You could try Philadelphia. They need teachers, the public transit is decent (but not amazing), housing has been below average for a long time, and the medical situation is really good. Most people are accepting and don't really bother each other, unless you're in South Philly by the stadiums or in some of the gang turf areas, but those aren't the majority of the city. I lived there for a while and enjoyed it. Also Jefferson Health is amazing when it comes to tranagender care, and there are several places like the Mazzoni Center that make it ok there. The only issue is that the state is purple and Philly is blue, but the state legislature is definitely red. You never know what nonsense might come up next.

Also if neither of you have started yet, voice training and hair removal take FOREVER. They're almost as slow as HRT itself, so get started as soon as you can, if you can/want that to be part of your transition. Honestly I wish I'd done the hair removal a decade ago even without transitioning. It just feels so much better!

Thanks! Yes, I think I need to talk to the clinic. 50mg/day of spiro seems far too low for someone my size

Very jealous. I'm also my first week in on Spiro and E (and Finasteride, because boo hair loss) and I feel... Nothing? That said. I got to try out my first real outfit. Turns out I like skirts and shrugs. Even better when the skirt has pockets! I'm glad things are working for you, though. As with everyone on this journey, YMMV. Enjoy it!

I finally bought a set of my own polish (instead of using my spouse's) and I have a light blue on the outer toes. They're gorgeous! The little things do so much sometimes

Oh dear, I am aware of how expensive it can be. I'm in the US, and on top of being extremely expensive it's just as slow to get specialist appointments. You should still make sure to see a physician and get your blood tests, even if you DIY. We don't want to lose you to complications! I'm sorry to hear about the dog and I hope they pull through. When you're ready, I hope you get the care you deserve!

Not directly in your life, but you still need to know that you are valid! Coming from someone who is afraid that I will be hearing more of that in the future, we need to stand together. It's sickening. And it shouldn't be this way.

I go for my first HRT consult tomorrow. This hit me right in the feels. Hopefully those start working again after I get new meds

Happy for you! Breaking out of the egg is harder than it feels it should be, but it is so worth doing.

I will add to the other excellent comments here: there are no perfect times. Waiting for everything to align just so will prevent everything from ever happening. Pick a goal and start it. Now. It seems like you took the first step, so congratulations! I'm not bitter about it, but I am an example of what happens when you wait for perfect alignment. You may wake up one day and say "why did I let the last decade go by in a fog instead of taking action" and regret missing some of your best years living as the real you. Don't wait for any conditions, just improve the ones you have as you go.

This is fantastic advice, and I'm glad to know I'm not alone. It's honestly been quite difficult and frightening to try navigating this. I also feel like I was putting too much weight on my spouse to help me and that's not fair to them.

I realize I have to tell my PCP eventually. My last one I'd have told in a heartbeat, but the good ones get promoted out of my area because the backwoods aren't a priority. The new one is quite clinical and has his degree from a highly conservative/evangelical area and frankly scares me. I'll be looking anyway, I guess.

My "local" communities are all a little over an hour from me, from what I can tell. I'll try to find a way to get in touch with some of them in the meantime.

Thank you very much for sharing!

Thank you for the advice! I'm on a weirdly hepful but also restrictive FEP Blue program. They cover basically nobody around me. P.S. I like your username!