While I am not on HRT I can say from my experience that cooking and cleaning are not feminine activities in my eyes.  I have always had a fondness for creating delicious concoctions in the kitchen.  All the women in my wife's family (her included) are terrible cooks.  As far as cleaning we share the responsibility.  It's always been more a matter of practicality.  Many of my guy friends are envious of my cooking skills, just too lazy to learn.

All of these things are simply activities that have been gendered by society. I find it frankly problematic to suggest that hrt makes people more likely to enjoy cleaning or other stereotypically female roles. If I said anything like that to my female friends they'd give me a proper good ear bashing.

When I started transition a couple of people suggested that I get rid of my motorbikes, and just recently a trans woman suggested it wasn't a very 'feminine' thing to be into. I'm not doing all of this to go from one rigid gender role to another, I'm doing it to live a life that's truer to who I am. I'm a trans lesbian who listens to rock music, rides motorbikes, plays video games and drinks real ale. I'm terrible at cooking and my flat is a tip. So there.

I am going to say cooking for family is a nurturing type activity done because you love your family. However saying this nurturing effect is what drives male chefs is a little hard to understand. One, what you do is for love. What male chefs do is for money. I personally love cooking for my kids and they think I am the best cook ever.

I've always enjoyed cooking meals for our family, long before transition. We've pretty much split this in our household over the years. More so lately I'm baking more bread, cookies, and such...It's fun to prepare a meal and have our daughters and their boyfriends come over. They get involved in the kitchen when they visit, and it becomes something we all like to do...

Cynthia -