Thanks for responding. I understand your position a little better now. And of course I should recognize that if people peg you as a masculine woman, they are more likely to give you trouble than if you were stereotypically feminine.
Your question--what if they think you are trans--is one that many of us worry about. If you aren't always passing now, then you would probably go through a transition phase--I call it an androgynous phase--before you start passing fully. That period can take months or even years, but once you get through it...well, things are usually much better. But you almost certainly have to go through it, unfortunately. If your worries about that outweigh your desire to transition, then maybe you just haven't gotten to the point where you must transition--or maybe transition, even partial, isn't right for you.
All of this is very helpful, I'm sure.
A trans friend I know used to ask undecided people, "What if you could transition now, just instantly transition, and be guaranteed that you wouldn't lose family, friends, job, home, or anything else you value? Would you do it?" I guess he uses that question to separate the people who don't want to transition from the people who do want to but who are held back by fear. Does that question help at all?
