The results are in and, to me at least, they're not entirely surprising.  From my basic experiences of talking with other transfolk, it seems like most people began to act or notice acts that were contrary to their assigned gender in the early childhood or pre-teen age ranges.  But while the results may not be surprising to me, the conversation that came up around it was.

It was pointed out to me on the forums that the question for this past weeks poll was very vague.  When did you KNOW that you were the wrong gender?  That can be interpreted in may ways.  I'd initially meant it to ask when you first started to feel/identify with the gender opposite your birth, which to me would be early childhood.  However, when I KNEW that I was in the wrong gender happened when I met my first transsexual friend at the age of 19.

The point here is that while I may have wanted to be a girl from a very young age, I didn't realize that I was in the wrong gender until I realized I could change genders.

The other interesting point that came up is that, for a lot of trans people, it was a much more gradual process of realization than simply waking up one day and saying "Whoa, I'm in the wrong gender!".  For many people they began to realize that something was different when society began to force gender on them (aka, preschool/kindergarten).  From there there is a gradual realization that what they're feeling isn't in line with the gender that's been forced on them, which culminates in the eventual realization that you are in the wrong gender.

Overall I think that this was a very interesting topic to explore, and I appreicate the 238 people who took the time to take the poll (including the 30 cisgendered people who took it).

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