I keep reading about laws requiring one live as a girl before they can have surgery.
Is this true everywhere or is there some place that this can be bypassed?

For sex reassignment there a lot of  procedures. You do have to live and work as a woman for at least a year before becoming a candidate.
You normally need a psychiatrists letter for other feminizing surgeries  as well (implants etc..)That might vary state to state.
I've heard you can do almost anything in Thailand. There was a reason overseas sex changes were popular in the past.
Dr Marci Bowers' site has information on it -I attached a link.

Simply put it is the creation of a cunt and nothing else. No attempt to look like a woman will be made.

great language bub