After six long years of saving funds
and going through a slow transition process, I have finally completed my
physical transition.
I started my process in 1999. After several years of saving funds for
orchiectomy, electrolysis (116 hours at E2000), HRT (from November 2001),
and a hair replacement system, I was finally able to legally and socially
transition, and have been full time since December 30th, 2002. Five months later, I moved away to a new
location and I now work and live among neighbors and coworkers who know me only
as Sherry. After saving funds to finish
my transition, I had my SRS plus a trachea shave performed by Dr. Kamol on
October 3rd, 2005. In April
2006 I was finally able to correct my birth certificate and Social Security
records.
I don’t identify as transsexual or
transgendered. To be transgendered, one
must be out to other people, but I live a stealth life. Because I am known simply as Sherry, a single
woman who appears younger than I really am, and I don’t wish to be known as
anything else, I can’t honestly call myself transgendered. Transgendered was what I was when I pretended
to be a man. I was born a girl in a male
body, and only became transgendered when I started pretending to be a boy to
appease my parents and peers at the age of four or five. Once I started living as my true self Sherry
and relocated to a place where people didn’t know my past, I ceased to be
transgendered.
To be transsexual is to have the
genitals of the sex that is opposite one’s inner gender. Dr. Kamol has removed those incorrect
genitals and replaced them with correct female genitals. Consequently, Dr. Kamol has cured me of being
transsexual.
While I can no longer identify as
transgendered, I still support those who are transgendered and those who choose
other paths in life, and I appreciate the efforts of those who work to bring
about a better understanding of transitioners and
laws that would help transitioners in employment and
everyday life. Whether you would call
yourself merely a woman, or a transsexual woman, non-op transsexual woman, or a
transgendered woman, I would still consider you a woman. I did not go through this process to make up
and then enforce limiting labels on other people. I went through this process only so that I
could be myself.
I have removed much of my personal
information from this site, yet I maintain the informative aspects, many of
which are seldom discussed on other websites.
I still maintain several friendships with people in this area who are
transitioning or are transgendered. I
also make occasional phone calls to mom, and have contact with some friends in
the area where I had first transitioned.
This way of moderate stealth works well for me.
Update: April 13th, 2009
Today is the tenth anniversary of my
orchiectomy procedure in Dr. Spector’s
office. Ten years ago I took the first
of many steps in my long journey to becoming my real self. At the time I felt immense relief for having testosterone
removed forever.
Today I feel a different type of
relief. My tenth anniversary of my orchiectomy is also the starting date for my new job. After being laid off last July, I did
complete my associate’s degree in computer science. While I attended school, the national and
global economies took a dramatic turn for the worse, and by the time I started
looking for work in December, unemployment was rising rapidly. I consider myself very fortunate to have
found employment, even if it does pay less than what I used to make in my
previous employment. Considering that my
employment starting date fell on the tenth anniversary of my orchiectomy, I feel that I was meant to have this job.
I have one piece of sad news to
report. A number of people have sent
E-mails informing me that Dr. Kimmel has retired. While transitioning transsexuals will
continue to have a number of other resources for orchiectomy,
Dr. Kimmel’s retirement leaves non-transgendered men seeking orchiectomy without a surgeon to go to. I do hope that someone will start performing orchiectomies in Dr. Kimmel’s place soon so that
non-transgendered men will have a safe means of obtaining orchiectomy.
I will continue to be very busy. So I will not be able to answer all of my
E-mail, while responses to E-mails I do answer could be delayed for days or
weeks. Please read my contact page
for more information.
Click here for Previous
updates to my website
I describe the reasons I had this
surgery, the procedure, and most importantly, the aftereffects of
orchiectomy. I have also written a
couple of pages to address the many questions that others considering this
procedure have asked me.
I write about the Apollo hair
replacement system and address many of the questions others have asked me about
hair replacement for those transitioners who have
suffered serious hair loss.
The process for my legal name change
in the state of Arkansas
Reflections on My Real
Life Experience
I wrote about some thoughts and
reflections about the first two years of my RLE.
As a result of inconsiderate
policies, the SSA may out you at work if you are pre-op or non-op TS, or even
if you are post-op and haven’t yet bothered to change the gender marker on your
Social Security record.
I finally had my SRS in October
2005, and life has been a lot more comfortable ever since. My own SRS experience, from many months of
preparation and anticipation, to my feelings ever since my surgery:
Passports for
Transsexuals Traveling to Thailand for SRS
If you are a US citizen and need to
travel abroad for your SRS, you can obtain a temporary passport which is valid
for one year and lists your sex as female.
After SRS, you can easily have this passport extended to ten years.
Information and resources to assist
you in your transition
To contact me by E-Mail, please go
to Sherry's
Contact Page