GEORGEANN YOST:  

Well fellow classmates, you remember me as George. Now I'm Georgeann, surprise I'm transgendered. My gender issues were very well hidden in my subconscious in the early years and blossomed as year's progressed. Let me bring you up to date. Following graduation many of you knew I attended Tennessee Tech. Things went well for the first few quarters. Being free in the university setting, my gender identity dysphoria (GID) began to surface. The more I dealt with my GID the more my grades suffered. After switching majors for the third time, I decided to go into the military. At the time I didn't realize this is one of the most popular coping mechanism for transgender male to female (M to F) individuals to use to stifle their GID i.e. do something manly. Well I spent 20 years in the Air Force during which time I married and had one son. All this time I continued to keep the woman inside of me hidden. I played the part of being a husband, and father. A couple times I had decided to come out to my family. Once when I retired from the Air Force but my son was just starting high school and we all know how bad peer pressure can be. I didn't want to burden him with my transition, so I decided to wait until he graduated. After he graduated my spouse, Maxine, was diagnosed with primary progressive MS. I spent the next 15 years watching and caring for an otherwise independent self sufficient woman slowly deteriorate to a person completely dependent on a care provider, me. It wasn't until January of 2005; I decided I had to come out. Otherwise I would never know the life I could have had as a woman. To say there are many risks to making such a move is a gross under statement. Loss of family, friends, employment to mention a few. I have been very fortunate. The only family member I lost was my spouse, (which I had already figured). My employer, the Department of Defense, who I have been working for the last 20 years, was very supportive. Although my spouse and I have divorced, we both understand we couldn't have maintained our previous relationship. Maxine was in a managed care facility in Ohio where her family lives....Expand for more