I realized that I was transgendered about nine months after joining this site, although I was already starting to feel some confusing things I couldn't quite understand back then. It can be a difficult thing to wrap your head around -- especially for the person experiencing it! But since 2001 I've known that my "self", or my spirit, is female in nature. My parents were not supportive of this, although I told them early on, and the town I lived in was a small Mid-West one that wasn't a good environment for that sort of thing. I ended up becoming uber-self repressed as a result.
I started dealing with it finally in college, and getting some help from a counselor...And wow, when I say I was self-repressed, we're talking a bunker a million miles underground repressed. But after I graduated college ('09) I started living life as female. I started dressing in feminine clothes and taking female hormones. I haven't been mistaken as a guy in public for over a year now so I guess they've done their job pretty well. (My voice was always really feminine -- I was always being taken as a female on the phone.) I'm way happier since going through with this. No regrets. : ) I would eventually like to get SRS (Sexual reassignment surgery -- "The operation") but it's way expensive and I won't be able to afford it for some time...and even then there's like a year's waiting list.
I suppose this could have gone in general chat, but it's personal, and I know Mario attracts users of all ages, and this might bring up more mature subjects, so I thought I'd post it here. I also realize there's a 19-page post on homosexuality and that this could be taken as controversial. Whatever. I've grown strong enough to weather criticism. Also, I made a vow to stay with the board 'til it goes down, and I don't want to spend another twenty years being referred to as "he" and "him". : P
So, in summary: Please use the feminine pronouns when refering to Chocobo. : )
~ Chocobo
Ps -- a good basic FAQ about transgendered stuff
http://www.apa.org/topics/sexuality/transgender.aspx