I know I'm veering a bit off topic, but thank you @George1959 for sharing your story. I can somewhat relate. I always felt like a girl when I was growing up and was very effeminate. My closest cousin was female, and we played with dolls together. I always had more girl friends than boys. Older boys in the neighborhood used to knock me off my bicycle and ask "are you a girl"?Holly, your question is valid and I'll ask it honestly.
I was never quite comfortable, even as a boy and liked my female classmates for their pretty dresses.
Being a young man at the university I read all the books on transsexuality (the term transgender did not exist at that time), mostly in English since many German books on this topic didn't exist then and bought a lot of them. Older books I copied completely. I still own most of them and also buy new literature.
I developed my own hypothesis why I never did fit into this exact exclusive male or female scheme.
Now, at 66 years and in a conservative country, I am living my life as it should have been from the start.
I don't pretend to be a woman nor do I look like one, but came to peace finally since I don't fight against my female inner side anymore.
Now this was a confession. And all of this without a confessional.
I went steady with a girl in junior high school and gave her a "friendship bracelet". Her friend gave it back to me and said "she says you are a sissy and a queer". I decided I needed to "sell out" if I was going to survive, and during puberty I became a man that would pass for straight. I have been so straight-looking for so many years that gay men were not interested unless I was in a club. I hated myself for so long that it was ridiculous. Only after therapy did I learn to accept myself.
I guess my point is that anything feminine about me has been buried for many years, so to hear you say that you've embraced your feminine side is really inspirational. Thank you again for sharing. Now, I've done my confession as well.


