Difference between masculine and male identified?

[atomiczombie]

I think you should go with what makes you comfortable when it comes to your ID. No one has a right to tell you who you are, that is up to you to decide.

For me, male is a lot more than what's between my legs. It's what's between my ears. I do experience gender as separate from the physical equipment one was born with. In that sense, male to me is a gender. I don't feel like a woman, and never did. I grew up feeling wrong in my body and knew it from a very young age. As a small kid, I knew I belonged with the boys as school, and had nothing (beyond having a vagina) in common with other little girls. When I told my mother that I wanted to be a boy, she told me I was a girl and that was that and I had to accept it. I resigned myself to that and was miserable for many years of my life. Coming out as a butch lesbian in my early 30s was great, but it still didn't quite feel right. I just know inside that I am male. I knew it as a kid, and I have finally come back to that truth now. That is my story. For me, there is definitely a big difference between being a woman-identified butch and a transguy. My lesson learned in my personal journey is to be true to myself and be aware that I am on a journey of self-discovery. I hope this helps a little.