Authors: Isabelle Melcher & Kai Jannik
Openness, patience and appreciation from those around you make it easier to cope with the medical and legal requirements and hurdles on the path of transition. Thanks to the increased visibility of trans* people in the media, further training services, the possibilities of the internet and other developments, an increasingly realistic public image of trans* people has been formed. Friends and family are often happy to provide support as a result. Reactions of rejection are often due to a lack of knowledge and personal fears. Having conversations can help in this regard. Usually, however, more people react positively to coming out than one would expect. Patience can also be an important factor. Your own inner coming out process can take a long time and others around you will also need time to deal with the topic. You also have to be patient with yourself. If your own path is clear, you might get the feeling that things aren’t moving fast enough. At this point it is important to keep reminding yourself of your own goals, analyze how realistic and achievable they are, to maybe take a step back every now and then, give yourself the time to get used to everything and celebrate the goals that have already been achieved on the road to transition. The support of other people who listen to you and encourage you is also important in this process. You can find opportunities to exchange ideas with people who are on a similar path through self-help groups, coming out youth groups and online. The feeling of not being alone can be very relieving. Being able to talk to someone who simply listens and takes worries and fears just as seriously as positive experiences related to the transition can be a great source of relief. These people could be therapists, friends or family members. Specialists can now take advantage of further training services and many companies increasingly have diversity management teams that also take LGBTQI* people into account.
Last updated: 02/26/2021 - 11:08