So I got the basic concept that it's a male with female anatomy or vice-versa, but I have some questions. What exactly makes people transgender? If you guys saw the Teen Nick HALO Awards 2013, you would have seen this guy Zachary that was born a female, but then decided to be a male. The question here is when transgender people choose a gender to be, what about their private areas and sexual activities or sexuality? Transgenders and sexuality go hand-in-hand in some things, but obviously not always, which is why I'm making a separate thread for this. So if you were born a male in a female's body and then choose to be a male, I would think you'd have breasts and a vagina because you were born in a female body. However, if you're straight, it would be a bit awkward to have sex with either a male or a female? If you're with a female, which is the opposite gender of yourself, you'd both have the same private areas because you were born with female parts, but if you're with a male, which is the same gender as yourself, you'd have different private areas, but since you're considering yourself a male, then...? As I mentioned, either way, it seems awkward? I'm sorry if I sound weird here, but I don't know a lot about transgenderism and want to get educated on it. :)
Your personal identification is a different matter than what are you atracted to. So if you view yourselve as male and is atracted to a female you are "straight". I think they could change the nomenclature, you could be" androtrophy or ginotrophy", and you can perceive yourselve as male or female, if you slipt things like these it gets easier to distinguish. ---side note-- While I am pleased to treat anybody as they chose to be seen as, like if they really insist I could call them "Queen of Irland", even though I know, and you know they are not. So I have no problem in calling a transgender person He or She, but I personaly only consider a "he or a she", if they made all the transition (implants and genitalia). So I consider BS that show "The pregnant man" (A transgender woman that didn't change her sexual organs, for me personaly is still a woman, even though I will treat her as he if asked). Surely we don't know what to expect when seeing strangers, and our reflex is to treat them as the sex they apear to be, but I think is disloyal to not disclosure this information if you have some intention of dating someone, or compete with someone (A transgender woman could compete in the olympics against other women?), and such things.. but outside these treat them as they liked to be treated, like you hope they will treat you like you want to.
I appreciate that you're making an effort to understand a very real concept that is unfortunately treated with mockery and ignorance. So I shall try my best and forgive me if some of my terminology goes over your head. I will provide links where I can. It is very awkward. A person essentially feels like they were born into the wrong body. It's a bit like being forced to wear an obnoxious Christmas sweater your entire life. It's scratchy. It's uncomfortable. And everyone sees it and doesn't see your discomfort but sees fit to make fun and bully you for it. A person that doubts their birth gender is said to be having a 'Gender Identity Crisis' or having Gender Dysphoria. The upcoming DSM-V wishes to replace disorder with dysphoria to remove the stigma attached with the word and to hopefully provide better acceptance and a chance for better treatment. The DSM-V states that a child/person has to display characteristics for upward of 6 months before a proper diagnosis can be made. It's not quite like being a tomboy or the male equivalent. No, it's a express desire to be the opposite sex or the strong conviction that a person IS the opposite sex but with the wrong plumbing. It's not unheard of for genital mutilation to occur for a person with gender dysphoria feels disgusted with their own body. Personally, I feel at odds with myself because I don't really identify with either gender. I'd rather be neither. But I'm not that uncomfortable where I'd consider surgery.
I think I should point out that, if they want to be taken seriously, wording it like this really doesn' t help. I mean think about it, what if someone was to tell you "I' m a slim person born in a fat body" or "I' m a big breasted girl born in a flat chested body", isn' t it bound to bring up a smile ? My first reaction would be to wonder if (s)he believes in reincarnated souls or something. If you ask me unless you' re hermaphrodite (or have YY genes etc ...) you' re either a man/born with XY genes or a woman/born with XX genes, that' s not about to change anytime soon. You just wish you were *insert gender* or had a different body. The fact that I think it' s a rather funny way to put it doesn' t mean I don' t understand that their pain is very real, I do, defiance of expectations just happens to be one of humor' s basic principles. Problem is smiling over that way to word it probably sends mixed signals at best.
