sam

this week's topic from yan: "Workshop" topic from the Philly Trans Health Conference: Expressing femininity within ftm/masculine spaces or expressing masculinity within mtf/feminine spaces, whichever applies. piggybacking off of this topic: What defines a masculine/feminine/gender neutral space? Is it the general attitude, majority of people, infrastructure, etc.?
i have found that i am able to express my true self (which i categorize as "sam" rather than "feminine" since i think personality should not be gendered, rather it is just who you are) in FTM/trans spaces without feeling the need to "man up" nor any pressure in that regard from the other folks around me. many of my friends are trans and i attend a support group, so these are welcoming environments. prior to knowing other trans people i had a preconception that i would not be fully accepted or i would feel the need to "masculinize" my behavior, but that has definitely not been the case. interesting to hear other's experiences with this.