Combined Gender Identity And Transsexuality Inventory

[jessielee]

i can't remember who spoke of the comic strip "Venus Envy" in the lounge the other day
http://venusenvy.comicgenesis.com/
but its brilliant and it got me searching for a gender dysphoria test, though i had no doubts.
the questions in this one
http://www.transsexual.org/TEST0.html
provoked a deeper appreciation for the rules here esp. re. posting photos; ie. no panties, no bulge, etc. (its not sex nor masculinity celebrated here!)
i refer to questions of whether one is aroused by dressing or dresses because it feels or is right.
Donna's "Mirror, Mirror.." thread on loving our image spurred me on: unquestionably it is exciting. the taboo element is mixed in there somewhere, too. but there are undeniably easier ways to find stimulation than this path which chose us.
i dress because its the way i always wished i could have, the way i regret my mother didn't dress me and because it is me, as lovely and graceful as possible considering the material to work with;
the me looking back from my mirror under shy eyelashes breathes freely and authentic at last.
breathlessly exciting, sure. but less a "turn on" than near nightly epiphany. the revelation of a deeper reality.
more than a test.
sorry to be so heavy again!
no more furrowed brows tonight, dears!
jessie

[Kate Simmons]

The deeper reality is beyond the mirror Jessie and our eyes are the windows of our being.:)

[Deborah Jane]

The mirror is just a reflection of how i would like to see myself when i,m "dressed".
The pictures are the way i would like others to see me.
The "real" me is the feeling inside..The feminine soul trapped in the wrong body!!:sad:

[deja true]

"...The feminine soul trapped in the wrong body!!"

It may not be the wrong the body, Debs!

Are you willing to give it up as it is RIGHT NOW? Doesn't it give you pleasure just the way it is?

It's only our society that tells us that our sensibilities do not match our physical form.

As a cross-dresser, I'm happy with my body. I'm just not happy with how society tells me I have to present it. That's what most of us are trying to work around, to make a better public presentation that more closely matches our personal mindset.

Some lucky ones can succeed at that effortlessly and can live the lives they feel, even 24/7. We envy them, don't we?

I don't hate the male in me. I would hate to see him go. He's brought me to where I am today, able to acknowledge the female and take advantage of the joys and pleasures of each.

Our experienced sisters and brothers here have awoken me to this and I thank them.

(If I were a trans-woman I would, indeed, be unhappy with my body and consider it the wrong one. I'd do everything in my power to change it, barring insurmountable barriers of family responsibilities. )

Where my mind will take me in the future, I don't now. But for here, for now, I am content being who I am.

One bright girl said it a few days ago: It's not about the destination. It's about the journey!

respect & love ( for myself, finally, and all of you),

deja

[Deborah Jane]

"...The feminine soul trapped in the wrong body!!"

It may not be the wrong the body, Debs!

Are you willing to give it up as it is RIGHT NOW?

As i have 3 children i adore and refuse to lose it will never be an option for me!!

[DemonicDaughter]

It comes down to far more than CDing. Analyze why anyone dresses or presents themselves outside mainstreams view of "normal" and you'd be amazed just how similar things can be broken down.

I wear a more "romantic gothic" style. Why? Well you could blame Morticia Addams, the "dark side" of my personality, punk crossing with grunge, Anne Rice (though we were here long before her books), growing up without a mother, rebellious side effects left over from my teenage years...

OR

You could just say its the most comfortable way I find to express myself. Grant it, I love pushing the envelope and making people re-think social "norms". I'm polite, happy and free spirited. Not at all what most people perceive as gothic. I've got tattoos and piercings, yet another thing people associate with "toughness", but my SO will tell you I'm only "tough" when needed, otherwise... well you get the idea.

How we dress as individuals is merely an extension of our inner being. Inside, I am an individual who finds beauty in all things, including the darkness. It doesn't make me morbid, it makes me .... well, me. My SO is also along the same lines of dress as I am (did I mention I find that extremely sexy?) and she is like I am in that sense.

I don't think anyone is less "tough" because they wear a dress or more feminine for it either. You are like that without the clothing. Its the clothing that helps you cater to that side, develop it and allow it to be seen outwardly.

Hell, even people who dress just for fetish reasons are showing their brand of kink!

Its an outward expression of an inner view.

[jackie_p]

I took the Cogaiti test online a year or two ago and it told me that I was squarely in the middle of the male-female range. Something that I knew in my heart and soul before I took the test.

I don't necessarily think that is why I CD. It may be a factor but I agree with the other comments I have read here. My clothing is more an extension my inner being. Perhaps how I would like people to see me, or recognize the person inside. It's almost like when I get to dress I'm taking the mask off that I have to wear for the rest of the world and just get to be me, just for myself.

My :2c:

Jackie

[jessielee]

girls,
posted this first in MtF. realize mods wish us to move around a bit and keep threads where they belong. but i saw in this tests questions to help one who takes it determine, with follow up counseling perhaps, if they are TS, a candidate or solidly CD. so it is germaine to MtF CDing.
i found the questions revealing and may print out mine (295, btw) to include with a "Surprise letter" in my stash as described by by Tracy Schapes.
some of us fantacize, others are transitioning and we are all on a road to somewhere in a journey of self discovery.
and revelation?
all my best,
jessie

[GypsyKaren]

The COGIATI test is total nonsense and a complete waste of time, and anyone who bases anything by it is making a huge mistake.

Karen Starlene :star:

[Cai]

"...The feminine soul trapped in the wrong body!!"

It may not be the wrong the body, Debs!

Are you willing to give it up as it is RIGHT NOW? Doesn't it give you pleasure just the way it is?

It's only our society that tells us that our sensibilities do not match our physical form.

That may be true for you, Deja, but it's not true for everyone. My physical body does not match my mind - it has very little to do with society's views on anything.

And sure, my body is mine right now, and it does have it's good points. I wouldn't be up for a brain transplant into a totally different (though correctly gendered) body. However, I'd like my body to be masculine.

[deja true]

"My physical body does not match my mind - it has very little to do with society's views on anything..."

Sure Cai, and I recognize that. I was speaking from my POV as a male CD. But I did give the transexual POV, though admittedly only from the trans-woman angle, as that was what I was replying to in Deb's post.

See?

(If I were a trans-woman I would, indeed, be unhappy with my body and consider it the wrong one. I'd do everything in my power to change it, barring insurmountable barriers of family responsibilities. )

No harm, no foul, darlin'

deja

[Cai]

"My physical body does not match my mind - it has very little to do with society's views on anything..."

Sure Cai, and I recognize that. I was speaking from my POV as a male CD. But I did give the transexual POV, though admittedly only from the trans-woman angle, as that was what I was replying to in Deb's post.

See?

(If I were a trans-woman I would, indeed, be unhappy with my body and consider it the wrong one. I'd do everything in my power to change it, barring insurmountable barriers of family responsibilities. )

No harm, no foul, darlin'

deja

Sorry - I'm a bit touchy on this subject. I recently had a whole argument with someone who told me I should just be happy with the parts that I have (and essentially said if I just had sex more times I might be happier with my anatomy).

This *is* the Transsexual Forum - I saw your response and assumed you were talking about trans people, which I shouldn't have done.

[kerrianna]

"My physical body does not match my mind - it has very little to do with society's views on anything..."

Sure Cai, and I recognize that. I was speaking from my POV as a male CD. But I did give the transexual POV, though admittedly only from the trans-woman angle, as that was what I was replying to in Deb's post.

See?

(If I were a trans-woman I would, indeed, be unhappy with my body and consider it the wrong one. I'd do everything in my power to change it, barring insurmountable barriers of family responsibilities. )

No harm, no foul, darlin'

deja


Uh, don't think that's quite the transwoman's POV Deja.

Maybe some are okay with their bodies in general, but lots of transwomen feel the same way as Cai: it's the disconnect and disgust they feel when they see their bodies that drive them to transition, NOT how society sees them. And I'm pretty sure the most successful transitions come from that resolve because it is much more real and personal than the external factors.

[GypsyKaren]

One bright girl said it a few days ago: It's not about the destination. It's about the journey!


My "journey" involved being miserable and suicidal for over 50 years, I'll take the beach chair in the sun I have now at my destination any day...a journey without a destination is called a forced march.

Karen Starlene :star:

[kerrianna]

My "journey" involved being miserable and suicidal for over 50 years, I'll take the beach chair in the sun I have now at my destination any day...a journey without a destination is called a forced march.

Karen Starlene :star:

Ok, Karen, I'll have to remember that, because I am in a stage of my life that I really feel it is about the journey, about travelling, but when I think about it, forced march can be a way of travelling, and maybe even what I've been doing.

I just think maybe you only are staying in the beach chair right now because you do so deserve it.... but you will be soon on the wing again... and it will be a good thing. :)

[Helen MC]

Your COGIATI result value is: -10 Which means that you fall within the following category:
COGIATI classification THREE, ANDROGYNE

Much as I thought and what I have felt myself to be since I first read the term Androgyne. I am quite happy with that situation, though I would like to be able to go about my everyday life, work etc dressed en-femme, rather than in drab as I feel far more comfortable in a skirt than in trousers.

[deja true]

Cai, kerriana and Karen... I love it when these thoughtful threads come back from the back burner. Reading over one's older thoughts, one can see how perceptions and ideas change and mature.

After reading scores and scores of threads since this was one was originally put up, and having to empty my PM box three times since then, I can see a growth in me, too.

Thanks to you and many others here for an incredible and ongoing education.

respect & love,

deja

[Pamela Julie]

The COGIATI test is total nonsense and a complete waste of time, and anyone who bases anything by it is making a huge mistake.

Karen Starlene :star:

I mostly agree with Karen. Taking the test may be fun or make you feel good, but is too unscientific to give valid results. It is too short in length to cover all the issues involved in making any kind of important decision. The questions are poorly written as one, with a little thought can pick the answer that will give the final score you want. I took it quite some time back with the intention of getting an accurate evaluation of my gender. I came up about two thirds female, about what I expected. I took it two more times with the intention of one getting a very high female score, and again to get a very high male score. I succeeded at both. Any test should be created to evaluate a certain set or criteria and be presented in a way that the testee can not determine what the result of a single answer would mean to the final evaluation. If you intend to use test results in deciding how far to transition, a test would take all day to administer and resemble the GRE in the amount of concentration and stamina needed to complete. You would need to take the test again, possibly several times, to allow for your emotional swings to affect the results.

If all the testing I am talking about sounds like a waste of time, you may be correct. There is already a test that has been in use for decades that, although not perfect, has been shown to be of tremendous value. It is called the real life test. Other threads cover what is involved, for those not familiar with it. Look at the online tests as a fun thing to do and you will be ok, and if they raise your spirits, even better, just don't make any decisions based on their results

Pamela:).

[Helen MC]

The problem I have found with the so-called "scientific" Tests, Surveys etc is that they are not written by real people but by statisticians, mathematicians, etc. The way the questions are framed and the limited range of answers possible typically "1=Disagree Strongly to 5=Agree Strongly" are so boring and tedious that I usually say the word describing the testes in vulgar language which begins with a B and quit the survey half way through. At least Gogiati is enjoyable to do. I answered all the questions as honestly as I could, not trying to cook the result, and it gave me the answer I could identify in my self, ANDROGYNE.

If the scientific types wish ordinary people to participate in their surveys they will need to make them far more interesting and not a tedious slog almost as boring and useless as solving a Quadratic Equation.

[ZenFrost]

If the scientific types wish ordinary people to participate in their surveys they will need to make them far more interesting and not a tedious slog almost as boring and useless as solving a Quadratic Equation.

Maybe for you, but I don't find solving quadratic equations boing and useless. The COGIATI on the other hand... I'm with Karen on that one.