History UsefulNotes / Transgender

Since gender[[note]]the innate knowledge of how male, female or other you are[[/note]] and sex[[note]]physical and biological characteristics seen as male or female (specific), such as chromosomes, genitals and gamete production[[/note]] are frequently associated or conflated in most societies, including Western ones, babies with penises are designated baby boys and babies with vaginas are designated baby girls. Nature is more complicated than that, of course. But "transgender" is an umbrella term that can be used to refer to all people whose genders don't match the sex they were designated based on medical factors. This includes (the most commonly depicted) "trans women", women who are designated male at birth; "trans men", men who are designated female at birth; and nonbinary people who don't fully identify as men or women (they can identify as a combination of men, women, and other genders between and/or outside of man and woman altogether), and even agender/neutrois people who don't identify as any established gender identity. There are also bigender people, who identify as two genders at once, and genderfluid people, whose gender identities are flexible and can fluctuate from time to time. These identities are usually included in the "nonbinary" or "genderqueer" category above.

Since gender[[note]]the innate knowledge of how male, female or other you are -- or not[[/note]] and sex[[note]]physical and biological characteristics seen as male or female (specific), such as chromosomes, genitals and gamete production[[/note]] are frequently associated or conflated in most societies, including Western ones, babies with penises are designated baby boys and babies with vaginas are designated baby girls. Nature is more complicated than that, of course. But "transgender" is an umbrella term that can be used to refer to all people whose genders don't match the sex they were designated based on medical factors. This includes (the most commonly depicted) "trans women", women who are designated male at birth; "trans men", men who are designated female at birth; and nonbinary people who don't fully identify as men or women (they can identify as a combination of men, women, and other genders between and/or outside of man and woman altogether), and even agender/neutrois people who don't identify as any established gender identity. There are also bigender people, who identify as two genders at once, and genderfluid people, whose gender identities are flexible and can fluctuate from time to time. These identities are usually included in the "nonbinary" or "genderqueer" category above.

Since gender[[note]]the innate knowledge of how male and female you are -- or not[[/note]] and sex[[note]]physical and biological characteristics seen as male or female (specific), such as chromosomes, genitals and gamete production[[/note]] are frequently associated or conflated in most societies, including Western ones, babies with penises are designated baby boys and babies with vaginas are designated baby girls. Nature is more complicated than that, of course. But "transgender" is an umbrella term that can be used to refer to all people whose genders don't match the sex they were designated based on medical factors. This includes (the most commonly depicted) "trans women", women who are designated male at birth; "trans men", men who are designated female at birth; and nonbinary people who don't fully identify as men or women (they can identify as a combination of men, women, and other genders between and/or outside of man and woman altogether), and even agender/neutrois people who don't identify as any established gender identity. There are also bigender people, who identify as two genders at once, and genderfluid people, whose gender identities are flexible and can fluctuate from time to time. These identities are usually included in the "nonbinary" or "genderqueer" category above.

[[caption-width-right:350:The Transgender Pride Flag by Monica Helms.[[labelnote:Wanna know what those colors mean?]]The light blue stripes represent trans men, the pink stripes represent trans women, and the white stripe represents nonbinary people.[[/labelnote]]]]

More recently, a push has been made among certain groups in the transgender and nonbinary community to suggest that gender ''euphoria'' is a more proper association, with regards to the state of being trans. Similarly to dysphoria, it varies greatly from person to person, but can typically be described as a sense that something is ''right'', rather than wrong, such as being called by one's chosen name, or referred to with the proper pronouns. Euphoria can also be read as a feeling that one's on the proper path, or can even feel like a loosening of bonds or restrictions. Like dysphoria, though, euphoria isn't actually necessary to be trans and/or nonbinary.

* Although non-binary identities have historically not been as visible in Western culture as trans ones, there is a developing tendency for representations of non-binary people in media to typically involve young, slim, "tomboy-ish" AFAB people. There is also an implicit assumption that all (or at least more) nonbinary people are AFAB, leading to the erasure of AMAB nonbinary folk.

[[caption-width-right:350:The Transgender Pride Flag by Monica Helms.[[labelnote:Explanation]]The light blue stripes represent trans men, the pink stripes represent trans women, and the white stripe represents nonbinary people.[[/labelnote]]]]

Sexual orientation can be difficult to describe in a binary, ciscentric framework. Traditional labels, like "heterosexual," "UsefulNotes/{{homosexual}}" and "UsefulNotes/{{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.

None of this is relevant to whether they are actually "trans enough" or not, despite what [[NoTrueScotsman some may say]]. The five-foot-one (155 cm) trans man who keeps his "pink collar" job/doesn't bulk up/is asexual/gay/doesn't like sports/still has to use the ladies room in some situations/etc is ''just as much of a man'' as the six-foot (183 cm) one who retrained to a more traditionally "male" job/got into bodybuilding/developed a reputation as a heterosexual [[TheCasanova ladies' man]]/is a huge sports fan/who would never have to fear for his safety in a restroom/etc. The broad-shouldered and deep-voiced trans woman who works in occupations related to her past work in the military/is a lesbian/doesn't have much of an interest in makeup and fashion/is barred by law from using the ladies room is ''just as much of a woman'' as the slight and thin one who became a teacher or nurse or housewife/who got married to a very masculine cisgender man/always has absolutely perfect fashion and makeup/lives in a place where no one or the law would question her right to use the ladies' room.

-->-- '''Adam Torres''', ''Series/DegrassiTheNextGeneration''

* Although non-binary identities have historically not been as visible in Western culture as trans ones, there is a developing tendency for representations of non-binary people in media to typically involve young, slim, "tomboy-ish". There is also an implicit assumption that all (or at least more) nonbinary people are AFAB, leading to the erasure of AMAB nonbinary folk.

* Although non-binary identities have historically not been as visible in Western culture as trans ones, there is a developing tendency for representations of non-binary people in media to typically involve young, slim, "tomboy-ish" people of conventionally feminine body shape, possibly because they are seen as more attractive to straight cis men. This also reflects real life, in which non-binary people with very masculine-looking bodies who present themselves outside the conventional gender binary are at times mistaken for trans women and treated with transphobia, even by some people in the LGBT community.

Since gender[[note]]the innate knowledge of how male and female you are -- or not[[/note]] and sex[[note]]physical characteristics seen as male or female (specific), such as chromosomes, genitals and hair distribution[[/note]] are frequently associated or conflated in most societies, including Western ones, babies with penises are designated baby boys and babies with vaginas are designated baby girls. Nature is more complicated than that, of course. But "transgender" is an umbrella term that can be used to refer to all people whose genders don't match the sex they were designated based on medical factors. This includes (the most commonly depicted) "trans women", women who are designated male at birth; "trans men", men who are designated female at birth; and nonbinary people who don't fully identify as men or women (they can identify as a combination of men, women, and other genders between and/or outside of man and woman altogether), and even agender/neutrois people who don't identify as any established gender identity. There are also bigender people, who identify as two genders at once, and genderfluid people, whose gender identities are flexible and can fluctuate from time to time. These identities are usually included in the "nonbinary" or "genderqueer" category above.

!!Origins

!!Self-discovery

!!Transition

!!Transsexual vs. Transgender

!!Sexuality

!!Stealth or not

'''Other common misconceptions and myths''':

!!See Also

** Transgender people[[note]]along with the rest of the population[[/note]] are not exemplified by what you may have seen on ''[[Series/TheJerrySpringerShow Jerry Springer]]'' or in the more freakish media portrayals, and are no more inclined toward violent or "dangerous" behavior than the common cisgender population. Crime statistics show a correlation between the male ''sex'' and violent behavior, but no correlation is seen between transgender status and violence. In fact, most transgender people are more likely to be the ''victims'' of violence or sexual assault than the perpetrators of it, or to be capable of violence (martial arts or street fighting skill, carrying a knife or firearm) but only willing to use it in self-defense to stop someone from raping or killing them or someone else.

** Transgender people are not exemplified by what you may have seen on ''[[Series/TheJerrySpringerShow Jerry Springer]]'' or in the more freakish media portrayals, and are no more inclined toward violent or "dangerous" behavior than the common cisgender population. Testosterone levels and/or perceived proximity to masculinity have nothing to do with violent behavior. In fact, most transgender people are more likely to be the ''victims'' of violence or sexual assault than the perpetrators of it, or to be capable of violence (martial arts or street fighting skill, carrying a knife or firearm) but only willing to use it in self-defense to stop someone from raping or killing them or someone else.

Since gender[[note]]the innate knowledge of how male and female you are -- or not[[/note]] and sex[[note]]physical characteristics seen as male or female (specific), such as chromosomes, genitals and hair distribution[[/note]] are frequently associated or conflated in most societies, including Western ones, babies with penises are designated baby boys and babies with vaginas are designated baby girls. Nature is more complicated than that, of course. But "transgender" is an umbrella term that can be used to refer to all people whose genders don't match the sex they were designated based on medical factors. This includes (the most commonly depicted) "trans women", women who are designated male at birth; "trans men", men who are designated female at birth; and nonbinary people who don't fully identify as men or women (they can identify as a combination of men, women, and other genders between and/or outside of man and woman altogether), and even agender/neutrois people who don't identify as any established gender identity. There are also ''bigender'' people, who identify as two genders at once and are usually included in the "nonbinary" or "genderqueer" category above.

-->-- '''Adam Torres''', ''Series/{{Degrassi|TheNextGeneration}}''

** Transgender people are not exemplified by what you may have seen on ''[[Series/TheJerrySpringerShow Jerry Springer]]'' or in the more freakish media portrayals, and are no more inclined toward violent or "dangerous" behavior than the common cisgender population. Testosterone levels and/or percieved proximity to masculinity have nothing to do with violent behavior. In fact, most transgender people are more likely to be the ''victims'' of violence or sexual assault than the perpetrators of it, or to be capable of violence (martial arts or street fighting skill, carrying a knife or firearm) but only willing to use it in self-defense to stop someone from raping or killing them or someone else.

Some transgender people prefer being "stealth," in that they seek to fully adopt and fit into the cultural role of their gender ("passing") with no traces of having had the body or life experiences of someone who had to live as the other gender. Others prefer to remain closeted, living as their assigned gender in public, out of necessity or ease of navigating the world -- they are still transgender. Others again, either out of necessity [[note]]their bodies simply ''don't'' transform well enough to pass completely -- for example, a trans man whose height topped out at 4"11 (150 cm) and can't develop enough muscle mass to look "masculine" in a culture where "manly men" are tall and muscular, or a trans woman whose broad shoulder structure and masculine facial structure cannot be altered via surgery[[/note]] or simple preference for androgyny, choose a more androgynous presentation.

None of this is relevant to whether they are actually "trans enough" or not, despite what [[NoTrueScotsman some may say]]. The five foot one (155 cm) trans man who keeps his "pink collar" job/doesn't bulk up/is asexual/gay/doesn't like sports/still has to use the ladies room in some situations/etc is ''just as much of a man'' as the six foot tall one who retrained to a more traditionally "male" job/got into bodybuilding/developed a reputation as a heterosexual [[TheCasanova ladies' man]]/is a huge sports fan/who would never have to fear for his safety in a restroom/etc. The broad-shouldered and deep-voiced trans woman who works in occupations related to her past work in the military/is a lesbian/doesn't have much of an interest in makeup and fashion/is barred by law from using the ladies room is ''just as much of a woman'' as the slight and thin one who became a teacher or nurse or housewife/who got married to a very masculine cisgender man/always has absolutely perfect fashion and makeup/lives in a place where no one or the law would question her right to use the ladies' room.

** Transgender people are not exemplified by what you may have seen on ''[[Series/TheJerrySpringerShow Jerry Springer]]'' or in the more freakish media portrayals, and are no more inclined toward violent or "dangerous" behavior than the common cisgender population. testosterone levels and/or percieved proximity to masculinity have nothing to do with violent behavior. In fact, most transgender people are more likely to be the ''victims'' of violence or sexual assault than the perpetrators of it, or to be capable of violence (martial arts or street fighting skill, carrying a knife or firearm) but only willing to use it in self-defense to stop someone from raping or killing them or someone else.

[[caption-width-right:350:The Transgender Pride Flag by Monica Helms.]]

Since gender[[note]]the innate knowledge of how male and female you are - or not[[/note]] and sex[[note]]physical characteristics seen as male or female (specific), such as chromosomes, genitals and hair distribution[[/note]] are frequently associated or conflated in most societies, including Western ones, babies with penises are designated baby boys and babies with vaginas are designated baby girls. Nature is more complicated than that, of course. But "transgender" is an umbrella term that can be used to refer to all people whose genders don't match the sex they were designated based on medical factors. This includes (the most commonly depicted) "trans women", women who are designated male at birth; "trans men", men who are designated female at birth; and nonbinary people who don't fully identify as men or women (they can identify as a combination of men, women, and other genders and/or outside of man and woman altogether), and even agender/neutrois people who don't identify as any established gender identity. There are also ''bigender'' people, who identify as two genders at once and are usually included in the "nonbinary" or "genderqueer" category above.

Some activists stretch the definition to include everyone who doesn't conform to gender expectations, whether expectations about anatomy or behavior -- this broader definition would include cross-dressers and non-traditional men or women who otherwise still agree with whatever sex they got asigned at birth. There's also academic and activist debate over whether some non-Western societies' "third genders" or "third sexes" -- categories which are traditional but also not considered "male" or "female" -- should be counted under "transgender", or more likely "non-binary"... but this isn't an Anthropology of Gender course.

** It has now been [[http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn20032-transsexual-differences-caught-on-brain-scan.html#.Uk1rjyTrxD8 shown]] that transgender people possess brain structures similar to their cis counterparts, proving further they are not just mentally ill. A newer study (whose link has sadly expired) confirms the above's results. Other evidence includes the ratio between different types of neurons, the number of inter- vs. intra- hemisphere connections, and phantom limb occuring in trans men at the same rate as eunuchs. Gender dysphoria itself is often similar to the sensation experienced by people with better understood brain/body mismatch conditions, such as that described by Oliver Sacks in "A Leg to Stand On".

Some transgender people prefer being "stealth," in that they seek to fully adopt and fit into the cultural role of their gender ("passing") with no traces of having had the body or life experiences of someone who had to live as the other gender. Others prefer to remain closeted, living as their assigned gender in public, out of necessity or ease of navigating the world -- they are still transgender. Others again, either out of necessity [[note]]their bodies simply ''don't'' transform well enough to pass completely -- for example, a trans man whose height topped out at 4"11 and can't develop enough muscle mass to look "masculine" in a culture where "manly men" are tall and muscular, or a trans woman whose broad shoulder structure and masculine facial structure cannot be altered via surgery[[/note]] or simple preference for androgyny, choose a more androgynous presentation.

None of this is relevant to whether they are actually "trans enough" or not, despite what [[NoTrueScotsman some may say]]. The five foot one trans man who keeps his "pink collar" job/doesn't bulk up/is asexual/gay/doesn't like sports/still has to use the ladies room in some situations/etc is ''just as much of a man'' as the six foot tall one who retrained to a more traditionally "male" job/got into bodybuilding/developed a reputation as a heterosexual [[TheCasanova ladies' man]]/is a huge sports fan/who would never have to fear for his safety in a restroom/etc. The broad-shouldered and deep-voiced trans woman who works in occupations related to her past work in the military/is a lesbian/doesn't have much of an interest in makeup and fashion/is barred by law from using the ladies room is ''just as much of a woman'' as the slight and thin one who became a teacher or nurse or housewife/who got married to a very masculine cisgender man/always has absolutely perfect fashion and makeup/lives in a place where no one or the law would question her right to use the ladies' room.

[[caption-width-right:350:The Transgender Pride Flag by Monica Helms]]

** It has now been [[http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn20032-transsexual-differences-caught-on-brain-scan.html#.Uk1rjyTrxD8 shown]] that transgender people possess brain structures similar to their cis counterparts, proving further they are not just mentally ill. A newer study (whose link has sadly expired) confirms the above's results. Other evidence includes the similar ratio between different types of neurons, the similar number of inter- vs. intra- hemisphere connections, and phantom limb occuring in trans men at the same rate as eunuchs. Gender dysphoria itself is often similar to the sensation experienced by people with better understood brain/body mismatch conditions, such as that described by Oliver Sacks in "A Leg to Stand On".

** It has now been [[http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn20032-transsexual-differences-caught-on-brain-scan.html#.Uk1rjyTrxD8 shown]] that transgender people possess brain structures similar to their cis counterparts, proving further they are not just mentally ill. A newer study (whose link has sadly expired) confirms the above's results.

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 [[note]]for trans men only, because testosterone's changes to the voicebox are permanent, and of note that vocal cords "set" around age 30, so men who begin hormone therapy after 30 may experience less dramatic deepening and need to retrain themselves to speak from lower in their throat, much like women who underwent a testosterone-induced voice change before beginning hormones. For both cases, learning to sing can be incredibly helpful--in any sort of traditional style;e.g., traditional Japanese pentatonic scale can be just as helpful as Western operatic training, and so can Cantonese operatic style--the point is learning full exploitation of one's vocal cords, and knowing those abilities enough to be able to apply it to talking, permanently and without damaging the cords[[/note]] 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. Some skeletal adjustments do happen -- the skeleton is a living part of the body, after all, and there is increasing evidence that it continues to develop and change through adult life, but more slowly and on a much more subtle level -- but they take years and may never have more than a slight visual effect.