2 Years on T

The first gaming console I ever had was my clunky Nintendo Game Boy.  I was around nine, and I loved Pokemon with the fiery passion of a gamer.  I don’t have the best memory when it comes to events or the little details of my life, but I remember vividly the screen in Pokemon where you enter your name when starting a new game.  In the first Pokemon game, you could only play a boy, but that didn’t bother me.  Though, in the second, when you had an option, I still played as a boy.  But beginning with the first Pokemon game I had (Pokemon Blue), I always used the same name in my games – Isaac.  I played male characters in all of my video games, but Pokemon was the only one where I used a non-fantasy/medieval-ish name.  I have played Pokemon on and off over the years, through different iterations of the game, and I always used Isaac as my in-game name.

Recently, I found my old game boy (not the original, sadly), and picked up Pokemon for the first time since beginning my transition, and legally changing my name.  Yet again, I came upon the familiarity of Professor Oak asking me for my name, and the screen in which to enter it.  It felt so wonderful to enter “Isaac” with my keypad and know that it was my name not just in a video game, but in the real world as well.  And I must say, I am thoroughly enjoying all the pixelated Pokemon world inhabitants calling me by my real name.

Today is my 2 years on T anniversary.  Even as I write this, it’s hard to believe today has already arrived.  Even now, I can still remember reading the books and blogs and livejournal posts about testosterone and its effects, dreaming of the day I would receive my first shot.  I can still remember impatiently rubbing my chin as the first few facial hairs sprung up, and demanding my housemates look to see how much had grown.  I remember the day one of my sister’s told me I should say my name in voicemails because she didn’t recognize my voice.

I still have a ways to go on my transition, but I am thrilled with how far I have come in the last couple of years.  I don’t have the beard that I hoped I would by now, but I still have quite a beard!  I can’t think of the last time a stranger misread my gender, and the slips by those who have known me for a long time are few and far between.  I have even had the opportunity to share my experiences with trans* people just starting on their journeys, as others did with me when I began my transition.

I’ve always appreciated that my T anniversary is so close to my actual birthday (Jan. 31).  Starting T on January 26, 2011 was the best birthday present I could ever give myself.  And the love and support I have received from my friends and family throughout this process are the greatest gifts I could ever ask for.  And thanks to anyone out there reading – the encouragement I have received from the online trans* community has been truly inspiring.

Here’s my latest voice clip:

2 years: 130126 Short Clip

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Based on a work at https://growingupgareth.wordpress.com/.