Imago said:

I refer to her as she because that's what she feels that she is. Physically she has a penis, she's a boy.


M

MIGUELGOMEZ said:

JasmineFire said:

Don't ask me to explain this:

I met a woman, great photographer, in San Francisco. She used to be a man and now she's a lesbian. All the people I tell this to can't understand it. I can but again, I understand when people don't. It's a gender issue not a sexuality issue.

M

MIGUELGOMEZ said:

i get how gender is separate from sexuality and can understand how there can be transgendered people who are sexually attracted to the gender that they want to become.

I think the problem that most people have with that is that for many people, being homosexual means that you're just a boy who wants to be a girl or a girl who wants to be a boy, even though that is soooo not true. So most people naturally assume that a transgendered person is gay and that's why they're transgendered, even though that is not the case.

LisasBrush said:

I'm guessing there a there is a demographic in there somewhere

MIGUELGOMEZ said:

Janfriend said:

girl, u crack me up. yes, there is, i'm sure. i don't what it is, but i'm not a soap fan.

Janfriend said:

I think I would encourage my child to wait until they were into their 20s for the surgery, but I would allow them to present themselves as whatever gender they wanted as early as they wanted, and then start hormone therapy as a teen. Going through puberty as the wrong gender would be hell.

JasmineFire said:

I understand your confusion. I have my own version of it.

I wouldn't know that I was female if not for the tits and ass. I don't feel male. But I also don't feel female. I certainly live as a female, because that's the body I have and I don't really care either way. But if I woke up myself, but in a male body, I wouldn't find that disturbing at all (until I had to go out and explain it to people ).

Sexuality is separate from gender, but I think it sorta doesn't help my understanding that I'm a pretty in-the-middle bisexual.

So, I do a WHOLE lot of taking people's word for things. People tell me that they can feel their gender inside. I don't get it, but I believe them. People tell me that they can feel attracted or not attracted to somebody just because of their gender. I don't get it, but I believe them. Partly because I accept that my experience isn't typical, and partly because almost nobody, especially a little kid, would choose to be whatever form of queer, given that choice.

Not that you're disagreeing with that, just thinking out loud here.

HereToRockYourWorld said:

yeah, i guess i feel similar. if i woke up as a man, i would just go about being a man. i'd probably be a real good looking man because i'd do all that beauty shit that most men neglect.

JasmineFire said:

Yep, I'd be one glossy-haired well-dressed moisturized manicured man. Once you get used to being well-groomed I think it would be hard to go backwards.

Though I'd be delighted to stop shaving my damned legs. . .

Does the APA consider this an aberration of the mind, or have they dropped any sort of "illness" factor to this condition as they did with Homosexuality?


I find the subject absolutely fascinating, because, one always wants to think that gender preferences (dresses, mannerisms, interests) are largely tought (nature vs. nurture), but some of these folks are not just picking as they see fit themselves, but doing so against enormous social pressure to conform. fascinating. It would be torture. I mean, I'm a little girly man for sure--but a man none-the-less. My bits and pieces match up to my self classification. I couldn't imagine the hell of it not being so.



once/one edit
[Edited 5/1/07 17:42pm]

HereToRockYourWorld said:

since i've been in vet school i shave my legs pretty infrequently. All the rest gets shaved but i always "don't have the time" for my legs. The only time I really do it is if i have to go to the beach. Maybe if i had a man i would shave more often...at least at the beginning of the relationship i would.

BTW, seems to be available via mininova:
http://www.mininova.org/tor/679093

LisasBrush said:

You must, at least, watch the coming out scenes with the girlfriend and mother

Janfriend said:

i haven't drank my coffee yet -- i read this as...

watch the coming out scenes with YOUR girlfriend and mother

HereToRockYourWorld said:

Thanks darling!! I wanted my cousin to watch it.


M

unfortunately, i missed it, but am dowenloading the torrent.

I'm so sad I missed this. I'll have to find another way to watch it. I watched a special on transgender adults on the learning channel, and it really moved me. When it was over, I felt so grateful that I've never had a doubt about my gender. It's such a basic realizaton, but it is so devestating when something is not right about it.

I can't wait to hear these children's stories in thier own words.

LisasBrush said:

Does that even make sense???

HereToRockYourWorld said:

I tried downloading this and was told I couldn't. What is torrent?