[AtLast]

Originally Posted by Converse

Yes during several stages in my life. The first time in my youth when I experienced a severe backlash from the mainstream lesbian community towards Butch/Femme identities and in looking for a place to belong, and escape feelings of isolation, found myself gravitating towards the gay male culture- and because of my involvement in the entertainment industry eventually found that my entire circle of friends were made up of people in varying stages of transition, primarily MTF. The constant “when are you going to choose?” conversations, and “Butch is just pretend” statements that happened within this group, created another type of isolation for me.And then many years later when it felt like the only Femmes left on the planet were to be found walking on the arms of those who had transitioned, that the feeling of isolation (and thoughts of involuntary celibacy) returned and with that the self doubt. In my latter years I actually found it harder to come to terms with- as my earlier experiences had been with those who had fully transitioned and now identified as straight men- an identity that I could never relate to, however when I began to meet those who identified as trans-men and part of the queer community, I thought perhaps…

It was the acceptance of male-identified Butch by the community that finally facilitated my ability to not feel any pressure, from others or within myself, to transition.

WOW-

This is a very powerful post. Thanks.