I’m in a stage of my physical appearance that I pass as male to everyone I come across. I keep my hair short but even cis men get mistaken for women when they have longer hair so I don’t see my hair as a hindrance like I use to.

I remember how I had so many rules for myself on how I could dress, act, talk, sit, and walk just to try to pass before I started testosterone. It’s been over a year since I had to think about any of that. I’m able to go through life unbothered by the littlest thing such as how my shirt wraps around my chest.

Something that made me finally realize that I’m fully passing is when I saw my senior year photos and my dad’s photos when he was 18. We look nearly identical outside eye color after growing up being told I’m my mother’s twin. Also with his father too, from the old photos that my family managed to have, I resemble him as a grandson and not just as a grandchild. Passing ability is truly the greatest thing for a transsexual to have, not just for social reasons but also for self esteem and familiar ones.