So, I've cleared with Bob about the official thing that will need to happen with my account here on the forum, it's just a matter of telling him to pull the trigger once this post is up for a week.
I'll just put it out right away: I'm transgender. I've been dealing with the intensifying struggle of living two ways for a number of years now. For the past year, I've been on the therapy track to get myself ready, and this last week was my first week being completely full-time. Since I'm now being myself at work, it's time to start shifting over the active parts of my online life over to the correct identity.
After the week is up, I'll have Bob change my username over to "LynnInDenver", which is the name I've been using actively on newer accounts I've opened. People can just call me "Lynn". My pronouns are she/her/hers.
My ability to deal with life has gotten so much better as a result of doing this, that I can't even get it across in just a text posting, just that it is best for me, and I have no regrets.
Congratulations and best of luck.
Well Lynn, I don't care.
Let me explain. I don't care about your gender identity. I didn't care when it was 'eh, probably male,' when I thought about it, and I don't care now that it has been clarified to 'female.' I've taken note of your preference to being addressed by feminine pronouns and will probably forget it at least once on account of forgetting it for everybody and defaulting to the male on account of singular they being weird and 'it' being rude.
The only things I care about are you being a person and you being worth knowing. The default for that is yes, on both counts, they were true when I considered you in the specific before you told the board this, and they remain true.
Thanks for the head's-up, Lynn. No doubt I'd be wondering who made all those Fenspace posts if you hadn't mentioned this.
You're taking a step that I have no experience with. I hope things go well for you.
Lynn, I'll say that what Hazard said sums up the way I feel ... and probably expresses it better than I would've.
Congratulations, Lynn, you're a braver woman than I expect I would be. I mean, mostly I also agree with Hazard for practical purposes online, but uncomplicating your head-space has to be such a huge relief in one way, while actually doing it and facing the reactions of everyone you know, vaguely recognize, or might have might have read some posts by once but oh my god are they judging me anyway, that's a big step to take. Best of luck to you, and best wishes to help keep your cool and remember everyone who's supportive when you need to deal with someone that isn't so understanding.
Congratulations on taking the plunge Lynn.
Congrats on being yourself, Lynn.
So far as effects on me... I'm gonna run out of fingers to count my transgender friends real soon. This is why we have toes.
Quite frankly, I try to make no assumptions about the gender of people I talk with online unless they come out and say so. Far as I could tell, 'J' could stand for "Julia" as easily as "James".
So, yeah, like the others: Congrats. Live free, be yourself, and don't let any fuckwit tell you otherwise.
I hope your life goes with a minimum of fuss and unpleasant nonsense as a result of this truth.
Congrats, Lynn!
I honestly have no way of associating, but I'm glad that you were able to get that off your chest...
....err, pun not intended.
Thanks for the well wishes, everyone. It does mean a lot.
And of course you have my support and best wishes through all this, as well, even if I am practically the last to say it.
I'm glad you feel safe enough to share this with us. Congratulations and best of luck.
And as of a couple minutes ago, JFerio is now LynnInDenver.
Thanks for making the change for me, Bob. I do appreciate it.
Not a problem at all. You're quite welcome.