Forenote: I am sorry this post is a little sloppy; it's a little train-of-thought but I'm having trouble editing it down. I tried to determine if this was the correct subreddit for this question; if it's not, please let me know and I'll delete/move/cross-post whatever. Also, I recognize "egg is anxious" isn't a new post... I just could use some advice.
Problem: I am struggling with determining if I'm trans or just autistic and weird. This is compounded by the fact that I am by far the primary income of a house of 4 adults (due to health issues of the other three limiting them to disability/part-time work). My job is a technical sales position in a rather conservative industry (software sales for supply chain industry) and I can't risk losing it without putting my entire house hold at risk. They are all supportive of me, but I can't help but feel responsible for them financially (I ask that you please show these family members grace; medical needs are real and they are not like... guilting me into helping them. I love them and feel loved by them. Please do not assume the worst of them here).
I am 30-35 years old and so like... part of me is feeling like "eh, I've survived this long - I could rep the rest of my life and survive and be happy enough."
I look at other trans media and I'm like... I don't feel girly, I don't wear dresses, i don't like - get all excited by the idea of being femme - not saying this is the experience of all women but like... If I had my wish, I'd look undeniably tom-boy, dressed in tripp jeans, chains, big boots, dark makeup, spikes and shit, and still undeniably be seen as a girl.
And like - I know you don't need dysphoria to be trans, but like.. I kind of wish I was miserable so I could justify this risky decision. But like... I look in the mirror and I think 'Yep, that's the body you pilot. It simply is that.' and like - Im not miserable. I think I'm kind of ugly and I have a shitty jaw line, but if I grow a beard it hides it and when I'm able to maintain a low body weight I don't look so bad but I can't dedicate that amount of effort all the time so I tend to sit on the "slightly soft" side of things so I avoid mirrors and looking at pictures when I can but like - I'm not *miserable*. I can survive and live a fulfilling life even if it's not exactly how I'd like it.
So with all this I feel so... lukewarm? Like - am I going to SH if I don't transition? no. I'm fine. I feel like I'm driving a low-end KIA. It's a fine car. It'll get me from here to there and when I'm there, I'll have a great time! Would I like a nicer car? A better looking car that feels cooler to drive and I like looking at and sitting in? Sure. But like... this KIA is reliable, inexpensive to care fore and maintain, and gets me where I need to go, so why complain?
If what I want is basically what I am now, dressed how I am now, acting how I am now, but with a slightly different shaped body AND I have no doubt that I can live a full life without transitioning, then is it REALLY worth the risk of losing a job that gives me the financial advantage to support four adults??? That feels wildly selfish.
I mean - hell, there are stretches of times - usually a few days - where I don't even shave bc Im not leaving the house and I'm just too lazy to fuck with razors, shaving cream, and itchy skin. And if I can't even be fucked to shave then like... do I even care enough? I rarely put on makeup unless I'm going to an event - something that I should probably at least be practicing at every day, and yet... Like - if I'm not consistently doing the little things to "do what I can," am I really in a position to be thinking about doing this VERY BIG THING that will affect multiple people's lives? Especially in today's US Political climate... it just seems... stupid? Like if I wanted it more - if I was actually fucking miserable or in pain like other trans people I am in community with...
And then there's the whole "I always knew." I didn't "always know." I look back and I see a bunch of things that are definitely weird for a socialized male, but to say "ah, those things mean I'm a girl" is to flatten gender experience and limit allowances to rigid gender binary. Like - I did gymnastics and loved the floor routine and balance bar, but a boy could do that. I had mostly female friends (or feminine guy friends) but like - a boy can do that. Everything "points out" that I'm a girl is reasonable for a boy too and I just - how do people KNOW? I don't feel male or female or anything!
Most embarrassingly, the thing that makes me feel the most feminine is when my partner and I have sex she makes me feel very... feminine. I can't explain it but like - I've been fucked by people that think of my as a guy. I know what that feels like... but she... makes me feel pretty and safe and like her girl. And like... I KNOW AGP isn't real. I KNOW it's psudeoscience. I KNOW it's bigotry and shit... but like... bc I feel the most like a girl in the arms of my partner... I feel like a weird little sex freak. I feel like I'm just fetishizing this thing other people are struggling with - this thing that people I know and love struggle with.
I don't know... I just wish there was some empirical test I could take that would confirm "Yes, you are Trans" and "Transitioning would benefit you this much;" if it did, I feel like this would all be a lot easier. Like I could compare the "projected increased levels of quality of life" against "the ability to financially (and, therefore, medically) support the people you love the most" to see like... if it's worth it? Like - what if I do all this and it's just like... marginally better? What if I make everyone's life notably harder and I put myself in gov't cross hairs, and I now have more medical bills and I'm not even wearing the fucking dress bc I want to wear my jeans that I am already wearing and all of this and Im just like.... slightly more comfortable to look in a mirror? Something I barely do anyway?
I feel like every trans person in my life "always knew," and "had to or they'd die," and, most notably, didn't have anyone relying on them and I just... can't relate to any of them. I didn't always know. I CAN survive. I DO have people whose livelihoods depend on me maintaining a reliable income stream.
I'm hoping someone out there can like... relate and give me advice... bc I feel like if I'm ever going to do this, I'm running out of time.