I know the hell that Chrissie speaks of.
I also agree that PM is a miracle, because without it I would still be suffering from Dysthymia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dysthymia) . My thoughts often wandered around suicide, but my love for my wife and kids was much too strong to take it seriously. However, all was black and bleak and I could see no future.
Two weeks on PM and I was pretty much cured, to the extent that I can't contemplate ever being without it again.
Where I disagree with her is that you only have two options: suffer or transition.
To someone in my situation both options are equally unacceptable.
I have to ask though: why are those the only options? Chrissie seems to think that possessing breasts necessarily implies that transition is compulsory. Yet, there is an entire industry dedicated to enabling gynecomastia "sufferers" to disguise their breasts so that they can present as a male.
See:
Men Who Need Chest Support :=
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Chest Binders: Underworks.com and Morris Designs have chest binders and compression vests for men.
ENELL Male Support Vest: The ENELL Sports Bra company has a custom male support vest made of wicking fabric that reduces bounce and flattens the chest. They are custom made for each man.
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It may be that the presence of exo-estrogens in our environment or just plain obesity caused through lack of exercise in our 24-hour sedentary culture means that there is a lot more gynecomastia around.
What about trans-men? Are they "fantasists" for not wanting the mastectomy surgery? They use compression vests and binding too.
The point is, (and this is the point that I keep coming to), is that nobody who pushes the "transition at all costs" view seems to care for the wives of people who, like me, have made the best of their condition.
I have never seen any moderator on a TG support board ever ask, as I have, "what does your wife think about you losing your penis?".
I don't think it is fair to them, having been loving and supportive wives and mothers for decades to simply say: "tough. lesbians have fun too". Whilst this may be true, it is not the raison d'être of a vagina to have a piece of plastic poked in it. To me the act of physical union is the most sublime act of love. I imagine it can be approximated by two men, but have no idea how it could be by two women, if I was one of them. A strap-on would be, to me, repulsive.
No doubt if I had started earlier, perhaps as an adolescent, my views would have adapted and I would have found a male partner, but that is, at this stage, hypothetical.
To me, presenting as a man and growing breasts in order to keep my mind from becoming suicidal is the lesser of two evils.
I don't see why this is a fantasy. Yes, I'm sure compression vests are uncomfortable, but I think the GRS operations etc would be a lot more uncomfortable in the long run.
As for "deniers", well I just don't know what this means. I have no doubts that I have a transsexual brain, so I'm not denying them, and I haven't seen any messages from anyone who does.
B.