a little help & understanding plz

[SupportiveSO]

If u've read any of my posts or my honey -VAIN-'s then u get we r a tad confused. How does 1 classify or cateogorize who or "what" they r??? She is def a CD but is she TS as well? R there different classifications? I hope that word isn't offensive, we r merely a bit confused in all this & I personally wanna be fully educated on these types of situations b/c I'm a bit confuzzled! Any links or advice or help would so be appreciated? Maybe this is in the wrong forum again lol

[Kelsy]

Dear SSO try this address
http://www.avitale.com/FAQ.htm

Lots of answers to lots of questions. Hope it helps!
Kelsy

[Aprilrain]

Here is a scale you may find useful, personally I think it's a bit dated but still useful if your trying to define yourself.

http://www.genderpsychology.org/transsexual/benjamin_gd.html

[Julia_in_Pa]

Hello,

Cross dresser's overwhelmingly are heterosexual males with little to no desire to actually "change" their perceived gender.
Transsexuals including the intersexed (TS & IS) feel an overwhelming need to permanently transition from their outward gender presentation to what the person considers their true gender is.

I am intersexed. I biologically possess both genders.
I have functioning male genitalia and partial fallopian tube development.
My childhood was fully male in presentation despite my depression caused by me presenting as male when my Brain "sex" was wired female.
TS people also have this brain wiring that causes them extreme grief and depression some to the point of suicide unless they are able to transition.
Some TS and IS people can live out their lives without transitioning but as I just explained many cannot including myself.
I transitioned five + years ago and lost everyone and everything in my life.
I rebuilt my life and now live quite successfully as my true self.
There is however extreme regret and feelings of extreme loss that I feel to this day concerning losing my family due to transition.

Cross dressers have their own set of issues and circumstances that have little to nothing to do with TS and IS people and vice versa.

I trust this helps you.


Julia

[SupportiveSO]

Thank u all! That does help :) And in honest she is more concerned about the classification than am I b/c I accept her regardless. But being informed helps me 2 help her so I'm grateful 4 this site & 4 all u lovely ladies!

[BRANDYJ]

Hope this helps:

TV= transvestite. This is the same as being a crossdresser but rarely used among us. Perhaps due the clinical sound of it.

TS= transsexual: This is someone born in the wrong body from what they feel they are and most, not all have a desire to transition with Hormone and or sex reassignment surgery to the opposite sex from what genitalia they were born with.

TG= transgendered. This is generally accepted as an umbrella term for all and anyone that has any gender issues or practices including crossdressing for it's various reincludingluding fetish.

I hope that helps you.

[sandra-leigh]

There are some transsexuals and transgendered who have "always known" (e.g., from age 3), though some of them did not know how to express the matter at that age.

There are other transsexuals and transgendered who did not "always know". There is substantial disagreement within the TS community and the medical community over whether those who did not "always know" are "real" transsexuals, and it is not uncommon for the TS community to say of someone they accept as being TS that the person did "always know" but "repressed" the knowledge for years.

There is a large branch of MTF studies that says that anyone who did not "always know" and was not just "repressing" the knowledge, supposedly only wants to be female because they are (the hypothesis says), "in love with the image of themselves as female" (here, "in love" should be interpreted as sexual -- this is very specifically a hypothesis that most later-in-life transsexuals are heavy into sexual fetishism.)

There are others who say that the above hypothesis is total rubbish or accounts for so few people as to be hardly worth talking about. Later-in-life transsexualism is, to those people, a fact sufficiently well established in itself, that it does not require further proof or require that a "cause" be found before people become considered serious and eligible for treatment and relief.

There are still major countries where it is practically impossible to get any kind of treatment for TG/TS feelings unless one follows the "script" of "always having known".

When I asked for treatment myself, I knew my situation was quite different than "always knew", and I said outright on my first visits that if I had to follow that pattern as a "script" that I would rather do without. I was seeking the treatment to be true to how I felt, and I wasn't going to lie about how I felt to suit someone else. It was a risk, but fortunately the people I was dealing with understood.

Categories: there are some categories, but the more I read about people's experiences, the less certain I become that the categories are useful as more than guidelines.

I am one who did not "always know". I still don't know if I am transsexual; I call myself transgendered. That is, for me, a matter of identity rather than a matter of actions: I have been "transitioning". Because I must. Because it works for me, and traditional gender identity doesn't.


Cross dressers have their own set of issues and circumstances that have little to nothing to do with TS and IS people and vice versa.

In my opinion, there is more overlap than Julia's response would imply. Cross-dressing and Transgender and Transsexual people all tend to evolve over time, and may pass through times (sometimes for long periods) which can appear to be much like one of the other categories.

[Badtranny]

Hi SSO,

There is no grey area between CD and TS. There is no linear progression. There are no stepping stones on the way from one to the other. There is no hierarchy. People are either Transsexual or they are not.

How do you know the difference? Well, I would say one of the most obvious differences is the importance placed on dressing in women's clothes. It's my opinion that TS people generally place a lower value on dressing and a higher value on becoming. Keep in mind that my opinion is not shared by at least half of the population here. ;-)

Another huge difference is the tolerance for coming out. A TS person accepts coming out as a necessity and plans accordingly. Being TS is not a secret one can keep from the world. When I first decided to transition I had a very elaborate two year plan for coming out. My therapist told me I would never be able to keep that schedule, and I would very likely be coming out much sooner. She was right. It's funny how quickly accepting yourself becomes being proud of yourself. And right there is the real difference; CD is something you do and TS is something you are.

What is your SO doing? Is he dressing or becoming?

[Starling]

...A TS person accepts coming out as a necessity and plans accordingly...It's funny how quickly accepting yourself becomes being proud of yourself...

Amen, Melissa. I went for years in fear of being "caught," but once I accepted who I was, I wanted to share the news. It's been a real struggle for me to hold back until I have laid the groundwork to protect my family and to continue practicing my profession, if I can. So I've told the people who need to know, a few who should know, and a few whose love and support I felt I could count on.

Each person I tell makes my world larger, and that's why I'm so eager to get on with it.

:) Lallie

[KellyJameson]

I want to share a link but hope it does not create confusion. Sometimes when we are looking at a tree we fail to remember we are standing in a forest.

Existential Positive Psychology:
The six ultimate questions of human existence
http://existentialpsychology.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=37&Itemid=1

[Jessinthesprings]

Here is a scale you may find useful, personally I think it's a bit dated but still useful if your trying to define yourself.

http://www.genderpsychology.org/transsexual/benjamin_gd.html

That was kind of neat april. Type 5 almost described me to a T

[Jennifer8]

People are either Transsexual or they are not.

Is he dressing or becoming?

please explain becoming more.
the stuff I do it doesnt make me want to (*&^%$ it makes me happy thou I guess.
http://www.genderpsychology.org/transsexual/benjamin_gd.html[/QUOTE]
I looked at that list and none of them fit . parts do thou

[Inna]

HEy, I 1/2 D site devo2d 2 Transgendr condition, just K-lick on D bannR B-low Der U find lots of Info on D subject!

Luv, In^2a

[Badtranny]

please explain becoming more.

Well, I guess you would say becoming includes all of the things we do to bring us closer to our goal that have nothing to do with clothes. The first thing that comes to mind is diet and exercise, transitioning is brutal on the body and being fit and healthy helps more than you could imagine. The second thing that I think of is grooming and skin care. CD's are concerned about who might see their legs or arms but a TS is only concerned with the goal. Eyebrow waxing, leg shaving, manicures are just a day in the life of someone who is TS. Another thing that separates the two are permanent modifications like electrolysis, or body shaping lipo, or FFS, or boobs. HRT is also a big step that most CD's will not take. This is becoming. These are the steps you take if you are TS and they have nothing whatsoever to do with clothes. If you can not get serious about ALL of these steps including coming out to the world than it's very likely that you are a CD.

A CD wants to dress up and be as pretty as possible, and a TS wants to become and transcend the clothes completely. The day I can wear my jeans and T-shirt and pass 100%, will be the day that I am finally free.

[Sammy777]

The day I can wear my jeans and T-shirt and pass 100%, will be the day that I am finally free.

Oh no Misty no please don't do that!
Don't wear your hair up, little to no make up, a T-shirt and jeans and be happy doing it too.

You might become one of "those girls". Next you will be wearing your PJ's to Walmart. :lol2:


Shhhhhhhh Don't tell anyone.......... but I think you are already there. :D

[Sammy777]

There is no grey area between CD and TS. There is no linear progression. There are no stepping stones on the way from one to the other. There is no hierarchy. People are either Transsexual or they are not.

How do you know the difference? Well, I would say one of the most obvious differences is the importance placed on dressing in women's clothes. It's my opinion that TS people generally place a lower value on dressing and a higher value on becoming. Keep in mind that my opinion is not shared by at least half of the population here. ;-)

Another huge difference is the tolerance for coming out. A TS person accepts coming out as a necessity and plans accordingly. Being TS is not a secret one can keep from the world. When I first decided to transition I had a very elaborate two year plan for coming out. My therapist told me I would never be able to keep that schedule, and I would very likely be coming out much sooner. She was right. It's funny how quickly accepting yourself becomes being proud of yourself. And right there is the real difference; CD is something you do and TS is something you are.

Well, I guess you would say becoming includes all of the things we do to bring us closer to our goal that have nothing to do with clothes.
Another thing that separates the two are permanent modifications like electrolysis, or body shaping lipo, or FFS, or boobs. HRT is also a big step that most CD's will not take. This is becoming.
These are the steps you take if you are TS and they have nothing whatsoever to do with clothes.
If you can not get serious about ALL of these steps including coming out to the world than it's very likely that you are a CD.

A CD wants to dress up and be as pretty as possible, and a TS wants to become and transcend the clothes completely.
The day I can wear my jeans and T-shirt and pass 100%, will be the day that I am finally free.


I think Misty has done a pretty good job of summing it up.