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When you discover that you strongly feel that you belong to a different gender than the one assigned to you at the time of your birth, it is a moment of deep thrill and ecstasy. However, it can all be a bit confusing and overwhelming as well. In your heart, you feel quite sure about the new identity that you want to embrace but since society has so vehemently boxed you in a different identity, you feel somewhat nervous and scared. Before a transgender person takes the big step of medical transitioning, there is a lot of physical and mental preparation that they need to undergo.

Even before medical transitioning, a transgender person needs to slowly start coming out and asserting their new gender. If you are transitioning to a trans female, then you have to start putting on women’s clothes and make efforts to learn those little nuances of feminine behaviour and body language. Some transgender people also explore the option of joining a transgender dating site or a trans dating site so that they can look for potential romantic interest.

The most challenging part of course comes after transitioning when you are all ready to come out with your new identity in front of society. Even after medical transitioning, a transgender person is anxious about society judging them. The baggage of their past life is still there. And the general apathy of society towards people of the trans community doesn’t make it any easier.

However, with a bit of preparation and mental strength, you can adjust to your new identity wonderfully and beautifully. You need to chalk out a program for yourself that will help you fully embrace your new identity after transitioning.

You get a Completely new Identity

After medical transitioning, a transgender person gets a completely new identity. As a transsexual person, you get a brand-new identity card with the new name you prefer. The card also includes a new picture of you with your post transitioning features and look. It is perhaps a beautiful feeling to look at your new identity card. When you have to face the world with your new identity, these little badges of affirmation can make your task easier and pleasant. In your heart, you are already proud of being a trans female or a male. But equipped with your new identity card, you will be proud of introducing your new self to the world too.

It’s also good for making people around you understand your new gender in practical terms. The earlier they get to know this, the better it is. This new identity batch also makes you more confident. You no longer feel guilty about your new gender identity or worry about the reactions of people when you tell them so.

Teach Yourself the Fashion and Social Etiquette of your new Gender

If you are a transgender person who has transitioned to a trans woman, it is important to learn all about the basics of feminine dressing. Read fashion magazines on a regular basis, check out what other women on the street are wearing, look for the best stores in your local area to buy female clothing from.

If you have transitioned as a trans male, then you need to learn all that you can about men’s fashion and buy cool, comfortable and chic clothes that suit your body type and accentuate your masculinity.

Post medical transitioning, it’s very important to teach yourself the social etiquette, body language and dressing style of your new gender. You can observe other people around you of the same gender and pay close attention to the details – the way they walk, their body language, everything. You can also join a transgender forum online and interact with others like you who have transitioned. You can also get valuable information from a transgender blog online.

In some places, there are even grooming classes available for transgender people. This is especially true for trans women. There are classes that offer trans women hands-on experience in feminine dressing, body language, makeup, voice training etc.

Participate in Social and Voluntary Activities

After medical transitioning, it is very important to start socializing with people of your new gender. It is true that many individuals still have a somewhat rude and insensitive attitude towards the transgender community. But things are changing fast, there is more awareness now so you will meet many beautiful people out there you can hang out with and perhaps even share your experiences if you wish.

The more you participate in social activities with people of your new gender, the more confident you will become in your new identity. It is a good idea to join an online transgender forum where you can interact with others, talk about your specific experience and listen to some great and inspirational stories about other transgender people overcoming societal discrimination. You can even go through a transgender blog and get to know first-hand how others like you are negotiating the society post transitioning.

One great way of connecting with society is by doing some community work. You can get involved with a social cause and devote a couple of hours every week towards that cause. This is a beautiful way of contributing to society, making a change and also meeting new people. This would also go a long way towards changing societal perception about transgender people. People would no longer stereotype you in a certain way. They would understand that just like everybody, a transgender person has so many different dimensions to their personality. They would start connecting with you as an individual.

One of the biggest challenges that transgender people face after transitioning is difficulty finding work. Many get fired from their jobs and new employers are reluctant to hire them. By involving yourself in your community work, you can contribute towards creating positive awareness about the trans community. And it’s also useful for you in terms of getting full time or part-time employment in the future.

Healthy Eating is Important

Good food and exercise are very important after medical transitioning. You have a great body now that tells the world about your new identity and that you feel proud of. But it is equally important to maintain this body. Regular exercise is a must so that you can strengthen the muscles that you got due to reconstruction and alterations.

It is extremely important to eat healthily. Make sure you eat a balanced diet that has a judicious mix of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals. Eat plenty of fruits and greens. But make sure you don’t miss out on carbs and fats completely. Good fats are also very important for maintaining muscle tone and the attractiveness and vitality of your skin, hair nails, etc.

Last but not the least; make it a point to drink at least 8 glasses of water every day. Even more, than would be better! Water is very essential for eliminating toxins from your body. It aids digestion, boosts metabolism and helps you attain that glowing complexion.

Consider Dating Someone

This is the next important step after medical transitioning. Everyone needs some romantic love in their life. Now that you are adjusting to your new identity and feeling good about it, you should maybe consider dating someone.

You can join a transgender dating site or using a trans dating app and get connected with all kinds of people from across the world. Joining a trans dating site is a great way to meet new people as well.  When you are trying to adjust to your new life, it is very important to be as social as possible. Interacting with people from diverse backgrounds would contribute immensely towards enhancing your self-esteem and confidence. You would begin to feel more and more comfortable in your new skin.

The whole process of joining a safe transgender dating site and looking for a partner would make you feel even more intensely connected to your new identity. If you are a trans woman, you would start taking even more interest in your dressing up, makeup, doing your hair, etc. There would be butterflies in your stomach each time you think of chatting with that super-hot guy on a trans dating site. If you are a trans guy, you would start taking even greater care of your body and muscles.

Believe it or not, a bit of romance can do wonders for a person’s self-esteem and self-worth. There is something to look forward to every day. People start taking care of themselves better. They smile more; they even start looking more attractive when the love hormones are at work. They become more positive; their energy levels shoot up. As a transgender person, you have the right to take advantage of all those basic sensations of human attraction. It gets you more intimate with your new identity and that’s a beautiful feeling. After all, love and attraction are an important part of your new identity. So, post-transition, you should definitely consider joining one of the free transgender dating websites and start looking for love!

Hormone Replacement Therapy:

1. With their professional history

2. With other people in their work environment

3. With organizational policies and practices.

Face-to-face semi-structured interviews were made with six transgender persons that work in organizations. From these narratives, it was found that the person's level of passing usually influences their relations and that the ignorance regarding transgender permeates all three domains of relations.

The Conclusions are:

1. The relations with work are marked by opportunity restrictions

2. The relations in the job hold the person responsible for their own intelligibility and safety

3. The relations with the organization vary according to the way it faces transgenderism and its own voice systems.

Transgenders are “people whose gender identity is different from their assigned gender at birth”. Individuals who identify themselves as transgender usually seek gender reassignment treatments, which may or may not include gender reassignment surgery. Transgender women (or trans women) are people whose body is read as male and whose gender identity is a woman. They usually go through treatments to acquire characteristics typical of the female gender and adopt names, clothes, and mannerisms seen as female. A transgender man (or trans man), in turn, is one whose body is read as female and whose gender identity is a man. They seek to acquire characteristics that are typical of the male gender and use names, clothes, and mannerisms seen as male. When considering their choice of work and hiring and admission processes, the word employed most often by respondents is if they are passable, the degree to which others take a transgender person as cisgender.

In practice, the higher a transgender person is passable, the less likely they are to suffer transphobia: if one's gender expression allows them to be seen by others as cisgender, they will not be subject to the prejudice and discrimination aimed at transgender people, increasing their chances of entering and remaining in the formal labor market. Two aspects affect them being passable: one's name and one's appearance. The ignorance regarding transgender people not only permeates the relations transgender people keep with others in their work environment, but also with the organization itself. The result is that trans phobia creates and maintains difficulties for transgender people in entering and remaining in the formal labor market.

Eventually, your next step for legal transition will be to change your gender marker. Now, this part is significantly more difficult and varies wildly from state to state. Some states are relatively simple, while others are a right pain in the butt. For example, I am very privileged to have done all this in Minnesota, which has one of the more trans-friendly laws regarding gender change. For me, I had to consult with a physician about my gender identity and present a document from her verifying that she believes my gender identity to be valid (though ironically, the Judge presiding over my case didn't even ask for it! Don't gamble on that though ), alongside dotting my I's and crossing my t's of course. I got it changed on my social security card, my birth certificate, and my photo ID.

Unfortunately, not every gender change is going to be that simple. A lot of states require that you undergo gender reassignment surgery before you are allowed to change your name, which is both cost-prohibitive for many, but also not something that every trans person wishes to undergo. Some states will also require that your gender change is noted on your birth certificate (mine did not, thankfully). Of course, knowing how the United States can often treat trans people, it should not be surprising at all to find out that a few states are not interested in trans rights beyond seeing the advance of these rights as a threat.

In Kansas, Ohio, and Tennessee, a person cannot change the gender on their birth certificate to match their gender. In all three, however, a person may still change the gender on their driver's license just by having a notice from their physician verifying their gender identity. Kansas has laws that prevent changes to a birth certificate other than minor changes, and Tennessee is the only state to specifically bar trans people from changing their gender marker.

It's not all bad though, because at least driver's license gender change laws are significantly less stringent. Unfortunately, you will still have to deal with some rigmarole depending on your state. Luckily, states generally do not require SRS in order to get the gender marker changed on your driver's license, meaning that you will still be able to present as your gender in public if you can't change it on your birth certificate. The conflict with states not allowing birth certificate changes can present complications, however; for instance, if you were born in Ohio and moved to Kentucky, Kentucky law requires that your driver's license's marker match your birth certificate's.

While we are admittedly in a bit of a sour spot in history for trans people with the election of Donald Trump to the presidency and setbacks on trans rights, trans people have seen many legal victories in recent years. For example, before April of this year, Idaho was alongside Kansas, Ohio, and Tennessee in denying trans people the right to change their gender marker on their birth certificate. However, a subsequent lawsuit and decision by an Idaho District Court Judge resulted in Idaho law being changed to the effect that trans people's request to change their gender marker is not automatically denied anymore. Not only that, but SRS is not required, and neither is a notation of the gender having been changed. There are lawsuits against other such laws, including Ohio, so we may well see laws relaxed.

Because of the complexity of laws regarding changing your gender, such an article cannot and should not be used as your sole source of information. In order to get a proper understanding of your state's laws, check out here... Changing Birth Certificate Gender Designations: State-By-State Guidelines.