Susan's Place Transgender Resources

I feel like I can't relate to the FTM label because I never really identified as female. I understand that conceptually I am a female and I will be transitioning medically to a more masculine body and mind, but realistically I just don't feel like a girl. I first thought that I might be transgender because I had trouble filling out those forms that ask you to check a box for your sex. Now, I know that I am transgender because I find the term FTM to be too feminine for me. Am I alone in this?

I dunno if it's the med school student in me because I have no issue with it, and actually kinda like it.  I was born anatomically female and I embrace and accept that.  I like the label because to me it show that I truly understand myself and embrace my position.  Yes, I was born female, and that issue can't be changed.  But in order to transition I think it's important for myself at least to acknowledge that it's a change physically to what's right in my head.  I personally think that if I was to hate the label it makes the transition less of an achievement because it doesn't acknowledge the change.  I like to think it of terms of the way I describe it to people I'm coming out to now.  Mentally there's no change.  I am still who I am and will continue to be who I am because my brain was wired to be masculine.  The only real changes are physically in terms of my body where my body will go from female to male.

For me I separate the terms 'female' and 'male' from the terms 'feminine' and 'masculine'.  I've always been masculine in a female body, and that's the root of my problem; I'm in a female body.  But now I want to change that (female to male) so I can become masculine in a male body.

I don't like being identified as FTM simply because when I transition I want go stealth so I don't want it being public knowledge that I used to physically be female.

Other than that though, I don't mind the term even though I've never really identified as female either. I see "FTM" as meaning that someone has changed (or is planning to change) their body from female to male to match their mind, it's not the mind that's actually changing.

You're very articulate and respectful in your post, thank you. I just don't feel that way, though. I feel like I'm a guy with girl genitals, not that I'm a female transitioning to a male. It's a subtle distinction, but one that makes complete sense to me. This has all been a journey for me, though, so I might find my perspective changing anytime soon. Right now, I feel like I've never been enough of a female to become a male. At the same time, I do understand what you're saying about the difference between sex and gender. I am aware that I was born with female genitals, I just have never identified as female.

There is a similar topic on the MtF talk board.  If you view the term(s) in the sense of changing the body's morphology, it is reasonable.

I guess for me I just see it as anatomically something I can't deny, but I can part change.  Like no matter what, if I die and someone like Bones finds my skeleton, I'd be identified as female.  Lol.  But again, ex med student here :P.

It's just back to what I personally feel and that's different for everyone.  I just think of the term female and male as physical and anatomical and I can't consider myself male right now, so I identify personally with the FTM description because that's my goal.  However, no one can deny that I'm definitely masculine and that part isn't changing, just the physical.   

I don't care about labels. The only ones that mean anything are the ones I assign to myself. Nobody else can tell me who/what I am. That being said, I've never identified as a female (or a lesbian for that matter) either but I understand the fact that I was FAAB obviously. Outside of the internet I don't label myself ftm. I'm a male, period.

Now I am flexible in certain situations (like with the DMV or the fafsa) right now because of the circumstances I am in. Once the rest of my surgeries are completed and I can get everything including my birth certificate legal I'll never admit to being FAAB again.

So, maybe part of the story is that I've never really identified much with my physical body at all. I'm less concerned about physical changes in transition than I am about psychological changes, for example. (Although, I would like a nice beard.) Perhaps there's some mental orientation that influences how we perceive ourselves or identify. Jack, I am not anywhere near the medical world so I appreciate your story, thank you for sharing.

Quote from: Simon on May 27, 2013, 01:05:29 AM
I don't care about labels. The only ones that mean anything are the ones I assign to myself. Nobody else can tell me who/what I am. That being said, I've never identified as a female (or a lesbian for that matter) either but I understand the fact that I was FAAB obviously. Outside of the internet I don't label myself ftm. I'm a male, period.

Now I am flexible in certain situations (like with the DMV or the fafsa) right now because of the circumstances I am in. Once the rest of my surgeries are completed and I can get everything including my birth certificate legal I'll never admit to being FAAB again.

Oh I can relate to that.  I'm FTM right now but once I've transitioned and had the surgery and all the M designations, I'm just going to consider myself male and FTM was like a thing of the past if that makes sense.  Like I went through FTM transition, but now I'm male.  I like the term FTM for the transitioning phase.  I think once you've transitioned it's like you belong somewhat in that label but more as someone who has gone through the FTM process to come out the other end as strictly Male.

End of the day it's like you said.  We don't have to fit in, or agree with/like specific labels but it's part of the process.  I'm not a major fan of 'Gender Identity Disorder' myself.  It doesn't really sit right with me.  I know my gender identity so I don't consider that the disorder, it's my body that's wrong, not how I identify, if you catch my drift.  But I accept it just to kinda move on in the process.  We're all different with what we accept or like :).

Quote from: Jack_M on May 27, 2013, 01:24:09 AM
Oh I can relate to that.  I'm FTM right now but once I've transitioned and had the surgery and all the M designations, I'm just going to consider myself male and FTM was like a thing of the past if that makes sense.

Yeah, I understand that. I'm already at the point where I pass 99% of the time. Going to a gay bar with my gf Wednesday to see one of her friends perform in a drag show...I'll see how that goes. If you can pass 100% in a Queer space then there is no doubt you've made it in that sense.

I only ID as a transguy on Transgender forums or sites. Anywhere else or outside of the internet I just ID myself as just male and always have. I do think I'll never leave trans spaces online or not want to have trans friends. It's always going to be a part of me. It's not something I am ashamed of or run from. I just don't feel the need to wave the flag everywhere I go.

Quote from: Simon on May 27, 2013, 01:41:57 AM
Yeah, I understand that. I'm already at the point where I pass 99% of the time. Going to a gay bar with my gf Wednesday to see one of her friends perform in a drag show...I'll see how that goes. If you can pass 100% in a Queer space then there is no doubt you've made it in that sense.

I only ID as a transguy on Transgender forums or sites. Anywhere else or outside of the internet I just ID myself as just male and always have. I do think I'll never leave trans spaces online or not want to have trans friends. It's always going to be a part of me. It's not something I am ashamed of or run from. I just don't feel the need to wave the flag everywhere I go.

Yeah, I don't wave the transgender flag myself.  I won't be able to be entirely stealth right now because I have IMDb credits that will say (credited as [female name]) so one IMDb search at work and jig is up.  However, I'm looking to go back into engineering (I quit because I couldn't take the idea of dressing in pant suits as a female - yes, that disturbed me enough to quit) and at that point no one need know.

I agree with Simon here.
I personally go by "male," although I know I don't pass IRL.
I won't shove the fact that I was once physically female in someone's face, I'm all about stealth. Of course, there's always the fact that you have family and friends who will know about my past, and I can't change the fact that they will refer to me as an FTM transsexual than an actual male. While it's frustrating, I can live with that. Also, I don't mind having transgendered friends, especially "flamboyant" ones. I would just like it if they don't include me in their antics ;P

Ironically enough, considering my username here, I hate it too. In fact, this was something I mentioned to my Gender Therapist last month: I told her I don't like the label 'female-to-male' because that implies that I was once female... and I've never identified as female.

Rather, I spent far too many years trying to figure out how to be something I'm not by copying the girls and women around me, before throwing in the towel and finding the courage to align my physical appearance with my innate gender so that I can preserve my own sanity.

I'm looking forward to getting rid of as much 'female' stuff as possible, because it was forced upon me without my consent.

I get how you feel, some days it irks me a bit and others I'm fine with it. Like others have said, I believe I'm only FTM while in transition; on my rational days, I look at it as a roadmap. Me as I started, I was known as female presenting clearly female until middle school. The T part is the means to get to my goal, that ever so elusive M. Whether we figured out at 3 or 43 or 83, each of us has a journey to embark on from how we were known (F) to how we want to be known (M). The details within the middle road or the destination are unique to each of us.

I do and I do not have an issue with the stamp of FTM. Frankly, I was never really given a chance to be anything other than what I was told I was or what people perceive me to be until recently. Then I realized that the FTM stamp is for those who lack the creativity or the empathy to understand what it is like to be here. I know that I am a man.

I more identify with being FTM than male as I think I feel a bit more non-binary. I am pretty out as far as being transgender and don't intend on ever going stealth.

--Jay

I actually feel it opposite in a way, that many ftm seams very maculine. some of the FTM only groups I seen are very focused on how long one been on testrostorone, the training the mucles bla bla bla man talk youknow. and then I come and are like.. "wow I should totally do drag and paint my nails"

its the only issue I got with the ftm label. or also people thinking that I might be more of a girl who look like a guy, than a guy who kinda looked abit femenine.

I like calling myself a "Trans man" as opposed to "FTM"

Here's my reasons:

FTM to me is female to male, as in I was once female in the past and will be male in the future. I have a problem with this because it's saying "you're not one or the other" when I am very much one of those. It also says "this is where I'm coming from" which I don't really like. I'd like to be seen as I am now, and who I identify as now. It also emphasizes the idea of always being in transition, which I feel kind of complete in many ways. It also means that there's a point A and point B, sort of seems like a clear cut point A and clear cut point B. Possibly with an emphasis on gonads/genitals and surgery instead of how you feel.

Trans man to me is simple and explains everything easily. There's a space between "trans" and "man" since I use "trans" as an adjective to describe the type of man I am. It doesn't mention anything about who I might've been, or am going to be. I feel that transman/trans-man would also be a word used to mean a different kind of gender, maybe somebody who identifies their gender as primarily as trans and secondarily as a man.

I dislike all labels.  I'm male. Period.  That's what I want people to see, that's how I identify and have identified my whole life.  I want to forget I was forced to live as F for the vast majority of my life.  I was a fraud, I was not happy, even though some good came out of it (my kids).  I do have a good family for the most part but they, like me, were also clueless.

So yeah.  It also turns out I'm likely (or was) intersex.  not that it has any bearing on my trans-ness (at least I don't think it does, but who knows).


Jay

Quote from: sneakersjay on May 27, 2013, 06:53:53 PMIt also turns out I'm likely (or was) intersex.  not that it has any bearing on my trans-ness (at least I don't think it does, but who knows).

I've been thinking about this. Doesn't it seem possible that if your intersex condition was caused by, say, too much T in the womb, your transness could have sprung from the same cause? After all, the fetal brain is very sensitive to hormones in the womb, or so I've read.

I don't like the FTM label myself, and I haven't for a long time--although I do use it. Calling myself female in any capacity--past, present, or future--just doesn't seem to fit me. But the term is clearly better than "female transsexual."

I just prefer male. If I have to admit to my unusual origins, I prefer the term "trans," without anything added on.

I don't really like it, but at the same time, I really only use labels to find more people like me, so it's not a bad thing, either.  When I meet new people, I try to come off as just a male so I don't get questions about what I am... and if I do get questions, I'll say I'm a guy.  With people I already know, who are probably going to see me as a female no matter what I tell them, I really don't care what labels they use for me as long as they're not female. 

The words I tend to use the most applying to myself are "transguy" and "trans". I might use ftm but I wouldn't say (aloud) female to male. Funny how these terms seem to hit us different ways. I don't like trans-man but I think it's only because it rhymes. LOL


--Jay

I dont have a problem with the term female to male.

Because I know I was born in a female body, it is just the technical term for it, now I DO have a big problem with the term girl, or woman, because that is a more social term.  So if someone were to say I used to be a girl, or used to be a woman, I always either feel very uncomfortable, or I correct them and say.. no, I used to be female not a woman or a girl.

Quote from: Elijah on May 28, 2013, 12:31:01 AM
I dont have a problem with the term female to male.

Because I know I was born in a female body, it is just the technical term for it, now I DO have a big problem with the term girl, or woman, because that is a more social term.  So if someone were to say I used to be a girl, or used to be a woman, I always either feel very uncomfortable, or I correct them and say.. no, I used to be female not a woman or a girl.

This! Yeah, beginning my transition I'm fine with being considered anatomically and physically female, but I've never been a girl or woman and would take offense to being referred to in that sense but not as female. The FTM label for me is technical over mentality. Others have different opinions or interpretations, which is fine, but as a person who has studied anatomy I can't equate female with having anything to do with mentality, to describe that aspect I'd refer to the term femininity. For me, I accept, for example, that I will always be part female because my pelvis is that of a female.  And for me, personally, I find accepting this helps my mentality because bottling up or ignoring something has never worked well for me. I tend to look at it the way I do to acknowledge what this process truly entails and the limitations of it so that I can accept those limitations and plan to cope with it without fear of explosions when I can't bottle it any more. For me, acknowledging that my pelvis will be something I can't do too much about, means any minimisation of accentuated hips through redistributed fat becomes a bonus and something exciting over depression that it's not as male defined as I'd like. Personally, and again, maybe because of the med school side of me, I need this because I know all the anatomical differences so when that is minimised or harder to tell, that will excite me over expecting perfection and being potentially disappointed.

There are plenty of masculine females that are happy with their bodies or just going through the tom boy phase. The difference for me is that they're happy to describe themselves as girls or women, whereas I may be female, but I'm not a woman.

Haven't really thought too much into that? Except on tumblr the term ftm seems to be a fad acronym. Like my dysphoric ass is a trend...NO! I always have had dysphoria and as I grew older it came out as a masculine person who liked women. Always hated the Lesbian word or dyke, I took to stud because men could be studs. I always have had the women I date call me there man or Daddy, Papi, etc. Never anything female related since I was 12 (I'm 21 now). Any who, even before i knew I was trans I did not like being referred to as a female. So FTM is bothersome but I've some what shunned the thought of me once being a female yet I'm not super ew gross dont say that cause the point blank f'in truth is, I was dropped off into a female body, not saying I'm a female but truth is, it is what it is and thats why I'm transitioning to where I should of been dropped. Labels are social construction crap and I'm a status quo rebel I guess. I'd love to be stealth, I've moved half way across country already and I distanced myself from extended family when I HAD became a "stud" to escape the crap. Only problem is I do music and take it seriously people will see me transition so...my profession in aerospace doesnt matter so much but hell buddy dont label yourself that and be stealth. I plan to be if possible. Your a man for all I know. I'm a man to all you guys.

NOt sure it is a fad acronym, but the use of things like this does go up and down a bit. For instance, transsexual is not used to much in the groups I go to. And when I hear it seems a bit odd. But I wouldn't say it was a fad term or something. Most of the guys I know personally are not stealth, but I do know people on FB and so on that do not like any of these terms at all.

--Jay

Quote from: Elijah on May 28, 2013, 12:31:01 AM
I dont have a problem with the term female to male.

Because I know I was born in a female body, it is just the technical term for it, now I DO have a big problem with the term girl, or woman, because that is a more social term.  So if someone were to say I used to be a girl, or used to be a woman, I always either feel very uncomfortable, or I correct them and say.. no, I used to be female not a woman or a girl.

I agree with Elijah. I was female bodied and now my body is almost completely male, so FTM is useful for describing that. I wouldn't like to be thought of as someone who was once a girl/woman and now is a man, as that's not accurate.

It's not that I identify with the FTM label, I wouldn't refer to myself as that. I identify mostly as just a guy, or trans guy if it's relevant. But even though it's not how I choose to identify myself, I still see how it could be useful for describing me in some situations and don't mind the term.

Quote from: sneakersjay on May 27, 2013, 06:53:53 PM
I dislike all labels.  I'm male. Period.  That's what I want people to see, that's how I identify and have identified my whole life.  I want to forget I was forced to live as F for the vast majority of my life. 

I feel the same way.

I don't really hate it because at least I know there's a name for the condition I have so it's not just me.

I don't mind FTM. I used to live as a F and did for the majority of my life. I cannot deny that. It was my life for 25 years. I now identify as male and will for the rest of my life. But if people ask I say I'm male not FTM. I don't make a big deal out of it.

I have always been male,in mind and soul (my opinion on the soul part) but for me,i only had to change my body to match everything else.i dont see myself as a FtM but a *Man* and i choose not to release that to anyone,aka i would rather live stealth but thats just me.I dont accept labels and never will.They can cause alot of un-needed heart ache and misunderstandings.Along the fact that it *can-depending on how its taught and learned* it can lead to stronger biased feelings toward the community.Of course i wouldnt deny this fact to anyone and am very proud that i found who i really am and will do whatever it takes to achieve that but i refuse labels myself and those are my personal feelings in it.I dont feel that the label is to *feminine* or *soft* i personally feel that it is a label created by a community to know *how to address the situation* but like i said,thats just me.I may have been born in the wrong body but i wont live in its shadow or be known as someone *who changed* and not for who i really am.

Quote from: Malachite on May 28, 2013, 05:35:35 PM
I don't really late it because at least I know there's a name for the condition I have so it's not just me.

"Female to male" is not a condition.  If anything it's the description of the transition process, from female to male.  If you want to get technical the condition is transsexualism or gender identity disorder (soon to be gender dysphoria).

Quote from: wheat thins are delicious on May 28, 2013, 06:15:42 PM
"Female to male" is not a condition.  If anything it's the description of the transition process, from female to male.  If you want to get technical the condition is transsexualism or gender identity disorder (soon to be gender dysphoria).

k

When I mean fad term on tumblr, I mean guys that are adopting FTM who are not FTM. whom may give FTMs a bad name. Whole different environment on Tumblr and looking under the FTM tag is like looking at the FTM men who have the symptoms of gender dysphoria, and the confused lesbians.  I'm not a doctor nor do I have the rights to judge if some one is or is not. There are people lurking under the FTM label who are almost trending into it. So its not so much bothersome but the people who put themselves into something they're not and give general public confusion. 
Ex: A girl/"guy" on tumblr I had gotten cool with had never experienced dysphoria loved being a girl and just felt like she should act male not that she is male, sounds like a masculine women/butch/stud to me who adopted that term incorrectly. I'm a dysphoric guy who feels/is  male. I know there are feminine trans men/ cis men because femininity and female do not have to coexist or masculinity and male. I'd be ignorant to follow those social constructions.

I feel like those labels FTM trans should not matter in day to day life unless, telling a partner or a physician before the check up. You will soon/ or do mark male on paper not x out "or" and sketch in a "T" on the paper and mark both...so brother dont let it irritate because your male not a subgender.
(sorry for the rambles and horrid spelling/punctuations lol I'm dead tired.

There's really only one label that I've ever had someone try to push on my that I absolutely hated. That term is transmasculine. I dislike that term; it makes it seem as if we're dealing with the sociological definition of gender. Being trans is a lot more than wearing "boy" clothes and getting a "boy" haircut. Ugh, I hate it when people try to associate being trans with gender roles.

I don't have a problem with FtM. Why? Because my biological sex was female. As much as I wish I wasn't, I can't delude myself into thinking that I wasn't born with female parts. Now, however, I'm on hormones. My body is adjusting itself, becoming male. And eventually, I'll have top and bottom surgery, to fix my body even more. And by doing that, I did go from female to male, physically. That's actually why I like the term transsexual over transgender. This has never been about gender - my gender identity has always been the same, and my gender expression is irrelevant. It's completely about my body's sex.

Of course, my brain's sex has always been male. I've never been female in that aspect. But, my body had to catch up to my brain and that's why the term FtM fits.

Quote from: Sebb on May 28, 2013, 06:36:22 PM
There's really only one label that I've ever had someone try to push on my that I absolutely hated. That term is transmasculine. I dislike that term; it makes it seem as if we're dealing with the sociological definition of gender. Being trans is a lot more than wearing "boy" clothes and getting a "boy" haircut. Ugh, I hate it when people try to associate being trans with gender roles.

I don't have a problem with FtM. Why? Because my biological sex was female. As much as I wish I wasn't, I can't delude myself into thinking that I wasn't born with female parts. Now, however, I'm on hormones. My body is adjusting itself, becoming male. And eventually, I'll have top and bottom surgery, to fix my body even more. And by doing that, I did go from female to male, physically. That's actually why I like the term transsexual over transgender. This has never been about gender - my gender identity has always been the same, and my gender expression is irrelevant. It's completely about my body's sex.

Of course, my brain's sex has always been male. I've never been female in that aspect. But, my body had to catch up to my brain and that's why the term FtM fits.

Word! lol I agree 100% with that.

Quote from: Sebb on May 28, 2013, 06:36:22 PM
There's really only one label that I've ever had someone try to push on my that I absolutely hated. That term is transmasculine. I dislike that term; it makes it seem as if we're dealing with the sociological definition of gender. Being trans is a lot more than wearing "boy" clothes and getting a "boy" haircut. Ugh, I hate it when people try to associate being trans with gender roles.

Trans masculine is problematic in more ways than one.

It's amazing how many people over think this stuff. It's really only as complicated as you want it to be. It's really online for most of us anyways. I mean when you meet someone do you present yourself as a man or as a transman? Would you say "Hi, I'm (name) and I'm a masculine binary identified female to male transsexual"? Uh, more than likely no.

Online though everyone seems to want to shove everyone in nice neat little boxes on the gender spectrum. Why does it matter? All of us are different in more ways than one. We just all have this one common starting point that is really a very unfortunate thing.

In real life I'm Simon (obviously male/obviously masculine) and that's all I need.

Quote from: wheat thins are delicious on May 28, 2013, 06:15:42 PM
"Female to male" is not a condition.  If anything it's the description of the transition process, from female to male.  If you want to get technical the condition is transsexualism or gender identity disorder (soon to be gender dysphoria).

I'm not trying to say what you are saying is invalid, because you're right, but I do see how it can be seen as a condition. I myself call it a condition, not from a psychological standpoint, but from a physical stand point. At the moment, I am in a condition, a situation, a circumstance, where my body doesn't match my mind or how I identify. But that's just my outlook on things. Everyone is entitled to their opinion.

Quote from: Simon on May 28, 2013, 07:57:14 PM
Why does it matter?

It matters in certain contexts. If we're discussing privilege/oppression and gender politics, talking about being cis or trans does make a huge difference. There's certain things that we experience that cis people don't, and when we're talking about them, it's important to make the distinction. Usually you can just say "man" because that would be correct. If you identify as a man, be you cis or trans you're still a man. Cis and trans are just adjectives that describe the kind of man you are just as black, white, gay, straight, tall, short are all descriptors for types of men.

Quote from: Simon on May 28, 2013, 07:57:14 PM
It's amazing how many people over think this stuff. It's really only as complicated as you want it to be. It's really online for most of us anyways. I mean when you meet someone do you present yourself as a man or as a transman? Would you say "Hi, I'm (name) and I'm a masculine binary identified female to male transsexual"? Uh, more than likely no.

Online though everyone seems to want to shove everyone in nice neat little boxes on the gender spectrum. Why does it matter? All of us are different in more ways than one. We just all have this one common starting point that is really a very unfortunate thing.

In real life I'm Simon (obviously male/obviously masculine) and that's all I need.

You're right, in a sense.

But you have to understand that we have those terms for a reason. Is this something that is used on a day to day basis? No. Just like people don't need to know our entire life's story when they meet us. But we need terms like FtM and transsexual and so on as a quick reference. If I go to a new doctor (assuming they're LGBT friendly) and say "I'm FtM," then they will know how to treat me from that. They'll know that I have certain health risks that biologically sexed men don't have. For instance, I could potentially get ovarian cancer or cervical cancer. They wouldn't know that if I didn't tell them my trans status (or, at least, the wouldn't if I had my gender marker and name legally changed).

Generally just being me works the same. Or just using the word "male" if I need to. But there is a point where some of us do need certain labels just to navigate things easier.

Quote from: Sebb on May 28, 2013, 09:02:28 PM
If I go to a new doctor (assuming they're LGBT friendly) and say "I'm FtM," then they will know how to treat me from that.

Not always the case.  Not all doctors are knowledgeable of trans people and how to treat them and some are downright ignorant and transphobic.

Quote from: Sebb on May 28, 2013, 09:02:28 PMBut there is a point where some of us do need certain labels just to navigate things easier.

It may make it easier to navigate some things, but only if others in that situation (like the doctor in your for instance) are knowledgeable and accepting.

Quote from: Sebb on May 28, 2013, 09:02:28 PM
If I go to a new doctor (assuming they're LGBT friendly) and say "I'm FtM," then they will know how to treat me from that. They'll know that I have certain health risks that biologically sexed men don't have.

Going to a health professional is a different matter and something I deal with often. However, I only acknowledge that I am trans to a very select group of doctors. If I'm going to the doc because I have a sinus infection it has nothing to do with being trans.

What I am saying is the majority of this is just for online identification we use on each other. There are very few cis people who are going to understand what we're talking about. We label each other far more than cis gender society labels us when it comes to trans labels.

Quote from: wheat thins are delicious on May 28, 2013, 09:15:38 PM
Not always the case.  Not all doctors are knowledgeable of trans people and how to treat them and some are downright ignorant and transphobic.

It may make it easier to navigate some things, but only if others in that situation (like the doctor in your for instance) are knowledgeable and accepting.

Note that I said LGBT friendly and not LGB friendly. I'm aware that there are some doctors that are transphobic. I'm saying, if I go to a doctor and I know they're trans friendly, it's a lot easier to just say "I'm ftm" then to go on about my whole life's story just so I can get a pap smear or whatever.

Well I do know people IRL and elsewhere who do identify with transmasculine. I find the term a bit "clinical" but maybe useful. I don't know anybody IRL who isn't really FTM or whatever. But there are probably posers on tumblr. It's a good place to pose. :)
Anyway the people I know are maybe genderqueer (or whatever term you want to use here). They are maybe more androgynous but identify more masculinely. Some of them will get top surgery and take low dose T and some will definitely not. There are also people who have struggled a bit with their identity and in my case, now that I know what the terms are, have definitely done this. I see some of them, I think they may transition at some point, but they use the transmasculine to kind of rest at a point where they can think things over. This was my situation. I used the term "ftm lite". But I am pretty sure there may be people who are not in either of these situations.

BTW, I used the ftm thing today with a pharmacist who was just too darned confused with why I was getting both T and also a female type product. He was starting to call me Miss. I said, I was Jay and that I was a female to male transgender person. They are very trans friendly there but they definitely needed help to get it.


--Jay