chromosome can contribute to 46,XX testicular differences of sex development.

Limitations

• SRY provides one part of a larger pathway that includes many genes, hormones, receptors, and tissues.
• The page provides clinical orientation rather than prevalence estimates for every condition.

Swyer Syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics

Swyer syndrome, or 46,XY complete gonadal dysgenesis, provides a documented example of chromosomal and phenotypic traits developing along different paths.

What the source establishes

• People with Swyer syndrome have a 46,XY karyotype and female-typical external genitalia.
• They usually have a uterus and fallopian tubes because typical testicular hormone production did not occur during development.
• Their gonads do not function as ovaries, so pregnancy requires donated oocytes and medical support.

Limitations

• Swyer syndrome is rare.
• The condition demonstrates variation in sex development. It does not show that chromosomes lack biological importance.

Pregnancy and Delivery in a Patient With Pure 46,XY Karyotype

Poláková and colleagues published this case report and literature review in 2013.

Methodology

• The authors described a patient with 46,XY complete gonadal dysgenesis who became pregnant through in vitro fertilization using a donated oocyte.
• They reviewed previous reports of pregnancy in patients with 46,XY gonadal dysgenesis.

Findings

• The patient carried a pregnancy and delivered a healthy child.
• The case documents that a Y chromosome does not prevent gestation when a uterus is present and assisted reproduction supplies an oocyte and hormonal support.

Limitations

• This is a rare case report rather than a prevalence study.
• The patient did not produce an oocyte, and the case does not establish typical fertility for people with Swyer syndrome.

Gender Development & Neuroscience

Patterns of Gender Development

Martin and Ruble published this developmental-psychology review in the Annual Review of Psychology in 2010.

Methodology

• The authors reviewed research on children’s gender concepts, identity, stereotypes, preferences, and behavior.
• The review considered cognitive development, motivation, social learning, family, peers, and culture.

Findings

• Children actively organize information about gender and apply it to themselves and other people.
• Gender development reflects interactions among cognition, motivation, social environment, and biological development.
• Children develop gender labels before they develop a complete understanding of gender stability and constancy.

Limitations

• Much of the literature comes from Western populations.
• The review addresses gender development broadly and provides limited direct evidence about transgender identity.

Sex Beyond the Genitalia: The Human Brain Mosaic

Joel and colleagues published this analysis in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2015.

Methodology

• The authors analyzed magnetic-resonance imaging datasets containing more than 1,400 brains.
• They identified features showing the largest average sex differences and tested whether individual brains consistently contained male-typical or female-typical features.
• They applied a related analysis to behavioral datasets containing more than 5,500 people.

Findings

• Most brains contained a mixture of features that appeared more often in males, more often in females, or commonly in both groups.
• Fully internally consistent male-typical or female-typical profiles were uncommon under the authors’ method.
• Average group differences can coexist with extensive overlap and within-person variation.

Limitations

• Critics showed that multivariate models can classify sex from structural brain patterns at rates above chance. The disagreement concerns whether accurate classification establishes two internally consistent brain types.
• The study examined sex-related brain features. It did not test transgender identity directly.

Structural, Functional, and Metabolic Brain Differences as a Function of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation

Frigerio, Ballerini, and Valdés Hernández published this systematic review in Archives of Sexual Behavior in 2021.

Methodology

• The authors systematically reviewed human neuroimaging literature through 2018 and discussed later studies published through March 2021.
• The review included 39 studies concerning gender identity and 24 concerning sexual orientation.

Findings

• Some structural and functional features among transgender participants resembled patterns associated with their gender identity.
• Many features remained closer to patterns associated with sex assigned at birth, and other findings appeared intermediate or distinct.
• The literature did not reveal a single reliable neuroanatomical marker of transgender identity.

Limitations

• Many studies used small samples and different imaging methods.
• Hormone exposure, age, sexual orientation, scanner differences, and analytic choices complicated comparisons.
• Cross-sectional findings cannot establish whether a difference preceded gender incongruence or developed through later experience.

The Neuroanatomy of Transgender Identity: Mega-Analytic Findings From the ENIGMA Transgender Persons Working Group

Mueller and colleagues published this multi-site structural MRI analysis in the Journal of Sexual Medicine in 2021.

Methodology

• The researchers pooled data from eight sites and analyzed 803 participants.
• The sample included 214 transgender men, 172 transgender women, 221 cisgender men, and 196 cisgender women who had not received gender-affirming hormones.
• The study compared cortical thickness, surface area, and subcortical volume while correcting for multiple comparisons.

Findings

• The analysis found no significant group differences in cortical thickness after correction.
• Differences in surface area and subcortical volume did not amount to a simple shift from one cisgender group toward the other.
• The authors described the results as a distinct neuroanatomical pattern rather than a complete masculinization or feminization of the brain.

Limitations

• The study was cross-sectional and cannot establish cause or developmental timing.
• Pooling data across scanners and sites adds heterogeneity.
• Group averages cannot identify an individual’s gender.

A Sex Difference in the Human Brain and Its Relation to Transsexuality

Zhou and colleagues published this postmortem study in Nature in 1995.

Methodology

• The authors measured the central subdivision of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis in postmortem brain tissue.
• They compared a small number of transgender women with male and female reference groups.

Findings

• The measured region in the transgender women fell within the female-typical range reported by the study.
• The authors reported that the finding did not track sexual orientation in their comparison cases.

Limitations

• The transgender sample was extremely small.
• Most transgender participants had received long-term hormone therapy.
• Adult postmortem data cannot establish whether the difference caused, followed, or merely correlated with gender identity.

Sex Reassignment at Birth: Long-Term Review and Clinical Implications

Diamond and Sigmundson published this follow-up of David Reimer in Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine in 1997.

Methodology

• The authors followed an XY child whose penis had been destroyed during infancy and who was then surgically reassigned and raised as a girl.
• They interviewed the patient, his family, and clinicians about development and later identity.

Findings

• Reimer rejected the female sex of rearing and began living as male during adolescence.
• The outcome contradicted earlier reports that described the reassignment as successful.
• The case undermined the claim that rearing alone can reliably determine gender identity.

Limitations

• One unusual clinical case cannot determine the relative contribution of biology and environment across the population.
• Reimer experienced major medical trauma, secrecy, repeated examinations, and family distress. Those factors limit broad causal claims.

Social & Historical Dimensions of Gender

Standards of Care for the Health of Transgender and Gender Diverse People, Version 8

The World Professional Association for Transgender Health published Version 8 of its standards in 2022. This section uses the document for terminology and cross-cultural context rather than treatment outcomes.

What the source establishes

• Gender-diverse identities and social categories appear across cultures and languages.
• Terms such as hijra, fa’afafine, travesti, muxe, and Two-Spirit have distinct cultural histories and do not translate cleanly into one English category.
• Transgender and nonbinary function as broad contemporary terms, while culturally specific terms should retain their local meaning.

Limitations

• WPATH provides clinical guidance and professional consensus. It does not supply a single anthropological history of every cultural group.
• Examples from one culture should not be treated as interchangeable with identities from another culture.

United Nations Free & Equal: Celebrate Trans Visibility

The United Nations Human Rights Office identifies several culturally specific gender-diverse traditions, including hijra, Two-Spirit, travesti, fa’afafine, and transpinay.

What the source establishes

• Gender diversity has deep historical and cultural roots in many societies.
• Contemporary English vocabulary does not exhaust the ways societies organize gender.

Limitations

• This is a human-rights educational source.
• It provides examples rather than a systematic anthropological review.

Clinical Classification & Professional Positions

American Psychiatric Association: Gender Dysphoria Diagnosis

The American Psychiatric Association explains how the DSM-5 and DSM-5-TR distinguish transgender identity from gender dysphoria.

What the source establishes

• Gender nonconformity does not constitute a mental disorder by itself.
• Gender dysphoria refers to clinically significant distress or impairment associated with gender incongruence.
• A transgender person may experience gender dysphoria, although transgender identity does not automatically produce the diagnosis.

Limitations

• Diagnostic manuals classify conditions for clinical use. They do not provide a complete theory of gender identity.
• The diagnosis remains debated because it can help people access care while also carrying a history of pathologization.

World Health Organization: Gender Incongruence and Transgender Health in the ICD

The World Health Organization explains the treatment of gender incongruence in ICD-11.

What the source establishes

• ICD-11 replaced older categories such as “transsexualism” and “gender identity disorder of children.”
• WHO moved gender incongruence out of the chapter on mental and behavioral disorders.
• ICD-11 places gender incongruence in the chapter on conditions related to sexual health so health systems can continue to code relevant care.

Limitations

• Classification reflects clinical utility and expert review. It does not turn every policy position about trans people into a medical conclusion.

American Psychological Association Resolution on Gender Identity Change Efforts

The American Psychological Association adopted this resolution opposing efforts that aim to change a person’s gender identity or gender expression.

What the source establishes

• APA opposes portrayals of transgender and nonbinary people as mentally ill because of their identities or expressions.
• APA states that gender-identity change efforts lack adequate scientific support and carry a risk of harm.

Limitations

• This is an organizational policy resolution rather than an original experiment.
• A professional resolution establishes the association’s position. It does not eliminate the need to inspect the cited evidence for a specific empirical claim.

Trans People in Sports

Sport and Transgender People: A Systematic Review of the Literature Relating to Sport Participation and Competitive Sport Policies

Jones, Arcelus, Bouman, and Haycraft published this systematic review in Sports Medicine in 2017.

Methodology

• The authors reviewed eight empirical studies and 31 competitive-sport policies.
• The evidence included studies of hormone-related physiology and a small amount of direct performance data.

Findings

• The review found no direct and consistent evidence of an overall competitive advantage across the sparse literature available at the time.
• The authors found that many policies lacked a clear evidentiary basis and varied substantially across organizations.

Limitations

• Only eight empirical studies met the criteria, and very few studied trained or elite athletes.
• The conclusion reflects insufficient direct evidence in 2017. It cannot establish that no performance differences exist.
• Later studies provide additional information about strength, lean mass, hemoglobin, and running performance.

Effect of Gender-Affirming Hormones on Athletic Performance in Transwomen and Transmen

Roberts, Smalley, and Ahrendt published this retrospective study of U.S. Air Force personnel in the British Journal of Sports Medicine in 2021.

Methodology

• The researchers analyzed annual fitness-test records before and after the start of gender-affirming hormone therapy.
• Tests included push-ups, sit-ups, and a 1.5-mile run.
• The cohort included military personnel rather than elite athletes.

Findings

• Before hormone therapy, trans women completed 31% more push-ups and 15% more sit-ups and ran 21% faster than cisgender women in the comparison group.
• After two years of feminizing hormone therapy, push-up and sit-up differences were no longer statistically significant.
• Trans women still ran about 12% faster on average after two years in this cohort.
• Trans men reached or exceeded the cisgender male average for several tests after testosterone therapy.

Limitations

• The study used military fitness data, which do not measure elite sport performance.
• Training history, adherence, and other confounders remained outside the researchers’ control.
• Average group differences do not determine the outcome of a particular athlete or event.

How Does Hormone Transition in Transgender Women Change Body Composition, Muscle Strength and Haemoglobin?

Harper and colleagues published this systematic review in the British Journal of Sports Medicine in 2021.

Methodology

• The authors reviewed studies of transgender women receiving feminizing hormone therapy.
• They focused on lean body mass, muscle area, strength, and hemoglobin because these traits can affect athletic performance.

Findings

• Hemoglobin generally moved into the cisgender female range after several months of hormone therapy.
• Lean body mass, muscle area, and strength declined during treatment.
• Some differences in strength and lean mass could remain after 12 to 36 months.

Limitations

• Most participants were not athletes.
• The studies measured physiological proxies more often than performance in a specific sport.
• Study size, treatment duration, and methods varied substantially.

Strength, Power and Aerobic Capacity of Transgender Athletes: A Cross-Sectional Study

Hamilton and colleagues published this laboratory study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine in 2024.

Methodology

• The researchers tested 19 cisgender men, 12 transgender men, 23 transgender women, and 21 cisgender women who participated in competitive sports or structured training.
• Tests included body composition, grip strength, jump performance, lung function, and maximal oxygen uptake.

Findings

• Trans women had higher absolute grip strength than cisgender women in this sample.
• Trans women had lower jump height relative to fat-free mass and lower maximal oxygen uptake relative to body weight than cisgender women.
• Absolute maximal oxygen uptake did not differ significantly between trans women and cisgender women.
• Results varied by metric, which supports direct study of sport-relevant performance rather than a single proxy.

Limitations

• The study was cross-sectional and cannot show how an individual changed during hormone therapy.
• The groups were small and differed in age, height, weight, sport, and training history.
• Laboratory measures do not directly predict medals, rankings, or injury risk in every sport.

Bathrooms, Safety & Public Accommodations

Gender Identity Nondiscrimination Laws in Public Accommodations: Evidence Regarding Safety and Privacy

Hasenbush, Flores, and Herman published this study in Sexuality Research and Social Policy in 2019.

Methodology

• The authors matched Massachusetts localities with gender-identity-inclusive public-accommodation ordinances to localities without comparable ordinances.
• They obtained police incident reports involving assault, sex crimes, and voyeurism in restrooms, locker rooms, and changing rooms.
• They compared incident patterns before and after the policies took effect.

Findings

• Inclusive ordinances were not associated with an increase in the number or frequency of reported safety and privacy incidents.
• Reported incidents in these facilities were rare in both sets of localities.

Limitations

• The study covers Massachusetts and may not capture every local context.
• Police reports omit incidents that victims never report.
• The rarity of recorded incidents limits the ability to detect very small changes.

2022 U.S. Trans Survey: Public Life

The 2022 U.S. Trans Survey provides updated self-reported information about transgender people’s experiences in public restrooms.

Methodology

• The survey collected online responses from 92,329 transgender people age 16 or older in the United States and its territories.
• The project used community outreach and received institutional review board approval from UCLA.

Findings

• Four percent of respondents reported being denied restroom access during the previous year.
• Six percent reported verbal harassment, physical attack, or unwanted sexual contact while accessing or using a restroom during the previous year.

Limitations

• The survey used a large nonprobability sample, so it cannot provide a nationally representative prevalence estimate.
• Self-selection and recall can affect the results.
• The survey documents respondents’ experiences. It does not test the effect of a specific law.

Language, Pronouns & Singular They

Oxford English Dictionary: A Brief History of Singular They

The Oxford English Dictionary traces singular “they” to the medieval romance William and the Werewolf, written around 1375.

What the source establishes

• English speakers have used “they” with a singular antecedent for more than six centuries.
• The older use commonly referred to an unknown, indefinite, or generic person.
• The pronoun’s contemporary use for a known nonbinary person extends an established singular pattern.

Limitations

• Historical use of indefinite singular “they” does not mean every earlier writer used it as a nonbinary identity pronoun.
• Grammar history establishes linguistic legitimacy. It does not settle broader political disagreements about gender.

APA Style: Singular They

The American Psychological Association’s style guide directs writers to use a person’s self-identified pronouns, including singular they.

What the source establishes

• APA Style accepts singular “they” for an unknown or generic person.
• APA Style accepts singular “they” for a known person who uses that pronoun.
• Standard agreement remains plural in form, as in “they are.”

Limitations

• A style guide sets a writing standard. It does not serve as an empirical study of mental-health outcomes or social policy.

Social Transition & Trans Youth

Gender Identity 5 Years After Social Transition

Olson and colleagues published this longitudinal study in Pediatrics in 2022.

Methodology

• The researchers followed 317 children who had socially transitioned between ages 3 and 12.
• The children entered the study at an average age of 8 and received repeated follow-up over about five years.
• The study recorded whether participants identified as transgender, nonbinary, or cisgender at follow-up.

Findings

• At the end of the study period, 94% identified as binary transgender.
• About 3.5% identified as nonbinary.
• About 2.5% identified as cisgender.
• Later retransition occurred more often among children who had socially transitioned before age 6 than among those who transitioned at age 6 or older.

Limitations

• The sample included children with supportive families who had already completed a social transition.
• Most participants were White and came from families with relatively high incomes.
• The study describes identity trajectories in this cohort. It cannot determine the outcome for every gender-questioning child.
• Five years does not provide lifetime follow-up.

Mental Health and Self-Worth in Socially Transitioned Transgender Youth

Durwood, McLaughlin, and Olson published this study in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in 2017.

Methodology

• The researchers compared socially transitioned transgender children with age-matched and gender-matched cisgender controls and with siblings.
• Children and parents completed standardized measures of depression, anxiety, and self-worth.

Findings

• Transgender participants showed depression and self-worth scores comparable to the control groups.
• Anxiety was slightly higher among transgender participants, although it remained below levels reported in many earlier clinical samples.

Limitations

• The study was cross-sectional and lacked mental-health measurements from before social transition.
• Families volunteered for a research project and generally supported their children.
• The results establish an association in this sample and cannot prove that social transition caused the observed mental-health profile.

Discrimination, Victimization & Minority Stress

A Systematic Review of Social Stress and Mental Health Among Transgender and Gender-Nonconforming People in the United States

Valentine and Shipherd published this systematic review in Clinical Psychology Review in 2018.

Methodology

• The authors reviewed U.S. research on stigma, discrimination, victimization, rejection, concealment, and mental health among transgender and gender-nonconforming people.
• They organized the evidence using minority-stress theory.

Findings

• Studies consistently associated discrimination, rejection, and victimization with depression, anxiety, substance use, suicidal thoughts, and suicide attempts.
• Social support, identity pride, and community connection appeared as protective factors in portions of the literature.
• The review located mental-health disparities within chronic social stressors rather than treating transgender identity as an inherent pathology.

Limitations

• Most included studies were cross-sectional and used convenience samples.
• Measures and terminology varied across studies.
• Associations between stress and mental health can run in more than one direction, although longitudinal and daily-diary research strengthens the minority-stress explanation.

Gender Identity Disparities in Criminal Victimization: National Crime Victimization Survey, 2017–2018

Flores, Meyer, Langton, and Herman analyzed nationally representative National Crime Victimization Survey data and published their study in the American Journal of Public Health in 2021.

Methodology

• The researchers pooled 2017 and 2018 NCVS data for people age 16 and older.
• They compared violent and property victimization rates for transgender and cisgender respondents.

Findings

• Transgender respondents experienced 86.2 violent victimizations per 1,000 people, compared with 21.7 per 1,000 cisgender people.
• The estimated rate was about four times higher for transgender people.
• About half of violent victimizations were not reported to police in both populations.

Limitations

• The number of transgender respondents was much smaller than the number of cisgender respondents, which widens uncertainty for subgroup estimates.
• The data combine two years and do not establish the cause of each disparity.
• Survey wording and disclosure can affect identification of transgender respondents.

2022 U.S. Trans Survey: Safety

The 2022 U.S. Trans Survey documents recent experiences of harassment, unequal treatment, violence, and interactions with law enforcement.

Findings

• Thirty percent of respondents reported verbal harassment during the previous year because of gender identity or expression.
• Three percent reported a physical attack during the previous year for the same reason.
• Nine percent reported denial of equal treatment or service.
• Seventy-three percent reported some level of discomfort asking police for help, including 47% who felt very uncomfortable.

Limitations

• The sample is large and diverse but not nationally representative.
• The survey relies on self-report and cannot independently verify every incident.
• Advocacy organizations conducted the survey with an academic advisory structure and UCLA institutional review board approval. Readers should consider both the methodology and the sponsoring organizations.

2022 U.S. Trans Survey: Health and Wellbeing

The health report examines support, discrimination, transition, and self-reported health among respondents.

Findings

• Respondents with supportive families reported lower lifetime suicidal thoughts than respondents with unsupportive families, 78% compared with 88%.
• Past-year suicidal thoughts rose from 31% among respondents reporting no discrimination or harassment to 50% among those verbally harassed and 63% among those physically assaulted.
• Respondents who had socially or medically transitioned reported higher happiness, thriving, and life satisfaction than respondents who had not.

Limitations

• Cross-sectional comparisons cannot establish causation.
• The survey did not use a probability sample.
• Differences between groups can reflect age, access to care, income, family support, and other factors that require statistical analysis beyond raw percentages.

Is it ok for a grown person to cry? (Sorry, just venting. Feeling a bit sad)

Since earlier this year Ive been meeting some trans friends who have helped me recognize and experiment with femininity within myself, and in turn Ive joined a couple of trans related online communities.

Through those friends and communities sharing their experiences Ive come to the understanding that being trans is not something people choose to be, it's inherent and essential to each person within those groups, but over the last few months Ive started coming to the conclusion that I want to be trans, I want to fully realize those feminine parts of myself and go through a transition.

Im not sure how to proceed anymore, I feel like it isnt right of me to transition knowing that it is a choice for me, I could just stay as a guy if I wanted to. I worry of coming off as a caricature or like I'm mocking actual trans people if I were to continue and start claiming that Im trans as well.

I’ve been on HRT for nearly four years and am dating a cis woman. I love her, and our relationship is going well right now. But... how do I put this? Lately, I’ve started developing feelings for a male coworker. I talk to him often, and honestly, he’s completely changed my perspective on men. Before, men just seemed silly and vulgar to me—or downright simple-minded and unappealing. Now, with him... there are moments where I’ve had to hide the fact that I’m blushing. I was never really attracted to conventional masculine traits, like a broad build. He is tall, handsome, and masculine, yet he has a kind, tender, and gentlemanly side. God, sometimes I can’t help but smile at him when he tells a joke. Even though he almost certainly doesn't see me in a romantic light—since, unfortunately, I don't "pass" as cis (not that I necessarily want him to be into me).

Lately, I catch myself thinking about him and feeling guilty. I used to swear I was a lesbian through and through. I simply didn't find any men even remotely desirable. And then, this happens.

Is anyone else in a similar situation?

I want to start HRT, but I live in Texas and don't know where to start. I was hoping someone could give me some information on starting.

Today is a truly glorious, wonderful day. After years of fighting a losing battle I finally got approved for HRT & start it today!!!

how did yall do ur voice training? Any yt channels recommendations?

i keep worrying about a hrt ban for adults in the future i really don't want to live as a man for the rest of my life, i knew i was transfem since 11

My daughter is 16. When she was 10, she had a testicular biopsy done as a potential fertility preservation procedure. It was done for free at a major children's ​research hospital here in the U.S., with the understanding that half of the sample would be used for research and the other half would be put on ice for her future potential usage.

I was excited for her to have this opportunity because, while fertility loss wouldn't have been a barrier to us getting her gender affirming care (which she started as soon as that Tanner Stage 2 rolled in), it was heart-wrenching for me to be in charge of that decision for her, as her medical guardian. This procedure meant that door maybe wasn't closed to her in the future. She was excited to do it to further science and, in her words, "help other trans kids," but she was then and is still insistent that if she is to have children someday, she would only want to adopt, for both humanitarian and environmental reasons, lol.

While the science has come a long way in 6 years, they still (as far as my research can tell) haven't produced viable, mature sperm for a trans woman from a sample like that. And we are paying for the cyro-storage yearly; our total cost so far is approaching $3000, which isn't a little bit of money to me.

We were talking about her cousin having kids today, and her frozen sample came up, and she told me to stop paying for it (I *did not* tell her how much it costs, only that it's not free when she asked). I don't care if she has kids, and I *​definitely* don't care if she has biological kids; I only want her to be happy in whatever way she wants to be. But I also still don't feel right taking away the vague possibility of biological kids if that's something that might be important to her someday. But we also could be pretty literally throwing money away; there's no guarantee that scientifically anything could ever come from this.

If you transitioned before kids, did you ever regret your loss of fertility? Do you wish something like this was an option? At what point do you think it's reasonable for me to put this decision in her hands? I know trans people aren't a monolith, and it's practically stupid of me to poll strangers, but I would appreciate some input. Thanks!

Hello! Im a transgender woman and wanted a second opinion on this. I’m at the hospital for sleeping issues which could be related to anything tbh. I didn’t have sleeping issues the first 6-8 months on HRT I’ve always had sleeping issues growing up as a kid and just recently I quit super high dosages of melatonin which I did tell them (doctor and nurse). While the doctors were out one of the nurses came in the room and randomly asked me about my spirolactone/estrogen and why I took it. I told her it’s for HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy which she didn’t appear to understand so I told her I’m transitioning/transgender. She said that I should stop taking that stuff that it can cause cancer and be the root of my sleeping issues. I take standard doses 50mg spironolactone and I do 1ml of estradiol valerate injections twice a week three days apart for a total 2ml per week. Should I take what the nurse said into consideration she was a much older lady so I was nice to her naturally because I am not a fan of conflict but it just kinda rubbed me the wrong way how the doctor didn’t talk about it but she came back into the room by herself to just tell me that. I have bad health anxiety so please share your thoughts on her pointing my sleeping issues at my HRT and brining up that it will give me cancer…Idk…

So, before I start all this, I know that some people might say "oh you don't need this and this is just standards you don't have to force on yourself, but please don't give me that. I'm aware it probably just comes from popular social trends and stuff but this makes me REALLY uncomfortable in my body and i just need to know what i can do to improve this because I'll genuinely do anything.

Soo, to finally get to it, my torso. I have wide shoulders, bad but can't change that probably. Is sad but not the main problem. The main problem is my ribcage. I hate it. I hate how it looks, i hate how wide it is and i hate how because of how it's built even if i do exercise and get a flat stomach it will still look far from feminine simply because of how I'm built up there. Now, I am aware of some people saying estrogen CAN help with this, but the problem is, i won't have access to that in at least two years and even then it's still not guaranteed. So, please, what can i do? I'm desperate, genuinely desperate. I posted before (not sure if here) about how i didn't feel dysphoria and wasn't sure if i was even trans at all, but now i am really deeply dysphoric about this. Like it's gnawing at me how my ribcage makes my frame look.

Please does anyone have anything that can help? This is kinda ruining my daily life right now

I turn 17 this month on the 9th and I've been wondering if I could potentially get top surgery at my age I live in NC and here you can't do any gender affirming care until your 18 (which sucks) I heard there might be a surgeons who could do it with parent consent but I'm not sure if that's true or not I don't know if it would be possible all I know is that I want this two parasites off my chest as soon as possible

Bit the bullet, and started up the process to start hrt. I guess I'm just nervous and scared to begin, so like I'm looking for any kind of advice on this, if anyone has anything in particular?

Soooo I've been struggling with the thought of whether I'm a trans girl or not for years and I've been able to accept and live with it for about two months now. I've already done major steps in order to get towards HRT and stuff. However, there is one thing that bothers me.

The friends who I've come out to talk to me with she/her pronouns now and the name that I've chosen for myself, but only in private when there is no chance that anybody who doesn't know can listen. I dont want that to happen in public spaces, mainly because I am very aware of how I look.

The thing is, it also feels kinda weird when I get called my new name in private because I feel like I'm "trolling them", if that makes sense. As I said I am very aware of how I look so I feel like I haven't earned the "right" to use those pronouns and that name. I just automatically imagine how that must look from the outside.

And I know that these thoughts shouldn't determine how I see myself, mostly because I know that what I look like does absolutely not resemble what I am like inside my head. Atleast for myself.

It still bothers me a lot and I'm afraid that once I start HRT I'll have the toxic behaviour of constantly not feeling like I deserve that cause I don't pass. Even though logically it wouldnt make sense, not only because someone shouldn't have to pass to be called the correct things, but also because I turned 18 less than two months ago, so I have a major advantage age wise.

Sorry for that long ass post, thx a lot if you've read up to this point, ig I just don't know how to handle it.

Okay so context my mum would probably support, she’s a cis bi millennial but the main problem is my dad, I don’t think I would be in danger but I don’t think he would support from what he’s said about other LGBTQIA+ stuff like people are too young for this. So thats context for parents, context for me is I’m a 15 year old trans guy, bi, ace and demi-romantic, the rest isn’t exactly relevant I guess.
So do I talk to my mum, leave a note before going to school or a sleepover? I don’t know, I have come out to them about the other stuff except trans and they’ve been fine, kinda just forgot and didn’t really care which is fine I guess. I really need some advice or stories. Sorry if this didn’t make sense

with the increase of surveillance and the threat to nullify the drivers licenses & birth certificates of transgender people in kansas, Tennessee, florida, and Texas .....

is it worth it to change my documents? im a trans man, i pass too much to pretend to be a woman, I don't have a gender neutral name, and I've had gender-reaffirming surgeries

i want to change my name & documents, but im worried about that record being accessable to the govt. I'm worried that if I assume I'm safe because I'm in a blue state, I will regret it. i did get the advice to mark that the reason im changing my name is just personal preference, but I don't see how changing my sex marker will help that, and having a masculine name with "F" wouldnt do me any favors

** realize this is a polarizing topic. im looking for discussion & advice. thank you for understanding

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is it true that your libido changes after you start taking hormones? i’ve heard that for cisgender women it’s different—that it’s more psychological—but how does that actually work? what kind of changes have you experienced? i’m worried about potentially losing the desire to have sex.

There’s this guy I really, really like. We’ve been talking for a while, we met last weekend and really hit it off. When he told me before we met that he is trans, I responded that it doesn’t bother me at all, and that I like him for who he is, for what his heart holds within. I’m so excited to meet him again this weekend if his schedule allows and if all goes well I’ll hopefully have an amazing boyfriend on my side.

But before all that, I want to be better informed about what’s it like to date a transgender guy, I want to be ready to tackle any sensitive topics with care, and not say or do something that would make him uncomfortable, especially when it’s about intimacy. I wanna be someone he can feel comfortable being his true self

I wanna dyke mode cut my hair short like a pixie wear cool tear shirts be goth (already am) already am but want it in a girl way. I want to be at home in my body.

I fear criticism so much and people actually seeing me. It’s gotten so bad I’m like fully in the closet again. I go by Avery which was my trans name before bc androgyny, but I like Caitlin more.
I’m not sure how safe I am rn, and that’s destroying me too. It’s bad it’s really really bad.

How was it for yall who waited to come out and should I still wait?

Thing is I like how I look when I boy mode like I feel attractive externally but ik I’m not myself at all and it kills me inside I worry I won’t look good as a girl and give off an uncanny vibe if I fully trans