This echoes a lot of my experience. I started my transition at 39 in 2023 and am so happy to finally be me.
I went from conservative evangelical spaces (and praying for G-d to take the thorn from my side or kill me) to the Episcopal Church about 10 years before I started transition. These days, I'm spiritually unaffiliated and content with that.
Maddy is such a great parent name. I'm Mum and Mumther while my wife has kept Mom and Mother.
Thanks for sharing, Miranda! Yes - definitely a lot of similarities!
I absolutely get the "spiritually unaffiliated" thing - my faith is complicated and I resonate hard with Rachel Held Evans who would say, "On the days when I believe...". And I'm ok with that and holding it with pretty much the most open of hands.
Hi Celeste thank you for sharing your story. I appreciate the chance to work on my conditioned responses as I grew up evangelical. I became affirming in 2020 and then two days later realized I'm entirely lesbian. I'm so glad you've found your way to yourself.
I feel like the journey to affirming and self-discovery go hand-in-hand for many. The non-affirming would say "you just became affirming because you wanted to be LGBTQ+", but your experience, and mine to a significant extent, were the opposite. Taking steps towards affirmation was what gave me the freedom to figure myself out.
I would echo much of that except that I was raised in a fairly non-dogmatic denomination ( Disciples of Christ). They eventually became affirming although many congregations aren’t eager to walk that walk.
I’m coming up on 2 years on Estradiol and have felt some of those experiences.
I think I was always at least a casually caring person. But it feels like I have a greater capacity for love. I share it with my new friends and the reservoir keeps filling up.
There is also a special joy in simple day to day life that I didn’t feel before.
I forget if I read that Atlantic article. But I had a bit of a go-round with Jesse Singal 4 years ago after Abigail Shrier’s awful book was published. That and another life experience got me studying and learning a LOT about gender dysphoria and treatment.
To date myself a bit, a couple movies I watched in the years just before I figured it out were Tootsie and Victoria/Victoria. Neither were really about the transgender experience. But I don’t think they were demeaning either and they helped get me thinking.
FWIW, I think I actually watched Glen or Glenda, but that was LONG ago.
I’m not really into Biblical scholarship these days. But I’m learning that many of the passages trotted out by the far right don’t quite mean what they claim.
Thanks again for all that you (and Billie) are doing.
Thank you for sharing all of that, Joni! I love "There is also a special joy in simple day to day life that I didn't feel before." - that's really it, right?
And ooph, Abigail Shrier has done so so much damage.
This echoes a lot of my experience. I started my transition at 39 in 2023 and am so happy to finally be me.
I went from conservative evangelical spaces (and praying for G-d to take the thorn from my side or kill me) to the Episcopal Church about 10 years before I started transition. These days, I'm spiritually unaffiliated and content with that.
Maddy is such a great parent name. I'm Mum and Mumther while my wife has kept Mom and Mother.
💜Miranda📚
Thanks for sharing, Miranda! Yes - definitely a lot of similarities!
I absolutely get the "spiritually unaffiliated" thing - my faith is complicated and I resonate hard with Rachel Held Evans who would say, "On the days when I believe...". And I'm ok with that and holding it with pretty much the most open of hands.
And oh my gosh I love, "Mumther", so fun!
Hi Celeste thank you for sharing your story. I appreciate the chance to work on my conditioned responses as I grew up evangelical. I became affirming in 2020 and then two days later realized I'm entirely lesbian. I'm so glad you've found your way to yourself.
Rachelle
I feel like the journey to affirming and self-discovery go hand-in-hand for many. The non-affirming would say "you just became affirming because you wanted to be LGBTQ+", but your experience, and mine to a significant extent, were the opposite. Taking steps towards affirmation was what gave me the freedom to figure myself out.
Thanks, Celeste.
I would echo much of that except that I was raised in a fairly non-dogmatic denomination ( Disciples of Christ). They eventually became affirming although many congregations aren’t eager to walk that walk.
I’m coming up on 2 years on Estradiol and have felt some of those experiences.
I think I was always at least a casually caring person. But it feels like I have a greater capacity for love. I share it with my new friends and the reservoir keeps filling up.
There is also a special joy in simple day to day life that I didn’t feel before.
I forget if I read that Atlantic article. But I had a bit of a go-round with Jesse Singal 4 years ago after Abigail Shrier’s awful book was published. That and another life experience got me studying and learning a LOT about gender dysphoria and treatment.
To date myself a bit, a couple movies I watched in the years just before I figured it out were Tootsie and Victoria/Victoria. Neither were really about the transgender experience. But I don’t think they were demeaning either and they helped get me thinking.
FWIW, I think I actually watched Glen or Glenda, but that was LONG ago.
I’m not really into Biblical scholarship these days. But I’m learning that many of the passages trotted out by the far right don’t quite mean what they claim.
Thanks again for all that you (and Billie) are doing.
Thank you for sharing all of that, Joni! I love "There is also a special joy in simple day to day life that I didn't feel before." - that's really it, right?
And ooph, Abigail Shrier has done so so much damage.
This is so beautiful!