I am similar in some respect: I agree we have no power to define how others may choose to treat us, but we certainly have the capability to nudge them towards treating us a certain way. Whether they accept the nudging is entirely at their discretion. All I can say for certain is I unquestionably do not want to be viewed as a man and would prefer to be treated more like a woman in my day-to-day life. When it comes to strangers, I try not to much mind how they treat me; friends on the other hand, treat me like how I feel on the inside.

I wouldn’t say I’m spiritual, but I would agree gender complexity is more than just physical and is decidedly mental. At the same time, I tried the route of viewing myself how I wanted for so long while not attempting to change my outsides and it slowly pecked away at my sanity. Whether it’s a more mental or more physical thing, my brain was never fully allowed to align with my body until the day I began HRT, so there’s definitely a concert of sorts at play between the two.

Gender complexity is incredibly fascinating, and one of the most difficult things to make full-bodied claims about. Where does the line between the physical and mental lay? It’s impossible to say, but it certainly presents differently in every person.