My name is Kareal and I started going back to college for my nursing degree. My current degree is not making me any money whatsoever.
With that said, I love nursing. I've always been interested in nursing since I was 5 but I also have a condition since I was 5. Gender Identity Dysphoria. It basically means i have a mans body but mentally, emotionally and my soul is a woman. In about 4 years I will have SRS sx to become fully female.
With that said. Have you seen any transgendered in the nursing field? Is the medical field good to transgendereds?
I just wanted to respond to a previous poster - who is from "GW Bush's hometown" -- is that Dallas? quote]
LOL!! No, I'm referring to Midland. He lived there for a few years after he married Laura (who actually IS from there, I might add), and so there's a huge billboard on the way into town with him on it, proclaiming it as his hometown. That's why I put it in quotes.
And, yeah, btw, kudos to you Houstonians for electing a lesbian mayor! Thanks for taking a major step in making the rest of the state look a little less redneck (just a little!). Way to go!
I think you may find it more difficult to deal with licensing issues than acceptance by coworkers & patients. Sounds like you are still pre-op, right? I hope that timing works out for you so that you don't have to deal with the BON to get name & gender on your nursing license changed. I can only imagine how difficult that would be.
I just wanted to respond to a previous poster - who is from "GW Bush's hometown" -- is that Dallas? Anywhoo - here in Houston, we don't have those kinds of tolerance issues these days. Our recently elected mayor is a lesbian - and the only 'protestors' at her inauguration were from Kansas. It wasn't even mentioned during the campaign. Basically, here in H-town if all participants in a relationship appear to be humanoid and above the age of consent, it's all cool. We have quite a few hospitals that provide SRS to people from all over the world. It ain't no biggie.
LOL - are you ready for the REAL transition??? Paying more for your haircuts, clothes, drycleaning, cars, car repairs, etc? Getting ignored at hardware & electronic stores?? You'll have to come back to AN and give us your take on that experience also.
Best of Luck to you!
Hi Hou!
Thank you so much for the insightful post
Yes I am still pre op and I still go by my Male name in public circles. I have not transitioned yet and there remains the big reason:
I want to make sure I have completed Nursing School and passed my certs and BE employed while I make that transition.
HOWEVER
I am doing transitions in small ways right now such as:
1. Electrolysis: Im using my tax refund this year to start that procedure. I have it timed to where I graduate in two years, I will no longer have facial hair.
2. I am on Hormone Replacement Therapy right now. Basically, Im hitting a female puberty right now (and yes, all the emotions that comes with it....God bless those girls! :heartbeat)
3. Growing my hair out (scalp hair hehe)
4. Training my voice to where it is completely passable
5. Putting monies aside for my SRS surgery and POSSIBLY facial feminization surgery (FFS). However, I wont know if I need FFS quite yet. Hormones can feminize a face and I do not have very masculine facial features but if I need the FFS Im saving up for it.
I am planning to take my certs as a male with my male name
Once employed I will do this:
1. Start my transition with what they call real life experience (I will be physically ready in terms where I will be passable and no one will know except my co workers)
2. Get my gender changed on my Driver's License and Social Security card (Once this is done it should be no problem changing my name over on my RN cert..I mean girls do it all the time with last names when they get married)
3. Work as much over time as I can. Hopefully I would have around 5K saved up from monies here and there. With working and overtime I should be able to have enough monies for my SRS and FFS within 2 years of employement.
4. Have a roommate to help cut the cost of living expenses
5. Once my SRS sx is done, I will then have my birth certificate changed officially (can only change the birth cert once SRS is done) and my passport will say female.
Trust me...I have set out a roadmap to all of this. SRS surgery with one of the best surgeons in Canada will be about $10,000 and if i need FFS that will be about $15,000.
Im starting it now so I am prepared when I fully become female in about 5 or so years.
A lot of people would think 25,000 -35,000 bucks is a lot of money but for a transgendered its not an expense. Its a must. Ive been living in the wrong body since I had my first memories of crying at a playground when I was 4 wondering why God put me in a boys body.
I lived in denial for 35 years and I need to let myself out. I need to be me. If you have any questions about this, please feel free to private message me. I would love to answer any other questions you or anyone else may have.
A lot of people would think 25,000 -35,000 bucks is a lot of money but for a transgendered its not an expense. Its a must. Ive been living in the wrong body since I had my first memories of crying at a playground when I was 4 wondering why God put me in a boys body.
I lived in denial for 35 years and I need to let myself out. I need to be me. If you have any questions about this, please feel free to private message me. I would love to answer any other questions you or anyone else may have.
~Kareal
I don't think that seem like alot of money, considering the end result. I have to tell you, I have alot empathy for TG folk. I feel very "girlie", and have often wondered what it would be like to awaken in a man's body, feeling the way that I do. VERY uncomfortable, I imagine. I think that is one thing that may help make me a good nurse. Even in my conservative city I have met at least three TG people that I can remember, so I will probably have one for a patient someday. You can believe that I will provide as good care to them as I would anyone else, without judgement.
Good luck to you. It sounds like you have things pretty well thought-out.
Yes, its like a nightmarish hell you cant wake up from. I feel girly in the inside too but then I look in the mirror and cry sometimes. 10 years ago people thought of transgenders as freaks or sex craved lunatics but that is far from the truth.
The latest scientific research have found that 1 in 35,000 males suffer from GID and 1 in 65,000 females suffer from it. Sadly many of them commit suicide because they cannot handle it.
Ive been through hell so far. Ive been married for 10 years and I kept it inside of me and I informed my wife who I am and the next day when I came home from work she was gone and all three of my children. This was in August. I havent heard from them since. And I have a 1, 5, and 8 year old.
I even took jobs to would mask my femininity and transgender state (as is a common trait among males). We get super hyper masculine jobs to try to suppress who we really are. When I was 21 I was a deputy for 4 years and then I went to Bible College and became a Minister in a very fundamentalist denomination. Every year I cried out to God for some type of miracle or something.
I lost my family over this but Im too strong. I need to transition. I'm just so glad Im doing so now.
My greatest fear is telling my mother. Im living with her now because I broked down in a really bad way after my wife deserted me. My mother is liberal but you can never tell when you say "Hey mom. Im gay or Im a lesbian. Or I am transgendered."
It really is a true test of character. Finding your real self is one of the most beautiful experiences you can face and when everything is said and done I will be the happiest girl on the planet (or in the top 10 )
I feel so sorry for you. I've never known a transgendered person (that I know of) but I feel so bad for you.
I sincerely wish you the best.
Don't feel sorry for me TraumaRus!
I know one day my children will find me again and they will accept me for who I am. I loved my wife dearly but I also understand her viewpoints. I mean.....it would have turned into a Lesbian relationship and well.....like I said in an earlier post I was a Christian Fundamentalist preacher who married a Preacher's Kid. She wouldn't ever let that happen.
I'm just very hurt over the way she did it. She could have been more "humane" about it. But don't feel sorry for me. I feel free and I have a long road ahead of me but im ready for it!
Now i just need to find a damn midnight job to pay for my schooling >.
I volunteer at a health clinic where 17% of our patients are transgender. We also have medical staff working at the clinic who are transgender. Our clinic is a very special place and I feel very grateful to have landed there. Working there has really opened my eyes to the difficulties that the transgender community faces in regards to respectful healthcare.
Although I do not have much insight into your original question aside from this one clinic, I wanted to tell you that I think it is fantastic that you are going into nursing and I wish you the best of luck. I think there is a great need for transgender representation in healthcare as well as in every other profession in this country (and the world).
I don't have much to offer, I just wanted to say that I think you're a really inspiring person for being able to be so cheerful after everything that's happened.
I wish you the best of luck in everything you pursue, and I'm sure you'll make it happen!
)
Nepenthe Sea
585 Posts