The saddest quote I have ever seen and a plea

[Upfront]

The saddest quote about non acceptance that I have  ever seen was on the The back cover of a paperback. Apologies to anyone in case it is copyright -I cannot remember the title but the quote  was worthwhile memorising. 

"Who am I ?
I am afraid to tell you who I am because you may not like who I am and.......
It's all I  have got "

There are possibly, maybe probably, guys out there lurking unknown or perhaps even posting for a while for who the quote is true at least to some degree. 
Can I say this site is probably a 99.9% safe site  - as good as anywhere gets. If you need to get something off your chest (!!) or some support in addition to a bra, this is the place .
Do yourself a favour .

[Johndoe1]

I think this is just about all of us. While I am more open in general than I used to be, there's still only a small number of certain people, and even that's divided as well, that I can say I am truly "open with" and amazingly it's all women, not men.

[Upfront]

It is not so amazingly  mainly  women John.

When women meet for a chat that is exactly what they have in mind: meaningful talk, leisurely,  often over coffee and often encompassing a wider conversation. 
On the  other hand men have in mind a gregarious get together down the pub in between shots on the pool table, fuelled by alcohol.
If ever in need of  real talk and wise counsel I would seek out a woman friend every time.
Very  few people are prepared to listen by my definition of listening.  I have some training in being  a listener and the prime skill is not to begin to even think about what your response may be until the other person finishes talking

[Johndoe1]

I too have found the wisest council to be from women friends. My men friends just get me into trouble 

I have always enjoyed being in the company of women more than men. And to those few who know, we have a relationship more akin to women to women. It's a wonderful way to be. 

[gotgyne]

This is much too one-sided in my opinion. I told a female colleague about my bra wearing and she had nothing other to do than to ask my wife why she didn't get a divorce. Even my wife says that she much more likes the companion of male coworkers than female, since a lot of them are malicious.
John

[42CSurprise!]

"Who am I ?
I am afraid to tell you who I am because you may not like who I am and.......
It's all I  have got "

Any person with trauma in their history will find themselves expressing an opinion about themselves quite similar to this.  Bad things happen and invariably the trauma survivor will believe it was THEIR fault.  Traumas come in many sizes, so it doesn't take much for a child to believe there is something wrong with him or her.  Of course, having breasts developing when a boy is an adolescent will not instill confidence... it will instill confusion and shame.  Every difference is occasion for derision when one is young.  This is one of the reasons why self-acceptance is essential AND, for many of us, so very difficult.  How can something about which we've felt shame our whole life suddenly become a source of pleasure?  The fact that most men here speak about dressing modestly suggests few of us are celebrating our endowment every place we visit in the world.  I'm happy to wear a form fitting turtleneck at home but you won't find me wearing one in public without a shirt that conceals my voluptuous breasts.

I was musing this morning about the question whether there is a difference between men here who HAVE breasts and are enjoying them... and men on crossdressing websites who don't have breasts but long for them.  We can argue that all we're doing is making the best of a situation we didn't choose... though some men have admitted they wouldn't mind if their breasts were bigger.  Clearly there is something about breasts that captivates men... whether they have them or not.  Those captivated who don't WANT them for themselves likely are enjoying healthy testosterone, while men who have them or want them for themselves likely have diminished testosterone... with or without breast development.  Obviously, there are many paths one can take to explore these matters.  Men here are doing so... talking about brassieres... sharing photos of our breasts and our brassieres... supporting one another in finding acceptance of the breasts we have.  Definitely a fascinating journey.

[42CSurprise!]

This is much too one-sided in my opinion. I told a female colleague about my bra wearing and she had nothing other to do than to ask my wife why she didn't get a divorce. Even my wife says that she much more likes the companion of male coworkers than female, since a lot of them are malicious.
John

Absolutely right on!  While I've always felt much more comfortable spending time with women, I've no doubt that the positive response I receive is often rooted in a subtle form of flirtation.  There will never be a competition with these women... something that often happens between women and between men.  Of course, when I shared with four women friends I met with twice a month for many years, about wearing a brassiere, two were very curious and two wanted to hear nothing about it.  After our Zoom meeting came to an end, the two who were interested hung around and I lifted my tee shirt and showed them.  One blurted out "You've got boobs!"  I said "Yes, I do."  The other woman knows my whole trauma history and about crossdressing I did when I was younger.  She has no judgment and remains a very dear friend.  Of course, I don't intend to involve her in my exploration.  That isn't what our relationship is all about.  I reserve those conversations for this website.

[Charli 💕]

"Who am I ?
I am afraid to tell you who I am because you may not like who I am and.......
It's all I  have got "

It's worse to open up to the one person that you think you can open up to only to be told how disgusting and despicable you are. It teaches you to never truly open up ever again. 

It leave you feeling less than human.
Charli 💔

[Justagirl💃]

"Who am I ?
I am afraid to tell you who I am because you may not like who I am and.......
It's all I  have got "

It's worse to open up to the one person that you think you can open up to only to be told how disgusting and despicable you are. It teaches you to never truly open up ever again.

It leave you feeling less than human.
Charli 💔

Been there, and much of that was because of physical changes I had no control over. 

I had to tell her, "this is me, not much else I can do about it."

She had to make her choices from there, and unfortunately it no longer included me.