As requested, a LIST:)

[miarising]

Hello, All....

Yes, I'm still here.....sorry, I've been absent...

Several people have asked for a list of what all the terms mean in relations to transgenderism. Rachel Lynn, one of the wonderful people participating in TG on the Lawn at Summer DW has put together a handout for those who attend that event and the list I'm about to post in part here comes from that handout. Rachel has gathered this information from sources available to her, including Wikipedia

Having said that, remember, these definitions are what Rachel found to be the best representation of what the terms mean. People often differ on the details of what makes someone tg, ts, intersexed, etc....but these are a good guide for those who need an idea of what the terms mean..and as always, a good source of DISCUSSION:) Also, this is from a rough draft, so all terms may not be included here as of yet.


list follows,
always,
mia

DEFINITIONS

It might be helpful if we start off with a few definitions so that all may be on the same
page so to speak. Please keep in mind some of these terms and definitions are in a
constant state of flux as new information and facts are brought to the trans-community.
All of the terms will be defined in the broadest and most general of terms. There are
variations and combinations of each. Some of these definitions have been copied from
Wikipedia online references.

Crossdresser (CD)

-is the act of wearing clothing commonly associated with another gender within a
particular society. Usually a male who enjoys dressing as a woman, usually for
personal enjoyment or sexual pleasure, usually heterosexual. This person
usually identifies as male and is very comfortable being and living as a male.
Transvestite (TV)

-sometimes used interchangeably with CD but wrongly so. There are many
different usages and meanings of the term transvestite and transvestism. Some
of them clearly contradict each other; the only thing they have in common is
* They describe a behavior of people dressing in clothes of a gender that
is different from the gender they were assigned (usually at birth) or the
gender they are living in. It does imply some inner motive for
cross-dressing, but does not specify this motive.
* They (usually) exclude transvestic fetishism and they usually do not
include transsexualism, or transgender people who completely change
their gender role.
The word transvestism/transvestite therefore should be explained when used;
most of the time using cross-dressing will avoid much potential confusion. If
encountered, it is necessary to find out which particular meaning it has in the
context in which it is presented. In scientific literature, cross-dressing has mostly
replaced transvestism.

Drag Queen (DQ)

-are performers - often gay men or transgendered people - who dress in "drag,"
clothing associated with the female gender (see drag king for women who
perform in male clothing), often exaggerating certain characteristics for comic,
dramatic or satirical effect . The term "drag queen" usually refers to people who
dress in drag for the purpose of performing, whether singing or lip-syncing,
dancing, participating in events such as gay pride parades or pageants, or at
venues such as cabarets and discotheques. In the UK, alongside traditional drag
work such as shows and performances, many drag queens engage in
'mix-and-mingle' or hosting work at night clubs or at private parties/events.
Drag King (DK)
- female bodied or identified performance artists - usually lesbians or transmen who
dress in masculine "drag" as part of their routine. A typical drag king
performance involves dancing and singing or lip-synching. Drag kings often


perform as exaggeratedly macho male characters or impersonate male
celebrities like Elvis Presley. Several drag kings became British music hall stars
in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and British pantomime has preserved
the tradition of women performing in male roles. Yet it has only been recently
that drag kings have begun to gain some of the fame and attention that drag
queens have known for years.

The term drag king is sometimes used in a broader sense, to include
female-bodied people who dress in traditionally masculine clothing for other
reasons. This usage includes women temporarily attempting to pass as men and
women who wish to present themselves in a masculine gender role without
identifying as a man. Some transmen ("female-to-male" transgendered and
transsexual people) also self-identify as drag kings.

Shemale (SM)

-refers to transwomen (male-to-female transgender or transsexual people) who
have breasts typical of an adult female (through hormone replacement therapy
and/or through breast augmentation), and who usually have other female
secondary sex characteristics, but who have not undergone genital reassignment
surgery.
However, other transwomen never undergo genital reassignment surgery even if
they can afford it, or come to accept their genitalia, because they consider the
surgery to be unnecessary for their individual gender transition. Some
transwomen have said they prefer the genitalia with which they were born.

The term "shemale" (along with tranny and "chick with dick") is commonly, but
not exclusively, used in pornography and the sex industry; videos and magazines
involving such people are a common sub-genre of pornography. It is often seen
by transsexual people as a powerful term of abuse.

Many transwomen are offended by this term for one or more of the following
reasons:

* because of the association with the sex industry, like pornography,
escorting, and sex party scenes,
* because many transwomen who have not undergone genital
reassignment surgery want it and/or
* because their gender identity is female, not "male", nor do they feel they
are only "half-female".
"Shemale" is also a term used in online computer games to refer to male players
playing as female characters

Transsexual (TS)

-either male-to-female (MtF/M2F) or female-to-male (FtM/F2M), there are many
variations but generally a person who appears and has been raised as male that
identifies as female or a person that appears and has been raised as female that
identifies as male. Unfortunately, society associates what is or is not between
one’s legs as the sex and gender of a person; nothing could be further from the

truth. MtF TS people may be “defined” as male but they identify as female. The
most extreme cases require the person to transition and eventually have surgery
to allow them to live comfortably. Current theory about why transsexualism
occurs relates to a condition that happens during the mother’s first trimester of
pregnancy when the sex, gender, and identity of the fetus is set.

Transsexualism is a condition in which a transsexual person self-identifies as a
member of the gender opposite to the one assigned to them at birth.
Transsexual people are stereotypically described as "women trapped in male
bodies" or vice versa, although some members of the transsexual community, as
well as some outside the community, reject this model. [1]

Transsexualism often manifests itself as an agonizing dysphoria toward one's
biological birth sex, as well as difficulty or inability living in its social role. If
untreated, it can lead to mental and emotional problems, and sometimes,
suicide. Dutch researcher Peggy Cohen-Kettenis estimates that 40% of
untreated transsexual people are either institutionalized or die prematurely.
However, with proper treatment, transsexual people often become fully functional
members of society. [2] The suicide statistics of treated transsexual people
(Cohen-Kettenis et al, 1988) do not remarkably differ from non-transsexual
populations.

Most transsexual men and women desire to establish a permanent social role as
a member of the gender with which they identify. Many transsexual people also
desire various types of medical alterations (sex reassignment therapy) to their
bodies. These physical alterations are collectively referred to as sex
reassignment therapy and often include hormones and sex reassignment
surgery. The entire process of switching from one physical and social gender
presentation to the other is often referred to as transition, and usually takes
several years.

To obtain sex reassignment therapy, transsexual people are usually required to
receive psychological therapy and a diagnosis of gender identity disorder. They
must also live as members of their target sex for a period of time, known as the
Real-life test, prior to surgery, and meet other requirements specified by
protocols known as Standards of Care. These requirements are intended to
prevent those individuals who are not genuinely transsexual from transitioning
and later regretting doing so; however, they are often criticized as being either
ineffective or too strict - while their intention is to prevent "pseudo-transsexual"
people from transitioning, they have been claimed to discourage genuine
transsexual people from seeking treatment. By most estimates, less than 1% of
people who transition ever regret doing so.

[angela]

May I ask a question here, or should I go to the question and answer section?
Angela :D

[miarising]

Ask it here, angela! that was just a thread:) if it pertains to this list, ask it here!

always
mia

[angela]

:D I just wanted to make sure. Are there physical health risks for a transgendered person to retain both male and female organs? Personally, and I'm definately no expert by any means, I think I would want to be one or the other; but how does a person decide that? This is just so confusing and I really sympathize with all the decisions you and others have had to make. I'm just trying to understand.
Angela : :oops: :D

[miarising]

Well, I can answer this for me in short, then perhaps in detail later...

Not all transgendered people have both parts, as it were, One of the classifications not on Rachel's rough draft yet is that of being intersexed...that includes those of us who have both parts, either outwardly, inwardly, or both. The way intersexed has been defined by my doctors and in other sources I've seen is when tissues/organs/cells of both genders exist in one person, that person is intersexed. This is MY DEFINITION only based though on what I've been told by doctors and read in various places.

To address my health issues...My health is impacted because of my intersexed condition, primarily because my internal organs are smaller, as women's tend to be, than the large frame I have...I have a 'mixed gender frame,' but for those who have seen me, I am a bigger person. My heart and such are smaller than that frame should have....so that's my weight loss focus....and that's a whole other forum on this board...

I do know there are some cases of intersexed people who have had some health complications due at least in part to their combined gender organs, etc. But, again, not all TGs are IS..:)

does this help at all?

always
mia

[angela]

:D :? Maybe just a little bit. Thanks for your patience.
Angela

[mmouse]

Great start on the list!! This has cleared up a lot of confusion for me. I just wish I could be at the "lecture" :wink: on Saturday, but I'll be working my butt off instead, hopefully with all of you dropping by to "sympathize" with me!! Someone take notes!!! 8) :lol:

[CathyB59]

How's about we come by and serenade you?
I used to sing, as a child. Then my folks got hearing aids and I switched to sketching and painting.
My teachers would later remark - lack of talent and nothing else kept me from a life in the arts. Sigh, you have to love a man like that.
Okay, how about Bring a cold drink perhaps, have you sign my cast
* note to self, get a cast *

Can you tell I am excited about DW??

[The Tulsa Fun Girls]

Cathy - that was funny! I lauged out loud at my desk!

[miarising]

I agree with denise....i laughed out loud verrry quietly so I didnt wake up kids!:)

mouse, Rachel, one of our attendees for the panel, has written out ten pages of 'notes'...those will be available and we'll bring you a copy and send anyone else one if they want it, just pm or post here.

always,
mia

[mmouse]

"My teachers would later remark - lack of talent and nothing else kept me from a life in the arts."

ooooh, does that mean that you can make neat "stick figures" like me???? :lol: :lol:

My art teacher gave up on me; I think I was probably his worst student---ever!!!! But I sooooo wanted to be able to "do" art....just can't get it out of the mind, down thru the fingers....... :?
Now, give me some nifty material & a sewing machine & you can't tell it from "store-bought" (which was a compliment from the 2 little old ladies that said it...). :wink:

[mmouse]

Mia, I DEFINITELY want one of those copies & THANK YOU!!!! Both Rachel for doing it & you for thinking of me.

[mmouse]

Ok, got a new question for y'all---is it just my senile little brain having trouble functioning, or has the "title" been changed??? As in, I thought the "letters" were: GLBTG, but now all I'm seeing is: GLBT. Is it me or have y'all changed it without giving proper notification???? :shock: 8) :lol: :lol:

[miarising]

i dunno, mouse:)...all ive ever seen is glbt:)...but....i dunno:)

always
mia

[mmouse]

Well, I do have this dyslexia thing going on, & sometimes when it's really going strong, something will get "stuck" in my brain as being the "right" way, when it's actually the wrong way, & this could be one of those times. It can actually take months sometimes, to find out I've been "knowing" something in the wrong way.......

[Sparky]

GLBT is all I ever used
but hey we can do it different and add a few more letters :lol:

[CathyB59]

GLBT
is what my company lists

[joneyhits]

Hi Mia:

I was concerned about handout presented at "TG on the Lawn." Most of it was based on a web site talking about a contrived syndrome called "Harry Benjamin Syndrome."

Several of us have investigated this site. It uses itself as a reference mis-defines what is accepted by most of the community and the medical/psychological communities. Some of the site is quite offensive to segments of the Transgender and Intersex communities.

The site refers to many of us as a birth defect. It also preaches to avoid mental health and medical professional when seeking hormones. Essentially telling many to "do-it-themselves." Anyone can see how dangerous this could be, especially to those seeking what they want to hear, instead of what they should hear.

I don't think any of us are defective, only variations of the norm. I would suggest looking at http://www.hbigda.org/, the Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association, Inc. (HBIGDA) site. The look at the site the pamphlet and some of the panels responses was based on: http://www.harrybenjaminsyndrome-info.org/ or Harry Benjamin Syndrome.

Note, the HBS site looks official and tells most what they want to hear. It is written by a person in Canada, is not out, and is associated with several Catholic organizations.

SEEK medical guidance when ever considering hormones. It is the smart thing to do. I want you all to be around a very long time.

Joney

[miarising]

Joney,
Thank you for your investigation, concern, and FINALLY involvement here!For those who haven't met Joney yet, she's a very knowledgable woman who has experienced adn explored many aspects of being transgendered. Yes, some of the handouts provided by panelists were not best suited for mass consumption and I apologize for that, though I did ask each panelist to provide information and present their aspect/thoughts on it. I have talked to Joney and others who are planning for future tg panels and events and other sides and a more complete picture of the correct steps to take and other positive aspects of transgenderism will be focused on.

always
mias

[Debbie]

if this helps anglia any about health problems..i always wondered why i had girls instead of boys so i had a sperm check,,the doctors said i had more female genes than male so the births were always female,,( a boy did pop in there though ) but i have 6 girls..that hasnt really ben a health issue but it shows what goes on in ones body,,and on the mental side haveing to deal with both F and M life conditions it very stressful,you will find m to f have a high stress level and can cope with it better than the average person,,but yet have a higher depression level than the ( normal ) person,,being TS is a very hard life,,not only dealing with public but dealing with inner feelings,,a TS needs alot of uplifting from friends and family if they deal with it alone then you see suacide rates climb..and i dont mind admitting before i truely learned what was going on with my body i tried suacide yrs ago,,and almost made it,,so it takes alot of understanding from people rather than degradeing to help a TS..i dont knowif i worded this right or not but i hope it helps.

[Debbie]

oh yeah..what is this metting sat,,i havent heard of it yet

[joneyhits]

Hi Debbie:

You are not alone. I know many, to include myself, who thought of suicide as the answer to the pain. My mother committed suicide, so I also thought about what it does to others, becasue it is a selfish act to say the least.

At times, I thought it couldn't get any worse, but I think we all have to go through it. It gets confusing sometimes. It was bad enough ignorance people called me a freak, but I also felt I was. It actually took a rude awakening to give me an attitude realignment.

Now I look at the rough times as a blessing; otherwise, I would not be talking with y'all on this list. I would either be dead or getting shot at, again, in Iraq. They say you only gain experience by making mistakes and only make mistakes by living.

By the way, I am getting more therapy and medical resources. There is a Dr Jones at the Eureka Springs Clinic that will help with hormones, if the potential potient has a letter, meaning a letter from a therapist.

I am constantly updating the ARTS site at http://www.geocities.com/ar_t_s

Lookinh forward to meeting you. I meant to contact you this weekend, because I was mapping out the Poker Run for Diversity Weekend on Nov. 4th.

Joney

[joneyhits]

Hi Mia:

I can't thank you enough for putting the "TG on the Lawn" event on. No one expected some of the information they got, to include me. I should have excpressed my concern early and read the pamphelt on the spot.

You are a great facilitator and kept things moving. We are planning for a TI Time event at the Roadway Inn Saturday morning for Diversity Weekend in the fall. The main reason it will be here is it is closer to sevearl other events and some of us will be working the Diversity Bikers Show and Shine, and Poker Run that afternoon. I hope you will be there. It will be a circle discussion.

Thanks again for all you have done and will do in the furture.

Joney

[miarising]

Joney,
I will be at everything I can that is done and will help where needed. In this case, I'm a good follower especially...so use me wh ere you will

always
mia

[BellaFaith]

Hi - Just have to add some thoughts to this thread.

For those of you who would like to read a great article by a transsexual named Lynn Conway, who is very knowledgeable about these topics, here is a link to the beginning article of her writings. http://ai.eecs.umich.edu/people/conway/TS/TS.html
We, Donna and I, have found her writings to be some of the best we have come upon in many years of study.
Another great site for true information is http://www.transgendercare.com/default.asp They are a wonderful resource for any and all the questions I see here.
This next link will take you to the process of transition that a transsexual may travel on their road to becoming who they truly are.
http://www.transgendercare.com/guidance/resources/hbigda01/index.htm

About GLBT, these letter stand for Gay Lesbian Bi-sexual and Transgender. There are others in our community who go by other letters. Such as the letter I for Intersex, a mediacaly diagnosable condition of having varied combinations of XY and XX Chromosomes as well as varied combinations of sexual organs. Then there is the Q for gender Queer or just Queer, these folks feel they don’t fit any one letter/label and wish to be know by the slightly more radical term Queer instead. So the letters used could be most inclusive if they were GLBTIQ, which may be what you were referring to. Or they might include another Q for those who are Questioning who they are, hence GLBTIQQ. It seems that a lot of folks would rather just use GLBT and they really mean the whole group, while some folks would rather use all the letters to show they are inclusive. Then again there are those of us who recognize that people get attached to certain terms and we would rather be flexible and feel included by those who care, weather or not they use all the letters when describing our community. You will see these letters combined differently too, like LGTBI, or BIGTLQ, or whatever one is feeling like or leaning towards that day. Some folks are very attached to the sequence and letters, and some are not. I find I just accept whatever is being used at the moment and know that what I mean is inclusive and hope that what they meant was inclusive.

These questions are the reason why we are having the open discussions like TI Time and the Forum on the Lawn. So that we can all learn the different aspects of our community and thereby have the opportunity to understand each other better and be more compassionate towards another’s struggle through life. The topics are very complex and a lot of information and research is being done and shared everyday about intersex, transgender and transsexual and all the letters involved.

For instance, there are studies that show that the sexual organs which develop in utero are not necessarily directly associated with the Brain Gender, the part of us that makes the feelings of who/what sex we are. The Brain Gender feelings come from a part of the Hypothalamus which develops in the 18 to 30 month period after birth, not in utero. Actually, I have studied a report on research that proves that this part of the Hypothalamus is about 2.5 times smaller in women than in men, and in Male to Female transsexuals, it is the same size as women’s or smaller. The same has been proven in Female to Male transsexuals; their hypothalamus area is the same size as an adult Male. So they have proven that there is a physical difference in the brain of a transsexual, in fact in the area responsible for the brain gender feelings that cause the discomfort of those who feel they are not in the correct physically gendered body.
We can go on and on about all there is to discover about transsexuals and trangendered, but will try to keep it shorter in the future. Please come the TI Time on Saturday where we will share loads of good information about Transgender, Transsexual and Intersex. We are hoping in the future to include all the letters in our community in focused discussions and I hope you will help us with those presentations.

[Sparky]

so if Ti Time is Saturday morning at the Roadway Inn will this be a breakfast or just a Tea Time and Ti Time :roll:

[BellaFaith]

Hi Sparky - We are thinking of having breakfast type snacks, like some pastry and coffee/TI, I mean Tea. 8)
The plan is to have some presentation time, some socializing time and then questions and hopefully answers…We will have handouts of definitions and other aspects of our discussion, including a resource list.
We are really looking forward to it and hope y’all will come!

[joneyhits]

DEFINITIONS

It might be helpful if we start off with a few definitions so that all may be on the same
page so to speak. Please keep in mind some of these terms and definitions are in a
constant state of flux as new information and facts are brought to the trans-community.
All of the terms will be defined in the broadest and most general of terms. There are
variations and combinations of each. Some of these definitions have been copied from
Wikipedia online references.

Crossdresser (CD)

-is the act of wearing clothing commonly associated with another gender within a
particular society. Usually a male who enjoys dressing as a woman, usually for
personal enjoyment or sexual pleasure, usually heterosexual. This person
usually identifies as male and is very comfortable being and living as a male.
Transvestite (TV)

“Actually, in the US, Cross Dresser is the appropriate term, rather than transvestite. Across the pond in the UK, these terms are reversed. “

“A cross dresser is a person who expresses on occasion or more the gender opposite of their birth. Unlike Transvestite Fetishist, who dress up for sexual gratification, cross dressers are actually live in a two gender world and often have two distinct personalties. There are male, female, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and heterosexual cross dressers. It is assumed most are heterosexual, but that is another topic.”

Drag Queen (DQ)

-are performers - often gay men or transgender people - who dress in "drag,"
clothing associated with the female gender (see drag king for women who
perform in male clothing), often exaggerating certain characteristics for comic,
dramatic or satirical effect . The term "drag queen" usually refers to people who
dress in drag for the purpose of performing, whether singing or lip-syncing,
dancing, participating in events such as gay pride parades or pageants, or at
venues such as cabarets and discotheques. In the UK, alongside traditional drag
work such as shows and performances, many drag queens engage in
'mix-and-mingle' or hosting work at night clubs or at private parties/events.
Drag King (DK)
- female bodied or identified performance artists - usually lesbians or transmen who
dress in masculine "drag" as part of their routine. A typical drag king
performance involves dancing and singing or lip-syncing. Drag kings often

perform as exaggeratedly macho male characters or impersonate male
celebrities like Elvis Presley. Several drag kings became British music hall stars
in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and British pantomime has preserved
the tradition of women performing in male roles. Yet it has only been recently
that drag kings have begun to gain some of the fame and attention that drag
queens have known for years.

The term drag king is sometimes used in a broader sense, to include
female-bodied people who dress in traditionally masculine clothing for other
reasons. This usage includes women temporarily attempting to pass as men and
women who wish to present themselves in a masculine gender role without
identifying as a man. Some transmen ("female-to-male" transgender and
transsexual people) also self-identify as drag kings.


Shemale (SM)

-refers to transwomen (male-to-female transgender or transsexual people) who
have breasts typical of an adult female (through hormone replacement therapy
and/or through breast augmentation), and who usually have other female
secondary sex characteristics, but who have not undergone genital reassignment
surgery.
However, other transwomen never undergo genital reassignment surgery even if
they can afford it, or come to accept their genitalia, because they consider the
surgery to be unnecessary for their individual gender transition. Some
transwomen have said they prefer the genitalia with which they were born.

The term "shemale" (along with tranny and "chick with dick") is commonly, but
not exclusively, used in pornography and the sex industry; videos and magazines
involving such people are a common sub-genre of pornography. It is often seen
by transsexual people as a powerful term of abuse.

Many transwomen are offended by this term for one or more of the following
reasons:

* because of the association with the sex industry, like pornography,
escorting, and sex party scenes,
* because many transwomen who have not undergone genital
reassignment surgery want it and/or
* because their gender identity is female, not "male", nor do they feel they
are only "half-female".
"Shemale" is also a term used in online computer games to refer to male players
playing as female characters

Transsexual (TS)

-either male-to-female (MtF/M2F) or female-to-male (FtM/F2M), there are many
variations but generally a person who appears and has been raised as male that
identifies as female or a person that appears and has been raised as female that
identifies as male. Unfortunately, society associates what is or is not between
one’s legs as the sex and gender of a person; nothing could be further from the
truth. MtF TS people may be “defined” as male but they identify as female. The
most extreme cases require the person to transition and eventually have surgery
to allow them to live comfortably. Current theory about why transsexualism
occurs relates to a condition that happens during the mother’s first trimester of
pregnancy when the sex, gender, and identity of the fetus is set.

Transsexualism is a condition in which a transsexual person self-identifies as a
member of the gender opposite to the one assigned to them at birth.
Transsexual people are stereotypically described as "women trapped in male
bodies" or vice versa, although some members of the transsexual community, as
well as some outside the community, reject this model. [1]

Transsexualism often manifests itself as an agonizing dysphoria toward one's
biological birth sex, as well as difficulty or inability living in its social role. If
untreated, it can lead to mental and emotional problems, and sometimes,
suicide. Dutch researcher Peggy Cohen-Kettenis estimates that 40% of
untreated transsexual people are either institutionalized or die prematurely.
However, with proper treatment, transsexual people often become fully functional
members of society. [2] The suicide statistics of treated transsexual people
(Cohen-Kettenis et al, 1988) do not remarkably differ from non-transsexual
populations.

Most transsexual men and women desire to establish a permanent social role as
a member of the gender with which they identify. Many transsexual people also
desire various types of medical alterations (sex reassignment therapy) to their
bodies. These physical alterations are collectively referred to as sex
reassignment therapy and often include hormones and sex reassignment
surgery. The entire process of switching from one physical and social gender
presentation to the other is often referred to as transition, and usually takes
several years.

To obtain sex reassignment therapy, transsexual people are usually required to
receive psychological therapy and a diagnosis of gender identity disorder. They
must also live as members of their target sex for a period of time, known as the
Real-life test, prior to surgery, and meet other requirements specified by
protocols known as Standards of Care. These requirements are intended to
prevent those individuals who are not genuinely transsexual from transition
and later regretting doing so; however, they are often criticized as being either
ineffective or too strict - while their intention is to prevent "pseudo-transsexual"
people from transition, they have been claimed to discourage genuine
transsexual people from seeking treatment. By most estimates, less than 1% of
people who transition ever regret doing so.

“OK, this is a falsehood. SOC is an ethical approach to helping transsexuals and other gender variants. With no ethics, doctors would not treat transsexuals at all, due to the liability. The problem is some people, who might not even be a gender variant, by-pass doctors and therapist, thinking it will solve some issue they may have. Beside, if you can live as the gender you feel you are, then what do you think is going to happen after surgery? Actually, only 30% of transsexuals actually have surgery. Out of them, it is really not know how many had issues, because most go underground or stealth. The same people who prescribe to this, also take hormones without a doctors care, which in itself, cause an untold number of deaths. These same people talk suicide, but refuse to see a therapist to talk it out. If your suicidal before SRS, then you will be afterwards. Being a gender variant is not a birth defect either. It is just a variation of the norm. Despite conservative religious thinking, gender variance occurs in nature.

Many people have other baggage which will only become worse after transition. I knew one person who thought she was always being clicked or identified as a man. This was after surgery. It turns out she had social anxiety disorder, which she thought would go away after surgery. She was 6'2” and didn't realize she was just being looked at as a tall woman. Another issue was she was ashamed that she was attracted to men after the surgery, telling everyone she was going to be a lipstick lesbian after the surgery. Some have deeper issues, so do you think a therapist should just let these people take hormones, which effect brain and body chemistry and have surgery, which takes it even further. Wouldn't it be unethical?

OK, transsexuals are people whose brain gender does not match their physical body. Brain Gender, triggered at birth, usually the same as the triggers that determine sex as male or female. In a transsexual, they do not match. In a Intersex person, it goes beyond brain gender in to the chromosomes and sexual development in many variations. An opposing brain gender from physical body does not make one Intersex, but and Intersex can also be diagnosed as transsexual, because their brain gender may be opposite of what sex was chosen for them or how they were raised.

Some people in the transgender community think it is some sort of race or there is a hierarchy. Post-operative transsexuals being the end of the road prize. I have known many cross dressers who had the surgery, only to find out, they were much more comfortable as a cross dresser. I have known transsexuals who played cross dressers, afraid at what some might think if they were found out to be transsexuals. Also, everyone thinks they have the answer for everyone else's journey, by telling them to get castrated or buy hormones of the Internet because they were and did. Some are so distraught, set out for a never ending quest to find out why they are the way they are, so much, it effects their interpersonal relationships, employment, etc... Still, they say they don't need therapy, because SRS will solve any issues they will have, right?“

“I am so thankful we are all different. Life without diversity would be so boring. “

Joney, my last name is not Harper for nothing.

[joneyhits]

Hi Faith:

Way to go girl.

Joney

PS "It does not matter what the letters are or how they are grouped. As Donna and Faith always say, were all just human." OK, you caught me, I'm an alien fro mythe planet Zog.

[BellaFaith]

Dear Joney Zog Harper -

Thank you so much for your knowledge and helping us all learn more about what is real and healthy!!!

L + L Faith

[BellaFaith]

One thing I have to add:

Crossdresser (CD)

-is the act of wearing clothing commonly associated with another gender within a
particular society. Usually a male who enjoys dressing as a woman, usually for
personal enjoyment or sexual pleasure, usually heterosexual. This person
usually identifies as male and is very comfortable being and living as a male.


A CD can just as often be a female as male. There is less acceptance so far for the female to male CD and less recorded people doing it, but I feel there are many more than recorded and they must be counted too.
Cross dressers do not dress for 'personal enjoyment or sexual pleasure'!! They do it because there is a strong desire within to express their female side, to look pretty, feminie, and to be treated as a woman!
There are many CDs that are GLB!! It is a myth that they are 'usually hetero'.
This person is not 'usually a male who is very comfortable being and living as a male'. A-lot of transsexuals, buth men and women, go through a period of cross dressing on their way to realizing they are transsexual. And there are CDs who are forever CDs, men and women.
A definition needs to leave room for the fact that we are all in transition in one way or another and we are all works in progress. The definitions of yesterday have been proven inaccurate and we need to try to not prepetuate the falsehoods.
Some of this falls under Joney's accurate description that the terms Cross Dresser and Transvestite are reversed across the pond. Thanks again Joney.