I’ve always known I wasn’t “normal” but I was a child in the 90s so trans women were punchlines and I had no idea trans men were even a thing, and there was no path forward as a trans kid back then. I heard about intersex conditions in elementary school and I’d hoped puberty would go differently for me (because, even if I hadn’t fully pieced it together, I knew on some level I didn’t feel like my AGAB), it didn’t. I fought with my parents to let me cut my hair short in middle school and lost (and in hindsight I regret not grabbing a pair of scissors and doing it myself). In high school I realized I was bi and quietly started exploring proto-non-binary identities like androgyne. I briefly identified as a butch lesbian from 19-23, then at 23 realized I’m a bisexual trans man. That was over a decade ago now and while I’m still figuring out some of the specifics (I might be gray ace and trans masc non-binary) I’m mostly set on the big picture stuff and transitioning was the best decision I’ve ever made in my life - testosterone completely cured the suicidal ideation I’d struggled with since the wrong puberty. My only regret is not being able to figure things out and transition earlier.

That said, trans people who haven’t always known are still valid.