History UsefulNotes / Transgender

->[[LadiesAndGerms Ladies and gentlemen, and variations thereupon...]] \\
-- The Hostess, ''Series/DoctorWho'', "Midnight"

** Some anecdotal evidence tends to point to the "invisible physical condition" theory as well: for example, many FTMs report having deeper voices, PCOS symptoms, male pattern hair loss, difficult/painful menstruation, mood swings, or severe fatigue even before transitioning at all and/or when having to be off outside testosterone - which hints at the "natural" state involving a higher amount of testosterone or a different response to it. Or as an alternate theory, a ''lower'' amount when the body's balance would be better with the same amount cisgender males naturally have and is instead functioning on a too-high for the individual level of estrogens and progesterone - putting the FTM person not on outside testosterone in a similar place biologically as a cisgender male whose body didn't produce the proper level of the hormone.

* "Transgender people are unstable!" This is an example of what happens when SelfFulfillingProphecy and circular reasoning feed into bigotry. Most if not all of the reasons why transgender people are ''objectively'' unstable (lack of financial wealth and liquidity, lack of stable dwellings, not being married or partnered or having strong family ties, anxiety ranging from nervousness to paranoia of straight strangers who act in certain ways) are directly due to the way trans people are or recently were treated, especially poor trans people, and the way society is often set up to encourage violence and mockery toward the transgender or androgynous and discourage them, in turn, from participation in society except among themselves, unless they have money. This can even sometimes result in a ViciousCycle of instability based in the reality that when people are treated badly and disrespected, they tend to expect more of the same from those doing it - and the solution isn't to blame them as "unstable" but to encourage others to cut some slack for this, to understand that someone may have been legitimately hurt and may not be incredibly sociable/interested in family or may have unusually strong boundaries due to that, for example. Or to understand that someone might have bad credit/a bad rental history and still be a good tenant or a good worker who just needs someone to give them a chance to prove themselves.

** Some anecdotal evidence tends to point to the "invisible physical condition" theory as well: for example, many FTMs report having deeper voices, PCOS symptoms, male pattern hair loss, difficult/painful menstruation, mood swings, or severe fatigue even before transitioning at all and/or when having to be off outside testosterone - which hints at the "natural" state involving a higher amount of testosterone or a different response to it. Or as an alternate theory, a ''lower'' amount when the body's balance would be better with the same amount cisgender males naturally have and is instead functioning on a too-high for the individual level of estrogens and progesterone - putting the FTM person not on outside testosterone in the same place biologically as a cisgender male whose body didn't produce the proper level of the hormone.

** Some anecdotal evidence tends to point to the "invisible physical condition" theory as well: for example, many FTMs report having deeper voices, PCOS symptoms, male pattern hair loss, difficult/painful menstruation, mood swings, or severe fatigue even before transitioning at all and/or when having to be off outside testosterone - which hints at the "natural" state involving a higher amount of testosterone or a different response to it.

** Some anecdotal evidence tends to point to the "invisible physical condition" theory as well: for example, many FTMs report having deeper voices, PCOS symptoms, male pattern hair loss, difficult/painful menstruation, mood swings, or severe fatigue even before transitioning at all and/or when having to be off outside testosterone - which hints at the "natural" state involving a higher amount of testosterone or a different response to it.

* "Transgender people are unstable!" This is an example of what happens when SelfFulfillingProphecy and circular reasoning feed into bigotry. Most if not all of the reasons why transgender people are ''objectively'' unstable (lack of financial wealth and liquidity, lack of stable dwellings, not being married or partnered or having strong family ties, anxiety ranging from nervousness to paranoia of straight strangers who act in certain ways) are directly due to the way trans people are or recently were treated, especially poor trans people, and the way society is often set up to encourage violence and mockery toward the transgender or androgynous and discourage them, in turn, from participation in society except among themselves, unless they have money. This can even sometimes result in a ViciousCycle of instability based in the reality that when people are treated badly and disrespected, they tend to expect more of the same from those doing it - and the solution isn't to blame them as "unstable" but to encourage others to cut some slack for this, to understand that someone may have been legitimately hurt and may not be incredibly sociable or have unusually strong boundaries due to that, for example.

** Some anecdotal evidence tends to point to the "invisible physical condition" theory as well: for example, many FTMs report having deeper voices, PCOS symptoms, male pattern hair loss, difficult/painful menstruation, mood swings, or severe fatigue before transitioning and/or when having to be off hormones - all of which are due to various hormonal imbalances.

-->- Adam Torres, ''{{Degrassi}}''

** Some anecdotal evidence tends to point to the "invisible physical condition" theory as well: for example, many FTMs report having deeper voices, PCOS symptoms, male pattern hair loss, difficult/painful menstruation, mood swings, or severe fatigue before transitioning and/or when having to be off hormones - all of which are due to various hormonal imbalances.

** Transgender people have the same range of sexuality and sexual behavior as cisgendered people. While sex work ''is'' more common among the community (mostly due to the same economic reason that SingleMomStripper exists as a trope - when you ''can't'' get work or work with reasonable pay anywhere else, sex work is one of the few options left), ''not every transgendered person is a sex worker.'' Also, while some may be kinky (from everywhere from the lighter end of BDSM to hardcore highly risky practices), others may not be or may only be in specific settings. Nor do transgender people develop a desire for sex with anything and everything - in fact, the rate of pedophilia and bestiality is ''lower'' among the community than among cisgender heterosexual males.

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The important takeaway here is that unless you are a close friend (and even then be very, very, VERY careful) ''do not'' offer "helpful advice" on passing unless it is asked of you. Said advice may be unwanted at best, as well as something already known but ignored or impossible, even if it isn't physically impossible (e.g. changing a stable "pink collar" job like teaching or the medical field for an unstable "man's job" like construction worker or mechanic is a ''bad'' idea in a bad economy), and at worst - especially if you are not yourself transgender - a deep and horrific personal insult.

The important takeaway here is that unless you are a close friend (and even then be very, very, VERY careful) ''do not'' offer "helpful advice" on passing unless it is asked of you. Said advice may be unwanted at best, something already known but ignored or impossible, and at worst - especially if you are not yourself transgender - a deep and horrific personal insult.

''Stealth or not''

The other side is physical change -- becoming closer in appearance and... function... to the target sex -- which can be motivated not just by desire of social acceptance, but also by psychological issues of self-esteem, and yes, the "wrong body" feeling. Much is written in details about physical transition as well, involving voice training/alteration, sex-specific steps (e.g. hair or breast removal), the proverbial hormone therapy, and the even more proverbial "op" -- that is, genital surgery.

Consider the typical involuntary GenderBender plot (such as in ''[[RanmaOneHalf Ranma 1/2]]'', or with Roy in ''OrderOfTheStick''): the victim often outright hates or is ashamed by their new body, experiencing discomfort with it and seeking ways to remove the "curse". This is how many cisgender people might react, while many transgender people would [[CursedWithAwesome consider the "curse" a blessing]]. In fact, transition (see below) exists exactly because there's no convenient way in real life to quickly change a human's physical sex. If there was one, transition would largely be limited to social adaptation to the new gender role.

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<<|UsefulNotes|>>

-- Adam Torres, ''{{Degrassi}}''

Two myths need to be debunked there. First, hormones aren't AppliedPhlebotinum -- they can only do so much. While they do cause things like breast growth and thinning of body hair for trans women, or on the contrary, growth of body hair for trans men, as well as some voice changes and redistribution of body fat -- they don't magically alter the skeleton to adjust body shape, nor do they remove facial hair, which has to be done separately.

Sexual orientation can be difficult to describe in a binary, ciscentric framework. Traditional labels, like "heterosexual/homosexual/bisexual", are based on the gender binary, and break down when the very framework of gender is in question, although many transgender people use them for themselves nonetheless. Without getting too philosophical, however, they are like everyone in this respect -- they may have a sexual preference for males, females, both or neither (or for wider or narrower sections of the gender spectrum), regardless of the direction of their identity. There are [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gynephilia_and_androphilia proposed terms]] for sexual orientation that would help resolve the ambiguities, but they are yet to meet universal recognition.

Gender euphoria can in fact also affect crossdressers who don't identify as the target gender, only want to look like them. It's a feeling of excitement and bliss, novelty and liberation, that arises from "doing things the first time around", which can include anything that reinforces the new gender identity: crossdressing, body modification, doing something regarded as feminine/masculine, or being accepted by yourself or other people. On the negative side, it can lead to rash assertions of gender identity that the person will later regret. The duration of these positive feelings can vary from days to months or even years, but eventually they wear off, leaving place for more rational thoughts.

'''Transsexual Vs. Transgender'''

Since [[hottip:sex:(categories based on anatomy)]] and [[hottip:gender:(categories based on social roles)]] are frequently associated or conflated in most societies, including Western ones, babies with penises are declared to be baby boys and babies with vaginas are declared to be baby girls. [[{{Intersex}} Sometimes this gets difficult, of course]]. But "transgender" is an umbrella term that can be used to refer to all people whose genders don't match the ones they were designated. This includes (the most commonly depicted) "MTF" women who are initially declared male, "FTM" men who are initially declared female, "genderqueer" or "nonbinary" people who are neither men or women (or both, and more), and even people who don't have any gender at all.

Since [[hottip:sex:(categories based on anatomy)]] and [[hottip:gender:(categories based on social roles)]] are frequently conflated in many societies, including Western ones, babies with penises are declared to be baby boys and babies with vaginas are declared to be baby girls. [[{{Intersex}} Sometimes this gets difficult, of course]]. But "transgender" is an umbrella term that can be used to refer to all people whose genders don't match the ones they were designated. This includes (the most commonly depicted) "MTF" women who are initially declared male, "FTM" men who are initially declared female, "genderqueer" or "nonbinary" people who are neither men or women (or both, and more), and even people who don't have any gender at all.

Since [[hottip:sex:(categories based on anatomy]] and [[hottip:gender:(categories based on social roles)]] are frequently conflated in many societies, including Western ones, babies with penises are declared to be baby boys and babies with vaginas are declared to be baby girls. [[{{Intersex}} Sometimes this gets difficult, of course]]. But "transgender" is an umbrella term that can be used to refer to all people whose genders don't match the ones they were designated. This includes (the most commonly depicted) "MTF" women who are initially declared male, "FTM" men who are initially declared female, "genderqueer" or "nonbinary" people who are neither men or women (or both, and more), and even people who don't have any gender at all.

Describe {{Transgender}} here? Why, a daring task to say the least -- as would be writing about any diverse, decentralized group of people without an official code of beliefs, like [[UsefulNotes/{{Atheism}} this one]], without falling into hasty generalizations.

Nevertheless, there are some common (but not universal) traits that can be traced among people calling themselves transgender, transsexual, or in somewhat rarer varieties, also genderqueer, bigender, non-gendered, and so on:
* The belief that gender identity is a state of mind, which in most people matches physical sex, but occasionally is out of sync with it -- and that this dissonance is real, and not just a delusion (see "origins", below). As such, transgendered people are careful about the distinction between "sex" and "gender".
* The belief that sex and gender are not simple binary switches, but rather multidimensional continuums full of ambiguity and muddled waters -- although most people coalesce near the two extreme points.
* The belief that the gender barrier as it exists in the modern society is not insurmountable, that the differences in mentality between the genders are nowhere near as drastic as commonly and stereotypically portrayed; and that seeking acceptance as a member of the gender you see yourself as is not only natural, but morally right.
* Increased self-awareness -- mostly by the very nature of questioning -- and increased tolerance and acceptance of non-traditional expressions of gender and sexuality.
* Among genderqueer/non-gendered/etc, the belief that there's no internal sense of gender whatsoever, and gender is thus purely a social construct built upon a biological characteristic. (The line of thought here being the problem of other minds: "you can think you sense yourself as a man or woman, but you have no means of comparing your feelings to those of others considering themselves men or women".)
* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postgenderism Postgenderism]]: the belief that the social concept of gender itself should be abolished, and looking forward to a future where humans are either monogendered or can switch between genders at ease.

Transgenderism emerges from a mental condition known as [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_dysphoria gender dysphoria]] (formally known as gender identity disorder, but many transgender people would disagree with classifying it as a "disorder"). It manifests differently between individuals, but generally speaking, it involves a sense of dissatisfaction with one's physical sex (hence "dysphoria"), and a wish to have a body of a different sex. Some symptoms that can occur but are, once again, not universal, include the feeling of "being in a wrong body", evaluating one's body by the standards of the other sex (even subconsciously), cross-gender dreams, transformation fantasies, and so on.

Consider the typical involuntary GenderBender plot (such as in ''[[RanmaOneHalf Ranma 1/2]]'', or with Roy in ''OrderOfTheStick''): the victim often outright hates or is ashamed by their new body, experiencing discomfort with it and seeking ways to remove the "curse". This is the behavior of a "normal" (cisgendered) person, while a transgendered person would [[CursedWithAwesome consider the "curse" a blessing]]. In fact, transition (see below) exists exactly because there's no convenient way in real life to quickly change a human's physical sex. If there was one, transition would largely be limited to social adaptation to the new gender role.

Two myths need to be debunked there. First, hormones aren't AppliedPhlebotinum -- they can only do so much. While they do cause things like breast growth and thinning of body hair for MTF, or on the contrary, growth of body hair for FTM, as well as some voice changes and redistribution of body fat -- they don't magically alter the skeleton to adjust body shape, nor do they remove facial hair, which has to be done separately.

Transgender has become more accepted as an umbrella term and can include anyone who is gender variant. that is it can include people who identify fully with one gender opposite of their assigned birth gender, people who switch identifications such as bi-gender individuals, or individuals who may not feel they fit into any gender or find the gender binary inadequate such as genderqueer or a-gender individuals.

Sexual orientation can be difficult to describe in transgender context. Traditional labels, like "heterosexual/homosexual/bisexual", are based on the gender binary, and break down when the very framework of gender is in question, although many transgender people use them for themselves nonetheless. Without getting too philosophical, however, they are like everyone in this respect -- they may have a sexual preference for males, females, both or neither (or for wider or narrower sections of the gender spectrum), regardless of the direction of their identity. There are [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gynephilia_and_androphilia proposed terms]] for sexual orientation that would help resolve the ambiguities, but they are yet to meet universal recognition.

Describe {{Transsexual}} here? Why, a daring task to say the least -- as would be writing about any diverse, decentralized group of people without an official code of beliefs, like [[UsefulNotes/{{Atheism}} this one]], without falling into hasty generalizations.

Nevertheless, there are some common (but not universal) traits that can be traced among people calling themselves transgender, transsexual, or in somewhat odder varieties, also genderqueer, bigender, non-gendered, and so on: