Balked at TG question on survey yesterday

[Ceera]

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.

[Judith96a]

I think that if I had been in a similar situation I might also have said "male". Mind you, if I had been feeling mischievous I might have said "undecided"!

[Nadine Spirit]

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.

And if everyone they phoned answered the way you did then they would understand that they have 0% TG citizens in their area and really don't need to be concerned with us.

I think it was an opportunity for you to speak up and be counted.

[Victoria Demeanor]

Hey Ceera, How you describe this survey and with this question at the end with no other demographic style questions, it almost seem a little dubious to me. Almost sounds like a tag on question with very suspicious timing. As you described the delivery of the question I think I would have been caught off guard and more then likely would have answered the same as you. If I had time to think about it, and no matter how I label myself, I think I would answer Transgender as at the least a sign of solidarity. I also have a wicked humorous side to me, so I would have loved to hear her reaction.

[Ceera]

Well, this city has a lot of TG citizens who are fully out, so I know others will answer that they are TG. I think also if I was remaining here, I might have been more likely to 'speak up and be counted'.

Now when I get to my new home, I am seriously considering making a fresh start and doing girl mode about 50% of the time, and being out with my neighbors and new friends there. So once I am there, I would respond with TG much more readily.

[wanagione]

Could be they are just trying to be progressive.

[Jaylyn]

Sounds like a tacked on question to just get an answer to how many Trans genders
They have so that some politician will know what to say in a speech. First off I would have asked her what do you mean transgendered. If the definition included a cross dresser sometimes but not more than 50% then no if it was more than 50% maybe a yes. I still don't consider my self a transgender as I haven't found myself in a definitive definition as of yet. Where is the word transgendered defined?
If a guy wears nylon running shorts down to his knees is he a transgendered? I would have said male also even though I enjoy wearing nylons and heels but way less than some.
To me the question was very vague and shouldn't have been on a poll. A guy that's not out would have to answer male. I would definitely think a flawed survey. Just my opinion.

[Tina B.]

It's just like coming out as gay, when you are ready to come out, you will, and there should never be any feelings of guilt about not coming out, we aren't all meant to be hero's and run to the wall at each and every call.
Some of us will never come out in any form, and that is alright. Just don't stand in the way of those willing to man the wall and fight the fight.

[Tracii G]

Its been a while back but I got a similar call.
The survey questions were random at best and I'm not sure what she was searching for but when the questioning got in the gender,gay,lesbian,GLBT realm I spoke out.
The lady asked do you identify as male, female or transgender? I said transgender with no hesitation.

[Ineke Vashon]

With my questionable sense of humor I might have answered: "Not sure, haven't looked down lately." Then added: 'why do you have to ask?"

Ineke

[Krisi]

You posted in the crossdressing section so I assume you identify as a crossdresser, not transgender.

I think your post pretty well proves that most such surveys are pretty much BS. Few people are going to admit to someone on the phone that they are anything but "normal". The person calling knows your name or can at least find it from your phone number.

I wondered once what percent of the adult male population in the USA were crossdressers. There's no way to reliably find out, it would be only a guess. It's hard to even define "crossdresser". Same with "transgender". Do you just think about it sometimes or have you had SRS and are living as the opposite sex?

[Sandie70]

Anytime I get a call from a stranger wanting personal information, my antennae go up. Especially if the questions start to skew toward things that might be of a private concern. I suppose that such feelings of caution are borne out by a lifetime of witnessing how duplicitous and deceitful people can be.

When someone calls me (they might already know my name and address, as well as - obviously - my phone number) I give out no information until I have verified who they are. They must give me a verifiable number of the company, organization or government department they work in. Then I call and verify they are legit and, at that point, will answer their questions fully (well, most questions).

[Debra Russell]

What Jaylyn said - Question was way too vague ........................Debra

[Katey888]

Ceera - I can empathise with your uncertainty over what to say here... I hate to say it, but I think it really depends on what they meant by 'transgender'.

Most folk here seem to accept the definition we have in the definitions section, such that TG is an umbrella term for anyone who expresses cross-gender presentation or dress, regardless of the motivation - but I've been reading a number of articles lately that (I think) correctly suggest that it is used in the USA in a way that is synonymous with transsexual, which I don't believe you are. And unless we know that your answer is going to be correctly interpreted, you probably did the right thing in answering the way you did.

As I think most of understand here, there are a great deal of fine distinctions between TG, andro, fetish dressers, male identifying CDs, bigender, etc. If the question were one of ethnicity would it say: White - Black - Other ? I doubt it... But I can also understand the benefit of raising awareness through headcount as Nadine suggested - some of us may be overstating things, but we would probably be helping accelerate society's need to understand us better if they thought there was more of us than currently...

Interestingly, the BBC now asks in their surveys, 'Which gender do you identify as?' rather than 'What are you?' - something with a little more flexibility. You still only get the choice of male or female, so they obviously still have some way to go...

I think I will be opting for some sort of intergender choice in the future, if I get the option.

Katey x

[pamela7]

this topic has brought up a question for me, wondering as to responses on this.
We're male or female or genderqueer? CD is still male, TG means female in male body or vice versa, either way its binary gender. So, actually if we're all allowed, a la Selfridges, to wear whichever clothing we like, then the only public issues are which public conveniences to use and whether one is called "sir" or "madam"?

[Teresa]

Ceera,
It sounds a very strange question to ask when the rest were so general in their context .
I would have asked why the question had been posed and what relevance did it have to the survey, if she gave a plausible answer and it was in confidence I may have given the true answer . I am becoming more wary of this type of call, you have to take their word as to how genuine they are !

[Pat]

We're male or female or genderqueer? CD is still male, TG means female in male body or vice versa, either way its binary gender.

It changes almost daily it seems, but we all male, female or transgender (i.e. cross-gender.) So current accepted theory is CD is transgender. Genderqueer is also transgender, transsexual is transgender, and so on. Transgender is the umbrella.

Polling questions are not required to be focused. Every single day, Gallup has a poll they run. One of the questions on the daily poll is "Do you consider yourself LGBT?" It doesn't matter what else they're polling on, they ask that question. For the poll in question, the woman was just ticking off checkboxes. The numbers are going to get rolled up an analyzed by others. Part of analyzing the numbers is estimating how many TG folks lied about not being TG as well as how many cisgendered people lied about being TG. I don't think the world is going to end nor will the transgender community end up under the bus from your denial. Take it as an opportunity to examine yourself and your values and decide if next time you want to declare you're TG or if there's something about the Transgender label that's troubling you that you might want to look into sometime.

I would have asked why the question had been posed and what relevance did it have to the survey, if she gave a plausible answer and it was in confidence I may have given the true answer

In all likelihood the woman asking the questions did not design them. Getting confrontational with a pollster is a thing where nobody benefits. Just ask her to check the "refused to answer" box and move on.

[Candice June Lee]

I am not 1 percent sure how iwould answer that. Seems like a question with dual reasoning to me. But if the world was differnt i would gladly answer trans.

[Marie-Claude, France]

Having answered with a male voice, I just would have answered ironically: "... what do you think ???..." ("A votre avis ?", in French)

[Jazzy Jaz]

I agree with jenny, i think transgendered is the umbrella term and thats why we all for the most part fit under LGBT. I do thimk everyone has the right to choose how they identify thier gender and whether or not they share it or not.

[Ceera]

You posted in the crossdressing section so I assume you identify as a crossdresser, not transgender. ... Do you just think about it sometimes or have you had SRS and are living as the opposite sex?

I'm a Genetic Male, bisexual (though I lived most of my life functionally straight), with no SRS or hormone therapy either in my past or planned for the future. I live as a male most of the time. I dress and present as a female about once a week, going out to a local club that has a drag show - mostly a gay/lesbian crowd, and several other cross dressers hang out there. I chose that venue as a 'safe' place to go out. I go there primarily to socialize as a woman, be seen and appreciated, and dance. I don't really do it in hopes of hooking up with anyone of either gender for intimate purposes. I have considered, and rejected, the idea of actually changing my gender. My need to occasionally express the feminine side of my nature is satisfied just with the cross dressing.