I asked trans men about their thoughts on masculinity. They feel bad for teenage boys
https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/i-asked-trans-men-about-their-thoughts-on-masculinity-they-feel-bad-for-teenage-boys/ar-AA1GEQKx?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=bae5beef700a4babb8c495020166e915&ei=107
Story by Holly Baxter (17 June 2025)
A couple of decades ago, Aidan Key went on a talk show with his identical twin sister, Brenda. The interview — which was about Aidan's transition and Brenda's parallel life as a woman — went fine, he tells me. "Then they opened it up to the audience for questions," he remembers with a laugh, "and somebody raised their hand and said: 'So, which is better?'"
The question didn't faze him exactly, but did become aware of the atmosphere in the room shifting, almost like there were suddenly "two different cheering sections". Suddenly, everyone was leaning forward, desperate for an answer to the question: girl or boy? Man or woman? When all is said and done, who has the easier ride? The answer to that question, he says, is actually pretty complicated.
There aren't many people like Aidan Key: born in 1964 and raised as a girl alongside Brenda, he transitioned in his early 30s, after becoming a parent. He did so at a time when transgender narratives were rare and trans people were treated like curiosities; there was no mainstream language for what he was going through, and gender-affirming hormone therapy was only provided in very specialized medical settings.
For Aidan, going through that hormone therapy — where his levels of testosterone were gradually increased up to the level usually seen in a cisgender male — was eye-opening.
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This is a very good article about the societal differences transgender men notice during and after transition.
Love always -- Jessica Rose