Bi-gendered

[ReineD]

What is bi-gendered and how does it differ from being a M2F crossdresser?

My bf now thinks of himself as being bi-gendered.

Wikipedia defines it as " ... a tendency to move between masculine and feminine gender-typed behaviour depending on context, expressing a distinctly "en femme" persona and a distinctly "en homme" persona, feminine and masculine respectively. It is a subset of transgender. While an androgynous person retains the same gender-typed behaviour across situations, the bigendered person consciously or unconsciously changes their gender-role behaviour from primarily masculine to primarily feminine, or vice versa.

I appreciate any feedback!

[DeeAnn]

Here's a thread that might help.
http://www.crossdressers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=76117&highlight=Abbreviations

The definition in that thread is as follows:
BG / DG Bi gender / Dual gender:
A person who possesses and expresses a distinctly masculine persona and a distinctly feminine persona. They are comfortable in and enjoy presenting in both gender roles.


So, pretty much a bi-gendered person is someone who has two distinct genders within themselves. They sometimes present themselves as a man and sometimes present themselves as a woman.

[Sandi jo]

I would say that sounds as if it applies to me

[MsJoann]

I would say that Wiki sums it up pretty well. I for one, tend to think of myself being "gender gifted" and am artistically able to switch roles and enjoy doing so.
I will admit that I really love womens clothing and enjoying every minute watching myself in the mirror transforming into something beautiful.

[Littlej10]

I would consider anyone to be properly bi-gendered if they adopt the behaviour or responses of the opposite gender no matter how they present at that moment. This would mean that not all CDs are truly bi-gendered.

[Bonnie D]

I wouldn't think there would be too much of a difference. I hadn't heard the term bi-gendered used before. Crossdressers don't usually stay in that mode for long periods and change back to their regular modes out of necessity.

Bi-sexual means the person is attracted sexually to either gender.
Bi-gender means, as already stated, the person moves between both gender roles and mannerisms. Crossdressers do the same thing.

Bonnie

[Sonia Kiss]

Hello Reine,

The definitions given make sense to me, and yet personally, I like to reserve the term for an even smaller subset. See, lots of crossdressers can only crossdress on occassion, due to their life situation. They have jobs and families and such. Yet for many of these people, it is only their crossdressed presentation that feels right to them. Only that one gender matches their internal sense of gender and feels right to them. Some of these people live in misery, some find peace and happiness through balance and compromise.

How different though, is the person who truly enjoys both genders? Who sometimes truly enjoys presenting as male and at other times truly enjoys presenting as female? I can think of just a few of my friends that really fit this description. They are the ones I like to think of as bi-gendered.

Best wishes on your journey! (It is, you know, a journey for you too.)

Sonia

[Julogden]

(snipped)
Bi-gender means, as already stated, the person moves between both gender roles and mannerisms. Crossdressers do the same thing.

Bonnie

Hi Bonnie,

Depends on the person's reasons for dressing. If we're talking only CD's who dress due to gender identity issues, then I'd agree, but there have been polls here and other places about why we dress, and most CD's are dressing for the thrill, so to speak, and they feel that they are always men, not women in a male body, so for those, I would say that they are NOT bi-gendered, as their gender identity is always masculine, regardless of presentation.:2c:

Carol:hugs:

[ReineD]

Sonia's insight especially. I did ask my bf (gf) about this tonight and he explained that some people within the GLBT community mislabel CDers as being TS who "aren't there" yet. He does identify as both genders!

:hugs:

Oh, and we will be in Chicago this weekend, Carol!

[PatriciaT]

Here's a thread that might help.
http://www.crossdressers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=76117&highlight=Abbreviations

The definition in that thread is as follows:
BG / DG Bi gender / Dual gender:
A person who possesses and expresses a distinctly masculine persona and a distinctly feminine persona. They are comfortable in and enjoy presenting in both gender roles.


So, pretty much a bi-gendered person is someone who has two distinct genders within themselves. They sometimes present themselves as a man and sometimes present themselves as a woman.


This fefinition quoted by DeeAnn seems the simplest way to express what a CD is.
I think any thrill we get from CD might be due to the relief we experience when we allow ourselves to express an asepct of our personality which society normally requires that we suppress.

Patricia

[chipster block]

I thank all of you for your insight as well. My bf is cd and I am trying to learn all I can about the whys, etc. I truley enjoy the benefits of the femme side (he is very gentle, intuitive,) but I fell in love with the male side (he's into motorcycles, dirt bikes, fixes stuff) My ex husband used to accuse me of having balls because I did alot of the traditional male stuff around the house. Now I see that roles and identities are not always cut and dried. You really must live for your bliss. Of course it helps to find the right partner to help you find the way. Life is a journey....
chip

[DeeAnn]

When I dress I'm in female mode. I very much feel like a femal with an incorrect body. When I'm in male mode I very much feel manly. I hadn't really considered this issue before this post.

I just assumed all CDers were having the same experience. I was pretty surprised to hear that most CDers are still feeling like guys when en femme.

It's almost like there are two people living inside this one body and both of them take turns enjoying being themselves. Is this an unusual CD experience???

[Kelsy]

When I dress I'm in female mode. I very much feel like a femal with an incorrect body. When I'm in male mode I very much feel manly. I hadn't really considered this issue before this post.

I just assumed all CDers were having the same experience. I was pretty surprised to hear that most CDers are still feeling like guys when en femme.

It's almost like there are two people living inside this one body and both of them take turns enjoying being themselves. Is this an unusual CD experience???

Thanks DeeAnn,

When I dress in female mode I very much feel like a female in the wrong body.
When I am in male mode I am uncomfortable in my own skin! It doesn't feel right. I don't enjoy both.

Kelsy:)

[DeeAnn]

Thanks Kelsy,

I guess I have a lot more to learn about all this.

Dee

[Amy Hepker]

I believe it's the same as transgendered.

[Echo Logical]

Humans are complex beings, we use labels to describe as a way to think about that complexity. The real trick is to be able to use labels effectively without letting labels use you.

From what you quoted about wikipedia
a tendency to move between masculine and feminine gender-typed behaviour depending on context,

It is that whole "gender-typed behaviour" thing that messes with people. The truth is people have behaviours, preferences, beliefs, and ways of doing things. In order to simplify our interactions with people we as a society have classified certain things as being Masculine or Feminine. Strict adherence to these classifications causes all kinds of problems. My beloved wife knows way more about cars than I do, should she feel less feminine or I less masculine? I like wearing garters and stockings, does that mean I can't enjoy wielding a chainsaw? Obviously not.

I think that well rounded individuals ought to be able to be firm, and strong when need be, and soft and tender when need be, regardless of biological gender. A friend of my mothers is a retired admiral in the coast guard, he can operate a .50 caliber machine gun, has commanded men in battle during Vietnam, and does some of the most beautiful and intricate needlepoint I have ever seen.

So even if we find or create an answer to the question "What is bi-gendered" it does not mean that the term actually fits any one individual.

My preference when meeting people is to try to skip the easy labels and simply ask, "Who are you?"