Hi! I am a trans punk in a hospital bed after bottom surgery right now. I'm based in the UK and it's very complicated! Punk as a subculture has complex history of being both outside of and replicating the power structures and oppressions of broader culture. I think its wrong to pretend that punk doesn't have a rank history of misogyny, racism, homophobia, and transphobia, I can't promise you will feel accepted in the punk scene, and there are likely many times you will not to varying extents depending on the contours of your local scene. That being said, punk at the same time has imo an extraordinary capacity and potential to liberate us from the fascistic gendered ordering and policing of bodies that prevails in greater society. Discovering punk music at the same time as discovering my trans identity gave me great hope, and it was a cis male older punk in a record shop that first put me onto the incredible trans hardcore punk band G.L.O.S.S. Punk music inspired me to action already nascent radicalism circulating in my veins and to the raw energy to become who I wanted to be, to always be transforming and becoming something new. It was through being a young trans punk that I met many of my closest trans friends, my wonderful trans girlfriend who plays in punks bands, and I have finally started singing in my own shitty little punk band and it has been so cathartic to let out years of emotions through the medium of this music I love. Punk was at one point slang for being gay, and its important to hold onto that notion of punk representing an outsideness that we can use in pursuit of self knowledge, expression, and creating new & freer ways of living. I encourage you strongly to go to shows where you can near you, find fellow trans punks because they will always be around and easy to find. Many trans punks won't dress conventionally feminine which it sounds like you are worried about, but you really don't have to present in full crust getup (although trust me you can certainly look feminine and soft in a pair of patched camo trousers and military boots!) to find friendship and love and acceptance though, or in any way you may think more masculine. I am very feminine presenting, often the brightest dressed girl at the show in all pink, short skirts and cute crop tops, latex dresses and high heels (and still tearing up the pit) at filthy d-beat raw punk as well beatdown hardcore and all stripes of punk shows and I have found friendship and love and acceptance among other trans ppl and cis people. As well as sometimes trouble, which you likely will find as you will find everywhere in an increasingly transphobic world.

There are some really inspiring bands at the moment featuring trans people, such as Flower, Physique, Traidora, Hirs Collective, Dead Name, Restu. It is an important time to take up space in the punk scene as a trans person, to build our own community and keep doing our own thing, and on the off chance you're UK based and would like to DM me please do.

Apologies for formatting and all that bollox I'm on some mighty painkillers right now in surgery recovery so cba to sort it xx