ftmfeminist:

Dear Fellow Trans* Guys and/or FTMs,

I am sharing with you all one of my pictures from high school, taken about five years ago now. A photo that usually provokes a shit ton of dysphoria for me. 

But the reason why I want to share this with you all is because I keep reading and hearing my trans* brothers’ anxiety and insecurity over not being “masculine enough” as children, or not being tomboys when they were younger, etc. It is an anxiety that I have shared in the beginning stages of coming to terms with my masculine identity. I know how it feels. You are not alone. There are tons and tons of us trans* dudes who didn’t start presenting as male early on and weren’t “butch” growing up. 

The above photo no longer defines me. And if you have a more “feminine” past than the popular narrative makes room for, that past no longer defines you, either. There’s no need to be ashamed of the fact that you were once more “girly” than you are today.

Peace,

Mark