With gender dysphoria, we spend our lives building a house of cards around ourselves. It starts young when our parents, teachers, friends, family praise us for acting our perceived gender and correct us when we display traits not aligned with our body image. 1/

Life continues and we get married, buy things, try to double down in that role all the time thinking, "Why can't I just be happy?" 2/

One day, you have that defining moment - who do you tell, and what will it cost you? Friends? Family? Your job/career? Your spouse?

It's crazy to wish you were born in another body, right? It's crazy even though it's something you haven't stopped wishing your entire life. 3/

You are miserable, but your life is familiar. Talking about transitioning is crazy, scary, unknown.

At 46 my egg cracked. My spouse and kids saw signs so known of us were completely shocked, but I was willing to double down and make my old life work. 4/

But I'm glad I didn't. 3 yrs later, I'm still married to @chronicallyauds and our life is better. Why? Because I am happy, and it's not something I look for any longer in the new toys or some Tony Robbins seminar, or motivational affirmations. I wake up, and I'm just happy. 5/

We live in a small rural town and to manage rumours I opened my entire life up - right down to talking about my clitoris to complete strangers and it was F'n hard to be that raw and real...but nothing compared to the pain I hid for 46 years 6/

Recently, I had GRS, and for me, my race is run. I'm finally done hiding and finally done explaining what being transgender means. I'm finally done listening to dumb comments about playing with my boobs or answering, "How do you have sex?" 7/

No matter if you are questioning yourself or you know and are scared to tell someone. Whether you just freaked out your spouse, are transitioning and just lost your job, your friends, your family - you F'n got this. 8/

If you were able to hold it together for that many years in the wrong body, you can do this...and I promise you, you WILL. Life will get better. Your old life and some of the people in it will be gone, but it's because you can't become you without shedding some of the old. 9/

You'll understand once you begin to love yourself. Once you can do that, it makes it easier for others to reciprocate that love too. You are not alone. There are 144M people just like you - just like us!

thread/