From: celeste%express@freedom.msfc.nasa.gov (Celeste)
Newsgroups: soc.women
Subject: Re: Self Appreciation (was: Re: Elle MacPherson causes rape?)
Date: 18 Nov 92 20:37:42 GMT
Article-I.D.: 128.celeste-181192142820
Followup-To: soc.women,alt.feminism,soc.men
Distribution: usa
Organization: AEGIS

In article <BxvJp7.12o@apollo.hp.com>, nelson_p@apollo.hp.com (Peter
Nelson) wrote:
> 
> In article <1992Nov17.163629.1172@mr.med.ge.com> wendy@sundown.mil.wi.us writes:
> 
> >The pain of being transexual is almost to much to bear. Many Transexual
> >people kill themselves over the internal conflict. We are branded as crazy
> >by many who have no idea of how we feel. I have never thought or dreamed
> >like my male friends. I have had to force myself (with great difficulty) to
> >act and react like a male. My therapist says the hardest part will be to
> >drop the male shell I have hidden myself in (so that I could survive as a
> >male). 
> 
>    There is at least one branch of feminist thinking that tends 
>    to downplay the concept that gender roles are anything more 
>    than the results of socialization.  These people believe that
>    any suggestion that there are innate differences in affect
>    or intellect to be highly questionable and in any case that
>    such suggestions, or research that would tend to focus on 
>    such things, are politivally incorrect.   (a couple of decades
>    ago the concept that gender differences were mainly socialization
>    was a common theme among many feminists; I don't know whether
>    it still is.)

See the chapter 1 in the "Mismeasured Women" for some sight on
on the analysis of differences between the sexs.

See "Male and Female Realities" for the short list of _Average_
differences between male and remales.

Remember:
"The differences between the sexes is less then the variation 
within each sex."

Take for example hight. Average male 5'9", Average women 5'6"
But there are many men below 5'6' and many women above 5'9".

> 
>    How do those who hold this view square it with the opinions 
>    of posters like the above?   Transexuals will frequently claim
>    that they "feel like" a member of U sex in a V body.   Indeed,
>    interesting philosophical questions are raised by just asking
>    what it means to "feel like" a member of a certain gender.
>   
>    I am a male.  I am physically attracted to females, which makes
>    me heterosexual.  I have a variety of personality characteristics
>    and might feel happy, sad, driven, angry, elated, wistful, melan-
>    choly, silly, and so forth at various times.   Yet despite all
>    of this I'm not sure what it "feels like" to be a man.   That is, 
>    I can't associate any of these feelings with "maleness" and 
>    obviously I don't know what it "feels like" to be female, either.
>    So why/how does the above poster think she (he?  --what's the
>    correct pronoun?) does?
> 
If you don't "feel" a disonace between your gender and your body,
then you are not a transsexual. Feeling like a women in a male
body is like describing colors and color harmony to a
blind person.
> 
> ---peter
>    
> 
What I can tell you is when one feels that disonace, it hurts very
deeply and strongly. You constantly ask "What is wrong with me?!"
"Why am I so different?" When you finally are able to present youself
to others in your perfered gender, you can't imagine the feeling
of relief and harmony. The increable pleasure of beingness when
one is right with ones self. And the disapointment when you
live with that beingness on only a temporary basis.

Life if not fair.

Life, society and the intolerant are very unfair to
the transgendered.

The constitution does not protect the transsexual, yet.

I want life, liberity and the pursuit of happness... as a women.

Love and hugs,

Celeste
Xref: sparky soc.women:19864 alt.feminism:4673 soc.men:19528