could it be

[Vera]

hi... was sitting here wandering if we have a gene missing.. you know the xand y chromisones.. only ours is different than most people.. the need to be feminineonly we dont know were different just like people who are mentally handicapped..

[Natalie x]

Oh, I think we know we're different, alright, and if we didn't, there are plenty of folks to tell us we are.

Vem, I know it's a temptation to try to analyse ourselves, but conjecture of this sort will only make you unhappy. Leave science to the scientists and just enjoy being who you are.

[Holly]

Don't know about a missing gene... pleny of people have told me a I have a screw lose, though! :eek:

[Ashley in Virginia]

hi... just like people who are mentally handicapped..

Lot of those here.... This place is infested with tards....

[Marlena Dahlstrom]

Well the best guesses are that transgenderism is related to the hormonal washes that occur during pregnancy (one triggers the formation of a male body, another triggers the formation of a male brain). There's some suggestive -- but not conclusive -- research from the neurobiologists (differences in size in some brain structures) as well as studies of intersexed children whose genitals were "corrected" (usually as females). And there's a recent study (http://www.world-science.net/exclusives/050511_transfrm.htm) that there's a genetic link to the potential of becoming a transsexual. There's evidence from animal studies suggesting TS behavior in a variety of species. (There's not really any research on biological roots of CD vs TS, but personally I think it's safe to assume some of the drivers for CD may be milder forms of the gender discomfort that TSs feel.)

Interestingly, the genes in question are in a area of the DNA where the most genetic mutations occur, and therefore may underly some of the fastest evolutionary changes. (The same kind of mechanism apparently affects the muzzle length of dogs.) So CD/TGing could be a by-product of a larger evolutionary mechanism that ensures a certain amount diversity in the human population so that our species can cope with unexpected changes in the environment. In this case, it's probably more about ensuring there's a spectrum of personality traits and related brain skills (for example, verbal vs. spatial skills) among both males and females.

Since historically enough people with gender discomfort reproduced, it didn't get bred out of the population. And even if it didn't confer an evolutionary advantage, as long as it didn't confer a disadvantage, it wouldn't disappear either. It's similar to the recent discovery that cats lack the taste receptor to taste "sweet" due to a genetic error. Since in the wild they're carnivorous, it didn't really matter so it hung on.

But I agree with Natalie, one can go round and round on the whys. It's better to focus on accepting that for whatever reason, it's a part of you and move on to living a happy life.

[Billijo49504]

Holly, I found my loose screw, in the front tire of the Saturn. :D

[steffie39]

I'm not sure whether crossdressing comes from genes or is influenced by environment (how many times have I read that it starts early in life after trying on something---me included). The important thing, though, is it becomes a part of us and it is better to accept rather than continually supress. I know that since I have finally accepted my gift, I have been happier both mentally and physically.

Steffie

[MarinaTwelve200]

hi... was sitting here wandering if we have a gene missing.. you know the xand y chromisones.. only ours is different than most people.. the need to be feminineonly we dont know were different just like people who are mentally handicapped..

CDing is symptomatic of a LOT of DIFFERENT "personal quirks" ,"disorders" and preferences. You just can't Assume that all CDers CD for the same reasons.

I am sure some of us MIGHT have some "XY" cromosome anomalies, but a lot of us don't. And even those that DO have the same anomalies may or may not CD.

[susiej]

But I agree with Natalie, one can go round and round on the whys. It's better to focus on accepting that for whatever reason, it's a part of you and move on to living a happy life.

Girls, I for one have long ago accepted (and embraced) my "Anima", but I am still fascinated by the whys. I often wonder about how I came by this "blessing", and I too have speculated that I somehow ended up with a gene or chromosome too few (or too many :)). The reason that this theory works for me is the recognition of how deeply wired I am for pleasure at things feminine, and the startling realization that this wiring is kinda unusual.

In my teens and 20s, I figured all guys felt the same delicious attraction to femininity, but I was just weaker/more hedonistic than they, and whilst they "resisted", I didn't. When I truly internalized that others would feel just a little silly or comical wearing stuff that drives me wild, I concluded that the wiring difference is pretty darn basic.

My best guess is that the thing is similar to alcoholism, for example. Some guys are probably genetically pre-disposed to crossing over, others aren't. Of those who are, some of them (us) were further stimulated in childhood by factors we think are mysterious, but will some day be as well understood as germs and radio waves are today. Finally, of those who were stimulated in the right direction in childhood, some of them just became creeps or jerks. We lucky ones became transvestites :).

I can't tell you about my genetic predisposition, if any -- some day, maybe the future of "Gattica" will allow us to read our own genomes, and we can compare notes. But I can tell you my mother was schizophrenic while I was growing up, so I kinda had a wierd childhood. Plus, I can actually remember at least one incident of being completely dressed and made up by my sisters, and paraded around the house. Nobody laughed (or I probably would have become a creep or a jerk), but I do remember grownups saying how cute I looked.

Hugs,
Susie

[Vera]

i do feel that i'm special to have a fem side that doesn't come out too often but when she does theres no stopping her.. thanks girls for your responses

[joni-alice]

i aint different, i'm just a cd

[Marlena Dahlstrom]

I agree TGism -- and particularly CDing -- is a matter of biological predisposition plus environmental factors.

If it were simply disconnecting from yourself for a while, there's lot of ways to do that. I was a social misfit around the time I started dressing, so escape was definitely something I wanted to do. But for some reason I chose to put on a dress instead turning to alcohol or joining Starfleet and learning Klingon. I suspect one reason is biological, but not necessary gender dysphoria, which I don't feel I've got them much of. In my case, I've got a fairly androgynous personality (if various tests are to be believed) so I do have a strong urge to express feelings that are considered "female." Whereas "boyish" girls have the option to become tomboys, and later "ungirly" women, I didn't really have an equivalent choice (being a sensitive guy in junior high was inviting getting beat up by the school bullies), so those urges contributed to expressing them as a separate femme persona.

The fact that many of us start dressing around the beginnings of adolencense suggests there's social factors at work as well. It's interesting to me that the accounts of those who started earlier in their childhoods seem to be a bit different. The "childhood" starters often seem to have been fascinated with the decorative/sensuous aspects of girl's/women's clothing that they weren't allow to wear. I wonder if there was an acceptable "janegirl" period for boys, where they could've worn pretty things, they might have satisfied that urge and grown up to be metrosexuals rather than CDs.

I think one reason people gravitate toward wanting to find a biological explanation is it's a way to ease their guilt, etc. over CDing. It's similar to forced fem, you didn't have a choice, so you don't have to feel guilty.