28/06/12, My Experience of Being a Trans Man

When I‘m open about being trans one of the first questions I get is “Do you have a penis?”. I’ve been asked this more times than I can count, by gay, bi, straight, old and young people. As much as I find it offensive and rude to be asked about what’s in my boxers, it intrigues me every time. I wonder what the fascination is with genitals, why people have this need to know. Unfortunately, 9 times out of 10 it’s so they can define you as ‘real man’ or ‘fake man’. Penis = real man. This continues to boggle my mind as it’s such a small part of a person. It doesn’t define any other person who isn’t trans so why should it define me? Having or not having a penis doesn’t make me any more or less valid than the next person and it exasperates me that my validity in society and as a man relies on my genitals. Continue reading →