your thoughts on gender spectrum

Well there are people who identify as trans and don't feel the need to transition and that's ok as long as their happy therefore i don't think srs is necessary to be trans.

For the gender spectrum it's probably the same there are people who want it and people who don't.I personaly always kinda wanted it even before i knew there were other people that weren't male or female and that there was a possibility to do so.

 

There is a spectrum in which people can identify anywhere on. A bit like sexuality is not just one or the other. ^.^

 

People see gender as a binary. Some see it as a spectrum (like a number line of sorts) and some like me few gender as a giant color hex palette. There's more than meets the eye.

Some trans people have no desire to transition (some can't for medical or financial reasons) and some do transition (some only take hormones without surgery, some do just surgery and have no desire to take hormones, and some want to go "all the way"). Some people relate to the binary, and some don't. Some people are rigid and some are fluid. There's also those who are feminine, masculine, and androgynous as well. There's way more to it than you'd imagine.

 

There is no such thing as being trans enough.
Its a big spectrum, and its up to you where you feel comfortable.

And your position might change. I'd say take your time and do what you feel makes you happy

 

Honestly, I wouldn't even simplify it to a spectrum, gender expression is so diverse from person to person I'd say rather than a spectrum it's a big jumble of people trying to or who have figured themselves out! There's no wrong answers, it's a personal journey...

 

Yes I think that you can totally be in the middle of the spectrum(hell I'm in the middle of the spectrum!) I don't know how many people are totally one gender and not somewhere in the middle(to be in the middle doesn't necessarily have to be smack in the middle of the spectrum.) I mean to be fully female you, stereotypically would always have freshly manicured nails and pedicured toes,always be wearing makeup and have your hair done wearing dresses,right? To be mentally completely female you probably never feel anything but female,never question just always feel completely feminine-not many people are like that same with a man. A man would stereotypically either always be outdoors or want to be he would never question his gender identity and he would always feel masculine-always identify completely with male pronouns. I don't know very many people if any that are totally one thing always-it's almost impossible,same with sexual orientation which is a separate matter.

 

Tbh, gender is more like a palette than a spectrum, with there being various shades of any given gender.

While I consider myself a woman, I also prefer to be more androgynous, leaning towards masculine. While transitioning, it's important to know that being more masc or fem won't make you more/less likely to be trans, just like being masculine or feminine does not determine your sexuality.

 

I think, gender expression is completely outside of gender identity. Things are only associated with male or female because society makes it that way.

Gender identity, is more basic. Just, what gender you are psychologically. A woman could have short hair, enjoy masculine things, and still be %100 woman. A man could wear dresses, paint his nails and grow his hair out, but he's still a man. It simply wether you feel comfortable calling yourself and living as a man or a woman.

I do have a bit of a controversial opinion, and I know I will get a lot of hate from this, but fuck it.
I question the validity of trans people who feel no dysphoria. You feel comfortable in your birth gender's body? Then I don't think your trans. I don't mean people who can't transition due to medical reasons or something like that, and learn to live with their bodies. I mean those who never wanted to, and like their birth body, never feeling uncomfortable at all.. Perhaps they are just confused people who don't realise you can be the opposite of what your birth gender is stereotyped be, without turning into the opposite gender.

 

Actually, I agree with you, especially that last part. I wonder how many individuals are simply having typical issues of self-esteem and disliking gender roles, as opposed to how many are having issues of self-perception and disliking their identity.

Many of the worst individuals, who claim the trans-label, tend to frequent Tumblr. They are the ones who say dysphoria isn't necessary, but they have this very bizarre idea of what trans-anything is, because they believe just wanting to be something is enough to be trans-this or trans-that. Some even go so far as to claim they are a movie or video game character, from a world/universe where movie and video game characters actually existed.

And then you have those who feel so uncomfortable with their body, not because of dysphoria, but because of how others perceive and treat them, that they feel compelled to embrace the trans-label. It all really clutters up the movement, and makes us seem like depressed, self-hating, if-only-we-could-learn-to-love-ourselves-we-could-be-fixed, cry babies.

 

Honestly, I don't think anyone likes their label being appropriated. You see the people in the grocery store that obviously don't need the go carts, you see men being gay as a "joke" and women playing into lesbian sex being fetishized, you see the person claiming to be a member of a different religion every week, and everyone is Irish on St Patrick's day. Meanwhile you are putting up with some serious shit just for being you, trying hard to take care of a body and mind that have turned on you. And as soon as you catch the slughtest break, as soon as trans people are accepted on t v and you feel safe getting your groceries and like there is hope for the medical treatment you have been so desperately striving for, here comes this faker just in time to reap the rewards.

That is how it looks from the inside, and it is largely how it really is. But I try hard to ask myself how it felt in the closet. If I could be with a guy, would I have tried to cope that way? How many of us try? If I had waited until Laverne Cox was on TV, falling more into the closet, would I be testing the waters on Tumblr myself? How many people on tumblr are just afraid to let go of their old lives, but are just as trans as me?

And what about those that do just like to dress the part so to speak, who maybe get jealous over how much our medicine changes us - they just see how it changes our bodies, not how it affects us inside - and they have to work harder to look good? Think about how that would feel. If you never experienced dysphoria in your life. These people are getting something special, and you aren't, and why? You and I know why directly, but how easy is it to explain, especially someone who isn't inclined to listen?

I mean some people, really do just see an identity that looks fun. I try to take it as a compliment. Because we have to break little social rules just to survive, we end up with a carefree attiyude and willingness to speak up when others wouldn't that is honestly attractive to lots of people. We see ourselves as desperate and terrified when we present our true selves to the world. They see us as brave.

 

Yeah I basically agree with this. No offense to anyone, I just don't understand why you would identify as a different gender if you feel totally comfortable with your birth gender. Most of the reasons I see usually just seem more related to gender roles/expression to me.

 

I personally cannot even begin to imagine being trans without dysphoria, but I like to give people the benefit of the doubt.

I think physical dysphoria isn't necessarily a requirement. I've definitely have had days where I have minimal physical dysphoria but feel absolutely disgusting every time someone calls me "she". I am not a girl. I hate that they are seeing me that way. I think that feeling (without physical dysphoria) is enough.

But again, I try to give people the benefit of the doubt. I can't understand what compels someone who is comfortable with their body and how they are seen by society to identify as trans. I am not likely to be friends with that person, but I will give them the benefit of the doubt; I will assume that they are feeling something that leads them to this identity, and they are not just making it up. Honestly, I don't know if I necessarily even believe that, but at the very least, I can recognize that it's none of my business, that what they are doing isn't actually hurting me, and let them do what they want, even if it doesn't agree with my definition of trans-ness.

 

Yeah I try to do that too. I always give the benefit of the doubt because no matter what I think, I can't know what they're feeling and it's not my place to tell them what they are. I don't think physical dysphoria is necessarily a requirement either, just some form of gender dysphoria.

 

These folks... I don't understand them. I don't want to judge them, I'm not interested. Let them be... I guess it's good for them they never experienced dysphoria. If they want to define themselves as prince of persia, or queen of egypt, let them... If they are convinced they are cats or wolves, or dolphins... Let them.

The question is, their existence... Does this have an impact in how the rest of the world perceives us? Nope. It won't get better, and I want to think it won't get worse. What is having an impact is what feminists call the patriarchy : That is where the stereotypes about both genders in this society are coming from, plus the idea that you've got at birth is not only who you are, but you you need to be for the rest of your life, regardless if your brain agrees with it or not.

On gender spectrum... We are dealing with a complex, rich variety of human beings characters and experiences. Gender also belongs (to a certain degree) to character, therefore... You've got endless possibilities here, and each and everyone of them is valid. Unless you believe in patriarchy, then you've got only two valid genders, and just only valid sexual orientation depending on your gender at birth.

 

It has more of an impact, as being trans is a real physical problem and those people make it seem like a game. Like something you choose.

 

But i don't think these people take their "internet games" into real life.There's bo problem with people who don't wanna transition or are ok with their body as it is but normally those people also go through the process of coming out etc. Their identity is therefore valid.but if you only have a identity in a chatroom than it isn't really you.If someone is interested in this stuff there are so many possibilities like rpg or stuff like that but they shouldn't go to the forums where people with real problems who really want to share their feelings and get help are.

 

I agree with you... Second half.

Not sure how are they seriously taken by the health care professionals. They won't try to build an idea of trans just by reading some random stuff on the internet, they focus on real patients that they have appointments with.

Such people (if they ever have the nerve to go to a doctor and babble to them whatever), are easily identified for what they might be, something else, but not trans.

As for the rest of the population... Who knows what impact will have their existence... I don't know, and I'm not going to speculate about it.

Anyways... What shall we do about them? Burn them at the pyre? Has any LGBT organization tried to do something against this?... I don't think they are our worst enemies right now. They don't even qualify for being an enemy.

Time will put these people on their places.

 

I suggest we ditch the spectrum and use the chocolate milkshake analogy. Imagine chocolate as being one gender, and milk as another gender. Some people has more milk or more chocolate or both equal. But they are put together into a big cup with all other things like water and ice and cream and whatever people put in a milkshake, then they get shake-shake-shaken up. The result is just a unique creamy goodness of everything and that is you, nothing like others.

 

Now I want a milkshake. Thanks. :dry:

Although binarism is a weird bias filter we tend to pass things through. Cis and Trans (unintentionally) imply a form of binary on gender, but it is just how the language around gender is evolving.

But at the same time, I totally see Kaiser, Ningyo and Jess make perfectly valid points about how muddled some of this is getting, and the challenges it applies. I can relate, as that muddling hasn't made it any easier for me to figure myself out at all. There does need to be a level of honesty and clarity to help those still working through this stuff.

It doesn't really help anyone to enforce gender norms or encourage the gender binary. It also doesn't help anyone to encourage stuff like "otherkin". It is a fine balance, much as it is in all things.