They might change their name.
A name change is a common thing for both non-binary and binary trans people. Commonly, the name they were assigned to at birth does not reflect how they feel internally; they may choose a new name. The name that they no longer used is called their “deadname.” Some people might have a more androgynous name like Riley, Avery, or Quinn and feel like they don’t want or need to change it. However, there are a lot of trans people who are not born with androgynous names that will want to change their name. A nice thing to ask if you are an outsider is to ask for their “chosen” or “preferred” name. Even if a trans person has an androgynous name, they might want to change it. The overarching goal of a gender transition is to alleviate gender dysphoria, and if changing their name will help them do so, they will more than likely do it.
They might change their pronouns.
Changing pronouns is an extremely common change. Non-binary people commonly take the pronouns they-them since it is a gender-neutral pronoun; however, not every non-binary person will adopt this, so just like most things, if you are confused, ask. For binary trans people, they tend to take the pronoun in which they are transitioning. A trans male, for instance, will probably adopt the pronouns of he/him; however, this is very depending on where they are in their transition. Even if a person is in the process of transitioning into a male, they might not feel comfortable adopting that pronoun yet.
They might change how they present
Gender expression, how someone expresses their gender, is a standard change in someone’s transition. Expression often comes from presentations such as clothing. Trans girls might start to dress more femininely, and trans guys might start to act more masculine. Your gender expression can also change drastically during your transition. Someone’s presentation can be very subjective from person to person. It’s not uncommon for trans women not to want to be overtly feminine. They might opt into other options of clothing or presentation that suit them better.
They might change how they speak.
Speaking is one of the most important things when you are subconsciously deciding the gender of another person. If you don’t know the gender of the person you are speaking to, you might wait until they start talking before using pronouns when referring to them. Trans guys usually have their voices drop naturally, just like a cis boy going through male puberty. However, they might not get to the place they want to be with testosterone alone; this person might get a voice coach or start voice training in hopes of dropping their voice more so. Trans girls don’t have the same outcomes as trans guys do in their voices. Estrogen doesn’t raise the pitch in the same way that testosterone drops it. So, it’s prevalent for trans girls to voice train in hopes of getting a voice that sounds more feminine. Voice training for trans girls is also critical in regards to safety. Trans women are the most hate crime group in the United States; for many trans girls, not being seen as “trans” can ensure their safety.
They might start taking hormones.
Hormones for a lot of trans people is an incredibly important step in their transition. It’s not uncommon for trans people, especially those under the age of 18, to fight for their ability to get on hormones. If you are under 18, you have to get a therapist note. Getting a therapist note for some can be incredibly difficult. If you don’t have the resources to see a therapist who is knowledgeable about transgender people, then they might not be open to helping you with your transition. Gatekeeping, the activity of controlling, and usually limiting, general access to something, can be a problem when dealing with a closed-minded therapist. Besides that, therapy is not a cheap venture, and consistently going to your therapist until they are comfortable writing your therapist, a note might not be in your financial ability. For people who are over the age of 18, informed consent is a fantastic option. Whenever you get a tattoo, you have to sign an informed consent waiver saying that you are a consenting adult in a healthy mental space and know the pros and cons of what you are doing. The same thing exists for trans people over the age of 18, wanting to get hormones. Familiar places that offer this are planned parenthood and trans/LGBTQ clinics. These exist all over the U.S.A
These are only a few of the things that someone might do in their gender transition; however, these are some of the most common ones. A person might do all of these or one or two. The goal of transitioning, after all, is to alleviate gender dysphoria, that can look very different from person to person.
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