+4
Interesting.
Here's my concern, John... and I hope this doesn't sound harsh... but you can't really know what it's like to be something else until you actually are. The problem is, with gender, there's no going back.
I don't want to make such a rudimentary comparison as comparing it to a job, but just to illustrate the concept - many people have felt if they could just get this job... if they could just become a (fill in the blank) then they'd finally feel complete. So they quit their old job and finally get the job as a whatever. Then they discover that their idea of being a whatever was nothing like the reality of it. Their concept of how they'd feel once they stopped being what they were and became what they dreamed of was a false one - because they couldn't know what it was like to be what they wanted to be until they actually were that thing, and sometimes the realization that their ideal didn't match the reality came too late. This concept could be applied to a lot of things in life - it's really a matter of weighing the risks.
Of course, there's plenty of stories were the reverse is true too - where the risk paid off.
But this is why some here are advising taking time and using caution entering into an irreversible decision.
There's also the issue of surgery to get rid of healthy, working parts. There is risk. And the worst part is there is no going back if you discover that a drastic physical dismemberment does not change all the ways you feel inside, or adds a whole bunch of new feelings (physical, mental or emotional) that you weren't expecting.
This is a silly parable, but I have this one tooth in the back of my mouth that the dentist is always trying to talk me into getting rid of. I call it "Frankentooth" because it's horrible looking and has so many different fillings. But I've told the dentist my philosophy: the tooth doesn't hurt, it chews food and if it's no threat to my health, then I'm not going to remove any body part until or unless it becomes a problem.
I've considered Lasik surgery, but for me, the risk of my eyesight worsening or being blind is just too great when weighed against the inconvenience of wearing glasses. Maybe someday, if I gain more faith in the process I might reconsider.