I know... really stupid question, but its been bugging me for a while. Someone asked me if I was transgender, and I said no, and they replied 'isn't transgender when you look, behave, dress, and have the same interests as another gender?' I thought transgender was identifying yourself as the opposite sex. So, what is the real definition of transgender? What does transgender really mean? Its not like I think I am now, honestly I have always hated when I had to dress girly, and felt wrong and out of my skin, like I was doing a horrible sin ( make-up, dresses, skirts, exc. ) and I cut my hair short and wear mens clothing... that doesn't mean I'm transgender does it? I really wouldn't care either way. The only bonus would be getting rid of these 20lb weights on my chest. I hate these things! ( on me, on other girls its just grand. )
Transgender is an umbrella term used to describe people who fall outside of the gender binary (the idea that male and female are totally distinct and assigned to each person). There are loads of different people who are transgender. Transsexuals would be people who live full-time as the 'other sex', sometimes having surgery so that they can gain more traits of the gender they identify with. Then there are transgendered people who only occasionally cross-dress, wearing clothing/make-up typically not assigned to their sex. There are some people who identify as genderqueer, who just don't feel like they lie in the bounds of the gender binary, they might identify as a third gender, or just dress androgynously (not really masculine or feminine). Others fluctuate between gender roles depending on what feels right for them. There are probably loads of other identities I didn't cover there, but they all might describe themselves as transgendered. I think the key is to identify with what feels right with you—there are plenty of people who identify as a female and don't fit the stereotypes, it doesn't necessarily mean that they feel transgendered. I'm someone who isn't really comfortable in my male gender, but not to the extent that I would identify as transgendered. Discovering what you are is really just a personal exploration of what you really want and would feel most comfortable identifying with. ^^
Transgender has been expanded to a big, embracing umbrella term for anyone who doesn't fit neatly into the gender assigned to them. However, people don't usually identify as transgender unless they feel that they are a different gender from the one assigned. So if it says "female" on your birth certificate, and you think of yourself as a woman, you will probably not identify as transgender. "Crossdresser" is often given as a specific subcategory of transgender. In our culture presently, men who dress like women, but who don't necessarily want to pass as women or change their bodies in any way, are usually called crossdressers, but women who dress like men in the same way are usually not considered crossdressers. This is because it somewhat more socially permissible for women to wear men's clothing than the opposite. Considering yourself transgender would not mean that you would necessarily have surgery. But if your breasts are distressing enough to you that you think it is worth the pain and risks of surgery to remove them, you could look into doing that regardless of your gender identity. (It might be easier to get a surgeon to do a breast reduction than to give you a male chest, though, if you don't go through all the hoops for transitioning.) In my experience, most people like you use the word "butch" (at least if they are white Americans) and adopt "transgender" only if they want to be thought of as men.
To clear some stuff here: "Transgender" is, as has been said, an umbrella term that covers these identities and more Crossdressers are people who feel a need to dress as the opposite gender. Genderqueers are, as of what I've seen through some research, people who like to screw with people's minds and change gender expression at their will. Bigendered people are.. as the title basically says, people who feel that they -are- both genders, as if there are 2 people inside them: One a guy, the other a female. How masculine or feminine each side is varies from person to person. Androgynes are kind of the opposite: They feel that they have no gender Drag Queens/Kings are people who act stereotypically feminine or masculine for theatrical acts Transexuals/MtF, FtM are people who don't feel that they are the right gender: That they are the opposite gender, trapped in whatever body they have. Many transexuals tend to undergo surgery to change sex: However, this does not happen (at least in the USA) until several steps are taken throughout the course of a couple years. Hope that cleared some things up
hmm... thanks! I've been thinking about this a lot since they said that. Besides these huge 'boulders' on my chest, I am quite comfortable with my body. Sure, less curves would be nice, thinner hips an even bigger bonus, but hey, I guess I'll survive. It was what they said about my behavior that sparked my interest. I know I dress and 'act' like a guy, but I don't consider myself a guy, but when someone called me a girl today I thought that was weird. I don't know... why did I feel weird when they called me a girl? I am one after all... Oh well... thank you guys for clearing that up. But would my 'attitude' count as transgendered or not?
You can be trans* without feeling like you have to change your sex. Perhaps you're a masculine woman; perhaps you're genderfluid, bigender, have a gender all your own or have no gender at all. Soulsearching: it's the best thing you can do.
Cross-dressers (transvestites) are not transgender. While transgender people do cross-dress. Cross-dressing is a weird thing really. It has become quite common for women to dress like men, while it is rarely acceptable for men to dress like women. It is misogyny shining through. Why would a man want to look like a woman? Anyway ... transgender is an umbrella term, that's true. There are a number of confusions surrounding transgender people though. Some seem to think that they always want to be the other sex. Well, your identity is not defined by your genitalia alone. Sometimes genitalia isn't clearly defined at all either (intersexuals). If your gender identity does not match your physical sex, you do not have a consistent gender anyway. You're somewhere in between. Any surgery is classified as corrective. Neither is surgery necessary nor always wanted or recommended. It is wrong to force someone who don't fit into the artificial gender binary to choose one or the other. People should be allowed to be themselves. I know transgender people outside this board that refuse to accept the binary and choose male or female. Why should they? Who's got the right to say they must? So yeah, Blkrsn, who cares what label describes you? Be yourself
I always thought that crossdressing fell under the trans* umbrella. I suppose it could be a "YMMV" thing; maybe some crossdressers ID as trans* and others don't.
I thought for a long time that transgender and transsexual were the same, then I realized that transgender people didn't necessarily get a sex-change operation, lol
The more I think about it, the more I realize that how ungirly I am. I know when I came out of the closet to my mother, she was shocked, but accepted me. Later on ( as in the next day ) she came up to me and asked if I wanted to be a boy. I said no. She said, 'Good! Because I did not give birth to a boy'. But last night, I was visiting my parents, they were drinking and needed a DD ( yeah, they're responsible! ) and since I'm just down the road, I was happy to drive them to the corner store. Anyway, that's besides the point, I was over there, and my Mom, in a drunken stupor, told me that no matter what relationship I would be in, I would always be the man. And that felt right. Right after she went on another rant about how she loves me for who I am, and she accepts me no matter what I choose ( I wish she'd stop saying choose tho... ) The other day, someone called me, a girl... and that felt weird... I guess I am starting to question my gender-identity. I am even finding myself fantasizing what I would look like as a man, what would be like if I was a boy, yadda yadda... The more I think about it, the more right it feels. I even find myself thinking about looking into a sex-change... I've been calling myself 'Erin' online for a long time, and in real life now, I find myself calling myself that now. Except now I'm pronouncing it as 'Aaron' without even thinking about it. Since that one person asked if I was transgender, I have been so confused... I have a muscle degenerative disease, so I have to check into the hospital so they can monitor my progress every 3 weeks. Maybe next time I go, I'll ask my doctor where I can go for help/more information. I can't afford therapy, nor can I afford counseling... I'm just so confused...
Not to be off-topic here (Sorry I can't really be of any help Blkrsn),but I always thought cross-dressers and transvestites were two different things...?
Yes. Or at least, "transvestite" implies that the motivation for cross-dressing is sexual. People who cross-dress for other reasons are usually offended by the term.
