As non-passing FTMs society ignores us, yet as passing FTMs we "don't exist" as trans people? Is that good or bad?

I think it'll help me answer your question if I tell a story about what happened to me last Saturday.

I was stuck in the CBD of my city (Auckland, New Zealand) late at night for around an hour waiting for a train. I was going home after a birthday party (which was fantastic, mind you.) We have a huge problem with drinking and the culture surrounding alcohol here in New Zealand but that night was particularly bad. Massive fights were breaking out that night that lead to quite a few people going to the hospital. It was so bad it made the six o'clock news. Anyway, I was stuck in the middle of it. God damn, I was really fucking scared. The worst part was when I went to a McDonald's bathroom. I decided the safer option was using the men's. In hindsight, no matter how uncomfortable it was I should have just stayed out.

So the bathroom was packed with drunk, aggressive dudes. Since I've been on HRT for 10 months I'm not all that strong and I'm very androgynous. I went for the urinal because the line for the stall was packed and I just wanted to pee and get out of there. So I went up, got my thing out and tried to pee. A mix of performance anxiety and dysphoria from handling my genitals meant I was trying for a solid 20 seconds and couldn't get anything out. The drunk people waiting behind me started to get really rowdy. Then someone pointed out my androgyny. I was worried they'd figure out I'm trans or start groping me or something worse so I just gave up and left as quickly as possible. That night was really scary for me.

So, to answer your question. I want to be invisible because of situations like that. I'd prefer it if no one knew about my trans status. Heck, I'd take someone misgendering me over figuring out I'm trans, because sometimes someone figuring out you're trans can be dangerous.

/r/asktransgender Thread