What made You who you are ?

[Nikki A.]

Mabeline and Revlon.
Honestly I'm not sure why. Strong females in the family, and a step father who whilenot a bad guy was a bit hands off.

[Joanna Maguire]

I know my mother would have prefered to have had a girl child. She did dress me as a girl many times from when I was 7 yrs old. Hated it at first. But I soon began to enjoy being like a girl. I had long curly hair. She took me out in public. I was never recognise by other I am sure. I really looked the part in those days. I myself when I left home and strated work started buying me own feminine clothing. My mother was a dominant woman I was under her control.
My father was also dominated by her. In my younger days She kept me isolated fom both other boys and girls. I had no friends. So I fely femine and like it a lot.

[Rianna Humble]

Rianna, this is not a slam at you but you do post a lot of so-called reasons why you did a transition!! You did it and I am proud of you for doing it! I have never seen any evidence, from medical people, that any man was born with a female brain.

I post the same reason each time. The evidence is out there from the scientific study of brains from cis men, cis women, trans men and trans women. There are physical characteristics that differ between a man's brain and a woman's brain. In the study, trans people had brains that more closely resembled the "opposite" gender to their anatomical sex.

[brassieres]

I know my mother would have prefered to have had a girl child

My mom wanted always wanted girls too!

[busker]

You may be trans,Cd,Ts.or a tranz man, So many descriptions for a complicated way of being: but what made you who you are ? Was it something that occurred in the womb? Did you have a dominating Mom and a weak Father figure? What was it,that made femininity such an important part of who you are (mtf) ? Genetics vs environment ? OR maybe the gift of a female Soul ? I believe it was the latter for me..I would like to hear from you !

http://shb-info.org/hbs.html
quoted from the above link

Over 60 years of medical research regarding Transsexualism (modern HBS) specify that there is NO evidence whatsoever that any psychological or environmental factors cause Transsexualism-HBS. All of the medical research done to date indicates conclusively that physiological (neurological, genetic) factors are the sole cause of Transsexualism-HBS.
Here is the summary of a long descriptive article of the sexual differentiation of the human brain
quote
Summary

During the intrauterine period the fetal brain develops in the male direction through a direct action of testosterone on the developing nerve cells, or in the female direction through the absence of this hormone surge. In this way, our gender identity (the conviction of belonging to the male or female gender) and sexual orientation are programmed into our brain structures when we are still in the womb. However, since sexual differentiation of the genitals takes place in the first two months of pregnancy and sexual differentiation of the brain starts in the second half of pregnancy, these two processes can be influenced independently, which may result in transsexualism. This also means that in the event of ambiguous sex at birth, the degree of masculinization of the genitals may not reflect the degree of masculinization of the brain.

There is no proof that social environment after birth has an effect on gender identity or sexual orientation. end quote
the very long article which list at least a hundred medical studies of wide coverage tries to establish genetic/homornal activity in 2 periods of life (in the womb, and at puberty) and makes intersting--if not entirely convincing reading -they seems to have a little bit of contradictory info as I read it, anyway) here is the link
http://shb-info.org/sexbrain.html

[TGMarla]

Everyone's got a study. Gee, look at all the research. Does any of it apply to you? Or are you some unique "in-between" person who has elements of some of this research but not others? I can only speak to my own experience.

I was a relatively normal little boy. I loved playing baseball and running around like all the other kids. And although I thought dresses were pretty (on my mom) and I was a little fascinated with hosiery (Really? Women get to wear that?), I really didn't think about wearing women's clothing much at all. Then when I was 12, I tried on some pantyhose for reasons also totally unrelated to crossdressing. And that got me hooked. It wasn't until I was a full-blown crossdresser that I ever entertained any thoughts of actually wanting to be female.

But there it is. All these years have molded me into a transgendered male. It wasn't some hormone bath in the womb, or bad parenting, or traumatic experiences in school. I just thought about it all a lot, and over time I developed opinions on my own gender identity and human sexuality in general.

What causes crossdressing? I'd say that at first, it's raw curiosity. What sustains it? Obviously some people find crossdressing to be a very pleasurable experience for a myriad of reasons. Pick your poison. They all work.

[tanyalynn51]

I always automatically say that God did, Jo-Anne, but I never thought it in terms of a female soul for some reason. Sometimes it really is that simple. Thanks.

[Charleen]

Cthulhu commands me.

Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn

Works for me! Ol' H.P. was on to something!

[sami1952]

i'm one who believes that i was meant to be a woman but stuck in a men's body.ever since i can remember i always have the urge to wear women's clothes.i feel more like myself when i a dress and kind of restricted in men's clothes.i'm always looking at women's clothes and i seem to have pretty good taste in women's clothing as least that what my wife say,well she likes my clothes.

[t-girlxsophie]

I wish I knew is it nature or is it nurture,I was brought up in a normal household mum dad and younger brother and no major disturbances in my formative years so I remain now and forever at a loss to explain what started me off on this amazing ride

[sissystephanie]

I post the same reason each time. The evidence is out there from the scientific study of brains from cis men, cis women, trans men and trans women. There are physical characteristics that differ between a man's brain and a woman's brain. In the study, trans people had brains that more closely resembled the "opposite" gender to their anatomical sex.

Those reports only talk about grown people! As I stated, an infants brain has no sexual identity because it has not been formed!! Of course trans people's brains more closely resemble the "opposite" gender, because that is what they are most often thinking about!! You are you, and I am me. We think differently, maybe in many ways, but I hope we are still friends!!

[ikthys]

To say I am partially a product of environment does not negate that I am also obviously a product of my choice. I believe in soverignty of will- I am no robot- not even a very complicated and cool living and conscious fleshly one...

Here's my rap sheet, so to speak (though I still share some of the "I don't know" that I read out there):
1. I was one of those latter boys in line (4th) who are shown to be more likely to have the type of hormone disposition mentioned in this thread. This means very little to me other than a very faint background susceptibility to certain influences later on.
2. One early childhood (3ish?) experience of connection/ affirmation when sis dressed me up and people saw and laughed.
3. Seeing a boy wear a dress to school at my elementary school (I was 5 he was 8 or 9)- I think it was actually a gag, but I think it opened my mind to the possibility at all.
4. A Dad I hated for his temper and treatment of my Mom, and a Mom I loved but resented for her weakness, and a family that seemed to leave me with little sense of personal affirmation. I ended up lost in terms of how to face "being a man".
5. A leftover dogmatism that women somehow had it easy in life.
6. Strong desire for girls and obssession with their beauty.
7. Arrousal upon wearing their clothes by my own intention at 10ish.
8. Strong sexual conditioning through continued wear through puberty.

Certainly I made my choices. Today, I don't want to be a crossdresser (neither the action nor the identity, though I understand that having the struggle with thoughts of it means there's a "part of me" that remains such at least until the possible day when that might die off too). I am forging my identity in new ways that I like better.

[dawnmarrie1961]

Jo-Anne,
"What made You who you are? A very profound question to which I am quite sure you will receive a multitude of responses many of which will steer the blame or reason to some irrelevant personal experience in the past , some mythical ,medical or scientific apparition which upon closer examination is rendered moot as well.
No doubt that many will rebuff my contention that it is the responsibility of any individual, regardless of outside interference, to define themself.
We do this by the choices that we make.
"Who made me?"
I did.

[2SpeedTranny]

It is bad enough facing intolerance from the majority of people who are merely ignorant of the facts without having members of this community putting us down as well.

So why do you hang around us lot of dumb crossdressers anyway? The heading on this section is "Male to Female Crossdressing." You've made it very clear that you are not one of us. Repeatedly. In almost every post you make, matter of fact. So why?

In your own words, you have a "birth defect," and aren't merely playing around with clothing.

Well, 'scuse me all to pieces, but I don't consider my penchant for shopping the wrong side of the department store to be a flaw in my genetics -- or my character.

Whether or not you were targetting me personally, your words encompassed me and were unwelcome

So how is anyone to carry on a conversation of any sort without constantly walking on eggshells, fearful that their words -- and expression of their own opinions -- will be "unwelcome?"

"Your words encompassed me?" What?

Think about growing some thicker skin, because I find your attitude offensive. Didn't walk a mile in the other man's shoes, did you?

[Nick2Nikki]

No, Rianna is right. For some of us it might be a choice, but for some of us it isn't. Female brains in male bodies and vice versa do exist. To say otherwise (without evidence to back you up) is to put down a large membership of our transgendered community. It's not that hard to avoid putting down the transexuals among us, just avoid saying things along the lines of "You could be a {man|woman} if you wanted to." Rianna wasn't born a man that later decided to become a woman, she was born a woman trapped in a man's body until she got it fixed.

Just because you feel that you are controlling your actions when it comes to crossdressing doesn't mean that others go beyond a simple desire to dress in women's clothing.

In your own words, you have a "birth defect," and aren't merely playing around with clothing.

...What!? First of all, those are not her own words. They're yours. Plus, are you seriously calling transexualism a "birth defect!?" To be clear, she said nothing about it being a birth defect. She said that studies have shown that transexualism is caused by physiological processes originating in the womb. That does not mean birth defect any more than being born with a Y chromosome rather than another X is a defect. Her post didn't say that transexualism is a defect. You did.

Although, judging by your comments here:

Well, 'scuse me all to pieces, but I don't consider my penchant for shopping the wrong side of the department store to be a flaw in my genetics -- or my character.

it's hard to tell whether your argument is (1) against transexualism being genetic, (2) about Rianna saying it's a defect, or (3) against Rianna posting in the MTF crossdressing forum. If it's (1), then you're plain wrong. If it's (2), then you read Rianna's post incorrectly. If it's (3), then your point is more understandable, but still presumptuous. Plus, transsexuals post in this forum all the time, and this is the first time I've seen anyone complain about it.

Think about growing some thicker skin, because I find your attitude offensive. Didn't walk a mile in the other man's shoes, did you?

This is exactly the kind of comment that some simple consideration would correct. "...the other man's shoes,...." You might not have noticed, but Rianna isn't a man. I normally would bat an eye at this, but you did just finish a rather insulting post with what could easily be read as a very insulting comment. Plus, these forums are all about gender issues, so one might want to be a little more careful when addressing someone. (And while you didn't directly call Riana a man, the phrase "the other man" implies that that Riana (the implied subject), is also a man.)

So, in conclusion, people thinking that everyone else is in the same boat as them, fine, you have your opinion. But guess what? As much as you would be offended by me insisting that you crossdress because you were molested as a child, just because that's what causes my crossdressing (no, it isn't really), others will be offended when you insist that you know what drives their crossdressing better than they do.

Also, some of these problems are just miscommunication. So, read a person's post in its entirety before making angry comments about it, and read your post before posting it to make sure that it says what you mean, so that there's less of a chance of it being misinterpreted.

[Rianna Humble]

Those reports only talk about grown people! As I stated, an infants brain has no sexual identity because it has not been formed!! Of course trans people's brains more closely resemble the "opposite" gender, because that is what they are most often thinking about!!

The links higher in the thread clearly set out physical differences to the brain that begin at a specific point of the mother's pregnancy. How often you think something about does not significantly alter the shape and size of your brain, how you develop genetically does that. I think that you are confusing cause and effect.

So why do you hang around us lot of dumb crossdressers anyway? The heading on this section is "Male to Female Crossdressing." You've made it very clear that you are not one of us. Repeatedly. In almost every post you make, matter of fact. So why?

http://www.crossdressers.com/forums/...95#post2219495

[Jocelyn Quivers]

As far as the "dressing" aspect. I was simply born this way. I had a very supportive father and mother and was raised in the completly normal Nuclear American family. Of course I was sternly disciplined when caught wearing my mother's clothes when growing up. Outside of that I had a completely normal standard childhood. As far as the seperate fem identity, and me being the type of CD I am. I will just attribute it to a very, very, very traumatic event which happened in my life. With as a result me, "Jocelyn" emerged with brim and fire and has been going full force ever since. At best I have a partially female brain or subconcous which really has no clue about being female due to being complety filtered, influenced, and confused by a male body.

Now my brain hurts, too much thinking.

[2SpeedTranny]

...What!? First of all, those are not her own words. They're yours. Plus, are you seriously calling transexualism a "birth defect!?" To be clear, she said nothing about it being a birth defect.

See post #41 in this very thread. Here's the quote:

You are right that we do have to choose what we do about our birth defect[...] ...My choice was to live and therefore to correct the birth defect,

This is exactly the kind of comment that some simple consideration would correct. "...the other man's shoes,...." You might not have noticed, but Rianna isn't a man. I normally would bat an eye at this, but you did just finish a rather insulting post with what could easily be read as a very insulting comment.

"Walking a mile in another man's shoes" is an American saying. It is not required to make it gender specific.

Also, some of these problems are just miscommunication. So, read a person's post in its entirety before making angry comments about it, and read your post before posting it to make sure that it says what you mean, so that there's less of a chance of it being misinterpreted.

No kidding.

The point of my post was that some people just like to go around taking offense at everything they possibly can.

Kathi Lake offered an opinion. Rianna Humble took offense. Why? Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. No one has a right to not be offended.

And now... you're offended. *Sigh.*

[Jo-Anne]

When I posted this question,I had no idea that I would get such a wide and diversified number of responses..I guess there is no simple answer to the question...Our personal stories are so different,yet the common thread seems to be; we all knew at a very young age that something was different. We all ran to "femininity's warm embrace " and it has never left us.The medical community has many theories about what the causes are,but aren't able to reverse our state of being..When you get right down to it.. We are, what we believe we are..The causes aren't that important..femininity makes up a large part of who we are...and I for one, am thankful !

[kimdl93]

Genetics or intra-uetero hormones - I've been this way since my earliest recollection.

[tgirl2b]

God He made me who I am, He does not make mistakes .

[t-girlxsophie]

Think someone needs to take a chill pill,every post is designed to be argumentative from them,why cant you agree to disagree without seeking confrontation,in every thread you will find a multitude of different answers,they are all heartfelt,and we can always voice disgreement with any of them,but lets not take it to extremes

Sophie

[Melinda Lou]

Genetics or intra-uetero hormones - I've been this way since my earliest recollection.

With regards to the intra-uterine hormone issue, I would be curious to know if there's a greater proportion of CD/TS, etc., genetic males born during the peak years of the use of DES
(1940s-early 1970s)? DES has been connected to an increased incidence of genitourinary defects (I was born with an undescended testicle) and gender dysphoria issues (well, here I am). My mom died in 1985, and I have no easy way of confirming she used DES when pregnant with me, but I fit the profile with respect to birthdate ('69) and two of the effects.

[Amy S]

Personally I have no idea why I am this way. I can remember back to 5 or 6 years old when I knew I was different. I've looked up to , and basically for the most part, wanted to be female ever since. I'm guessing I was born that way, and nothing in early childhood dramitically shaped me. I remember all through grade and highschool wanting to be like a certain girl, they were my role models. I didn't feel that way towards the boys. I hung out with them and tried to fit in as best as I could. Which was torture.... Tough times back then, and it has basically continued in to adulthood. I guess I do have a theory and that is that most of us are born with this desire. Maybe our brains are more female.. I dunno... I do know that peeps like us are the only ones who truely understand... Most of us are good people too, from my experiences.

[MargaretJ]

Mummy didn't dress me up, I'm the oldest of my brothers, my sister and I didn't dress up together, and God doesn't figure in it.

My earliest memory of CDing is around 4 years old. I have this very vivid memory of a film being on TV and there was a woman walking by a large store front in NY, wearing a cream coloured jacket and skirt, stockings, (I assume, it was the early 60's) and cream/beige coloured stiletto shoes. I had been under the impression it was Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffanys, but since I have recently bought this on DVD, it isn't her in that film. Since I love stockings and heels, I am sure this is where my interest in cross dressing stems from.