Options

I suspect that trans people living hundreds of years ago coped with the knowledge that nothing could be done about their feelings. By virtue of this understanding, it was perhaps helpful in managing their dysphoria in that they needed to come to a point of resignation because there were no options.

Today things are different and knowing there are many options can add pressure to our decision process especially as we watch others have successful transitions. I know my own thinking process was affected by this and I weighed all factors with my usual surgical precision. I thought about my immediate family, health, social acceptance issues all in conjunction with the strength of my dysphoria.

So in essence, today's environment can add a level of stress to our thinking process that a trans person existing without gender affirming care options would have not had. It can make our reflection process all the more grueling.

Some historical figures lived as the opposite sex (Chevalier D'Eon, Billy Tipton, etc) but I suspect this was a small minority and most trans people would just deal with their dysphoria through life obligations and distractions (which I did for many years). However, as those distractions fall away it can get tougher to cope.

We are all different with differing levels of dysphoria which is why we cannot compare ourselves to others. I think the best approach is to take the smallest steps possible in a direction that brings us increasing authenticity while still respecting the ecosystem we have built around us we still want to maintain. This is why it can take so long to come to an equilibrium and even then conditions around us can change over time. Sometimes they improve our chances for a more congruent life as a trans person and sometimes not.