Being Transgendered Is Expensive
At my last support group meeting, we got into a discussion of how expensive it is to transition and we started listing down the cost of therapist, electrolysis, hormones, FFS and SRS. I was sitting there quietly (something I do not do often) listening to the conversation, and I got to thinking (you should be hearing an alarm going somewhere) about all the things that they had left off their list. What about the clothes, the jewelry, the makeup, and the wigs? Oh, and we cannot forget about the shoes. In addition, there are those who provide services to us and they are seldom free. Think about your last make over or salon appointment. Manicures and pedicures, deportment and voice lessons, and conferences, all cost money. Look at how much we spend on these things. If we were to stop spending, the entire economy of the western world would probably collapse.But then I thought about myself and there was one category that no one even touched on – technology. I do not know about you, but my technology purchases have always been TG driven. Way back in the early 70’s, VCR’s were just coming onto the market and the VHS verses Betamax war was in full force. I purchased an RCA VHS deck (they call it a deck because it was so big that you could almost land an airplane on it). Except for its one-day event timer, the VCR was completely mechanical. I bought it to record the Phil Donahue Show that once in a while had a TG theme. I also had to subscribe to the TV (television) Guide to see if there was anything anywhere anytime being broadcast with a TG element on it. Of course I used it for other things but in truth it was to record Phil. I still have that boat anchor today and after 30 years, it still works. Do you think I can get any money from RCA on this non-solicited testimonial?
As I progressed with my crossdressing I needed a camera to record my efforts. I bought a good SLR camera plus a series of lenses (sometimes a wide angle lenses can be very slimming). Since my chosen medium was slides, I had to get a projector to view my images. Believe me the camera does not lie and when you project the photo up on the screen the truth can be very painful. I have no idea on how much I spent on film and processing over the years but it is easily many times more than what I spent on the equipment.
Once you have still photos is not video the next step. We have to see the makeup going on, we need to see that wiggle in the walk, we have to visualize the fluid motions and hear the voice. The reason that I gave for getting the camcorder was to tape family outings but the real reason was to tape me so I could critique myself.
In 1996 my office entered the computer age and I got a desktop with Internet access. Being new to us, we were told to just play with them. I entered “crossdress” into the Alta Vista search engine and got some 300 hits (you have to remember that this is the time went West Hollywood in Geocities had only one subdivision.) I had resisted getting one for myself up until then because they were very expensive. Once I got exposed to the wealth of information on line, it sold me to on splurging for my first PC.
Soon a website followed and I naturally needed a scanner to post pictures taken with SLR camera. I have had to upgrade my PC three times since then and have purchased hard drives, CD burners, monitors, and software to keep up with my TG activities. The SLR became too slow. From the time the picture was taken until it got scanned in and upload was just taking too long so I got a digital camera.
From looking at this list I can see that I have easily spent on technology what SRS would cost. The one thing about technology is that it can provide an instant gratification. That first day rushing home in the 70’s to see Phil with two members of Tri-Ess and being able to rewind and view it again was magical. The same can be said about getting a box of slide back from the processor and seeing that you actually look okay in a few of them. That first search on Alta Vista was surprising, and getting my first fem e-mail was reaffirming. Most of the other expenses in transition take a long time before the rewards are reaped. Hormone, electrolysis and therapy are still rewarding but they take time. At least I have technology to fill in the gaps. Technology is not required for transition as the other elements are, but it sure makes the journey a lot more fun.
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