Just What Is 'transgender' Anyhow?

[AmberTG]

To me, transgender is a condition and transexual describes the results of the corrective actions, the HRT, the surgery.
Transgender is when a lot of your thought process would be more consistent with what's considered normal for the opposite sex.
Transsexual would describe a person who's done something major about changing their body to match their thought process. They've become the opposite sex.
That's how I see the meaning of those 2 words.

[CindyFinalyFree]

And for those that don't know where they fall... Gender Dysphoria. :P LOL

But seriously.... I, myself, have been in the dysphoric state for most of my life. However, since I have confronted my feelings, and given serious thought to them, I am steadily becoming more aware and accepting of my true self.

You see, for some of us, it's not about feeling or looking like a woman. Rather it's the association of our feelings and mindset with the female gender. Try and stay with me here. Crossdressing is a form of expression, just like the expression of emotion, compasion, and affection. The problem is that modern society (ours, anyway) stereotypes what is 'socially' acceptable levels of expression for each sex, especially when it comes to apparel (while still being considered normal). In a sense, this stereotype could be considered the 'gender' of male or female.

In the last 50 years, the 'general' female role, and what is considered as acceptable in our society has steadily broadened (not just talking about expression now...). On the other hand, the male role, if anything, has become more stringeant. Straying from the modern 'standard' of stereotypical male behavior invariably results in some form of adverse reaction by the general populous. Women's styles change every season. When men collectively attempt to change style, and step just over the boundary, rather than accept it as the general male persona, our society comes up with a new 'category' for it... IE.. the 'Metrosexual'.. rather than let these new expressions fall under the 'general' male gender.

Some of us aren't satisfied with the rate that the society we live in is evolving (we're evolving, why can't everyone else?). So.... our attempt at a solution is to dress and act convincingly as females, with the assumption that if we 'pass', we would not be ridiculed or rejected by society in general. Many crossdressers long for the day when men can dress in pretty patterns and frilly apparel and freely express themselves, and not have to go that extra distance to try and 'pass' just so they don't get criticized for the way they look or act. Unfortunately, that day is at best, a couple centuries away (If the human race lasts that long without destroying itself or our planet).

Sorry... I got started. I'll just close with the above. It's late, and I was bored.

[Katie Ashe]

Is this different from 'transexual'?
You wish to change your physical sex, or wish to live as target sex
Does this reflect on sexual orientation?
Reflect nothing, is strictly whom your attracted to and nothing more
What does being transgender entail?
General term like a name, but relates to changing sex not physically; Example a Tomboy or fem man but niether desire any surgeries
How does one know if they are transgender or should consider themself transgendered? The way I see it, if your not doing HRT or Surgeries, you fall into Transgender

These terms have several meanings and mean different things to different people, try to stick to the basic def... Transgender is kinda like to, too, two...

I hope this helps a little, I love Wiki too

[Casey Morgan]

I wish 'human being' was enough.

I've adopted a few other labels to describe me though: psychotic, insane, crazy

And I used to add "feak" and "horribly broken". I'm transgendered in the original meaning of the word, which actually defines 2 or 3 groups of people. (Personally, the meaning of transgendered as used by the Transgendered community is a bit of a stretch, but as long as people don't take the word away from me I'm willing to share.) In my case I am between genders. After 20 or 25 years feeling like a mistake, "human being" was an excellent label to start with.

[XDW Nathan-Natasha]

transgender simply means that your gender is in question

Okay, that puts it pretty simply for me. But then, what is 'gender' in this case...I'm confuzzied...! I KNOW that I am a male, per se - I have the genitals to match. Yet, I emotionally, mentally, and personality-wise there are a lot of ways in which I am definitely not masculine.

I wouldn't say that they make me female, but they surely don't make me feel very manly.
I sometimes feel delicate, I am very sensitive (I cry watching movies, listening to music, and even reading books, for Pete's sake - though not all the time), I like cutesey things (like froggies and teddy bears!), and I especially love to dress up all pretty like in silky, frilly, lacy things - and all women's clothes in general.
Does that make me more female than male? I'd say no. Does that make me transgender? Maybe. Do I know for sure what I am? Not a chance. Does it really matter? Nope. But do I want to understand myself more? Heck yeah!

Thanks Susan! Thank you all, ladies!

[jayseedee]

Okay, that puts it pretty simply for me. But then, what is 'gender' in this case...I'm confuzzied...! I KNOW that I am a male, per se - I have the genitals to match. Yet, I emotionally, mentally, and personality-wise there are a lot of ways in which I am definitely not masculine.

!

This would seem to depend on who's views you judge yourself by, the "norm" in Min. is not the norm in CA and Europe is a whole different ball game. I have met hairy Danish bikers that make me feel like a cheerleader and I think I am pretty macho.

Jay

[Casey Morgan]

Okay, that puts it pretty simply for me. But then, what is 'gender' in this case...I'm confuzzied...! I KNOW that I am a male, per se - I have the genitals to match. Yet, I emotionally, mentally, and personality-wise there are a lot of ways in which I am definitely not masculine.

Gender is what's inside. Sure, your sex is male as evidenced by your genitalia. But the fact that "you have an X and Y chromosome" does not automatically mean that you are even in some part male gender-wise, despite what certain people think. (You know who you are, and that's enough of that nonsense, thank you.)

Pretend your body suddenly disappeared but your essence is still here. Overall, are you male, female, perhaps both or neither? That essence is your gender. If your inside doesn't match your outside (and "both", "other", and "neither" don't match "male") then that makes you transgendered in the narrower sense, and certainly transgendered in the larger (i.e. Community) sense.