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John Springer
English 1010-076
Salt Lake Community College
3460 South 5600 West
West Valley City
Utah, 84120
August 5, 2016

Dear Ron Bohannan,

You can live your life unhappy, disgusted by who you are, and possibly die prematurely.
It happens all the time. It is not easy to choose to take steps to be who you are when
you know many will not accept you.

Sincerely,
John Springer

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A Battle in the Mind, Over the Body

The struggles of a transsexual person in the United States does not begin, nor
does it end, with transitioning. The emotional cost of being transsexual begins before
they even understand what is going on. The financial cost is not only high, but also can
cause a great deal of stress and anxiety for those who dont have it readily available to
them. Finally there is a cost that they have to live with every day
A person does not just one day wake up, decide that they are transsexual and
begin the transition. A person does not, one day, stop everything in their life and say to
themselves, you know what, Im going to go get gender reassignment surgery and start
taking hormones; and I dont care what anyone says about it.
I never had a waking moment where I thought in order to feel or be female, I
needed to undergo multiple surgeries. My brain, heart, and soul felt 100% female
prior to transition. Often times, after surgery, my relatives would ask if I felt any
different. My answer was always the same: No. Ive always been the same old
Elle (Bradford).
Too many people think that is what happens. It is not easy to understand why a person
would want to be the opposite gender. As with anything, it is difficult for people to accept
something they dont understand.
We should no longer judge trans people (and by extension, dole out acceptance
and rights) based on their ability to 'pass," said Sabrout. "We need to stop forcing
trans people to feel like they are required to undergo a lot of pretty harrowing

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medical procedures that they may not want or might be beyond their means
(CNN).
A lot of times transsexuals know at a very young age that something isnt right;
something in their life just isnt fitting. They can spend years never feeling like they fit
inside themselves. Some transsexuals may not may not come to the realization until
they are in their 30s, or may decide not to come out to anyone until then; when they
feel that maybe they are in a position to do something about it. Like many, I tried to
ignore that feeling for a long time but eventually, I had the right combination of financial
independence and support to act on it (Cosmo). Yet there are also those that decide to
never transition, and are able to live their life content with what they have, even if they
are never truly happy being as they are.
When a transsexual decides that they are going to come out to family, and or
friends, it isnt something that is taken lightly; usually with the hopes of no longer feeling
as though they have to hide who they are. Transsexuals are opening themselves to any
number of possible reactions. They might have all the support they need, they might
lose everyone they ever cared about, or possibly be beaten and abused. Everyones
situation is different and everyone is going to have different levels of support from their
family and friends; no matter who they are there is no guaranty on how people will
actually react. Its a cost most are willing to pay to look as they see themselves.
Coming out to family and friends is an extremely personal issue. Everyone will have
different challenges with this, and it's important to think very carefully about when and
how to tell people about how you feel (TSRoadMap).

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Being incapable of transitioning can be so damaging to a person that some even

attempt suicide, if not succeed in it. Once I realized what my issue with gender was, I
had to transition. I was at a place where I knew that if I didn't transition, I wouldn't live to
see my kids graduate from high school (Cosmo). For some it becomes so painful to be
stuck in a body they dont want, are disgusted with at times, that just isnt them, that if
they dont make steps to transition it feels like their heart has shattered in their chest
and they would rather die than continue as they are.
Puberty This is a particularly hard age, since the body begins to change and
adapt gender specific features (breasts, changes in genitals, menses, etc..).
Transgender individuals have reported I was disgusted by (hair, breastsetc).
Many transgender individuals are aware of their issue by this age, but lack the
means and agency to effect any change. This has been changing in recent years
where some transgender youth are more out, have supportive families and are
able to access services (Basic Issues).
Is that to say that every transsexual feels that way? No, not every transsexual feels that
way. As stated earlier there are those who can go their entire lives content with what
they have and never transition, but those people are not even considered to be
transsexual because they identify as male or female in their everyday lives. That isnt to
say that, given the right circumstances, they wouldnt transition.
Once the decision to transition has been made there are a number of different
directions that they may go with it. No matter how they decide to proceed, the financial
cost is considerably high. Even if they were to decide to do nothing more than seek

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therapy, the end cost would still be exponential. The cost for hormones and for surgery
run in the tens of thousands, which for most people is an insane amount of money. We
have to realize that most people have to pay all of this out of pocket. Recently the
Affordable Care Act has allowed people some financial relief.
Among the less-talked-about implications of the Affordable Care Act is the relief it
is providing to many transgender people, many of whom are low-income and who
have struggled to obtain health coverage.Without insurance, many people
were unable to afford the hormones, surgeries and counseling needed to
complete their transition. Nor would they have been covered in the event of
surgical complications, which can include infections (Obamacare).
The financial cost in itself can cause massive amounts of stress, anxiety, and
depression. If they dont have the money, it is no different than anyone else struggling to
pay bills and survive. When it could cost your life if you dont though, it is well worth the
cost for most. Regardless of the financial cost, the road ahead is still going to be very
difficult.
I have stated again and again that it is a difficult decision when one decides to
transition. The financial cost to transition is considerably high, as stated by Alyssa
Jackson, In Pennsylvania, the Philadelphia Center for Transgender Surgery posts cost
estimates for different procedures. Its price list mentions estimates of $140,450 to
transition from male to female, and $124,400 to transition from female to male (The
High Cost).

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The struggles that a transsexual faces every day dont end. Fully transitioning
does not suddenly make them socially accepted in our society.
When I was still closeted, I often blamed every unpleasant experience or emotion
on the fact that I had to pretend to be a boy. One day, I would tell myself, Ill be
able to finally be myself and Ill be pretty and carefree and never have to deal
with this again. And its true that transitioning has made a lot of things better
And at some point in my transition, I came to terms with the fact that living as my
true gender wouldnt magically fix everything. And it felt really good to let go of
that impossible expectation (Ten Things).

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Work Cited
Basic Issues in Transgender Mental Health Discussions of Mental Health Issues for
Gender Variant and Transgender Individuals, Friends and Family with posts by
NYC Psychotherapist Ami B. Kaplan, LCSW. Web.
Male-to-female transition: Primary considerations by Andrea James 31 May, 2015,
web.
Obamacare Now Pays for Gender Reassignment By Anna Gorman, Kaiser Health
News, web.
Ten Things I Wish Id Known When I Started My Transition by Annika on February 12,
2013 at 5:00am UTC, web.
The High Cost of Being Transgender By Alyssa Jackson, Special to CNN, web.
We're not Caitlyn Jenner: Stories of transgender transitions By Alyssa Jackson,
Special to CNN, web.
What It's Really Like to Transition From Male to Female By Lane Moore Jan 22, 2016,
web.
You Won't Believe How Much It Costs to Be Transgender in America by Elle Bradford
web.