An Alternative View on Transsexuality
By: William, Dollar Bill
Tags: Life, Transgender, Psychology, Culture, Sex

Having lived in New York’s Greenwich Village for almost 50 years — and sold advertising to the Big Apple’s escorts of all genders and orientations for 20 of those years, I am certainly not a clueless heterosexual oblivious to today’s alternative sexualities and fluidities. Not only have some of my best friends been gay — some have been transgendered as well!

I know the initial theory on transsexuality which espouses that some individuals are born identifying as the other gender and are thus locked in the wrong body. It’s not that I dispute the theory. But I’ve known many gay men who appeared and acted more womanly than half the shemales I knew. So exactly what is the difference between a gay man who’s content to live his life as a gay man versus a transsexual who yearns to change her gender?

This is complicated. There is so much penumbral activity in the community it’s difficult to decipher the essence of the situation. Let me give you a quick example.

Brothels in New York are sublimely progressive. Not only do you have your female whorehouses. But you can also visit a transsexual bordello — and even a place where both sit on the couch side by side awaiting your choice of companions.

This can lead to some odd pairings. Many years ago while working for a sex magazine, I had a “client,” a madam who ran a small brothel that featured females, males, and trannies. One day as I entered to collect the ad money, there was a distinct air of unease among the residents. And the madam was looking very agitated.

“So what’s gives?” I asked concerned about the boss (who was as much a friend as customer). The answer: “Apple has a crush on Rachel. But Rachel doesn’t want her.”

This was not the first time I’d heard of one person falling for another who wasn’t interested. But Apple was a shemale! And falling for a woman? I expressed my confusion with the situation when another transsexual in the house overheard and duly informed me out loud — and with disdain — “there’s such a thing as a transsexual lesbian!”

It was about then that my head exploded. I get the old “different strokes for different folks” ethos. But it was difficult to fathom (and still is) why a man would want to become a shemale so she could then fall in love with other females. Wouldn’t it just be easier to stay a heterosexual man? I mean…what’s the point?

Then there was the reality that a small but significant percentage of my shemale advertisers would book couples and have sex with a man’s wife while he watched. And that doesn’t sound all that out of the mainstream to me. Let’s see. Human born a male. Changes to female…but can steal get and maintain an erection for a female?

Ok! So back to the issue. What’s my alternative view — beyond these mind-boggling anecdotes? What I found with most of my transsexual clients and friends was one thing they shared in common more than anything else. They wanted to attract a straight man!

And here was their MO: First, become as “passable” as possible via endless surgeries and procedures until they look better than half their female counterparts. Once having achieved that goal, the girls could then attract straight men who don’t realize that the gorgeous woman who so hypnotizes him is actually a transsexual.

Then there’s the flirting and courtship phase during which the shemale teases her pursuer to the point at which he’s half-crazy with lust. She might even offer that she’s on her period but would love to blow him until she’s ready for sex.

The hope is that by the time the shemale is ready to reveal the truth, the “straight” man is willing to overlook the surprise and venture forth regardless. After all…she has an orifice for him to fill. And as we all know, a significant percentage of men crave filling that opening. So what’s the big deal?

More often than you think, this actually works, and the shemale “turns” the straight guy. Mission accomplished. She has now entered a relationship with a man who’s essentially straight — but enlightened enough to clear a small (or maybe large) hurdle. You get the idea. Again…the shemale doesn’t want a gay man. She wants a straight man. And accomplishing that goal is a lot easier for a tranny than it is for a gay man.

Conversely, a gay man, no matter how flamboyant and feminine, is not an individual who craves a straight counterpart. He’s perfectly happy to partner with another gay man. And thus, has no need to change his gender to score a straight guy.

That gender change costs a fortune. So why bother — especially when gay men are what appeal to him, and making that change would effectively eliminate a man of that sexual orientation.

So yes, I understand all about a man born in a woman’s body and vice versa. But I don’t think that’s all of it. Transsexuality is a complicated issue — and probably one better accepted than analyzed. I dealt with all manner of genders, orientations, and nationalities while selling all those “bodywork” ads. And I counted trannies as no better or worse than any other. Hey! They advertised and paid their bills. Who am I to judge on any other criteria?

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