Posts tagged transgender

i-am-the-lighthouse:

fuckyeahlgbt:

queerwatch:

[via]

Sex: characteristics (anatomical, genetic & hormonal) socially identified as male, female or intersex.
Gender: behaviors/norms socially assigned to males & females; masculinity & femininity.
Gender identity: internal sense of gender as man or woman, which may not conform to birth sex.
Gender expression: external signs of “femininity” or “masculinity” via clothing, comportment, etc…
Gender non-conformity: to reject assignment of distinct norms and behaviors to men & women
Genderqueer: freedom and openness of gender expression and sexual orientation, regardless of birth sex or societal norms/expectations. Often working actively to question and redefine established concepts and definitions of gender and sexual orientation.
Transgender: person who transcends behaviors/norms socially assigned to men & women; person who rejects gender binary; gender variant person; person whose gender identity/expression does not conform to birth sex.

You’re being a loser…stop it.  You write like a girl.  Wtf, have you lost brain cells? Today you will get all your studying done.  Deals will not be made.  That movie last night was outrageous (in a bad way).  Can’t believe it was nominated for eleven awards or some crap.  Wasted two and a half hours of my life on that movie.  Grown Ups just tipped the iceberg.  I no longer like Adam Sandler.  Hurray!  Dane Cook? I listened to him for a few minutes.  All he did was reinforce false stereotypes.  Fucker, how come people like him can pack stadiums?  Yuck.  Hetero-normative freak… I don’t mean that.  It came out because I only got up an hour ago.  Poo, my hand already hurts.  Here’s a list of what I would like my future to look like: 1) A house in Oly 2) A partner 3) Right now I’m going to focus on Horticulture, but I know I would also enjoy Gender Studies 4) As far as the gender studies path, I would really enjoy facilitating groups and trainings 5) Horticulture…  *Oooh! Maybe I could share mom’s office! Yes!

I have a math test on the day after tomorrow.  So really, besides posting this RAMBLE, I MUST! fucking study.  I already told you about the Victoria Secret ad.  Seriously soft porn.  They really turned up the disgusting.  It really gets on my nerve when the teacher spends the beginning of class talking about shit other than today’s lesson.  That’s just my hang up though.  This weekend mom bought me some clothes.  It took forever for me to figure out guy pants. My size is 32/30.  After learning that, none of the brands and styles fit very good.  A lot tend to go up the ass.  You know that seam? Yeah. And then I was trying to find skinny pants and I learned something interesting.  It isn’t only girl pants that barely cover the ass.  It’s just as hard to find guy pants that sit above or even on the waist.  My personal opinion… pants below the waist is just asking for your ass to fall out (if you have one like mine I suppose).  So next time I see somebody having problems keeping their pants up, I’ll remember… the clothing corporations control how we dress.  My other realization is why some guys have the ‘little man’ complexes.  If you’re a ‘small’ guy… or even a guy my size, which I consider middle size (for a girl, I weigh 150 at 5’6”) you will hardly ever find a shirt that fits you, unless you shop in the little boys section, or get lucky.  So yeah, I’m not surprised that some guys have ‘little man’ complexes, since there is no such thing as an XS shirt. 

AW! I consistently catch myself trying to cross my legs, or ankles.  I’m trying to divest of some of these distinctly ‘feminine’ movements, but it’s hard.  Especially since I’m writing gibberish while I should be paying avid attention to the math lecture.  Wrinkled shirt teacher is teaching us FOIL. Super exciting.  … Well I do actually like math… When I get up I have to remember that my pants must be pulled down just a tad, to prevent the pant seam from going up my ass.  Oh yeah! I did get two pants, thanks to Old Navy. I got the loose fitting style.  I also got a pair of girl skinny pants :) because I love them.  Oh! How could I forget?! I also got a Diva Cup… haven’t tried it all yet though.  It actually is pretty intimidating looking.  It is my opinion that somebody uncomfortable or unfamiliar with their body (inside and out) probably wouldn’t do so well with it. 

Two things I desperately want to do right now 1) Cross my legs (I actually am doing this, but we will pretend otherwise) and 2) Play with my piercing.  … One thing aggravating about math, when the teacher is lecturing, everything makes perfect sense.  Wrinkled shirt teacher actually just told me that I have to be working on math in here… Class is almost over though, so I shall be back soon <3

shakepaper:

Though I appreciate the things that the second wave of feminism did, it should be noted that the second wave of feminism was very essentialist and did not take the intersections of oppression into account. So, if your definition of feminism only extends to women going into the workforce, and having equal representation in patriarchal institutions, then I do not consider you an ally because your narrow notions of feminism continue to oppress me and other folks who are queer, transgendered, poc, poor, disabled etc… Furthermore, let it be known that I find reformism boring, ineffective and complicit in the oppression of our sisters and comrades. We do not have to comply to with the white supremacist capitalist patriarchy so that we too could be included in these systems of domination. If we want to make change, then we have to tear it down. Because, within these systems, though some “women” may be given privileges that were once accorded only to men, other women will continue to be oppressed. For example, if a woman becomes a CEO in the Western world, there will most likely be women who are being exploited in their factories. If women are now “valued” because they can go out into the workplace, then it still perpetuates a devaluation of women who cannot work. If women are free because they can vote, then it legitimizes a system in which divisions between “citizens” and “non-citizens” are made, and people without status continue to have no rights. So, until you realize that the nature of this idealized form of liberation is very western and essentialist (and most importantly, very privileged), then I consider you dangerous and a threat to the struggle. Equality for “women” to you, really means, equality for some women.

Liberation should occur in all its forms and for all peoples.

* It should also be noted that the term “woman” itself needs to be interrogated and taken not as an identity that is biologically determined, but as an identity that is socially constructed and strategically used to enforce normative gendered behaviours and desires. 

 Fuck Yes

I think I need to try being a guy for awhile.  What if I do feel most comfortable representing myself as male gendered?  Mom was not very receptive to the idea.  In a way I understand why, because it should not be necessary to conform to what society dictates as male.  Yet, I constantly represent myself as female, and she doesn’t have a problem with this.  She says to just me myself… So what if being myself means feeling like a guy, at least for awhile, or sometimes?  Honestly sometimes I hate being perceived as female, and while that doesn’t have to mean I’m not happy being a girl, maybe I just need to feel like a guy once in awhile.  That should be fine.  I definitely support breaking the gender binary.  I should not have to look a certain way to feel male or female… I think I have to try and submerge myself in a guyness to release myself from a lot of my female habits. 

shaanmichael:

Shaan: I just finished reading your article about gay relationships placing too much importance on sex on Helium. It was well written, and I really enjoyed reading it. Although some parts of your argument sort of stuck out as ignorance on your behalf. Please don’t take offense to that [some people do]. The main part that made me feel this way was toward the end when you said [in reference to transgender persons]: “Why, I wondered, as to me a lowly heterosexual person, they seem the most understandable, as they are trying to be an opposite sex to the sex they are attracted to.”

I know this doesn’t really have much to do with the article itself, but I wanted to clear up some confusion it seems you have. To start, there is a big difference between gender and sex. Gender is how one identifies and presents them self. For example, you identify as a woman and I assume you present yourself in the typical womanly way. A persons gender is described using words like man, woman, he, she, etc. Sex on the other hand has more to do with your genetic makeup. Using you as an example again, you [assumingly] have the genitalia and such of a female. Sex is described using words such as male, female, vagina, penis, etc. In this context, it would have been better if you had used gender seeing how you used the term “transgender” instead of “transsexual.” Yes, there is also a difference between those two.

Also, another thing I noticed is you have the idea that all transpeople are attracted to the opposite gender. They are not. Many transgender people are bisexual/gay/lesbian/etc…anything but straight. I know this for a fact, because I am a homosexual female-t-male transgender, and I know many other people like myself, along with lesbian male-to-female transpeople.

I’ll leave this at that, because I just wanted to contact you about those few things and see your views on it. There are a few other points you made that I wanted to bring up, but I’ll leave well enough alone.

Woman: Thank you for your feedback. I take it you also write on Helium? I couldn’t find any articles written by you. I guess my area of not understanding would be why if you were attracted to girls and you were a guy, would you want to become a girl? Or if you were a girl and were attracted to guys would you want to become a guy? It seems like there are more problems for gay people than people who are attracted to the opposite sex (or gender, if you prefer), if that makes any sense. As a woman who has spent most of my life trying to be attractive in the sense that women are supposed to be to men, even though I have been happily married most of my life to a wonderful man, it just doesn’t make much sense if I am getting what you are saying. So say you are a female but want to be male so you get an operation to become a man and then you still want to have sex with men? Why would anyone do that? Why wouldn’t you want to stay opposite to the “gender” that you feel attracted to? It seems like that would be creating even more issues and problems to deal with. Do you see what I mean??? I’m not at all offended, and when I wrote my commentary, I realized that it would be offensive to some, as most commentaries are if the writer is writing from a point of view, which I was. Thanks.

Shaan: I do understand what you’re saying. I’ve encountered a lot of people that think that way. You all just have to realize that gender and sexual orientation have nothing to do with each other. People shouldn’t act a certain way/present themselves offways to get a partner. You do what feels comfortable. Just because you’re a man doesn’t mean you have to/should like women, and vice versa for women liking men. Your gender plays no role in who you’re attracted to. I see that you very strongly believe in a heteronormative society. That’s going to be a downfall when trying to understand the concept. Not everyone wants to be straight, or cares about being gay. Being gay isn’t even that big of a deal. Heterosexuals have made it seem like one..but it’s truly not. Two men loving each other versus a man and a woman loving each…there is no competition. They’re all equal and all deserve the same things. There are obviously more issues for homosexuals than heterosexuals because we live in a straight driven world. Any words related to homosexuality is used in a bad way [IE-“thats so gay” and things of the such], yet you don’t see people say “stop acting like such a hetero”…right? That’s because the world is catered to the heterosexual community, and anything that deviates is branded “demonic,” among other things. Some people just want to live…whether it be with the extra [and unnecessary] problems or not. If you like to flaunt yourself [married or not] and/or make sure you satisfy the straight male need..by all means do it. But not everyone cares about the masses finding them attractive, or about pleasing others to that extent. Anywhom..it just comes down to what I said in the beginning. Your gender and who you’re attracted to have nothing to do with each other.

As for the writings, I was going to start but a few people advised me otherwise. So for now I just read articles and such.

Woman: I think your friends are wrong to discourage you from writing if you enjoy it. Writing is my passion, and I put myself out there, right or wrong. I still don’t understand why someone would want to be the same gender as the gender they are attracted to if they had a choice, but I do understand that some do as you state. Don’t let others discourage you from saying what you have to say.

Shaan: It’s not that they’re discouraging me. It’s just issues with the site itself. I write on multiple other sites so I’m fine. Just became interested in Helium after reading your post and a few others. I might start posting though.

I’m not sure why you still don’t understand it. It’s basically because there’s nothing wrong with being gay, and wishing to change that fact would imply that there is. People are happy being people and loving whomever. Not everyone prefers to take the easy way out, because that would mean them sacrificing themselves.

Woman: We probably never will understand each other, Shaan. To me to have a sex change and then prefer people of the sex you changed to seems like a conscious effort to be gay, and I guess I don’t see why anyone would be if they had a choice. That comes from reading from a lot of people saying that they didn’t choose to be born gay and if they had a choice, they would taken an easier way. My premise when I wrote what I did is that it seems that the gay community doesn’t hold transgendered people in as high esteem as they do the gays and lesbians is that because people made a choice to change their sex kind of implies what you are saying. Perhaps I got that wrong.

Shaan: Doubtful. But hey…it was worth a shot. You’re right though, gays don’t typically hold transpeople too high. Especially male-to-females. As a gay FTM I’ve hardly encountered trouble. I suppose because I’m “one of them.” Who knows. There are different reasons though. Some just don’t like them because they feel like it. Others don’t like the fact that we’re different, but consider ourselves equal. It’s really just a lot of confusion.

Woman: I still have a question for you, Shaan, or maybe a couple.. In your first posting to me, you said I misused the word transgender when I probably meant transexual. I thought transgender was when you had surgery and the other was just when you dressed as a sex you were not born as, if that makes sense. You describe yourself as a gay FTM. I’m not sure what that means. If I am being too personal, please forgive me and disregard my questions, but did you have surgery and if so did you go from male to female or the other way around? I do not think I will be writing on this subject again, as I am very ignorant, and to write well, you should write about what you know.

Shaan: Transgender actually describes an entire umbrella of people [including transsexuals]. But as a lone word it describes the transitioning of genders, meaning man/woman/other. Female-To-Male [FTM], Male-To-Female [MTF], cross dressers, and drag queens/kings fall under this, with the first two being the more permanent of a transition. Said people are just changing their gender and how it’s presented. Some may use hormones, others may not. Transsexual on the other hand is the changing of sex [aka your genitalia]. This is labeled as male/female/other. Some people who haven’t have sex reassignment surgery [SRS] identify as transsexual. That’s fine. But the general population has undergone it. If someone just dresses as the opposite gender [there’s a difference between sex and gender as well (confusing isn’t it?)], that’s transgender. They haven’t had any sort of surgery to actually change their sex…but they have made the motions of changing their gender.

I’m currently still 100% physically female. Haven’t started hormones, had surgery, or legally changed my name yet. In a few years I hope to have accomplished all of that, but it’s expensive as ever. So I’m saving up the funds and doing more research…because it’s actually a far more complicated process than people think. As for being a gay FTM, it simply means I’m a female-to-male transgender man who likes other men.

I don’t mind being asked questions at all. I actually enjoy it because it means people are trying to understand. So ask away, and if I get uncomfortabel I’ll let you know. I appreciate your interest though.

Woman: Well, you sure had it right that I didn’t know what I was tallking about. So you are at the moment a young woman who wants to become a man through surgery and hormones. I always thought I understood this, that for whatever reason the person who would seek such a surgery felt from the time they were very young that they were born the wrong sex, felt an attraction to people of their own gender (am I using the words sex and gender correctly now? LOL), and wanted to change so that they could live a “normal” life as the person they felt they were meant to be. And I have always supported this type of surgery because I know I wouldn’t have wanted to be a man trapped in a woman’s body or vice versa.

Okay, here is where I’m getting confused again. You are a young woman who is attracted to men, if I understand you right. Yet you want to be a man. It seems to me that you could attract more men as a woman, so why do you want to change? It doesn’t seem like it would be for totally sexual reasons, as there is a majority of men who want to have sex with women. Do gay men attract you more that men who are (or at least present themselves to be) straight? I think you described yourself as also being gay, yet I don’t think you are at the time, but if you have the surgery, I guess that would qualify you then.

It’s okay if you think me an old fogey, and it doesn’t offend me at al. It’s been a very long time since I’ve been a part of the dating scene, even the straight side, as I’ve been married to the love of my life for most of my life. LOL!

Shaan: Because of the difference in gender and sex…say I’m a female bodied young man [who hasn’t taken any steps other than basic living to physically or legally transition (yet)]. You sort of used it correctly, I just got a little confused by what you meant. Throughout the rest of the message though…you did seem to forget the idea.

Again…no I’m not a young woman attracted to men. I’m a young man who is attracted to men. The way my body is has nothing to do with a majority of anything. And it’s not about attracting more men, being in a relationship, or even having relations. The fact that I’m totally uncomfortable in my given body is the top concern. I was born in the wrong body. Whether I’ve had surgery or not, because I identify as male [and because I like men], that makes me gay. It has nothing to do with the men who present themselves in a stereotypically straight or gay manner. I just like men. Other than who they’re attracted to there’s actually no difference between gay and straight men. However I do limit myself to other gay men due to obvious reasons.

 I love this exchange.