Hello!

On a thread quite some time ago, I read a trans person's account of how society seeing her as her true gender changed her experience and made her realize privileges she'd had before and never noticed. I think that trans people who have transitioned or present as their true gender rather than the one they were assigned at birth are in a unique position to comment on privilege.

So what I would like to know is: When you began to express your gender, what changes did you notice in how society treated you, relating to your gender? What things were easier or more difficult when society perceived you as the gender you identify as?

I don't know if my question is clear or if my wording is correct (if something sounds wrong/offensive, PLEASE tell me how I should edit it!), but I just thought this might be a really enlightening discussion about gender privilege if we can get anecdata from people of various genders (including non-normative ones).

Obviously not all trans people fit into this mold, but I welcome any and all experiences of those who noticed shifts in how they were treated by society when they changed how they presented their gender. Of course, you only have to contribute if you are comfortable sharing your experience, and I expect everyone to conduct themselves respectfully.

EDIT: This has been a fascinating and awesome discussion. I want to thank everyone for sharing their stories!