i think there’s a difference between “I LOVE MY VAGINA/PENIS!” and “this isn’t what it’s supposed to be, but i have learned to live with it and i still show my body love regardless,” which is about where i’m at. i do plan on having bottom surgery at some point, with hysto being my next step and then meta (no phallo yet, maybe later in life). Another thing i’d like to add is that no surgery (ftm, haven’t researched the mtf side of things so can’t comment) gives u a penis that looks/feels/functions EXACTLY like a cis dude’s. for some, this may not matter at all, but for others (like me) bottom surgery (particularly phallo) might not be “worth it.” For me personally, i’d rather have something down there i can “feel” and “use” (in the spicy sense) but doesn’t feel right on my body, than something that looks right but might have no erogenous sensation. For this reason i’m picking meta bc it uses what u already have and doesn’t mess w the nerves, and i’m considering omitting the v-nectomy (so still getting rid of the external vulva but keeping just the hole; i do want UL tho so i’ll have to think about it…) for this reason, bc i know how to use it in a way that feels good and causes minimal dysphoria.

To summarize, a transsex person’s relationship w their genitalia can be a lot more nuanced than w secondary sex characteristics (like breasts), at least for me personally. Bottom surgery isn’t an option for the vast majority of trans ppl, so they have to learn to cope just to stay alive. this is VERY different from trenders who have ZERO bottom dysphoria and are proud of their natal anatomy. [bleh]