I've only just seen this and haven't had time to read any of the studies yet, but I had no idea there was this much research going into this particular area.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brynn-tannehill/how-much-evidence-does-it_b_4616722.html

According to Brynn Tannehill, Director of Advocacy at SPART*A:
"The overwhelming consensus of the psychological community is that gender identity is formed by the age of 2 or 3. The consensus of the medical community is that sexual dimorphism of the brain occurs in utero as a result of exposure, or lack thereof, to androgens. In other words, gender identity and expression are determined before a child is even born. It is only at 2 or 3 that they can express it.

Even those psychologists who push for "reparative therapy" to "normalize" gender-nonconforming children acknowledge that if a child is still asserting a particular gender identity at the age of 6, the odds of it changing are exceedingly small."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brynn-tannehill/dispelling-myths-misconceptions-and-lies-about-gender-nonconforming-children_b_5472189.html

I was just wondering if any of you ladies have read any of these studies and what your thoughts were. As a definite inbetweener, I find all of this stuff fascinating and sometimes frightening as I continue to try to figure out who I am. Some days I think it would be easier to just give up, not worry about it and just be me, whatever that is.

That doesn't sound all that easy to me either. I guess the thing that I am most sure about so far is that there isn't going to be an easy solution, and sticking my head back in the sand is no longer an option.

Hello Lisia,

I just skimmed through but these articles do sound interesting.

Even though I wasn't declaring myself a girl at a young age, I certainly wondered why I was a bio-male considering my personality and demeanor. I was a quiet, sensitive and obedient child who hated conflict and competition. As an adolescent, I would have wanted to use a drug like Lupron to delay male puberty. I never had a genuine desire to reproduce and I hated the idea of growing facial hair and becoming hairy everywhere else. I doubt though I would have had the courage to confront my parents and share my innermost feelings. This wasn't just with my cross-gender feelings, but with other issues like my low self-esteem, depressive moods and lack of belief in theology.

Thanks, Lisia. The list could be very useful in changing the attitudes of those who tend to think otherwise. Of course, there are those like Dr. Paul McHugh that know about these studies but still cling to their anti-TG bias. Fossilization of the brain is a terrible thing.

Clara

Thanks for sharing this, Lisia. It just confirms what I have believed all along.
We are what we are.

I was familiar with some of, but not all of these studies. While this information may not be persuasive to Faux's pseudo-expert, those without ideological prejudices are gaining a much better understanding of why we are the way we are, from a developmental perspective.

As Sammie say,these studies reaffirm something many of us have felt, intrinsically, since our earliest recollection...a degree of discord between our genitalia and our gender identity. We felt it early if life, and in my case, it was observed by my older siblings and parents, when I was less than three years old. It wasn't learned...it was already there.

The congenital factor determining one's gender identity is amplified or, in my case, suppressed by environmental factors experienced at an early age and further reinforced by social conditioning throughout life. What's so interesting to me, is that one's in-born cross gender identity cannot be expunged, but is often very effectively covered over while still making its presence known through mental dissonance of varying consequence. I lived 66 years before I came to recognize my true gender identity, and although exposing it was not an easy thing to do, it has made some aspects of my life much better having done so.

Clara

I'm happy I could share, and thank you all for the responses. I'm still working my way through reading some of it as well. I think my experience is most closely related to Flame, except for the part where I had religion jammed down my throat unwillingly. I was 23 years old before I realized that I could make my own choices in what I believe.

66 may feel late Clara, but I know you're thinking better late than never! I was in my late 30's before I started to come to terms with everything and I still feel like I was WAY late for the bus.

66 may feel late Clara, but I know you're thinking better late than never! I was in my late 30's before I started to come to terms with everything and I still feel like I was WAY late for the bus.

You know, Lisia, sometimes I wonder how my life would have been different if I had discovered my TG nature at an earlier age. In so many ways, my living and identifying consciously as a male has done well for me. My wife and I both agree that things would have turned out a lot differently if I had transitioned at a much younger age.

The fact is, I wish that I had never been born with a strong female identity. It's never easy to live with the incongruence of having been born with a male body but without a male brain to match. She's mentioned that we probably never would have married if I was openly trans back in my 30s.

My wife's acceptance of my Clara persona today is largely because all the important life decisions have already been made and lived. Reaching retirement age gives us freedom that we could only dream of in our younger days. For that reason, I think my transition, whether or not it proceeds fully, is less troubling than I thought it would be. It's so true what someone said to me: You can't know ahead of time where your journey will take you, but you can be sure it'll be an exciting ride.

Hugs,
Clara (feeling pretty good about things right now)

You know, Lisia, sometimes I wonder how my life would have been different if I had discovered my TG nature at an earlier age. In so many ways, my living and identifying consciously as a male has done well for me. My wife and I both agree that things would have turned out a lot differently if I had transitioned at a much younger age.

The fact is, I wish that I had never been born with a strong female identity. It's never easy to live with the incongruence of having been born with a male body but without a male brain to match. She's mentioned that we probably never would have married if I was openly trans back in my 30s.

My wife's acceptance of my Clara persona today is largely because all the important life decisions have already been made and lived. Reaching retirement age gives us freedom that we could only dream of in our younger days. For that reason, I think my transition, whether or not it proceeds fully, is less troubling than I thought it would be. It's so true what someone said to me: You can't know ahead of time where your journey will take you, but you can be sure it'll be an exciting ride.

Hugs,
Clara (feeling pretty good about things right now)

Clara,

On an intellectual basis I think I understand where you're coming from: life without having to contend with a TG nature would be simpler. However, on an emotional level I don't. I think on this forum and on other TG and crossdressing forums, the majority of participants state they wouldn't want to take a magic pill that turns their brain into a male brain. Maybe it's because I'm younger and probably at a different point in the TG spectrum, but I see my TG identity as something to be embraced and cherished rather than as a burden. I think while my masculine and gender-neutral traits and interests can make interesting conversations or pay the bills, I see my feminine-based aspects as adding a unique flavor and perspective to life. I like not having a male ego that regards anything or everything feminine as radioactive material.