Was your dysphoria ever triggered by the opposite gender flirting with you? FTM

[DawnOday]

Actually as I look back on my life I feel it's the reason my first wife left. 40 years ago.

[FreyasRedemption]

It's a nice story. Did your boyfriend know you were transgender at that time and treat you as a female?

....Not really. First, he wasn't my boyfriend. We were really good friends, and I had a minor crush on him, but we weren't together. Second, I wasn't even properly out to myself at the time. Though I'm pretty certain he knew anyway, given certain things he said and...didn't say. I'd say he genuinely considered me a girl, but thought as me as more of a sister (or maybe rather a sister-in-arms, given the wacky shenanigans we got up to) than somebody he could have a romantic interest in.

[meatwagon]

lucky for me, no one has been interested in me as a female since i quit wearing makeup/ladies' clothes/etc (or if they have, they certainly haven't said so, and i'm fine to keep it that way).  and no one views me as a male, either, so i don't have to worry about attraction from just about anyone these days.  and i don't *want* anyone to be attracted to me while i'm stuck in this ugly pre-transition phase, basically just going through life looking like a really unattractive woman and hoping nobody notices me.  i'd find it really "triggering" to my dysphoria no matter what gender they were (or what gender they thought i was) to have someone interested in me as i am right now.

[Dan]

I must have presented so male all of my life that the only males flirting with me were colleagues who knew me online only and so had never seen more than just head and shoulder photos of me in company emails. One was besotted by me and asked about taking me out. I tried to give him hints that I wouldn't be dressing up in any girly clothes e.g. I only wear cargo shorts or trousers. I thought that would make him back off. It didn't!

Did this trigger dysphoria? Not a huge amount. It did bother me that he perceived me as female ( photo and my name would indicate that). It did make me re-think who I was: gay or straight. I came to the conclusion that I was definitely gay ( that was long before I ever heard of transmen and therefore I didn't classify myself as such. I was just a weirdo in my own head  ) .

Like all the other misgendering I had to endure all my life, I learned to let it roll off my back.