From: wendy@sundown.mil.wi.us (Wendy)
Date: 18 Dec 92 06:31:36 GMT
Subject: Re: Me? Clueless? Naaah :)
Newsgroups: alt.transgendered
Organization: Wendy's world
Distribution: world
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Roy S. Rapoport (rsr@soda.berkeley.edu) wrote:
: 
: This is alt.transgendered, right? Am I transgendered? 
: 
: Umm, I dunno ... I don't _think_ I'm trangendered, but I don't even
: _understand_ it, so how can I know it?

Neither do most of us. 

: 
: I mean, what the hell is TG? I consider TG and CD to not necessarily be
: interrelated (am I wrong?).  I know I have no desire to CD (Gah, me in a
: dress.  Sorry ... don't have the body for that :) ).  This has nothing to do
: with TG, though ...

Well, I suppose that's true, but I think a majority of the transgendered
people crossdress. I know I do (of course, that could be because I'm
transexual and in a transition program). I helps to validate the feminine
woman that I am.


: 
: What is a TG? Saying "It is a person who self-labels as a woman," to me,
: isn't enough.  I can _accept_ that.  I can _respect_ that.  I can call this
: person by her chosen name, refer to her as 'she', and accept her as a woman
: ...
: 
: But there's this frustrating barrier of understanding that stands between me
: and TG.  To me, accepting TG isn't enough.  I want to understand it, if I
: can.  I will acquiesce if you tell me I cannot, but I would like to try ...
: 
: How does one 'self-identify' as a woman? 
: What is the female mentality?
: 

That hard to say. I just know I'm a woman. No doubts what so ever (I can
say that after a fortune in therapy) in my mind. At one time there was a
lot of confusion, but that's getting better now.

: We're getting into gender roles, and I'm not sure how related they are to
: this issue, because I'm not really even clear on them.  
: 
: I suppose one way to express it is, 
: 
: What does it mean to be a woman?
: 
: What does it mean to you, women, who have had to realize that you're women
: despite your body?
: 
: I have so many female friends, their personalities are so varied ... I don't
: know what makes them female.  Jeez, it's frustrating even _thinking_ about
: this.
: 

Yes, it is frustrating. Ask a real woman how she would know she's a woman
if she couldn't rely on the fact that her genitals were female. I'll bet
you'd get answers similar to "well, I just know I am". Ask yourself the
same question.

Being in a male body is horrible. I hate it!!!! Why did this mistake
happen? I dunno! I've been asking myself those questions for years. I 
just got back from the most emotional therapy seesion I have ever had.
I cried so much I fell like I want to throw up. So believe me, it's so
very hard.

: 
: You have no obligation to teach me, or educate me.  Certainly it seems that
: you folks need to spend your emotional energy supporting each other ...
: after all, so few of us 'mundanely-gendered' help ... I would appreciate
: some clues, though ... 
: 
: -roy, the clueless
: 
Roy, your no different than most people, but at least your trying to find
out.

Take care,

Wendy

PS. Celeste - hey sis, I think you have alot to offer here to this thread.
    You have real insite to offer here!
Newsgroups: alt.transgendered