Feeling “left behind” in a single-sex friend-group
Several women describe watching every female friend disappear into transition at university. One says, “I’m the only ‘girl’ left in my whole year… I feel like the last unicorn” – LostLesbian source [citation:1]. The sudden shift can make the remaining person question their own identity simply because they are now the only one still living as female. The loneliness, not an inner truth, often sparks the doubt.

Social rewards for saying “I’m trans too”
People notice that peers who come out receive instant praise, new nicknames, and a ready-made community. A 17-year-old girl recalls, “When I announced I was trans my friends all cheered… I’d never felt so popular” – FormerTucute source [citation:2]. That warm welcome can look like a cure for ordinary teenage insecurity, even though the underlying discomfort was never about gender to begin with.

Online spaces that turn questioning into a group game
Discord servers and Tumblr circles repeatedly ask members, “Still cis, huh?” until the joke feels like pressure. One young woman writes, “Every day someone would post ‘egg_irl’ memes at me… after a month I just said ‘okay, I’m trans’ to stop the spam” – NoMoreEgg source [citation:3]. The meme frames normal gender non-conformity as proof of a hidden trans identity, nudging people toward a medical path instead of celebrating the simple freedom to be a masculine girl or a feminine boy.

Fear of losing the people you love most
When an entire friend-group has already transitioned, the last person often worries that staying female will break the bond. “I thought if I didn’t transition they’d see me as a ‘cis outsider’ and cut me off” – AnxiousAlly source [citation:4]. Choosing transition to protect friendships is less about authentic identity and more about the very human need to belong.

Realising the discomfort was never gender-deep
After stepping back, many describe the same epiphany: the problem was body-image anxiety, trauma, or homophobia, not an innate male identity. “I wasn’t trans; I was a lesbian who hated her breasts because the world sexualised them” – HappyButch source [citation:5]. Therapy, women’s support groups, and creative outlets let them reclaim womanhood on their own terms—no hormones required.

If you are the last one still living as your birth sex, remember: friendship should never demand a new identity. Feeling different from a transitioning circle is not evidence that you are “really a man”; it is evidence that you are a gender non-conforming woman in a group that has chosen medical answers for ordinary human pain. Seek spaces that celebrate masculine girls, feminine boys, and every blend in between. Talk to a therapist who understands social contagion, explore body-neutral mindfulness, and let your natural personality shine without labels. You can keep every bond that is real, and you can make new ones, simply by being proudly yourself.