Why do I choose to be transgendered? It's a hard life and it's not like anyone would ever have to know how I really feel inside. You're right, I do have a "choice." I could choose to keep my female body and go on living a life of unfulfilled dreams. Because I am not the person in my dreams.
Lets say as I grew up I wanted to be a fireman, well that's just it, I would see myself as a fireman. Imagine growing up feeling as if your true dreams could never be realized because you could never be the person in them.
I actually grew up wanting to be a singer. I am pretty good, so people say, but who wants to listen to a trans-man singer? How many people would want to buy my album? Or worse, would they find out I am trans and make a mockery of me? These thoughts go through my head because I was conditioned to not like who I am.
And I am not alone there. I've heard that at least 30% of transsexuals contemplate suicide, 14% actually do it. I fall somewhere in between. I have never tried to commit suicide but I did attempt to destroy the body I came to loathe by using drugs and alcohol. I am not alone there either, too many beautiful transwomen and handsome transmen turn to drugs and alcohol to deal with their own internal struggle and the struggle of being "worse than the queers." (And no one wants to be worse than them! Just kidding.) 50% of trans people will be verbally assualted and 25% of trans-people will actually be assaulted. It makes you wonder how many trans people never bother telling the truth about themselves. Who could blame them with statistics like that?
