I’m 28, Trans, and I’ve Never Dated
It’s time to be my authentic self
I am a straight trans man, and in my 28 years of life, I have never, ever dated someone.
You read that right.
I’m nearly 30 years old, and I’ve never been on a date.
I know this might seem like a red flag to prospective future romantic interests, but I swear, I can explain.
For the longest time, I never knew my reality as a trans man. Growing up in the rural South, I never heard of trans. Despite what I’d seen in a few movies or television shows, I wasn’t all that sure what gay or lesbian meant, either.
I had a sense as a young kid that I wasn’t female. It didn’t sit right. In games with other kids, I’d often “play” as the boy. I acted as the prince instead of the princess; the male sailor instead of the mermaid.
Even playing with dolls, I’d use my action figure of actor Aaron Carter instead of one of my female Barbies. While this isn’t inherently a boy or a girl thing — toys have no gender — I knew, on a subconscious level, that I related with manhood and masculinity in a way my childhood mind couldn’t as of yet comprehend.
It took years of self-reflection and the help of my friends to discover my truth as a trans man. But I discovered my sexuality…
