Quote Originally Posted by lisa_vin View Post
T I've seen "GLAAD" referred to in numerous articles and even on TV over the last few years as THE reference site for trying to gain education for an "understanding" of the trans community. I've even seen it in referred to in "Dear Abby" columns in the newspaper in the past.
I appreciate what you are saying but that IS the issue in the world right now. WE can't can't even agree on definitions. BTW GLADD is just an organization and they don't speak for the whole LGBT world. The word "transgender according to Human Rights Campaign
Transgender | An umbrella term for people whose gender identity and/or expression is different from cultural expectations based on the sex they were assigned at birth. Being transgender does not imply any specific sexual orientation. Therefore, transgender people may identify as straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, etc.
It does include Transsexuals but it covers everyone here. Thus when we talk we need to define the usage. It confuses the lay people when we flip back and forth and even here we have a number of people who believe that if they are referred to as transgender they think it means transsexual.

The dictionary even has this
Transgender is a less clinical term, referring more to gender identity and gender expression than to sexual orientation or physical sex characteristics. It is also a more general and inclusive term: a transgender person may be gay, transsexual, transvestite, or even genderqueer.
Again the point is to have everyone use the same terminology so that we aren't mixing messages. Some crossdressers here feel that any law that is applied to the TG community doesn't effect them. So when one person says "This is a transgender issue" they think that in the big scheme of things the CDs and gender-queer aren't going to be effected.

On this site we have definitions (not that most people follow them) up in the stickies. When you speak, especially to people in your sphere, it helps to all have the same point of reference (thus why medical and law use Latin...it doesn't change). It was "hater" speech, it was trying to get everyone here to use the same terms in the same context. Sorry you took it so personal. Honestly I think this section has remained calm.