Going from boy to woman isn't a transition most people will go through. I have spoken a lot about the physical and some psychological changes that I have experienced, but I thought it was time to speak about the social aspects of transitioning.
Being gendered as a woman
Being gendered as a woman means that people perceive me as a girl. And this isn't anything brand new to me.
Even before I came out as transgender, I was sometimes gendered as a girl. And I loved it, it's part of why I knew I was trans. Now that I have come out as transgender, and started to medically transition - my appearance has become more and more feminine from day to day.
It's an amazing feeling to be perceived by the world the way you want to be seen. It's a huge confidence boost and it makes me less anxious whilst on my daily antics.
Before transitioning and growing out my hair etc, I didn't pay too much attention to how people gendered me - I just accepted the fact that I was a boy and people saw me in that light. But I was miserable and unhappy, I knew something was wrong. Once I started to accept myself more, I started to show who I was more openly and that's why I started to be perceived as a girl sometimes. it was a huge turning point for me and my journey.
Now, I feel more comfortable than ever in my own skin and being gendered as my preferred gender has made my transition that much smoother. I am very grateful to everyone who has socially transition on this journey with me.
Attention from guys
I was never a popular at school, and I think I have made that pretty obvious. I really kept to myself during secondary school and largely throughout sixth form too. Of course I knew I was attracted to guys, but I never pursued anything with anyone as I was still heavily closeted.
I did have a thing with this one guy in September, which I won't get into much detail with here - but if you would like to find out more, check out 'Dating as a Trans Woman', which thinking about it now - needs to be updated!
But ever since I came out, as you can imagine: I got a whole lot of attention.
From my former class mates (ew).
From people online.
From people on the streets who didn't even know I was trans.
And of course it's a great compliment to be 'desired' by others, but I am still not used to it. When all your life you never received any male attention, you feel like you never will - and any that I do receive is put under the microscope to see someone's real intentions.
Using new pronouns, and a new name
Changing pronouns and name is a huge part of the social transition process.
As soon as I came out, my friends have been really accepting of me and made an effort to use the correct pronouns and name straight away.
Adjusting to someone's new pronouns can be a challenge, especially after you have been gendering this person as their biological sex for such a long time - however it is really important.
As you may or may not know: my preferred name is Sebrina.
And so many of you guys have been amazing at using my preferred name... but I chose Sebrina for a reason.
Sebrina can be shortened down to Seb, which my friends have been calling me for years... which makes it much easier for my friends, as well as myself because they don't have accidental hiccups.
Using the correct pronouns and their chosen names makes trans people feel accepted, which is so important to us.