Temmermand was on a fifty-year journey of transition from living life as a man into that of a woman. Although she’d come a long way, she still felt that something was still out-of-place. Her major concern was her voice. Her outward appearance was decidedly female, but she felt that her voice was still obviously masculine. So she sought help by attending speech therapy sessions at the local GW Speech and Hearing Center.
The Vocal Transformation
Working with a group of speech pathology graduate students, Temmermand began her vocal feminization by attending classes where she used a computer and microphone to learn how to talk, laugh, cough, and even sneeze like a female. Each class cost about $50, and the lessons consisted of repetitive exercises of mimicking certain sounds and phrases. Meanwhile, her speech therapists would electronically monitor her performance and consistency. The program proved very successful for Temmermand, someone who previously was too frightened to even talk on the phone much less engage in normal everyday conversation.
Increasing Awareness
Temmermand had first heard about the program through other transgender friends, and the popularity of the feminization treatments has grown significantly in recent years. The program’s supervisor, Dr. Linda Siegfriedt, says that there are currently twenty male-to-female transgender people currently participating with a rather lengthy list of applicants waiting for a seat. Located in the Washington, DC, area, her feminization program has been active since the 1970’s. With the increasing acceptance of the transgender community in recent years, interest in the program has been growing steadily.
“It’s a more well-rounded, complete program because the clinic has been a staple of GW for such a long time,” states Siegfriedt. “Clients love that they feel comfortable, they can come here and feel accepted. They don’t worry about how they will be received.”
The instructional methods for transforming the voice are based in scientific research. First, clients learn how to manipulate their vocal tone to the front of the mouth rather than from the more masculine, deeper regions of the throat. Dr. Siegfriedt admits that this can be a difficult process, but by focusing on pitch, intonation, resonance, as well as non-verbal forms of communication, vocal feminization can be achieved. She also tells her students that the subtleties of voice resonance can be difficult to master, but her team provides emotional support as well.
Unlocking the Hidden Identity
Admittedly, even Temmermand says that when she first entered the program she was “scared to death.” But after hearing the dramatic changes in the voices of her transgender friends, she was very anxious to enroll in the program. After her successful vocal transformation, she is far less fearful of speaking in public. She has noticed that others are now listening to her ideas rather than focusing on her previously masculine voice. She has gained self-confidence and feels that people now respect her more. The vocal feminization program has had a “huge impact” on nearly every aspect of her life, helping her to finally complete the transformation into a new identity that lay hidden for over fifty years.
At LA Speech Therapy Solutions, based in Los Angeles, our team of expert speech pathologists specialize in transgender voice therapy to help support your transition.
