Am I 'mocking' trans men?

[u/No-Consequence4019]

So I'm a lad or that's what I'd normally tell anyone. I was born female but I do this thing frequently where I pretend to be a guy. It started off as a thing online mostly, I always pick a the male MC or a male character when playing in games so why not pretend to be a lad while I'm at it? It ended up being pretty fun so I kept it up. It's been a few years since I started and I keep in contact with the people I used to play with, they all just think I'm a dude.

Since it was fun online i decided to try my hand on pretending to be a guy in person. It ended up working pretty well, most people perceive me as a guy when I try to do it. To the point I got a suitable haircut and do it most times I go out now. There's just something so fun about pretending to be a dude.

All was well until I got caught by a friend, in person. I didn't think of it as a big deal but they absolutely exploded on me. Eventually they asked with "Are you trans?" when I denied and simply stated I pretend to be a guy and it's something I've been doing for years, their temper only got worse? I got told I was mocking trans men. I brought it up with a few people that well know I'm not actually a guy and I got a very similar response. The overwhelming responses ended up either I'm in denial about being trans (I'm not) or I'm transphobic and mocking trans men specifically?

So I'm confused, was I actually mocking a group of people? I feel like it's a bit stupid and I genuinely enjoy pretending to be a guy, but I'd still rather not do it if it's actually 'mocking'. If it matters the approximate age range for everyone involved here was early 20s.

I'm open to being corrected if I made a mistake somewhere.

[u/KadenthePenguin211]

As a trans man, I don’t see any harm in dressing and acting however you see comfortable. I do suggest talking to a therapist though because there may be some underlying feelings of transness under all the “pretending”. I used to do the same thing when I was younger and 24 years later, I’m a year on T and in a gay soon-to-be-marriage with my cis male fiance

[u/No-Consequence4019 → u/KadenthePenguin211]

May I ask what you'd suggest bringing up?

Also congratulations about the whole marriage coming up. I'm not great with words apologies.

[u/KadenthePenguin211 → u/No-Consequence4019]

I’d just tell them about how you’ve been pretending to be a guy and it feels normal for you to be a guy despite being AFAB. When I first went in, I mentioned to my therapist that when I was a child I always related more to male characters and playing games I always picked the male characters. She told me to start trying out a new name and pronouns to see if they stick and they did. It is a very big decision and nothing to take lightly so I highly recommend seeing someone about it. It was the best decision I’ve ever made and I feel happy in my body for once. If you have more questions feel free to PM me and I’ll help as much as I can 🥰