My family would absolutely NOT approve of me transitioning, so I am thinking of taking zinc supplements. I heard that zinc supplements increase the body's testosterone levels, and also help clear up acne (yay!) and help adrenaline bursts! Do they only increase testosterone in biological males? I of course will not exceed the maximum daily dosage.

I hope this doesn't fall under self-medding since zinc is a vitamin supplement. If so, I'm sorry if I have broken any rules.

Wikipedia says: Zinc deficiency lowers testosterone levels but over supplementation has no effect on serum testosterone.

I wouldn't suggest doing any sort of supplements with the intentions of raising T levels without a doctor's supervision. Overall best idea is to take care of your liver and kidneys. Keep your heart in good health with mono and poly unsaturated fats. If your health is in a good position (low blood pressure, cholesterol not being a problem, and no liver and kidney problems) before T then it will be easier to continue that, or maintaining your health when you go on T since T can affect your health.

If you're wanting to make your body appear "more male" in the stereotypical sense, build up muscle in your arms and shoulders. Really the only advice I can give.

Many bodybuilding websites and other sites have said that zinc is directly related with testosterone levels in the body and actually increases them... I'm not how certain how reliable those websites are, I read about it on websites that certainly could be advertising their supplemental zinc product... although I don't necessarily trust Wikipedia either.

I wouldn't bother with it to be honest. Taking zinc as a supplement will not likely give you any notable difference. It won't grow you a beard or redistribute your fat or help you gain muscle, or anything T will do. It really does suck, I know, but there are better baby steps towards transitioning that will produce results that you will feel a lot better about. Trust me. If what you're looking for is muscle, you'd be better off with a whey protein shake after every workout. The effects that you've listed zinc possibly could do (more than likely only in cis males) would really only be effective if you were working out anyways. So yeah, it's probably easy to guess what my suggestion is. Work out! Get into a routine, if you haven't got any equipment do 100 push-ups a day. A protein shake after every workout is optional but will help your muscles rebuild themselves quicker. Working out naturally increases your body's testosterone levels, and it's free. It also releases endorphins which helps to alleviate symptoms of depression and in general put you in a better mood.

I'll mostly echo what other guys have said--- zinc won't do a thing to help you masculinize. Exercise, particularly weight lifting, will help increase your T levels, though, and coupling it with a high-protein, low-carb diet will do the most. Keep your carb intake restricted to the day, and don't eat any carbs or sugar after about 3 pm. Flax seed helps as well--- oil, pills, or seeds themselves. Some herbal/vitamin stores carry supplements that claim to raise T levels, but as with most homeopathic medicine, they're ungrounded claims--- I haven't found any reliable accounts from ftms saying that those work.

Of course, zinc is always good for overall health. As with any vitamin or mineral, though, make sure you're not overdosing yourself on it.