Seconding rosuto...transgender is often used as an umbrella term for any kind of gender nonconformity.
Based on the context of your post, I think this question is a re-hash of "aren't all cross-dressers just closet transsexuals?", and it's disingenuous to present it as anything else.Originally Posted by Alexia Elliot
While this may be accurate for some or even most cross-dressers (I went through this phase as well), this question is pretty irritating for two reasons:
1. It invalidates the experiences of the people who really do not have any desire to transition, based on nothing besides personal or anecdotal experience.
Maybe they are in the minority, or maybe most of them stopped posting because of tiresome BS like this, but please respect their identity. The fact that there are some or many cross-dressers in denial in your personal experience does not erase the existence of male-identified cross-dressers.
2. This question reinforces the idea that there is only one way to be trans:
"You must take hormones. You must have GRS. You must do x, y, and z. Anything else is not valid."
Implicitly, it also reinforces the strict gender roles that we should be fighting:
"You cannot be a male who engages in some feminine behavior. If you do anything feminine, you must be a closeted trans woman. Transition now!"
The question posed to specific individuals is usually fine when it's based on observations about their behavior, but when it's posited as a universal truth as it is here, it is almost always self-righteous and disrespectful. If you are genuinely concerned about the mental toll closeting and rejection of one's female gender identity have on cross-dressers, then express that sentiment through sharing your experiences instead of broad, condescending generalizations.
