I've had conversations like that with trans girls who transition in their teenage years.
I've been told, to my face, that "You do realize you have [insert something that happens from androgenic puberty] 1, right?"
Put the keyboard down and touch grass. That is Internet Brain Poison spawned from the depths for 4chan and TTTT.
The reality is transition does one thing before it causes physical changes: It starts the mental changes. I've joked that estrogen is the only antidepressant that has ever worked for me, but it's also true. Transitioning will change how you see yourself - and that is worth more than...whatever minor details your dysphoria fixate on? That may or may not change, but after a while you might find you don't care anymore because you're happy.
I transition at 34, and I'm beautiful. I may not be conventionally attractive by societies standards, but fuck that, I'm fucking gorgeous and I'm happier than I've ever been in my life.
It's only too late to transition once you hit the morgue. Before that, the best time to transition is when you're ready.
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This post originally had examples of the changes that people talk about or the minor details dysphoria fixates on, but I didn't want to trigger anyone's insecurities by being specific.
Without trying to sound like an old fart, I didn't start transitioning until I was 27, and I don't think me transitioning before them would have put a good idea, because I hadn't hit the right level of maturity yet. Arguably I was barely even clearing the bar even then, but before that I lacked the self-awareness to truly be working on myself.
I don't know, the other part of it that irks me is despite everything going on in the country I live in (US), trans support has never been as widespread as it is now. The early 2000s were not known as a particularly queer friendly time, and the suburb I grew up in had a pretty bad homophobic streak. Regardless of me not really figuring things out until I was 17 or so it would have been so much more of an uphill battle, and straight up more dangerous to do so.
Did it suck losing a decade in there? Sure! Absolutely! But two decades ago everything was different, and even I'm probably taking for granted how difficult it was for those before me. I've said before and I'll say again for all the pain and misery I endured I don't want a different life than the one that led me to be where I am right now knowing and loving the people that I do.
Transition when you can. There's no deadline. There's no better time than now, but the next best time is when you're ready.
