So I got into an argument with my mtf trans friend that says that genderqueer is not transgender because they don't care if people call them male or female and that I need to do my research. He says that you are only trans if you want to transition. I tried to explain to him that some gq's do care what you call them and some do transition. But he won't listen.I want to know what you guys think.
Yeah. She's pretty wrong. Not all transfolk want to transition, and really, transitioning can mean different things for different people. Some will only try to present as their gender, others will go the whole nine yards with surgery and hormones. Others will only do hormones, while still more might only do surgery since they can't take hormones. But really, it sounds like she needs to do her research. My bigender friend certainly cares and prefers to be referred to as "they".
Yeah, your friend sounds like they are not very informed about transgender identities. Genderqueer is part of the transgender umbrella.
She is wrong. I'm genderqueer and I can define myself as transgender. I don't like people who call me "girl" or use feminine pronouns. Despite I'm not transitioning.
Yeah, but I'd watch the pronouns, my friend. I'd think transsexual would be a more apt term for someone transitioning, eh? Trangender's just kind of that big umbrella of terms.
Let people label themselves. I've heard of GQ people who did transition. *looks to my sidebar*. Many do care about pronouns etc. Your friend, as a transperson, should really know better. Also, why are you referring to her as 'he'?
Of course they are in the transgender umbrella. They aren't cis after all, and they do have gender dysphoria and preferred pronouns. But yeah, I agree with the others...if you're ranting about trans issues, why would you call an mtf person a he? Isn't that disrespectful to her as well?
Why am I the only trans person who dislikes this "umbrella" thing? (Here come the flamewars...) That makes practically everyone transgender... At least narrow it down to crossdressers, social dysphorics, GQs, and transsexuals. I think you should let her have her opinion. Sometimes, fights just aren't worth it. ---------- Post added 18th Mar 2014 at 04:31 PM ---------- By the way... The umbrella spells Hijira wrong.
You say that sometimes fights are not worth it, but you come in here saying "here come the flamewars". Maybe you should take your own advice there. It does not make everybody transgender. An argument can be made for drag queens (unless they are transitioning, or identify as genderqueer) that they do not fall within the umbrella, since then it would mostly be for show. I think that it's pretty sad that people say that our identity does not exist, yet we do the same to others. The cycle of oppression continues.
People are who they are. It's just labels. I am who I am and that's that. I prefer to not go by a specific label but identify as transgender without a specific qualifying adjective. Semantics of transgenderism are not going to advance the cause people.
Well, she's wrong. AND... everyone already said what I wanted to say, sorry... :lol: ---------- Post added 18th Mar 2014 at 03:51 PM ---------- WAIT... Wikipedia lists genderqueer under transgender topics: Genderqueer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Transgender is an umbrella term, in which both genderqueer, and transsexual, among other terms, all have a place. Your friend probably means that genderqueer is not *transsexual*.
That stuff in parentheses was a joke. Anyways, what I meant was that most tomboys and feminine men consider themselves cisgender, so we can't just lump them into an umbrella word. I'm not so sure about intersex people, though.
It may have been a joke, but it shows full well that you know that your posts have the potential to cause problems. I'm talking in the case of self-identification. If people want to identify as somewhere on the trans* umbrella, then they can. I'm not saying that we should force those who do not want to identify as trans* to identify as trans*.
I as a transwoman don't care about how rigid the umbrella term transgender is. I'm happy to have more allies, and personally feel that gq people have many of the same struggles transsexuals have, so if they feel like they want under the umbrella, I feel they're more than welcome!