What age did you know you were trans*?

On hindsight, I've always had trouble conforming. But I only knew that I couldn't fit (and gave up trying) when I found out that there was a name for such a condition, and that it existed. So I suppose if I had some prenatal knowledge of transgender, I would always have known.

 

I was never really comfortable with myself, nor did I ever want a female body, but I attributed it to weight problems.
I realized what was going on around puberty at age 11-12. If I knew about this gender stuff earlier, I would have recognized it earlier.

 

I'm 14 and I'm pretty sure I'm trans.I've only just realised though...

 

There's a huge statistical bias on EC and other support communities online. There are a lot more "late bloomers" in reality than it would seem. Take these things into consideration:

• The internet is mostly populated by younger people. People who didn't grow up with the internet are a lot less likely to come here for support.
• Trans* issues are talked about a whole lot more these days. Younger people actually hear about other trans* people, which helps them figure it out at a younger age.
• Because trans* issues have become more relevant and talked about, people of a more mature age now realize why they've felt wrong their entire life.

I can't find the source, so this is just hearsay at this point, but I've read that the average age of people who transition is actually increasing. I attribute this not to the idea that people decide to transition later for whatever reason, but rather that people of all ages are starting to realize you can transition and live happily. Because the average age was low before and people of all ages are transitioning somewhat equally, the average age increases. So you're not that big of a statistical outlier in the general population, only here on the internet.

 

I started questioning about a year and a half ago (I was 17) and decided on a label a couple months after that. It's fit just fine since then.

 

I had a feeling something up with my gender at about five. Nothing concrete, and anyway, I didn't know transition was possible. I had everything straightened out at fifteen.

 

Felt since about six or seven, known at fourteen. AKA, this year.

At times, I feel as if I should've just kept suppressing it. Before I realized I was trans, I didn't get 'painful' dysphoria, only this feeling of slight surprise or disconnection when I saw my body. I also felt generally happier.

But I was also very unconfident, and my self-esteem was at rock bottom. I thought I looked ugly and I apologized a shit ton.

After I realized I was trans, my confidence and self-esteem rocketed so fast it was unbelievable. Although I get upset more often now, I believe it's a price I have to pay in order to achieve long-term happiness. Now I'm able to show off my work without shame and I can compliment myself without feeling like it's a lie.

 

realized it at 16 but knew I wanted to be my brothers since I was young but never was able to voice it or understand my feelings until what I understood my feelings meant.

 

I started questioning my gender around the age of 24. It wasn't until a year later though when I was 25 that I actually properly realised that I was in fact male.

In hindsight, I can trace these feelings back to childhood. I always felt somehow different and that I never fitted in and then once puberty kicked in, I no longer felt comfortable in my own skin. I think there are many contributing factors why I didn't figure out I was trans until later on but mainly, it was because I had no knowledge of transgender identities and growing up I never really paid any attention to how I felt. Nobody ever asked me and I learned to suppress my feelings and keep them them to myself.

 

Well, I actually told several councilors/ teachers at my elementary school and they just never did anything about it. The councilor just pushed it aside and tried to move on as quickly as possible. She asked one question: Why. I couldn't find an answer.
I told my step father at eight and got a lovely punch to the face even though I didn't really know what I'd said. After that he tried to raise me to be a "real man." I brainwashed myself into believing that I was an evil, monstrous individual who literally deserved to die for their feelings.
According to my mother (and photographs) I actually dressed as a little girl a good deal before my step father came along. I didn't really know what I was doing of course; I remember not seeing myself as either gender for a very long time, like until puberty.
I forced myself to act like a male because I didn't know you could change and I have male parts (however small those male parts may be). Also, I was an unusually strong male; which only served to exacerbate the feelings of what I know know to be dysphoria. I probably saw family guy or south park making fun of trans people when I first learned that it actually could happen, and shortly thereafter began to wish I could transition myself. Unfortunately, I was to shy to admit it for the past several years until a few months ago. I've told over a hundred people (a came out to a crowd several weeks ago at a college assembly. Talk about nervous.) sense and nobody has been rude to me or anything. Even people who I knew sense I was little accepted. It's already hard sometimes to tell whether I'm male or female until I speak, so the surprise element when I come out is almost gone. Most people I come out to are like (my older brother who doesn't live with the family literally said this):
"Yeah, I kind of figured it was something like that."
Apparently it's obvious.