the term trans

I almost always just say I'm male. I never disclose my trans status to anyone unless they're a medical professional.

 

Once I've transitioned, I don't plan on telling people I'm trans. This is the only website where I openly call myself trans, and that's only because it's an LGBT website. Otherwise I prefer to just say that I'm male.

 

I'm so so with the term. I call myself female, but if someone were to study myself alongside someone else, I would be 'white, trans', as opposed to someone else who may be 'black, cis'.

I don't introduce myself as trans, or talk on it, since it's irrelevant. Cisgender individuals don't tell me they're cis, why should I make a deal that I'm technically trans?

 

I do not usually refer to myself as trans. If I must, I use the word "transsexual" to avoid confusion with transmasculine individuals, genderfluid, and other identities who are not simply just male.

 

Good choice. To me trans is a status, not an identity. So it's more "trans by accident, not by choice or nature". Zero transpride here, it's just a sickness to me.

I'm a man, I've always been a man, regardless of biology, and regardless of how you want to define me, I'm a man and period.

On the other hand, I'm aware that trans need to be seen more often in order to help the next, younger men and women, so I'm thinking again about going stealth or not once I'm there. If I once was an activist for feminism, I should at least try to be again an activist for trans people.

 

Plus, I don't see a point in why someone would need to know anyway. Some days I am proud of who I am, others it's just another day where I'm just a regular guy.

 

I'm not on T and have not had surgery (but always use a binder). I must stay thin in order to pass, but when I do I pass quite well. My voice is also in cis guy range, so if I tell people I'm male they won't question. I need not to explain.

 

I don't say trans because it usually gets assossiated with binary trans people so just "non-binary"

 

I wouldn't say it makes my skin crawl, but I do feel discomfort using the word "trans" to refer to myself. For me, it just feels like I don't deserve it. I only recently came to the realization that the confusion I've been feeling since I was younger was due to my desire to be a woman, but as a male who's lived in that gender's role for a long time, it feels weird coming out and saying I'm trans. It felt good, cause I now know what I want, but it was kind of like thinking you're one race then suddenly waking up and realizing that you're in fact black or asian or whatever, like, you suddenly have to educate yourself on privileges and understand the history and trials that others faced, but it feels distant. Did anyone else feel that way about the "trans" label when they realized it applied to them?

 

I don't mind it. When I am able to pass, I don't plan on keeping it a secret from everyone. I won't tell everyone I meet right away like, "Hey I'm Natalie, I'm trans." But anyone I befriend, I will probably just tell them at some point.

I do kinda want trans people to be more visible, in general. I was surprised when I found out just how common trans people were. If I knew earlier, I may not have felt as ashamed of it as I did in the past, and would have taken steps to transition earlier. Of course, I'm not trying to convince anyone not to go stealth, you do what you feel comfortable with, but I don't think I want to do it.

 

I'm not going to say it isn't a problem for me... Even saying to word trans feels weird, like I guess it's a few letters off tranny and I think that is what is giving me the creepy crawlies when I say it... But I don't really have any other way to describe it... It's like the word I say to start the conversation before saying I'm a girl... If I could I'd toss that label aside but it's the only way I can think to explain my situation...

 

Apparently, non-binary gender identies fall underneath the transgender umbrella. I try to avoid using the term Trans to identify myself or when people refer to me, largely because I don't want people to get the wrong impression and it reminds me too much of how much I struggled when I identified as being Trans. It feels like a knee jerk, more so than skin crawling.

 

Even in a fairly progressive area, visibility is a big issue. Which to me makes me think about how we as a society can make this easier for people in the next few generations. I totally understand the viewpoints of those in the thread that don't want the term getting tied to their identity as well. Is there even a way to balance the need for visibility, with people's desire for privacy? Or are we stuck in a zero-sum game on this particular issue? I'm not sure.

As for myself, I would very much be like Quiet Raven. Being stealth at an older age seems like a harder proposition, as more people from your career/etc know you from pre-transition. And while 'trans' may not be a part of the identity, it is a descriptor of something in common with other people who've dealt with the same thing in their lives. To someone who understands the deeper meaning, it is a word that can describe the experience very quickly.

 

Im extremely proud of my transness, after all if i wasnt trans i wouldnt be me so why not scream it from the roof tops, i mean i do pass well so there really no need to do that (people say i look like a taller chubbyer version of pink when i have my hair bleached and i have my makeup on)

 

I must say that even though I find the word humiliating, people that I don't know who ask my gender, I say male trans as I find it easier to be blatantly honest about my current situation however, I think it depends on the person.

 

I don't particularly like the term and I'm definitely not proud of being transgender but still, I use the term often because if I were to tell people I was male, they wouldn't have a clue what I was on with because I don't pass. I think even testosterone wouldn't help me pass for the majority.

Also, having realized I feel male at the age of 25 I don't consider myself as 100% male because I haven't been born and raised as a boy and experienced all that guys do by my age. How can I call myself a man and expect to be taken seriously? I think for me, the term trans is going to stick as I will always look 'trans' and don't have the history to back up that I'm a man like most of you transitioning in your teens and early 20s will have.

 

I'm one of the fortunate few who pass well even without T, so I usually just say I'm a guy. I find the word "trans" really uncomfortable to say out loud, especially to people I don't know well. On the occasions I don't pass, I just say that I'd feel more comfortable if they referred to me as "he/him".

The issue of visibility is an interesting one. On one hand, I feel like there's a certain responsibility we have to make the world more aware and friendly towards the next generation of trans* kids. On the other hand, I don't want to be seen as a "transman", I just want to be seen as a "man", and the moment someone becomes aware that I'm physically female they stop viewing me as just a "normal man". To be honest, I'm not sure I can give up that comfort.