The future of CD?

[Katey888]

OK - I'm the eternal optimist with this one...

Yes - things will get better for us, CD/TG folk - there will be some decent academic research into gender variance and we will benefit from it...

No - the fashion divide won't get erased - but I think it will blur a lot more than today (Good old Becks and his sarong will make a comeback...)

No - I don't think 'body-swapping' will happen in the next 25 years - or relatively easy SRS for that matter... but 75-100 - yes.. It'll be like a McD's drive-in...
"What'll it be today sir...?"
"Oh, lissom, leggy brunette please..."
****ZAP****!!!
"Thanks for shopping at TransGender World miss - have a nice day!"

And I think Kate has it right again - enjoy it now - remember:

The past is dead - the present stinks - and even the future isn't what it used to be...

Katey x

[Kate Simmons]

Pretty much Katey. As Marty McFly found out, we have to go back to the future to find the past or whatever!

[Bima]

Hi all,

Many many thanks for sharing your visions of the CD-future. I enjoyed immensely reading them all, learned a lot, and gained new insights. There is plenty of food for thoughts in all the inputs, that’s for sure, and I think they are better suited standing on their own rather than being summed up here.

In any case, what I really liked was the span of ideas, ranging from the likely, serious, and realistic side, to the imaginative, playful and speculative extreme. If we cover all, we can never be wrong :-)

Also, I noted that the forecasts are quite optimistic in general, which is positive. I think one thing that was not discussed in any depth was the outlook for CDs in other parts of the world (I assume that we mainly represent US, and western countries here, which imply a certain perspective). I’m not convinced that the progress and the way ahead for CDs is that smooth in all other countries, especially whenever fanatics get into power. Also, I think the field of technology has a lot to offer for the total CD experience :-)

I hope this can be a living thread with more exciting inputs to come. I surely enjoyed reading every comment from everyone, and looking forward for more.

Thanks again,
/Bima

[Jeninus]

All other things being equal, it is likely that with greater acceptance of gay marriage, CDers will also find greater acceptance - in general. In the particular, not so much as we will still need to come out to family, friends and our employers and coworkers, where acceptance, being personal, is far more problematic. There will also always be aggressive males who will prey on CDers whom they perceive as weak and a disgrace to the male side - not to mention snot-nosed 12-year old girls and their shrill - "eeeh, isn't that a man in a dress?" questions.

On the macro social scale, the same side of the political spectrum that seeks the votes of the LBGT community (and their political contributions) is also easing the way for an ever-increasing influx of adherents of the "religion of peace" (for their votes) that holds it's OK to stone rape victims to death and mutilate the genitals of young girls. If that crowd gets to set laws and social norms in the future (looking 50 - 75 years ahead), we'll be deep in the closet again. That's for CDing. On a slightly brighter note, it should be remembered that Iran has a religiously approved and relatively liberal policy on SRS, so it may become a choice of cutting off your CDing, or cutting off your "thing."

[Wildaboutheels]

I don't think there is any doubt about it.

At all.

Most "reasonable" people DO NOT currently care. [strangers] Anyone who goes out already is aware of this. And they will care even less so in the future. Both men and women. Women will "need" men even less than today because of many factors. Which means fewer men will have Relationships with women as women will get/are getting ever pickier. Anyone who has spent any time at all on a Dating site most likely has witnessed it. More men will "turn to" CDing for companionship and like most here they won't be wearing granny dresses and flats.

I also predict that more stores will carry heels in larger sizes. MUCH larger. I have already seen this in my own area. It used to be that only 2 of the 8 Payless stores within 20 minutes of me carried much in the way of 12s or 13s. Now the one just a few home runs away from me is starting to stock them. Have not been to any of the other stores in a couple of years so I can't speak about them.

[Janine cd]

Acceptance will come in time, but I fear not in my lifetime.

[Ms. Alexis]

Like many I think that issues of gender will become less and less of an issue and it will be more commonplace to see people of all gender combinations out in the open. Prejudice is Prejudice, and in most modern societies we see the world around us go down the pecking order in terms of equality and freedom... Sufferage, Ethnicity, Sexual Orientation.. and someday it will get down to all of those diverse in gender. Of course it's a slow process and all overlap. Hell the first real push was for Women's rights and women still aren't treated equally even though they are 50% of the population! So Yes.. Changes are coming, but ever so Slowly. The Scary part is that in countries like Russia and all of these predominantly Muslim countries things are heading the other direction... Very Scary.