WOW!

Yesterday was the single biggest day in my life. Everything else either led up to it or will be a result of it, well maybe not, but it was important. Yesterday morning the managing partner, firm administrator and HR person at my firm informed my 112 co-workers that Dianne  will be coming to work and Dan will be stepping away as I transition into living my authentic life.

I will be officially full time.

I cannot describe the relief and joy that I feel from this! I don't have to hide any more, I don't have to evade social questions about where I work, I don't have to shop at the market 2 miles away because there are so many people from the firm that live near me. I'm just Dianne now.

My co-workers amazed me! I wasn't present in the meetings so that people could express whatever they felt, but right afterwards my cube had a crowd of people coming to hug me and congratulate me and tell me in the most sincere way that they support me. I got emails all day long, from co-workers, partners, attorneys. One male partner broke down in the elevator and gave me a great big hug because he was so happy! Emails poured in, people stopped me in the halls, I could feel the joy. Our managing partner said that he was very proud of the people at the firm because of the support and admiration they showed.

I carried a fist full of tissues all day.

The plan is that I will finish out next week as a guy that everyone knows is a proud Trans woman. Then on Monday the 29th I'm Dianne to everyone. A couple of people already started calling me Dianne "so they can practice." I had four or five people tell me, with pride and relief, that they had relatives or friends who are trans.

Through it all I thought of my friends who have gone before me. I thought of the thousands that worked hard and took knocks and made it easier for me. And now we'll all make it that much easier for the ones coming behind.

Enjoy,
Dianne