No, I didn't mean how long she's felt like a girl but how long she's presented as a girl. Pretty much the question stems from the same concern you went into - I think it's important, especially for younger people, to let them explore gender possibilities and have a period where they are identified as the sex they wish to be, without the surgery which is a point of no-return. Unfortunately a lot of kids (you'd know, as I do :) that don't conform to traditional gender expectations might be led to think they would be happier changing sex entirely, when really they would be happy being a guy who wears dresses. Not just that, but they would not be happy not being a guy.
So basically I'm curious to see how long Kim's wanted to dress like a girl at school/in public, if her parents have let her, and how long it's been. I'm assuming it wasn't an abrupt transition since she's been taking hormones for a while, but I'm curious to see how the parents handled it. And while I'm mostly with you on that one - I would probably want my kid to wait a few years before they go through surgery, even though I wouldn't mind if they presented as the other gender. But on a practical level, especially at schools, it's easier said than done. You have to deal with bathrooms and PE, in particular (like she mentions, swimming!), and I know dressing rooms were enough of an unpleasant experience for me at times to imagine how difficult it would be if my body didn't match my gender presentation to go through these little rituals. Not to mention other gendered rituals that teens might have - I don't know, comparing their dicks, trying on each other's bras, things like that. Even without the internal distress of hating one's body, I can see how that would wear down anyone's morale.
It's not an easy situation no matter how supportive you want to be, I think. :/ Which is why I'd love to know more about how Kim handled it and how her parents were there for her.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2009-02-06 05:06 pm (UTC)So basically I'm curious to see how long Kim's wanted to dress like a girl at school/in public, if her parents have let her, and how long it's been. I'm assuming it wasn't an abrupt transition since she's been taking hormones for a while, but I'm curious to see how the parents handled it. And while I'm mostly with you on that one - I would probably want my kid to wait a few years before they go through surgery, even though I wouldn't mind if they presented as the other gender. But on a practical level, especially at schools, it's easier said than done. You have to deal with bathrooms and PE, in particular (like she mentions, swimming!), and I know dressing rooms were enough of an unpleasant experience for me at times to imagine how difficult it would be if my body didn't match my gender presentation to go through these little rituals. Not to mention other gendered rituals that teens might have - I don't know, comparing their dicks, trying on each other's bras, things like that. Even without the internal distress of hating one's body, I can see how that would wear down anyone's morale.
It's not an easy situation no matter how supportive you want to be, I think. :/ Which is why I'd love to know more about how Kim handled it and how her parents were there for her.