404:The Right One

Author Notes
This one may require a bit of explanation if you’re not transgender.

If you’re not familiar with the term, “gatekeeper”, it’s a very feared and hated concept in the trans community. The unfortunate thing about being trans, is that you kinda have to be “approved” in order to begin transition. Particularly, you need a therapist/counselor/psychiatrist/etc to diagnose you as such before moving forward. If for some reason, said professional isn’t convinced you’re trans (or has some kind of personal stance against such things), they essentially have the power to halt your transition by either outright refusing to help or sneakily dragging things out. Without their diagnosis, you’re probably stuck. Most doctors won’t prescribe hormone therapy without the mental health professional’s letter of recommendation (I’ve heard rare instances where some will, but I wouldn’t depend on that).

So what Jessica is saying in the first panel about lying or exaggerating is something that unfortunately happens. Some trans folk simply don’t want to have the SRS (sexual reassignment surgery). Some suffer much milder cases of dysphoria. Some trans girls are tomboys, and some trans boys are femme. Nothing is wrong with any of these scenarios. But there are therapists out there who are, sadly, only impressed by the extreme cases. It SHOULDN’T have to be like that, and thankfully, for me it wasn’t (although, I AM kind of an extreme case). But I have a lot of friends going through this right now getting jerked around by professionals content to sit on their thumbs. It’s unfathomable to me.

Hence, why I think if your therapist fails to yield the results you want, look for another one. There are those that are NOT gatekeepers who will help. I know this. I’ve seen it firsthand. You shouldn’t have to lie or wait for someone to hum and haw. They’re there to help you; if they’re not helping you, don’t waste your time and money with them. Move on. Keep trying. You WILL find someone who can help as long as you don’t give up.

Wow. Kinda went on with this one. I hope I was able to inform with this though, whether you’re trans or not. ^_^