Although I don’t identify as trans, I’ve grappled with silencing and rejection on account of my assumed identity. Your writing struck a chord and I’m struggling to find the words to respond because by doing so I’m acknowledging my own, long forgotten, feelings of “otherness” and the steps I took to suppress them. By necessity, we all change who we are on account of others and after a point it’s just too painful to break free from those changes, to do so could bring everything tumbling down. I don’t think that male fragility is something to laugh at.

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