how can he be my clone? he signed up like 8 months before me. okay fine, i'll admit it though, im lene321's clone. that was my first acc, and i typed it anyhow cause i just wanted to ask some stuff here and that was it. but kinda enjoyed fooling around here, so i got a more proper name.
anyway, generally FTMs (female to males) are more accepted than MTFs (male to females), because most people think MTFs are sick perverts or whatever, and also we're more commonly associated with prostitutes and all. most successful MTFs are usually quiet about their past, and FTMs arn't really that common.
for FTMs, its sort of easier to pass (not be found out), because the basic form of humans is female (all fetus are female at the start) and that being male is actually a (mutated) form of being female. so its kinda easier to (mutate) into a male, than to reverse the mutation back to female, which is why generally its easier for FTMs (voice, facial/body hair, etc.). unfortunatly some end up as pretty short guys. that day i was out with 3 trans friends (2 MTFs, one FTM), and the 3 of us were 1.7 - 1.8m tall, and he was only 1.6m tall.
for MTFs, your chances of passing decreases as you grow older. but in my opinion, you should be fine as long as you start transitioning before your 21, or better yet, before you even hit puberty. one of my MTF friends has XXY chromosomes, and testerone doesn't really have much effect on her, so she hardly has any male traits at all, and damn shes really gorgeous.
however the downside is that the surgery for FTMs isnt as good as for MTFs. i don't think they're able to experience a proper errection. MTFs on the other hand, are able to experience orgasms like any other girl.
i started at 15, about 3 years after i hit puberty...and i kinda had a higher amount of testerone in me than the normal male, so i kinda developed more male traits than your average 15 year old male. but i still pass very well. i mean, hey, i get like tons of PMs every week from guys asking to add me.

about your friend, im quite sorry to hear what happened. you have to be careful who you tell these kind of stuff too. in sec school i ran a huge risk, because more than 10 of my schoolmates knew about me. fortunatly they never told anyone, except for one blabbermouth who told his friend that i was having some problems then. but fortunatly i was good friends with him too, and i trust them quite alot.