How to Adjust to Being a Boy when You Really Want to Be a Girl
Look up what it means to be transgender., Look up what it means to be nonbinary., Understand the difference between being transgender or nonbinary and being gay or bisexual., Take some time to reflect on yourself., Don't let other people tell you...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Look up what it means to be transgender.
Due to the increasing amount of information about transgender people, you may have already heard some information about what being transgender is.
Transgender people have a gender that is different from the sex they were assigned at birth.
For example, a girl might have been thought to be a boy.
Gender is determined in your mind and heart, not by your anatomy.
If you really feel like a girl, you are a girl.
It's just that not everyone knows it.
Some transgender people compare it to being born in the wrong body.
Others feel comfortable with their bodies.
For example, a trans boy might say that because he is a boy, that makes his body a boy's body. -
Step 2: Look up what it means to be nonbinary.
If the label of "boy" doesn't seem right, but "girl" doesn't fully fit either, you may be nonbinary.
If someone is nonbinary, their gender is a gender that doesn't fully fit "male" or "female".
While there are many nonbinary genders, here are some of the more common ones:
Genderfluid people may switch genders from time to time.
For example, maybe that means being a boy yesterday, a girl today, and agender tomorrow.
Demiboys/demigirls only partially fit the label of "girl" or "boy." Agender people have no gender. , Some people don't totally understand what it means to be transgender or nonbinary, and come up with a lot of silly ideas about them.
Oftentimes, transgender or nonbinary people are said to just be gay; however, these are not the same.
Being gay means that you get crushes on people of your gender, and being transgender means that your gender doesn't match your assigned sex.
If you feel like you're a girl, you're probably transgender, not gay.
Of course, transgender and nonbinary people can be gay or bisexual, as well.
You can be a girl who likes girls, or a nonbinary person who likes girls.
There's nothing wrong with that, either. , Imagine yourself in 10 years: being a man and being called "him"
being a woman and being called "her"
and being nonbinary with a different pronoun such as "they" or "sie." Which one sounds the most comfortable, fun, or exciting? Try looking in a mirror and saying, "I am a ".
Which one feels best to you, and feels right? It is okay to be a guy who likes feminine things, if that's what you turn out to be.
Whether you're a boy who likes pink or a boy who likes to cross-dress, that's okay.
You don't have to match narrow gender roles.
You don't have to be 100% traditionally feminine in order to be a real girl.
Some girls like baseball, superheroes, and wearing pants.
If you think you're a trans girl, this doesn't invalidate your gender.
Take as much time as you need to in order to figure things out.
There's never any rush to know who you are. , As well-meaning as other people may be, you are the only one who can figure out who you are.
Don't let somebody else tell you whether or not you're a girl, nonbinary, or a boy
- only you can know what your gender is.
Even the people who know you best can be wrong about how you feel inside. -
Step 3: Understand the difference between being transgender or nonbinary and being gay or bisexual.
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Step 4: Take some time to reflect on yourself.
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Step 5: Don't let other people tell you who you are.
Detailed Guide
Due to the increasing amount of information about transgender people, you may have already heard some information about what being transgender is.
Transgender people have a gender that is different from the sex they were assigned at birth.
For example, a girl might have been thought to be a boy.
Gender is determined in your mind and heart, not by your anatomy.
If you really feel like a girl, you are a girl.
It's just that not everyone knows it.
Some transgender people compare it to being born in the wrong body.
Others feel comfortable with their bodies.
For example, a trans boy might say that because he is a boy, that makes his body a boy's body.
If the label of "boy" doesn't seem right, but "girl" doesn't fully fit either, you may be nonbinary.
If someone is nonbinary, their gender is a gender that doesn't fully fit "male" or "female".
While there are many nonbinary genders, here are some of the more common ones:
Genderfluid people may switch genders from time to time.
For example, maybe that means being a boy yesterday, a girl today, and agender tomorrow.
Demiboys/demigirls only partially fit the label of "girl" or "boy." Agender people have no gender. , Some people don't totally understand what it means to be transgender or nonbinary, and come up with a lot of silly ideas about them.
Oftentimes, transgender or nonbinary people are said to just be gay; however, these are not the same.
Being gay means that you get crushes on people of your gender, and being transgender means that your gender doesn't match your assigned sex.
If you feel like you're a girl, you're probably transgender, not gay.
Of course, transgender and nonbinary people can be gay or bisexual, as well.
You can be a girl who likes girls, or a nonbinary person who likes girls.
There's nothing wrong with that, either. , Imagine yourself in 10 years: being a man and being called "him"
being a woman and being called "her"
and being nonbinary with a different pronoun such as "they" or "sie." Which one sounds the most comfortable, fun, or exciting? Try looking in a mirror and saying, "I am a ".
Which one feels best to you, and feels right? It is okay to be a guy who likes feminine things, if that's what you turn out to be.
Whether you're a boy who likes pink or a boy who likes to cross-dress, that's okay.
You don't have to match narrow gender roles.
You don't have to be 100% traditionally feminine in order to be a real girl.
Some girls like baseball, superheroes, and wearing pants.
If you think you're a trans girl, this doesn't invalidate your gender.
Take as much time as you need to in order to figure things out.
There's never any rush to know who you are. , As well-meaning as other people may be, you are the only one who can figure out who you are.
Don't let somebody else tell you whether or not you're a girl, nonbinary, or a boy
- only you can know what your gender is.
Even the people who know you best can be wrong about how you feel inside.
About the Author
Martha Hayes
Creates helpful guides on lifestyle to inspire and educate readers.
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