hell yeah it does, but I mean, the sad truth of the matter is that the world is slow to change and slow to accept. i can't speak for every transgender person out there, but i imagine if you're living in a country (or area, even) where transphobia is ever rampant, you're not exactly going to be in a rush to correct every person that refers to you by your biological sex. by doing so, you risk outing yourself and putting your
own self and your own life in danger. this seems rather extreme,
but violence against transgender folk isn't exactly uncommon.
Thanks for explaining. I don't believe I've ever met a transgender person offline, not that I know of. (As you said, many are afraid to out themselves.) Yet on a forum like PC it seems as if most members identify as trans. So I was suddenly immersed in it all and that can get really confusing for someone like me, haha.
It is unfortunate that transgenders need to explain themselves every time somebody gets them wrong. Is there any way one can identify an individual as transgender and confidently refer to them as such without first being told? The pronoun I use upon meeting people is based on the biological sex I perceive them to be—it can't really be any other way without leading to confusion and possibly upsetting people. But I do respect how individuals feel about their pronouns. For example, put simply, if a man asked me to refer to him as a she, I'd obligingly do so. I'd have no problem with that whatsoever. :o It's curious to think that anyone would.
In the case of women, around here they can be as masculine as they want and people will shrug them off as "butch" (or tomboy for younger women), and in most cases a lesbian. But at least they can safely express themselves as the gender they identify with—to a degree. But it seems that men have a much, much harder time. :/ I wish men could go out in a wig and makeup and even a dress without risking their own life or getting arrested—that's just infuriating! This needs to change. I want to see feminine clothing designed to suit and flatter masculine bodies and I want this to become normal so transgender men (or indeed any man with a feminine streak) can express themselves with the same amount of freedom that women can.
I'd really love to express my gender a lot more, but considering that I'm not even out to my own family yet, I essentially feel trapped. The best I can do is "act" stereotypically girly of course, which gets interpreted as flamboyance, which leads people to just assume I'm a Humongous Homosexual Maximus.
close enough I guess.
Ouch, I know the feeling of being caged inside the pigeonhole people have assigned you to. I can't speak for everyone but that can so easily manipulate you into being the person you're not. :/ For me it isn't to do with gender—I love femininity and embrace my own, but I could just as happily dress as a punk (for instance) and still feel comfortable. The problem is, I'm afraid to switch up like that and express my ever-changing persona because of all the disdain I'd get. And that's nothing compared to what transgenders and the like go through!
everything.
I have a burning hatred or the way I look. I hate looking at myself in the mirror, knowing that the person that's looking back isn't truly me. I cannot express enough how disgusted I feel at my own physical body on a day to day basis. It's one of the biggest factors contributing to my depression. Idk how else to explain it really; I just detest everything physical about me and want to change it all. That's all there is to it.
Everything you've said so far sounds completely normal. There is really nothing different and certainly nothing "wrong" with transgenderism.
This hatred you speak of, would you call it body dysphoria or gender dysphoria? Or neither? I understand they are two different things and I don't mean to suggest you have dysphoria of any sort.
I feel exactly the same way about certain aspects of my own body and I think most people do. Perhaps not as strongly, but it's wrong to say that transgenders have a mental illness for any feelings of self-loathing or inner conflict they might have over their body. :/
Society's black-and-white view of what's normal and what's not is driving me mad, I swear.