As I packed away my high heels and skirts, I started to cry. I realized I was grieving the person I spent most of my life with, which was me. I wasn’t prepared to grieve the death of my “previous” self after I transitioned. But as I packed away her things, it hit me that she (and a huge part of me) had died. I was saying goodbye to myself in a way and it made me very sad.

As a trans person, you are likely to experience some losses that others in 2SLGBTQ+ communities don’t. Many of these losses may go unnoticed or unacknowledged, by you and by others. These losses also can bring mixed feelings that make grieving more difficult.

This chapter outlines some of these losses and the way they may affect you and your grief.