20 years go

Twenty years ago (or more) the people most likely to transition were those whose dysphoria was impeding their quality of life. They couldn't wait for social norms to change and opted for stealth transitions (as much as was possible) which then gave them a shot at a somewhat normal existence. Most often these people were androphilic (man loving). 

The model that Harry Benjamin built was a snapshot in time which captured how much a person could avoid or succumb to transition. At the low end of his scale were people more apt to enjoy cross gender expression (whether sexually-motivated or otherwise). 

Fast forward to the 80's and 90's and some of the social parameters had changed but not by much as gender variance was still frowned upon despite being fodder for daytime television entertainment. 

It wasn't until well into the 2000's that sufficient exposure of this issue to the public produced a sensitive response to the subject matter. 

Thus transition has gone from last resort to viable option which is why there is so much confusion regarding what one should do as well as what people should call themselves.