Vim all the way!!

Not the OP, but if you are soliciting opinions...

For me it's the fact that nobody really believes us when we talk about our issues or even the things we personally experience. Even well meaning people, even friends, immediately assume that we are exaggerating or imagining things when we talk, or assume they know better about what is or is not harmful to us.

Like the obvious hateful transphobes are one thing. But getting that attitude from people one knows personally is tiring and more than a little scary.

For me, the hardest part is trying to figure out where I belong. In Viet culture, at a party, the guys hang with the guys, and the girls with the girls. Even when I put a full face on, I never feel like I am one of the girls. It doesn’t help that everyone knew me before I came out. So I don’t fit in anywhere. It’s lonely. My sister Chi Man tries to help, but I am usually the odd one out. This has been going on for years now, so I have tried to make peace with it. This is a lonely life. With that said, I do not regret my decision to live as the person I am meant to be.

All I need in this life is my son and my best friend. That is enough for me.

Mac on the laptop + Linux on the server = pure heaven.

Hold up, are we talking about those knee high socks that don’t match with any clothing what-so-ever??

That is a great question!

I need to preface this by saying that my entire friend group is Viet.

In Viet culture, male and female roles are explicitly defined. That means that, generally, the girls hang with the girls, and the guys hang with the guys.

The weirdest part is kind of sad. I don’t fit in with the girls because I am not feminine enough, and the guys try to grab my tits as a joke. I don’t belong anywhere.

My best friend, Chi Man is the one that helps me stay grounded to this earth.

Otherwise, it’s the usual contract custodian doesn’t get a good look at me, so they warn me about going into the men’s room at work (where I was specifically told to go )

I am a huge fan of AbroadInJapan. I’d be really curious to try the night train!

Gotta be totally honest…The last console game I played seriously was COD WWll. Shipment was the tits until hackers got in. These days, I am as casual as 2048. Though, depressive episodes (thanks, bipolar 2), take most joy away from me. If my mind worked right, i don’t even know what game I’d like to play. Maybe Zelda, since the last one I played was ocarina of time on 64 about 22 years ago.

That’s a great question!

Transitioning left me with a tiny “dating” pool. Most of my “dates” were with chasers on Grindr or Taimi.

Except for the 2 sexual assaults, I’ve been fine with serving my purpose. After the 2nd rape, though, I gave up on casual encounters and dating in general. I haven’t had an actual relationship with anyone in about 7 years.

I will likely never meet someone who likes me for me. It took me YEARS to accept this difficult truth. It contributes to my depressive episodes all of the time.

I’d rate myself as a 6/10 on a good day. It’s just really hard to find guys that are interested in me beyond the fetish that they see. It’s easier to give up.

So there was this guy, named Stokes. And, in 1966, pick up sticks, he proved that it was actually better to leave the bottle of ketchup upside-down. Pretty sure he won the Noble Prize, plus American Idol for that discovery.

Not OP, but gender identity is a real biological thing that is linked to brain chemistry. Gender expression is the social construct. Sex is your body phenotype, which correlates to your genotype.

I cannot tell you, obvs. My perspective is as a MTF trans person, so bear that in mind.

For me, my exgirlfriend point-blank asked me: Do you think you are a girl? Suddenly most of my life made sense. I said: Maybe?

Are you trans? I cannot tell you. What I can tell you is this: find a therapist. Find a omeone you feel safe with talking about your identity. Will they be able to tell you? No. But they can help you navigate this field.

I wish you luck!

Do not be afraid of discovering that you are not trans. It’s ok! You have a community within the LGBTQ folks, no matter what. Listen to your heart.

This will probably sound lame, but what turns me on is a man who is actively interested in spending time with me. Someone who wants to take me out to his favorite restaurant. Things like that.