Ever get tired of all the negativity towards us TG people?

[ReineD]

I walk around every day being a good example for TG folks and I guarantee if every CD came out and said, "hey you know what? I dig wearing women's clothes" the attitude of the general public would change almost overnight.

Melissa, I disagree with you. This is not true for most people. First, there are not enough CDers in terms of the total population to have it be mainstream. Even if everyone came out all at once, their numbers would still be too few to make any difference. And as much progress as the gay community has achieved since the 70s, there are still many pockets of our society that keep their distance from gay men, to put it mildly. It is even worse for TGs since transgenders are still pathologized in the DSM. Yes, it would be helpful if more identity CDers went out in the next town over but they are still taking chances. AND ... they need the cooperation of their wives else doing this adds yet another layer of complexity.

More importantly, I think we need to approach this on several fronts, two of which are activism and also through early and continuous education in schools about gender and sexual non-conformity. We need to demystify it, or rather remove the negative religious and sexual connotations. Also, you live in the San Francisco area and you are gay, so I'm guessing that your backyard is not typical of most other members here. My SO and I live in a small town in the midwest. We do go out in neighboring towns and we do our bit to be out and proud among people who do not know us, but there would be consequences for her (and me) privately and also professionally should everyone in our lives know that she also has a feminine gender identity. It is easier for strangers who will never see us again to be tolerant (at least at face value) than employers, close family members, or some friends. I can well imagine a CDer being reluctant to come out to his little daughter's school-friends' parents.

In other words, until society is "there" in terms of understanding and acceptance, how is the average CDer to deal with the fallout in his personal life should he/she come out to everyone the way a TS must in order to maintain her sanity?

Badtranny its a waste of time babe. See just like the TS girls the ones that are in the closet have 1000 excuses for being there. They totally ignore the fact that countless people have come before them and survived. They use this most amayzing excuse which is that they feel thier situation is so spectacularly unique.

Waste of time? 1,000 excuses? Spectacularly unique? Your arrogance is spectacularly unique.

I believe you must have put me on "ignore" since you never respond to my comments to you, but I'll type them anyway. LOL

You do acknowledge, don't you, that it is possible to have a bona-fide feminine gender identity that is not a sexual fetish and without being a TS in denial, and that care must be taken when venturing forth in the real world because there are still real consequences for such TGs to come out to all and sundry in their personal lives?