Do you think of yourself as Transgender?

[JiveTurkeyOnRye]

My activity on this forum is a lot less frequent than it used to be, and a big reason for that is because I'm so active and open in my personal life these days that I haven't had as much of a need for the safe space as I did when I was still closeted and then fresh from the closet.

Nowadays I tend to express most of my writing about gender and such on my tumblr blog (and twice now on the Huffington Post!), and one thing that I have come across a few times is when people wanting to identify crossdresser as simply being cis gendered men who like to wear dresses. It sort of irks me a but whenever I come across this attitude because I remember from my more active days here, the response I usually got from how *I* presented was that it was far too overtly male for many of your tastes. I remember getting really frustrated at times when I'd hear my style described as "halfway" dressing. I felt like I was always dressing all the way... like myself. Based on that experience though it seems to me that people who self-identify as cross dressers don't just see ourselves as men in dresses because if that were the case then why the insistence towards dressing to present as a woman, outside of the safety issues, which I don't think is the primary motivation for most.

But since in the last several years I've moved away from using the term cross dresser to define myself, and I don't want to speak for other people, I'm legitimately curious: Do you think of yourself as transgender or do you think you fully identify as a man, and the cross dressing isn't about your gender identity but more the clothes than anything?

[AllieSF]

Now you are entering into that "I am" and "I am not" zone for a lot of people here. I call myself a Crossdresser who fits under the umbrella term of Transgender, which as I understand it includes everyone from panty wearers to partial dressers to full dressers to Transsexuals. Now many here will say that they are only crossdressers, or that transsexuals are not TG's and so on and so forth. Someone defined it that way, and I follow that definition. Now if someone doesn't follow that definition and groups of terminologies, then they can call themselves whatever they want. However, I will see them according to my definition and they will see themselves and me according to their definitions. Definitions and labels are actually good when used uniformly because they help people get an initial idea about where or what or who someone may be. So good luck and please provide your definitions for what you believe so that we can more or less understand what you mean.

[GaleWarning]

No. I'm a man who likes to wear certain items of female apparel.

[JenniferLynn0370]

I'm a woman who just happens to be stuck in a man's body; plain and simple (to me anyway).

[JiveTurkeyOnRye]

Now you are entering into that "I am" and "I am not" zone for a lot of people here. I call myself a Crossdresser who fits under the umbrella term of Transgender, which as I understand it includes everyone from panty wearers to partial dressers to full dressers to Transsexuals. Now many here will say that they are only crossdressers, or that transsexuals are not TG's and so on and so forth. Someone defined it that way, and I follow that definition. Now if someone doesn't follow that definition and groups of terminologies, then they can call themselves whatever they want. However, I will see them according to my definition and they will see themselves and me according to their definitions. Definitions and labels are actually good when used uniformly because they help people get an initial idea about where or what or who someone may be. So good luck and please provide your definitions for what you believe so that we can more or less understand what you mean.

For the sake of this discussion and to prevent it from devolving into an argument, I actually would rather not have it be about how we see others, but rather I'd like people to respond more about how they see themselves. As such I could provide my own personal views on what transgender means, which for me is an umbrella term and I tend to be someone who wants to include rather than exclude, because I think everyone's struggle is a little bit different.

[PaulaQ]

Yes, I consider myself transgender - absolutely yes. More specifically, I'm a transsexual woman. I think that's actually the problem with the term "transgender" - the media in particular has sort of picked up on it as a softer synonym for "transsexual". That really is NOT the correct meaning - but given how it's used, and how little most cis folks understand this topic, it's not surprising that it's come into this usage.

And if one really considers "transgender" = "transsexual", then I can completely understand why many on this forum, who are transsexual in no way, shape, or form, would disavow the term "transgender" as it's used by most people today. Hey, I notice myself that *I* use the term this way when I talk about myself, because people are just more used to it, and at least here in the states, lots of us are uncomfortable with *any* word that contains "sex", despite the fact (or perhaps because of the fact) that most of us spend a lot of time thinking about that very thing.

[bridget thronton]

Well I think myself as being trans - for lack of a better term to describe being partly on the female side of the gender spectrum

[LoriFlores]

I definitely don't consider myself as "male", and yes, I always self identify as "transgendered." For example on HRC messages I always select "transgender"

[thechic]

I don't, but my wife does

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[JiveTurkeyOnRye]

Yes, I consider myself transgender - absolutely yes. More specifically, I'm a transsexual woman. I think that's actually the problem with the term "transgender" - the media in particular has sort of picked up on it as a softer synonym for "transsexual". That really is NOT the correct meaning - but given how it's used, and how little most cis folks understand this topic, it's not surprising that it's come into this usage.

Agreed, and it's not even just the media. I've noticed a lot of younger trans women actually doing it too. I think in many cases it's a generational thing, because so many have grown up hearing the two terms used interchangeably, they don't know there's a difference in what they mean. Which becomes problematic when someone starts trying to use it to define who is or isn't transgender, like cross dresers for example.

[PaulaQ]

I think in many cases it's a generational thing, because so many have grown up hearing the two terms used interchangeably, they don't know there's a difference in what they mean.

I'm not so sure about that - because the younger generation is generally much more aware of non-binary gender trans folks than the past generation tends to be. (With exceptions, of course.) The older guard tend to be the guardians of the binary gender - for very good reasons.

I like the term "trans" - I use that for myself too. Unfortunately, I think anytime a transsexual uses a generic term for "gender variant", the term just sticks to us, as if we're made of glue... (Helen Boyd used the term "trans" to mean anyone who's "gender variant", typically with a non-trivial amount of female identity, but not necessarily a transitioning transsexual. But many of the transsexual girls I know just use "trans".) Anyway, all these distinctions are way too subtle for people who have really no frame of reference for the notion of gender variance at all.

[Jenniferpl]

When I hear or see the term transgender, the vision of male living as a female pops into my mind. There is no plan in place to start living full time as a female so I have to say no to being transgendered.

[suzy1]

I see myself as a mix of female and male. And the word Transgender is quite descriptive in its own right is it not? so I am transgender. I feel, think and act as a mixture of the two sexes.
But then someone will come out of the woodwork and say “yes but you don’t know how a woman feels or thinks so you can’t say that” and the arguments start.
So we have to try and pin down what we really mean when we say “I am transgender”
For me its almost spiritual in a non religious way. A feeling, an awareness, a gut feeling if you like.
But the most important thing of all is I love who I am and how I am. Beyond that you can continue to argue the point to your hearts content.

A happy Suzy

[Joanne f]

Quite a simple question so it should be quite a simple answer but when I try to ask myself " What am I " i seem to get a bit lost ( well they say that there has to be an idiot in every village) but the one thing that I guess is that I am not just a man who likes to wear female clothes otherwise I would not have this wanting for a female body to match how I think and feel so I guess that you will have to put me down a some sort of transgender .

[Rogina B]

I like the term "trans" - I use that for myself too. Unfortunately, I think anytime a transsexual uses a generic term for "gender variant", the term just sticks to us, as if we're made of glue... (Helen Boyd used the term "trans" to mean anyone who's "gender variant", typically with a non-trivial amount of female identity, but not necessarily a transitioning transsexual. But many of the transsexual girls I know just use "trans".) Anyway, all these distinctions are way too subtle for people who have really no frame of reference for the notion of gender variance at all.

Exactly,the "T" spectrum covers a wide spectrum. I refer to myself publicly as "transgender" while knowing that most that I am talking to have little knowledge of the "T" world..Whether you are "out" as "transgender" or "transsexual" matters little to most people these days..."You're a T something" is all they need to know in most cases..After all,they are most often taking it in "on face value" of your saying so..they can't check the "wiring of your brain"!

[confusedcder]

I would not classify myself as Transgender. I personally do feel that I am a man but I do enjoy lingerie and might want to at some point go dressed in female apparel outside. My belief is my clothes do not identify my gender although clothes are gendered I just have enjoyed going shopping and feeling comfortable and sexy before in female clothes. I don't fully want to TRANSFORM and be a woman and do identify that I am a crossdresser in my actions but do not feel a gender dysphoria making me feel transgendered. I don't have a female identity/name either

[Beverley Sims]

Transgender, TV, CD, Queer, Gay, and so it goes on.......
I have a label, Strawberry Jam...
It is on a bottle of home made preserves.
The recipe for using...
1/4 inch thick slice of bread.
Equal quantities of jam/jelly and cream on top to kill the taste of the bread.

No labels for me...
I am me, I have not been counseled or analyzed yet.

[stephNE]

I think that transgender is a very broad term that encompasses all of us. But since all of the various terms are not specifically defined (definable?) it ends up for the person who hears it to decide what it means, and each will apply a different meaning.

[KayleeTaylor]

I admire your posts Beverly

At first for me, I was confused which made me very angry and frustrated. I have now for the most part accepted who I am. But sometimes when I look in the mirror, that sense of acceptance is washed away and I get depressed because I feel like I have missed out on my life. But soon, I pick myself back up as I am beginning this new chapter in my life. I can't worry about what did or did not happen in the past, I need to live in the here and now. So I do what makes me happy, what makes me comfortable and that includes expressing my feminine side. Slowly but surely, my confidence is coming back. One day, I will live the life that I thought I had lost.

[kimdl93]

People are entitled to identify themselves as they wish. If I'm speaking or writing about my gender identity, I find that misunderstandings can be avoided by providing a definition of what that term means to me in its application. I'm not insisting that others agree with my definition, only that they understand the meaning as I'm using the term.

So when I talk abbot transgenderism I'm referring to the big tent encompassing many forms of expression, behavior and identity that reflect degrees of variation from the gender binary...male and female. I see myself as transgendered under that broad definition. I also think of gender identity as a spectrum and if the left (violet) representing occasional dresser and the right (reds) true transexual. My gender identity, as I understand it today, would put me in the orange area of the spectrum, although as I grow more comfortable with myself there has been a decided shift towards the red.

That's simply how I see myself. It has no basis in fact, can't be supported by irrefutable truth.

[linda allen]

Nope, not transgender. A straight male crossdresser. Some folks on this forum have insisted that a crossdresser is transgender by definition. I don't think so.

[DonniDarkness]

I identify as a Transvestite. I always have. Crossdresser was only a term i picked up from Cis people. I consider myself Transgender because i am a MtF Transvestite.

I dont like the term crossdresser as much because it separates us as a group from the Trans community in one word.

-Donni-

[GretchenJ]

Since I am coming to grips to the fact that I have dual identities, one that I help to tap in to by crossdressing, I consider myself gender fluid and thereby transgendered.

I consider those who are transsexuals also transgendered, since they still do not associate to the sex which they are born with.

The only people on this board that I would not consider transgendered are this who simply dress for either sexual sastifaction, or those that simply like the feel of women's clothing, as they still consider themselves male in this regard. "Drag Queens" for the lack of a better term , do not fall under the transgender umbrella either, since their drew MAY only be for entertainment purposes only, and not to associate to being female or partly female - but I can not speak on their behalf.

This being said, this is only MY opinion, and that from a psychological and/or social standpoint, I may be totally off base.

[donnalee]

Seems the term is pretty subjective, Why don't we agree that anything one chooses to call oneself is OK?

[DonniDarkness]

Sex, Gender, and Sexuality are three totally different things.

I see these threads once or twice a year. (maybe more) the reason we can never agree is because of the binary mentality on gender itself. Even TG people try to dissect gender identities into male or female. its not about that.....thats SEX not Gender. Gender is an outward and inward social expression of ones inner self. (super ego)

-Donni-