Published on 12, July, 2020
I am still without a formal diagnosis, though I have an informal "pre-assessment".
I've had Gender Dysphoria thoughts for over 20 years. They sort of come and go in waves, except they're not so much dysphoric about my current gender, as they are a wanting to become the opposite gender.
I need to work out where these feelings come from. With the fact that I do indeed appear to have a pre-assessment informal diagnosis of Aspergers, I need to work out whether this fascination with gender identity is just a special interest/obsession, or whether it is genuine.
Unfortunately I don't think a lot of gender therapists are in the best position to work that one out.
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Although I do have a friend that is currently transitioning from female to male, my knowledge on this subject is quite limited, so I apologise in advance for any dumb questions or comments.
If you don't have dysphoria regarding your current gender, does that mean you still identify with it but think the opposite one would be better somehow? I suppose what I am trying to say is, are you happy with your current gender but feel like you don't really fit in with others of that gender & think that the opposite one might be more accepting of you as a person?
Identity problems in general, including gender dysphoria are more common for people on the Spectrum. Have you tried contacting any of the Autism groups in the LGBTQ community? They should be very accepting & might be your best initial source of advice. I just did a quick Google search on "Autism LGBTQ" in the past year & found quite a few potential links such as the one below.
slate.com/.../why-are-a-disproportionate-number-of-autistic-youth-transgender.html
Take care & I hope this is helpful
Good questions.
What do I mean by no dysphoria? I look in the mirror and I see a man. I don't really see a woman. I possibly see the potential for a woman with my delicate features, but my body doesn't look anything like a woman. By body language, the way I sit, the way I stand, the way I express myself, is, well, masculine. I break wind, I drink, I eat like a pig, I do masculine stuff.
So where's this stuff about wanting to transition come from? I gather from gender quizzes, Im 50/50. Part of me feels better within as I express my female side. Another part of me knows I don't really fit in with the men. I yearn for friendships with women. But as a man, I don't fit in with them either.
So I don't know whether an MtF has to relearn behaviours, or whether this is just a special interest.
That's good advice about finding an Autism group in the LGBTQ community. Hard enough though where I am finding a Transgender group, never mind an Autism Transgender group. That might be difficult.