How Do We (Show That WE) Care — as Men?

What does it mean for me to be “a man” in comparison to someone I know being “a woman”? It means a lot, and at the same time it can mean nothing. Growing up I felt isolated from others — very alone. In significant ways it might have been similar if I had been a girl child, though I’ll never really know.

I remember when I first started developing pubic hair and entered teenage life as a boy. I would guess that it was significantly different from having a period and breasts growing as girls experience life. Others must have seen me, judging me by how old they…