Coming Out as Transgender

Coming out to your friends and family as a transgender individual can be a nerve wracking process. With the lack of education about gender variant people, it can be hard to explain yourself, even to an open and loving group of family and friends. Here is a list of resources for people who are just coming out and beginning to publically identify as a transgender person.

Telling Your Family

For those of us who suffer from stage fright and fear of public speaking, making as big of a declaration as “I’m transgender” can be mortifying. These resources can remove at least a little of the anxiety and help you develop a coming out plan.

  • Transgender Visibility Guide: The Human Rights Campaign put together this comprehensive guide about coming out as a transgender person. The guide discusses making a coming out plan, how to decide if its time to tell, and information about sex reassignment surgery.
  • Ohio University: Ohio University provides this guide that is specifically targeted towards young adults coming out as transgender. There is information about coming out to professors and classmates.
  • PFLAG: The organization Parents, Family, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays has this quick guide to coming out to your family, friends, and the children in your life.

Mental Health Resources

Coming out and even just living as a transgender person can be difficult, and surveys have shown that transgender people are more likely than others to experience mental illness. Check out these resources for dealing with the mental stress of living as a transgender person.

  • American Medical Student Association: This medical association has links to different types of health information specifically for transgender people. Learn about primary care, mental health, hormone therapy, and surgical care.
  • National Alliance on Mental Illness: NAMI is a general organization concerned with spreading awareness about mental health issues. Their page links to several great guides and fact sheets about transgender and LBGT mental health resources.

Cross-Dressing

Some new people indentifying as transgender might be interested in cross-dressing. The practice of cross-dressing can be more confusing than you’d think, for someone who has been dressing as the opposite gender for their entire life. Here are a few resources to get you started.

  • Crossdressing Café: This site has it all, from how to choose clothes that will make you look good, to getting the most realistic fake breasts.
  • Cross Dresser Heaven: Here you have another comprehensive resource on getting started with crossdressing. There is other general transgender information as well, like how to come out to your family and friends.

Sexual Reassignment Surgery

Some transgender people who feel that they are trapped in the wrong type of physical body choose to change their sex through sex reassignment surgery. Here are some resources, if you’re interested in learning more about it.

  • Hudson’s FTM Resource Guide: This no frills guide has a lot of great information about female-to-male sex reassignment surgeries.
  • Alberta Trans: Here you can find the detailed process of transitioning from a male to a female through surgery.