How did I not know?

Really. It baffled me. I never exhibited the ‘classic’ signs of gender dysphoria – playing with dolls, wanting to dress as a girl, etc. Not that it was even an option.

As I researched more, I found more that DID explain how I’ve been feeling all my life. I just never knew it wasn’t normal. The distress of gender dysphoria is typically described as a combination of anxiety, depression, irritability, and the pervasive sense of not feeling comfortable in one’s body. People with severe gender dysphoria may experience severe, disturbing, and long-standing symptoms.

Then I stumbled upon a twitter feed from a couple of years ago. The author made a list of 17 idiosyncrasies and traits shared by transgender individuals. Every single word described what I lived through for 64 years. I was in tears by the time I read the fifth one. Sobbing by the 7th and completely devastated by the time I was halfway through.

It was hard reading that and realizing that I have been experiencing this all my life.

And it was comforting to know I am not alone.

Here’s that list.