Transsexuality, Discordianism, and Self-confidence

[ñͤͣ̄ͦ̌̑͗͊͛͂͗ ̸̨̨̣̺̼̣̜͙͈͕̮̊̈́̈͂͛̽͊ͭ̓͆ͅé ̰̓̓́ͯ́́͞]

I have to disagree with the "I'm a dragon inside" analogy.

That doesn't fit the situation. Transsexuals aren't getting their bodies changed into another species. It's possible that a person's brain can be wired more like their opposite sex. Studies have shown that gay men tend to have minds that process information in a strikingly similar way as straight women. To me, this strongly suggests a biological basis for sexual preference and personality.

Combine this with phantom limb disorders that occur in amputees and there's a decent case for transsexual brains that have a similar kind of unusual wiring. For people with phantom limbs the issue usually is pain in a body part they no longer have. I think it's conceivable that transsexuals could be born with brains that believe on some level that they have different sex organs in the same way that amputee brains believe they have a body part that they do not.

Consciously, you can say, of course I don't have my arm any more, or of course I don't have a vagina, but problems crop up when the brain keeps sending signals that are saying, yes you do.

It's probably wise to avoid any sort of surgery on your sex organs, I agree. But I don't think sex reassignment surgery is akin to becoming a dragon. It's not a fitting analogy.

[Salty]

I'm talking about transgender stuff here, not transsexuals.

On one side:

There is in many of our cultures, with varying degrees, a solid line that seeks to divide what is male and female. It's easily seen that anything that crosses that line is often treated with hostility or casual contempt, most especially anything that undoes what is considered MANLY. That line doesn't really exist. Then again, it can lead to real life, barstool shaped impacts on a person's life.

For many ignorant people it is a matter of wearing the "wrong" kind of clothes. The "wrongness" is the only wrong part. You wear and talk and dress the way you want, the way that feels right to you.

This should be fully permissible within our society and it's kind of absurd that any kind of opposition towards this exists.

On the other side:
It's not who you are. It doesn't make you you. Your actions make you you, don't they? It's as foolish to grasp onto it as any other kind identity you slap on yourself to feel warm and comfortable in a cold, hostile universe.

Also:

Of course, there is the rage. Yeah, queer people frequently have to be tough to deal with the world. (Though plenty of people have to be tough for a variety of reasons.) It is unjust that people more or less get free reign to unload their hate on such easily identifiable targets. It's safe to say many in American culture are ignorant when it comes to gender.

The people who feel most at ease when they act and dress "wrong" are doing it naturally, they're not the one's who draw the lines and bring the hammer down on anyone who steps over it.

The people who draw those lines are the one who need to deal with it.

Putting ourselves, or others, through some kind of filter, with a neat identity (as "miscellaneous" as it may be) isn't the way to fix it.

THEY started making sides, THEY drew the line.
WE do what we feel like (within reason) when we feel like it. WE enjoy and protect ourselves and THEY eat a shit sandwich.

Or whatever so long as they STFU and GTFO.

[Juana]

^Could not have put it better myself.

[Phox]

I'm talking about transgender stuff here, not transsexuals.

On one side:

There is in many of our cultures, with varying degrees, a solid line that seeks to divide what is male and female. It's easily seen that anything that crosses that line is often treated with hostility or casual contempt, most especially anything that undoes what is considered MANLY. That line doesn't really exist. Then again, it can lead to real life, barstool shaped impacts on a person's life.

For many ignorant people it is a matter of wearing the "wrong" kind of clothes. The "wrongness" is the only wrong part. You wear and talk and dress the way you want, the way that feels right to you.

This should be fully permissible within our society and it's kind of absurd that any kind of opposition towards this exists.

On the other side:
It's not who you are. It doesn't make you you. Your actions make you you, don't they? It's as foolish to grasp onto it as any other kind identity you slap on yourself to feel warm and comfortable in a cold, hostile universe.

Also:

Of course, there is the rage. Yeah, queer people frequently have to be tough to deal with the world. (Though plenty of people have to be tough for a variety of reasons.) It is unjust that people more or less get free reign to unload their hate on such easily identifiable targets. It's safe to say many in American culture are ignorant when it comes to gender.

The people who feel most at ease when they act and dress "wrong" are doing it naturally, they're not the one's who draw the lines and bring the hammer down on anyone who steps over it.

The people who draw those lines are the one who need to deal with it.

Putting ourselves, or others, through some kind of filter, with a neat identity (as "miscellaneous" as it may be) isn't the way to fix it.

THEY started making sides, THEY drew the line.
WE do what we feel like (within reason) when we feel like it. WE enjoy and protect ourselves and THEY eat a shit sandwich.

Or whatever so long as they STFU and GTFO.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Yeah, queer people frequently have to be tough to deal with the world.

Your world is defective.

This should be remedied.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I'm talking about transgender stuff here, not transsexuals.

On one side:

There is in many of our cultures, with varying degrees, a solid line that seeks to divide what is male and female. It's easily seen that anything that crosses that line is often treated with hostility or casual contempt, most especially anything that undoes what is considered MANLY. That line doesn't really exist. Then again, it can lead to real life, barstool shaped impacts on a person's life.

For many ignorant people it is a matter of wearing the "wrong" kind of clothes. The "wrongness" is the only wrong part. You wear and talk and dress the way you want, the way that feels right to you.

This should be fully permissible within our society and it's kind of absurd that any kind of opposition towards this exists.

On the other side:
It's not who you are. It doesn't make you you. Your actions make you you, don't they? It's as foolish to grasp onto it as any other kind identity you slap on yourself to feel warm and comfortable in a cold, hostile universe.

Also:

Of course, there is the rage. Yeah, queer people frequently have to be tough to deal with the world. (Though plenty of people have to be tough for a variety of reasons.) It is unjust that people more or less get free reign to unload their hate on such easily identifiable targets. It's safe to say many in American culture are ignorant when it comes to gender.

The people who feel most at ease when they act and dress "wrong" are doing it naturally, they're not the one's who draw the lines and bring the hammer down on anyone who steps over it.

The people who draw those lines are the one who need to deal with it.

Putting ourselves, or others, through some kind of filter, with a neat identity (as "miscellaneous" as it may be) isn't the way to fix it.

THEY started making sides, THEY drew the line.
WE do what we feel like (within reason) when we feel like it. WE enjoy and protect ourselves and THEY eat a shit sandwich.

Or whatever so long as they STFU and GTFO.

I agree with this wholeheartedly.

[Phox]

Yeah, queer people frequently have to be tough to deal with the world.

Your world is defective.

This should be remedied.

I agree, Roger. You should send me Dok Howl's bones so that I can go all Gloria Frankenstein on him and then we can work on that.  

[Freeky]

Alty, that was maginificently written.


I think that Zenpeanut's definition is exactly what Nigel was talking about, with the gender shaped boxes.  I would expand, but FUCKING HELL this network is



s    l    o    o    o   o   o    o      o     w     .

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Yeah, queer people frequently have to be tough to deal with the world.

Your world is defective.

This should be remedied.

I agree, Roger. You should send me Dok Howl's bones so that I can go all Gloria Frankenstein on him and then we can work on that.  

Well, I can't, because someone's using them¹.  But I know what he'd say, if he were alive.  He'd say, "Wipe out the primates and start over."  Looking around, I have to agree.  The world you people live in is substandard.




¹  I can't say what they're being used for, because of the Mann Act.

[Phox]

Yeah, queer people frequently have to be tough to deal with the world.

Your world is defective.

This should be remedied.

I agree, Roger. You should send me Dok Howl's bones so that I can go all Gloria Frankenstein on him and then we can work on that.  

Well, I can't, because someone's using them¹.  But I know what he'd say, if he were alive.  He'd say, "Wipe out the primates and start over."  Looking around, I have to agree.  The world you people live in is substandard.




¹  I can't say what they're being used for, because of the Mann Act.

I certainly concur, and I think the device he was working on before his untimely accident would be perfect for this. However, I do not fully understand how it works, and it seems my fellow Doktors have all disappeared in recent months. Perhaps i should consult with the Dark Empress on its application...

[Zenpeanut]

Hoo boy, there's a lot to cover here so I guess I'll just dig in.

Nigel, your focus on seems to be centered more on SRS and practices surrounding it. I agree wholeheartedly that the criteria for having SRS is abysmal. The Standards of Care (health criteria for trans issues) was, and still is, decided by cissexuals. As such, they're inadequate for really understanding trans issues. The "one year" requirement definitely is ridiculous in its requirements. They've improved over time, certainly, but it's still an unreasonable requirement. (It used to be that wearing pants, or being anything but extremely feminine, would be grounds for denial.)

Having said that, I hate that SRS becomes such a huge focus. Tons of trans people don't do it and are perfectly happy. Having a penis doesn't make anyone a man just the same as having a vagina and vulva doesn't make anyone a woman. However, some people honestly do need SRS to feel comfortable with themselves. And it doesn't always have to do with societal pressure to do so. Often times, they can't get past their uncomfortableness over their current genitals to enjoy sex. SRS, in this case, enables them to have a comfortable relationship.

Another issue is pursuing legal status in your sexual identity. Many states require SRS before granting any sort of legal change in gender. This leads to dangers such as a trans woman being put into an all-male prison. Luckily, this situation is slowly changing as states are changing their laws. I believe my state (Washington) just recently changed their law away from this practice as late as last September.

As far as the transsexuals that you have met, I can't really speak for them. I do know that many are more than satisfied with their SRS and seem like supremely awesome people. I would also like to state that I don't think of SRS lightly. It is a step of transition that is only for "extreme" cases of dysphoria and I really don't think I need it. It really comes down to understanding the risks involved with a botched operation and the limitations of even a perfect surgery and weighing those out against the benefits. For some, it is well worth the risk, and for others, it isn't. I don't feel I need it to be comfortable with myself personally, but I won't begrudge anyone else who thinks otherwise.

Okay, so now hormones. Again, you've got to weight benefit versus risk. The massive difference between hormones and SRS is that most aspects of hormones are completely reversible. The only ones that aren't are sterility and breast growth (which usually doesn't even begin to show up for at least 3 months). I could probably fill up an entire page with all the different effects hormones have, but I won't. What I will say is that the cool thing about hormones is that they make a fabulous assessment tool, though they also have a semi-long waiting period. When hormones are taken, you also immediately know if they are right or not. If they are, you end up feeling far less dysphoria and a lot more comfortable. If not, they'll make you feel terrible and then you stop. Keep in mind that this is entirely anecdotal and, while I have begun the waiting period to get them, I haven't ever taken them yet. This description is given by multiple people trans people though.

One other issue that I'm seeing is that when I say that I identify as a woman, I don't mean that I focus on making myself as feminine as possible. While I was pretty feminine compared to many other guys when I was a boy, I'm not all that feminine of a girl. While I do feel a lot more comfortable in feminine clothing, I still curse a lot. I still have a competitive bent often times.  When I say I identify as a woman, that doesn't mean I want to be overtly feminine. If I wanted that, I would just be an effeminate man. 

Now for Alty. I completely agree with you. A huge part of remaining sane during this past year is not diverting head space to fuck heads who won't accept me. It's simply a the ability to recognize that you shouldn't give a damn if someone whom you don't like anyway, doesn't like you. It's just not worth the time, effort, and thought to worry about bigots accepting you.

As for your point on transgenderism determining someone's identity, as I said for Nigel, my femaleness doesn't govern me. My personality has remained constant throughout my life and won't change in the foreseeable future. My coming out and changing appearances a year ago was me showing how I honestly felt. My pretending to be a boy for nearly a year after my gender identity switched was what felt entirely overwhelming. My coming out felt more like a freeing of my ability to be myself rather than as latching onto one identity.

On a side note, you mentioned the absurdity of the opposition towards this, you wouldn't believe how goddamn hilarious it is to watch people lose their shit over me just existing. Like when I walked onto a bus, this one guy leaped up screaming "faggot faggot" again and again and asking the bus driver if she saw that a man was wearing a dress. He ended up getting off at the next stop. my transsexuality makes for the easiest real life trolling ever. It's the equivalent to just registering onto a forum and without even doing anything, having someone throw up a 10 page thread saying how terrible you are.

Also Cramulus, thanks. It took a whole lot of thinking and rethinking to get the nerve to finally write up the letter. Well, that and more anxiety and stress than anyone could imagine. I'm just happy I live in Seattle, which is comparatively cool with this sort of thing than elsewhere.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Okay, so now hormones. Again, you've got to weight benefit versus risk. The massive difference between hormones and SRS is that most aspects of hormones are completely reversible. The only ones that aren't are sterility and breast growth (which usually doesn't even begin to show up for at least 3 months). I could probably fill up an entire page with all the different effects hormones have, but I won't. What I will say is that the cool thing about hormones is that they make a fabulous assessment tool, though they also have a semi-long waiting period.

AND ABSOLUTELY NO SIDE EFFECTS!

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Hoo boy, there's a lot to cover here so I guess I'll just dig in.

Nigel, your focus on seems to be centered more on SRS and practices surrounding it. I agree wholeheartedly that the criteria for having SRS is abysmal. The Standards of Care (health criteria for trans issues) was, and still is, decided by cissexuals.

Wait.

By what?

[Phox]

Hoo boy, there's a lot to cover here so I guess I'll just dig in.

Nigel, your focus on seems to be centered more on SRS and practices surrounding it. I agree wholeheartedly that the criteria for having SRS is abysmal. The Standards of Care (health criteria for trans issues) was, and still is, decided by cissexuals.

Wait.

By what?

Cissexual is a term for non-trans person.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Hoo boy, there's a lot to cover here so I guess I'll just dig in.

Nigel, your focus on seems to be centered more on SRS and practices surrounding it. I agree wholeheartedly that the criteria for having SRS is abysmal. The Standards of Care (health criteria for trans issues) was, and still is, decided by cissexuals.

Wait.

By what?

Cissexual is a term for non-trans person.

Fuck that shit.  I'm a people.  Someone else can be one of these fucking labels.