Self-respect

People aren't malicious and are usually at most self centered but once you have made enough overtures towards being fully accepted, sometimes it's better to stop trying. Once we understand that we are a transgender person who respects their own identity, others should come to us particularly when they know all too well it hasn't been an easy road for you.

I have plenty of friends and acquaintances many of whom know nothing of my past plus my wonderful children and that is enough for me. So while not all family members are equally on board, that no longer matters compared to the self-esteem I now hold for myself with respect to who I am.

It's interesting how some family members will defend others by saying that they may not be comfortable with you that way which speaks to the shockingly obtuse self-interest often involved here. However, to protect our psyche a stand must sometimes be made and in so doing some people may get the message but if they do not, you wish them the best all the same and move on.

It's why I so often write about what all this means to you first and foremost.