The meaning of transgender

[MeowKitty]

What are the differences in male to female transgender, I never realized that there were different categories. ?

[Kate T]

See this sticky in the intro section

http://www.crossdressers.com/forums/showthread.php?162497-Some-Common-Trans-Related-Definitions-and-Abbreviations

:)

And don't get hung up on it :)

[Jazzy Jaz]

Hi Meowkitty. In april of this year I added a post to a thread called "whats your opinion about past lives influencing you, if at all" where I gave some insight about my understanding of Native American perspective about gender etc. Native societies were generally very accepting of transgendered people and often had tg people living openly in thier communities. Thats not neccesarily the case today at this point and therefore I am closeted aside from my wonderful accepting gf. In public I present as male and am comfortable with that for the most part but inside I am a mix of male and female. Perhaps I will play a role in bringing openness back to my community. Anyways, my post was #53 on that thread and you can find it with the search thingy. It may or may not help you but I thought I'd offer it. Good luck with everything.

[Brandy Mathews]

I have dressed for years. And that has been all it is, never thought that I would go further. Thought that I would even give up dressing as much. Now, I dress even more and have alot differnt thoughts in my mind when I do dress. Maybe I should change my name to Caitlin, lol. Not funny, I know.But I have to admit that transmission enters my mind more and more all the time. Is it an age thing? Wish I had the answer. I guess that time will tell what happens.
Hugs,
Bree :)

[Katey888]

Adina's already given you the link for what are the accepted definitions on this forum - it's most common use is as an umbrella term that encompasses all aspects of behaviour that seems to contradict the birth gender of the individual. Google have a new, short definition that I haven't seen before but is simple and I think catches it:


denoting or relating to a person whose self-identity does not conform unambiguously to conventional notions of male or female gender.

So, for example, I am a crossdresser who occasionally presents with a female look and although I don't think or feel that I am a woman, I am happy to be considered as part of the transgender family because, when dressed, my projected identity is clearly rather ambiguous. :) But I have no desire or need to go further than presentation. Not all CDers like to be thought of as TG, largely because of it's misuse... that's their choice. Personally I think that anyone who dresses the way that we do and then proclaims their gender identity as being completely normal needs to take a good, hard look in the mirror... preferably when crossdressed.. ;)

I think it's most common misuse is that transgender = transsexual and is a common misconception, largely thanks to the stoopid media who have to dumb everything down to soundbites and bottom of screen ticker tape. Personally, I believe this is a complex condition and can't just be dismissed as 'fun' or 'fetish' - we breach too many societal rules and risk stigma for that to be true... but you can draw your own conclusions - you'll probably get as many opinions as replies to this one... :D

Oh, and don't mix sexual preference in with gender presentation either - we're quite a mix there too with an apparent hetero majority.

Keep reading and learning...

Katey x

[NicoleScott]

There are many different definitions, some I like more than others. And THAT'S the problem. Here on the forum we're all over the place. How can we expect outsiders to have any understanding of what TG means? The worst thing is using "trans". When it comes to a clear meaning of transgender, we have met the enemy and he is us.

[Jaylyn]

I totally agree with Nicole and see some of what Katey is saying. When dressed to the nines though I look in the mirror and see myself a a much prettier self and looks like the gender I admire so much. I don't see myself though as anything but a guy that enjoys the looks and feel of a woman's silky wear, nylons and heels and makeup that is usually over the top. I've been doing this for many many years. Not full time mind you but when I felt I needed some Jaylyn time. I don't want to transition, I'm well over sixty so why would I? I don't consider myself a female. I consider myself a male that enjoys male big boy toys, male jobs, and the rough side of the male spectrum. My wife hunts and fishes with me and she wears male hunting clothes....really the pink camp is not accepted in the woods and I don't consider her trams because she crosses the norms of what the males normally do. We enjoy gathering food for us in the wild, good natural and wholesome meat, and she wears her overalls in the gardens we have which is not at all feminine. I think she is feminine in them only because I know her.
When I crossdress to the top and she sees me she still knows what I am underneath. People need to wake up and know it's nots what's on the outside that makes us one gender or another it's all on the inside. I know of many on here that are in the armed forces and I thank them for their services that dress in secret because it has always been thought of a male gender thing. It's how we feel and how far each one desires to take it. I for one detest being called a tarns anything. I'm just a guy that enjoys looking in the mirror and seeing himself when he looks like a gal. I don't intend taking it any farther. Each one to their own thing. I love just being a CD.

[Saikotsu]

You have unknowingly opened a can of worms. I bet before this topic hits its second page, people will be arguing over labels again. It always seems to happen.

You could ask a thousand people what Transgender means and get a thousand answers.

For me, I use transgender as an umbrella term to let people know that my exterior sex doesn't always match my internal gender. I then expand by saying I'm specifically gender fluid. I won't go into an explanation of gender fluid just yet unless you want me to.

[laurenp245]

... it's most common use is as an umbrella term that encompasses all aspects of behavior that seems to contradict the birth gender of the individual.

I most definitely agree with Katey on this, the term Transgender has morphed into an all-encompassing term to now include the entire gambit of abbreviations and definitions spanning the entire spectrum of anything that might be considered gender variant. Originally the definition of Transgender probably referred to a person who was in the process of transitioning from one gender to the other, and I think that is where the hangup might come for some people being able accept the TG label might apply to them. The definition has changed over time and many new categories have been created to further identify smaller groups within the larger TG family, but they still all fall under the TG umbrella as it is defined now.

Before I delved into the world of the internet looking for information on why I am the way that I am, I just always thought of myself as "different" from the other guys that I was friends with and went to school with because I felt that I was connected to both the male and female sides of my brain and it was just that simple. Now with the assistance of all the information online a person can get completely bogged down in a veritable alphabet soup of acronyms and even further confuse themselves as to who/what they are.

But, after sorting it all out, I gladly consider myself part of the Transgender family, despite the fact that I have no desire to pursue full transition and love the fact that I can experience life in both genders. I don't look at the term Transgender and think that it specifically means someone who is changing their gender, I think it has come to mean anyone who feels like they have a part of themselves that can identify in any way with the opposite gender. In the case of this website, it's through the use of wardrobe, makeup, and accessories that allows us to express our identity with the opposite gender. Others may disagree, but I believe this squarely places us under that Transgender umbrella, and that's a good thing!

<3 Lauren

[bimini1]

What I've been doing lately is disconnecting myself from all this info I've taken in about what's what. I want to go back to a much simpler time. All this business about gender fluid, TS, TV, CD, TG. What I am is what I was long before all the information started circulating around.
I found that the more I read up on it and take in the more I lose myself in it and it has an influence on me. I need to find me. And those answers are inside of me not outside. So I am through trying to align myself with any of these so-called definitions. I simple am who I am. I feel like me and no one else, whatever that is, I refuse to try to name it or categorize it.

[DebbieL]

The term transgender is a word that was chosen to include the entire spectrum of people who have some form of expression of the opposite sex.

Harry Benjamin created a scale, from 0 to 6, with 0 being cisgender.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_scale

The criteria for each group has changed over time, but follow a general pattern.

Type Name Conversion operation?
I Transvestite (Pseudo) Not considered in reality
II Transvestite (Fetishistic) Rejected
III Transvestite (True) Actually rejected, but idea can be attractive
IV Transsexual (Nonsurgical) Attractive but not requested or attraction not admitted
V Transsexual (Moderate intensity) Requested, usually indicated
VI Transsexual (High intensity) Urgently requested and usually attained; indicated

The definitions of each type varies.

One of the things that those who treat transgender people have discovered is that there is an APPARENT fluidity. This is because those who are transsexual often "settle" for transvestite activities such as fetish dressing or cross-dressing because they can't accept the consequences of transition, especially the possibility of being rejected by parents or spouses, or the risk of losing a job they consider critically important. This is why we often see many transitions after divorces, and even more around retirement age.

An old joke was:
"Question: What's the difference between a CD and a TS?
Answer: About 2-5 years".

The real answer is much more subtle. There are many CDs who are quite happy as men, they are even Alpha males.
Others may seem quite happy as men, but are suffering from gender dysphoria so severe they may attempt suicide without warning.

[MeowKitty]

Thank you all so much. It really helped. My husband is currently transitioning to female and I wasn't sure what that ment. You all really helped to open my eyes.