Short answer to your question in the title - yes.
Two things. First thing, please understand that the main focus of transitioning is for you to be able to function as yourself as much as possible, i.e. as an individual human being - congruent in mind, body and soul.
The only way you're able to do this is to explore and discover yourself, know yourself, and find ways of expressing yourself appropriate (to you) which as you shift from your current gender role to your correct one may need some work.
Second thing, be careful about confusing machismo for masculinity. In many cases they may appear to be the same thing, but the truth is they're two entirely different things.
Machismo can be seen as 'traditional male heterosexual masculinity' which is different from actual masculinity (the real thing), which is considered typical biological behaviour of males.
Machismo is a form of social conditioning which believes in a social hierarchy and oppresses not just homosexual males, women, and of course, anyone who is trans. It also oppresses many heterosexual males.
Machismo is not natural, it is not immutable, and certainly isn't biological.
Forms of oppression include sexist jibes, domestic violence, rape, homophobic and transphobic taunts, and 'queer-bashing' (i.e. physical attacks on gays and people who are trans). It is also the source of toughness and aggression which allows for the social violence of racist attacks, police brutality and torture, and war.
Machismo is a social product of a specific set of culturally constructed ideologies and institutions.
In many societies throughout the world these institutions and ideologies continue to result in male children being raised and socialized quite differently from female children. They tend to be conditioned to see rivalry, toughness, domination and even violence as acceptable and even normal attributes for young boys and 'real' men.
During boyhood these harsh machismo values (presented as 'normal' masculine ones) often become internalized and machismo becomes seen as a routine, legitimate and even desirable mode of male behaviour.
Conversely things such as emotion, sensitivity, gentleness, persuasion and conciliation tend to be looked down on amongst many men. They are frequently depicted within our culture as signs of weakness, typically associated with women and with homosexuals. Men are often criticized for openly displaying such traits.
In such a culture from a very early age many male children learn to be competitive, strong, aggressive and unyielding. The idea that many problems can be ultimately resolved, and quite often should be solved, by threats and violence become etched in their minds.
This social construct of machismo and a mass of aggressive male egos is a prerequisite for oppression along the common lines of gender, sexual orientation, social class, and ethnicity.
A few homosexuals and women also adopt their oppressor's machismo (for example radical feminists) for the exact same reasons.
Radical feminists are not part of the contemporary LGBT movement, which was started by trans folk in the Stonewall riots and reinforced by the S/M Leather Community and further developed by the Gay Liberation Front which sought to reestablish orthodox or actual masculine values. The S/M Leather community promotes values such as brotherhood, honour, pride and integrity.
All forms of oppression are sustained through two conditions.
The first condition is the maintenance of specific economic, political and ideological structures.
The second is on a significant proportion of the population being socialized into the acceptance of harsh masculine values which involve making aggression socially acceptable and the suppression of gentleness and emotion.
In accepting and embracing these values is what makes millions of people - mostly heterosexual males but also some women and homosexuals - able to take part in repressive regimes.
This is what I was alluding to in my previous posting in Lesley Roberta's thread on gender and perception. Transphobia is part of this oppression.
It is important to remember that not all men accept machismo as being acceptable and valid - many rebel and dissent. This is something I discovered during my years as an LGBT activist when I proactively sought the support of heterosexuals for the LGBT community.
You will find another rather large group of similarly oppressed heterosexual men within the BDSM community - usually identifying as male submissives. Some of them face as many difficulties in their relationships and conflicts within their nature as trans folk.
So therefore back to the OP - just focus on being yourself and please don't buy into machismo. You can of course pretend (like many people do) but buying into machismo isn't necessary to define your masculinity.
