Yesterday I got a phone survey call, regarding my city's public communication efforts. Normally I just blow survey calls off and don't do them. And I'm moving soon so I don't really care about helping to improve the city's communication efforts. In another month or two I won't be living in this state, let alone this city. But I had just finished dinner and was relaxing on my bed and didn't really have anything else to do that I was willing to get up and get busy with, so I told the lady I would answer her survey questions. She sounded like she was probably somewhere in her 30's or 40's - a mature (and somewhat bored) Caucasian woman, from her voice. At least it didn't sound like some sort of offshore boiler room call center.
The survey itself wasn't anything special. They just wanted to know which communication methods, such as blogs, their TV channel, their website, city public meetings and the like, were effective and well received. Nothing asked about me, personally, other than my awareness and opinion of those communication efforts, and then at the end the typical vague demographic questions about age range and ethnicity, was I a registered voter, how long had I lived in the city, and the like. Nothing in the survey had anything to do with gender issues or asked about my lifestyle or family. Nothing about being gay, straight or bisexual, or other sexuality related issues. They didn't even ask about marital status or if I had any kids.
Then as the call ended, the lady sounded rather embarrassed, and she said, "Last question, and excuse me, but I have to ask this. Do you identify as male, female or transgender?"
And I paused for a few seconds before answering, uncertain about how to respond. I wasn't in female mode at all during the call, and had been using my normal male voice.
I've been cross dressing for less than two years. I crossdress just about every week and go out to a club, and when I go to Anime conventions or Furry conventions I wear female costumes as often as males, but I haven't done much more beyond that. I'm not 'out' with my friends, neighbors or family, aside from my daughter. For the most part I consider myself to be a bisexual male who enjoys cross dressing and expressing the female aspects of my personality. I like dressing pretty and being accepted as a woman, occasionally. But am not interested in transitioning to a full-time female life. I don't have GID issues or a feeling that my gender is 'wrong'. It's more that I feel I have a dual nature - that I have both male and female aspects to my personality, and enjoy expressing both. That places me way to the shallow end of the TG spectrum. In it, to be certain, but only wading ankle deep, compared to many others who identify as TG.
So I balked and said 'Male', and we ended the call.
I guess I'm still not comfortable enough with the Transgender label - and all the associated baggage and assumptions that go with it these days - to answer flatly as 'Transgender', with no qualifications. I think, if the survey had anything to do with gender issues, I might have said Transgender instead of male. But I'm not sure...
I was glad to see that they had such a question. To me it shows they at least want to know what percentage of their constituency identifies as transgender.