Liking and valuing something that is driving violence in the culture and causing millions of men to suffer isn't a "valid" choice. I'm not looking down at maleness - I'm questioning the blind adherence to a manufactured notion of masculinity that is demonstrably harmful - something that a lot of men are leading the way in questioning. I'm just following their leads.

And, I used to think I liked football because I grew up watching it with my dad, and later went to a big football college. Once I started individuating, and exploring who I actually was, I discovered that I don't actually like football (or any sports ball) all that much.

When you are incessantly bombarded with who you are supposed to be and what you are supposed to do, you may not have a good sense of what is real for you. That's the way our culture works - for us all, not just for guys. That's why I said you need to take about 10 years to actually deprogram from your gender indoctrination and figure out what's real for you minus that. The fact that it feels natural to you speaks to the effectiveness of the brainwashing.

"Masculine culture" has harmed me and every woman I know ongoingly since we were small children, so yeah, there is that aspect, but I'm also the mother of a son. I want him to live in a world that doesn't try to shove him into a box and tell him who he is allowed to be.

Men like and value the unearned privilege that comes with being a guy in an androcentric culture. At the same time, millions of them are killing themselves, abusing substances, and lashing out at other people because the cost of that unearned privilege is steep and isolating.

Your personal expression of maleness might be just dandy, and no problem at all, but given that the cultural qualities of dominance, aggression, "stoicism" and control of women has been "sold" to you your entire existence, it's pretty unlikely that you have completely escaped having at least some of that in your subconscious mind, pulling strings that you aren't even aware of.