Quote Originally Posted by Joanagreenleaf View Post
Really, this tempest in a teapot on this thread has gone nowhere because the closet is nowhere to go. Gays and lesbians are now openly getting jobs, buying houses, and getting married. CDs, already having most of that all along, are still doing very little to advance their own issues, so what use can they be to others?
Since gender identity and sexual preference are distinct, I often wonder how the "T" became part of LGB. But when you think about it, it kind of makes sense for those who lean towards the TS side of things. Yet if one subscribes to a gender continuum theory, you bring CD under the same umbrella and this is where your entire premise loses momentum.

You see, a person who identifies as LGB has had to make strides simply to live their life as anyone else. This includes the right to love who they choose to be with in the context of a heterosexual couple. This might include open displays of affection (as in holding hands) without scorn or ridicule, and more importantly, the right to cohabitate in a loving relationship while enjoying the rights, privileges as those by married couples. By definition, the LGB struggle is one which must be a public one.

In contrast, the person who identifies as a CD'er may not have any need in the least bit to leave the comfort and safety of the closet. If so, what does that person have to gain by doing ANYTHING they aren't comfortable with? There is no rite of passage to advance along some imaginary TG hierarchy by going out into the world. If one does so, terrific. If not, they owe the rest of us nothing.

The risks to family, friends and career which you trivialize are real, just ask anyone who makes the momentous decision to transition. If one who identifies as a CD is unwilling to confront those risks, whether real or perceived, who are you to suggest that they are doing a disservice to anyone in our community? These people owe us nothing, yet at the same time we can offer love and support in a forum such as this that may lead a few to test the waters in the real world someday. The difference is that they'd be doing so on their own volition. Brow-beating won't encourage anyone.