Was Brandon a true transsexual?

Before you jump down my throat, hear me out, and note that I am in NO way stating that true transsexualism doesn't exist; I absolutely believe that it does. But for a number of reasons, I'm not sure Brandon fits the bill.

Firstly, most trans people feel from a very young age that they are "trapped in the wrong body", and their behavior reflects this. Brandon, however, did not exhibit any trans behavior, from what I've read, until he was about 14 and a girl mistook him for a boy on the telephone and he decided to see if he could get away with it. That was when the cross-dressing started. (Note: yes, he was referred to as a "tomboy" as a child, but being a tomboy means little; my cousin was a tomboy to the extent that she had a male nickname, and she is wholly heterosexual.)

We also know that Brandon was molested as a child, and that the experience left him terrified of being viewed or touched sexually by a man. Logic might suggest that if you can pass yourself off as male, most males wouldn't be interested in you sexually, therefore disguising his biological gender contained an element of self-preservation.

Brandon's sister also stated that Brandon hated lesbians and was horrified at the idea of people seeing him as one. Growing up in such a conservative area, where homosexuality was so deeply disparaged, it is quite understandable for a naive, gay female to see the only real solution as becoming male, and therefore, straight, aka "normal".

Ultimately, it doesn't really matter, because it was his right to live as male if he chose to do so (although lying to and deceiving people the way he did was another matter, but that's for a different thread), and he did not deserve what happened to him regardless of the circumstances. I just have my doubts as to whether he was truly a transsexual in the sense that most trans people are.

Saying "I apologize" is the same as saying "I'm sorry." Except at a funeral.