A lot has happened previous to starting my hormone treatment, so I thought of writing down a chronology of the events leading up to it.
1982
I was born to my two loving parents and brother (in 1985 joined by a little sister)
1991-1992
It was somewhere in these years that I became aware of the feeling of wanting to be a girl and my feelings of discontent with my male body. I kept these feelings hidden all through the rest of my youth, but did find out more about what I later found out to be called gender dysphoria.
2001
My first relationship with another girl, but in that time it was obviously a heterosexual relationship.
In the same period I moved out and sort of moved in with my gf. I also started to find out more about my feelings.
2002
My gf and I went to officially live together, she also became the first person to know of my long kept secret.
2003
I came to the conclusion that I wanted to transition.
More people were told about my ’secret’.
My girlfriend and I broke up.
2004
I went back to live with my parents, so I told my mom about my genderdysphoria. She told my brother and sister early that year and later that year I told my dad about it, in which I was accompanied by my best friend Sabrina.
Shortly after my close family were all informed I contacted the Dutch genderteam in Amsterdam and had my intake there, but had to wait almost 8 months for my first appointment with one of their gender therapists.
2005
I had monthly appointments with gender therapist, which to my discontent didn’t deliver what I had hoped. I eventually cut back my hopes and was reminded of the fact that I ought to take certain steps and overcome some obstacles.
I also disclosed my situation to my friends and acquaintances preceding my 23rd birthday.
Later that year I moved out of my parents home and went to live on my own in Nijmegen where I study developmentstudies at the university.
2006
My therapist told she couldn’t help me further saying she wasn’t able to conclude if I were transsexual nor if I weren’t. So I was sent to a normal therapist in Nijmegen, whom couldn’t really mean something for me. I did went on taking steps and fighting hurdles.
2007
Shortly after new year I informed my friends, those whom I hadn’t told yet, how I wanted to be called in the future. In the fall of 2006 I had finally chosen my new name, Sophie, which was one of the hurdles, and now it was a good time to let my friends know.
Late Spring I contacted the genderteam again and had my first talk in a year with my gender therapist, I informed her about my developments. At the next appointment at the end of July she told me that she wanted to put me up for consideration for further treatment, hormones and eventually srs, in the specialist team known as THE genderteam. The same week I got the good news that the genderteam agreed with my therapist and I could start hormones.
First I chose to guarantee myself of having offspring of my own when time would come, due to bureaucratic shit it took 2 and a half month before that was arranged. Finally, I got my hormone prescription and the beginning of MY future started. Along with these developments I started to live using my name Sophie publicly, also on campus where I informed the staff of CIDIN and my (former) fellow students. Life is turning bright and I love it.





1 comment
Comments feed for this article
24 November, 2007 at 12:51 am
Alice Verheij
Hi Sophie,
wat leuk dat je op mijn onderzoekssite reageerde.
Geweldig voor je dat je nu met de moontjes bent gestart.
Dat zal nog heel veel voor je gaan betekenen. Ik ben zelf nu 20 maanden onderweg met hormonen en het was een rollercoaster van gevoelens bij mij. En volgend jaar oktober is het eindelijk zover. Het wordt Krefeld bij Dr. Susanne Krege. Het wachten is moeilijk maar ik ben er dus bijna…
Leuk trouwens te lezen dat ik meer ‘zusjes’ heb die lesbisch zijn. Er zit 20 jaar tussen ons maar wat jij schrijft is me zo bekend. Ik denk veel na over wat voor toekomst ik nog zal krijgen en of ik die alleen zal moeten leven, ik hoop van niet.
Wat ontzettend fijn dat jij op jouw leeftijd dit al kan doen, zoveel eerder, zoveel fijner. Ik wens je het allerbeste.
groetjes,
Alice
http://aliceverheij.wordpress.com
http://tonderzoek.wordpress.com