Why do some people identify as trans?

Weird question ,i know, but it's something i really don't get so i thought I'd ask.
Why do some people identify as a transman or a transwoman instead of just as a man or a woman? I mean doesn't it defeat the whole process of transitioning and passing if one then declares that one is trans to everyone?
Don't want to be rude just trying to understand.

 

It can be useful on LGBT websites as whilst as cis person can contribute to trans issues; he/she hasn't experienced it for him/herself so their answers might be more objective than subjective. You'll notice some people on here put him/herself down as ''cis''.

There are also trans people in the media who play trans characters or be him/herself to help get trans rights and understanding to less-educated people. Saying that your trans provides a community of support; society assumes that everyone is cis [same sex as gender assigned at birth] and so showing that there are trans people breaks that.

Some people go ''stealth'' which is where one does not announce that he/she is trans to another person. Some trans people ''attack'' other trans people who go ''stealth'' as the trans person argues the stealth trans person is not going through the social hardships of being trans.

A person also has to ''come out'' as trans to his/her parents, especially if he/she are at a younger age as a parent may need to get them through the transition process.

But yes; a trans and cis men are men; trans and cis women are women.

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Not sure how much this links directly to your question, but if people ask me what my gender is, providing I'm not around my parents, I'll say ''non-binary agender''. The reason for this is that there are around 5 different types of non-binary identities so will hopefully get people to see that there isn't just one non-binary type (because a lot of people seem to automatically assume agender, which is good for me, but I want to help the others too) and it's part of a community. Some non-binary people will say that they are trans since it is different sex and gender to which is assigned at birth.

 

In some cases it's more appropriate (for clarify) to say that I'm a trans boy. If it's not necessary for clarity, I'll always just say I'm a guy, but it's often relevant--and inevitably part of who I a, anyway. The "trans" doesn't negate the "boy" and coming to identify more as a trans guy has helped me get used to the fact as well.

 

I think a lot of it is just terminology and it describes the situation easier. In a trans community you probably get more people calling themselves trans than when they are just out with cis people.

I don't really like to call myself trans but also I'm trying not to deny the reality of my situation too much either...

Personally speaking I certainly don't identify as trans though. I see it as a description of a process I have to go through.

Well, some people also see it as an identity and I guess in that case it would be the same reason for any identity? Why do people identify as anything? It helps us relate to others who are like us.

 

if we all just transition and go 'stealth' then trans people would become invisible again or just be a 'phase' or something. in order for us to get services, and be counted we need to visible and be active as Trans* people.

 

I'm saying transgentleman here, to clarify that I am sadly AFAB. Never in the world would I admit to someone who knows me as a boy only anywhere else then here on EC that this was my past. I am a real man with a genetic defect, so do I say.

 

Usually, one would specify themselves as trans if they wanted everyone to know that info about them from the start or if they were beginning to transition. Alternatively, some trans activists sacrifice the "stealth" life to spread awareness.

Personally, I would only disclose my identity as trans to other LGBT people (such as here at EC), my doctors and therapists, and close friends or family. Otherwise I would just refer to myself as a guy. Because that's exactly what I am: a guy with a medical condition to work through.

 

Other than for activism, raising awareness and educating I don't understand why people would identify as trans at all. Im already stealth in some parts of my life and once I'm on T and have had top surgery the word 'trans' will rarely be heard. I'm a guy, I'll have transitioned to become a guy physically and in day to day life the word trans doesn't need to be mentioned. Like you say, it seems to defeat the entire purpose of transitioning as youre knowingly segregating yourself from the cis majority.

 

I'm a woman but I'm also AMAB and that's very much a part of my journey. So I think it's very important to say trans. Saying you're trans shouldn't segregate you from anyone and it doesn't make you a lesser woman or man. It's just one of many, many ways of being a woman or man. Even cisgender men and women have many different identities in addition to that.

 

Being a trans guy has had significant effects on my life. Calling myself a trans guy is like calling myself a bi guy or a white guy. Neither of those identifiers takes away from my gender, but they describe aspects of myself that have shaped my experiences. Calling myself a trans guy doesn't mean I'm calling myself less of a guy; it's just adding a descriptor that conveys something about my life and experiences.

At this point in my life, I don't pass well enough to convincingly portray myself as a cis guy. Once I'm on T, I probably will be stealth in a lot of situations (meaning that I won't tell people I'm trans), but there will still be people I come out to. I don't want to hide this part of my experiences from people I care about, just because it's such a hard topic to avoid. All discussions about my childhood are affected by the fact that I grew up as a girl; all discussions about my schooling are affected by the fact that I go to a women's college. It's not something I'm going to want to lie about to everyone.

 

I wrestled with this too because I felt that, as a non-binary person who’d at least had part of their identity constantly validated, claiming the trans label would be taking attention away from the very real suffering which a lot of binary trans people experience, and that I’d be taking part in cultural appropriation. In the end, though, I realised I have to say I am trans.

Emotionally, if I deny I am trans then I feel wrong, invalidated, and as if I’m denying who I am. Saying I’m not trans also fails on a logical basis: I am AMAB, so when I feel female I am definitely not cis. My gender fluctuates, which means I am not cis. Not being cis makes me trans by default.

Certainly I can say I’m non-binary without feeling wrong, but for me the right labels are important and avoiding the word trans just seems to push me back into denial. I say I am trans because that is what I am.

 

I tell people I'm trans because that's what I am I wish I was born a girl but I was born in the wrong body so I'm not fully female yet but I will be I'm trans and I'm not ashamed of it nobody's perfect

 

Labels are for other people to identify us, not for us to identify ourselves. I feel like a woman, but since I am not genderwise speaking, I have to call myself trans so others will understand (more).

I do not like being called a trans at all, cause I dont feel like that at all. My gf keeps bringing it up (the word I mean) and I feel so alienated from it. It means nothing other then sliced bread is to just bread. The whole bread will never understand being a slice untill its sliced.

 

This is something I find myself pondering now, only a year into my internal process and just starting with the medical process, which will take a long time. The word "trans" used to sound strange to me, even unpleasant, but now that I have accepted it I feel almost fond of it. It feels good not to be afraid of it but embrace it. In a way I have no choice but to think of myself as a "transman" rather than a "man" at this point because I have spent all of my life in the closet and have not experienced what being a man is. I was never a boy, so I have yet to grow up to be a man, socially speaking. I've only grown up to be an adult human so far... well, I have done my best anyway... I still look female and everyone in my life knows me as a female, unfortunately, so I will only be able to think of myself as just a man when that day comes - the day when I pass as male and meet someone new whose first impression of me is "that's a man". Then I can just think "I'm a guy" and have no intention of saying "Nice to meet you sir. By the way I am trans!!!" :lol:

 

From a purely selfish perspective it's practical to me that some people identify themselves as transsexual, in the sense that they're still transitioning. It means I can take into account that they're in the middle of a transition or transformative period.

Speaking non-selfishly I have no problem with people just identify as their own gender, regardless of whether that matches their genitals or legal gender.

 

Firstly, I really agree with Jesse here.

Secondly, I remember hearing from a trans guy on the internet (don't remember where from though), that he sees his trans identity as somewhat separate from his male identity. Being trans is really important to him, and being a guy is too, but he doesn't necessarily see them as always intrinsically tied together.

I identify as trans because it's an important part of who I am and reflects a lot of my experiences, but similarly, I don't always see my gender with the word 'trans' in front of it. Being a trans guy is like me being a bi guy or me being a ____ guy. It depends, but to some people the trans identity is really important. Doesn't make them any less of the gender they are or aren't.

 

Sometimes it is also for medical reasons. A trans woman's body will be different than a ciswoman's body, which may necessitate different medical treatment.

 

Identifying as cisgender when you're transgender makes it difficult to talk about past experiences and certain things that only make sense for only being transgender. For random example - the topic of menstruation comes up which some transmen experience and situations become difficult when you feel you can't talk about such things because people think you're a cisgender male. :dry:

 

A lot of great and thought provoking responses here. Probably covered about everything I could possibly say, but basically I would add that if you pass as your preferred gender in public among strangers and you still identify as trans, it can be kind of a political statement. I know people have already said this more or less, but being openly trans is considered admirable because it contributes to trans visibility. This is important, especially for people who CAN'T pass (yet/ever), because it means that more people will have met/had an experience (hopefully a positive one) with a trans person and won't freak out when they meet one who is visibly trans and has no choice but to be openly trans.

So yeah, when you see people "identifying as trans", that is just what you see. That is not necessarily how we see ourselves. But trans visibility is very important to normalizing the concept of trans people and making us less foreign. And some people have no choice. So in a way, people who can pass but make themselves known as trans are sacrificing their quiet normal stealth life for the rest of us who can't pass yet, to educate the ignorant and to be a support system for those who are afraid to come out and transition.

 

Because I am a transman.
I have no other way to explain it than that