r/TransVeteranPipeline

For those who don't necessarily know me, I enjoy writing. Whether I should have or not, I chose to write a series of essays about my time in service. While I have received some encouragement regarding what I wrote, as it's gotten closer to actually pulling the trigger on publishing, I'm growing considerably more uncomfortable with the idea. I think there are a thousand fears that go with that, do I even have a right to say anything or ask anybody to read about my experience. For the most part, I kind of prefer to be anonymous, and this feels like such a deviation from that. Being trans makes me want to be even more invisible and I worry about how the rest of the unit will take it. I'm just kind of curious whether anybody else has kind of gone through similar experiences or questions.

Hey all!

So, around this time last year I medically separated out of the Marine Corps. While I was in, I did a lot of exploration with my identity and came to the VERY private realization that I identify as a woman. Only my closest friends OUTSIDE of the military knew, and they helped me grow to be a lot more comfortable with who I wanted to be. Flash forward to now, and I just recently attended my first VA appointment. The first session was essentially just a "hey, how are you doing, what are your goals?" sort of thing as I expected. But being out of the military and able to truly be myself, I've decided that I want to lay it all out on the table with my mental health provider and get all of the support I can get from them.

I noticed that the current administration has put a lot of limits on what the VA is able to medically provide to transgender veterans, but I haven't been able to find a clear-cut answer on what mental and physical health treatments are available. Does anyone have any experience working with them since March of last year, and, if so, what should I expect when I meet with my provider next?