Male, female, transgender [confused]. Third sex? I must be getting old

[longingforfun]

Transgender talk seems to be cropping up everywhere. Surely its not that prevalent? I'm completely confused. Are we talking gender reassignment; so called 'sex change' ops or what. Someone explain to me in simple words

[KittyVonCatsworth]

I read somewhere that there around 10 categories of gender ranging from female to trans to male. I can't remember wtf I read it and can't remember any of the categories, which may either be my aged brain or really not caring what a person is (as long as they're not a twunt). It's hard work.

[Lostcat2]

I couldn't give a crap either.

I don't care what's under anyone's knickers, I don't care who does what with who in the bedroom as long as all parties are happy.

It's just boring.

I only care what people are like as people.

[QuizteamBleakley]

Every time I think I've read up & am up to speed on this, a new phrase comes up or a new to me term I've learnt becomes offensive. I'm going to stay in my happy little bubble treating people as people. You're nice, I'm nice; you're a git, I'm a git. Is non-binary defined as a gender? Or is it 'denouncing' gender?
Of, fuck knows. Who cares, can't we all just get along? My 6 & 4yr old DC don't care about gender and I'm sticking with them.

[Lostcat2]

quiz well exactly.

[FrozenAteMyDaughter]

Also are transgender people what we used to call transsexual or is that different? I am baffled by how much talk there is on here (and on channel.4 recently) given this surely must be relatively uncommon in the scheme of things? Or maybe not.

I am getting on though.

[RhodaBull]

It's ridiculous. It seems to be the trendy thing at the moment. Best Young Teen book of 2015 is about a transgender teen. There was an award for a brave transgender teen on the BBC Teen Music Awards (had to watch all three hours of this for dd to swoon over Nick Jonas )...

Honestly you would think that every other person is of fluid gender.

[PiperIsTerrysChoclateOrange]

There has always been 3 genders.

Male, female and hermaphrodite.

[Seeyounearertime]

Ill post this in the hope that someone find it useful, its a handy reference guide and likely totally out of date but hey ho:

itspronouncedmetrosexual.com/2013/01/a-comprehensive-list-of-lgbtq-term-definitions/

[mollie123]

YY - to all of the pposters.
to me people are first and foremost human beings who are roughly the same as myself with tweaks that make us all differant.
what is with the 'label'ling that others seem to need to define themselves but then I am probably to be dismissed as an 'oldie'

[PiperIsTerrysChoclateOrange]

I am aware that a person can be born 3 genders. Male, female and hermaphrodite.

[CassieBearRawr]

Possibly OP, or just out of touch.

It's not really that hard, mostly just listen to what someone tells you about who they are and be respectful.

It's not as common as media coverage would have it appear, but non heterosexuality is likely way more prevalent than has been generally considered. That people feel they can be open about their gender and sexuality is a good thing.

[KeepOnMoving1]

Agree with Rhoda, it's boring now.

[PresidentUnderwood]

I'm glad I'm not the only one totally baffled at this brave new world of pronouns, acronyms and labels. And Caitlin Jenner, I'm sorry but what has she done to deserve all this media glory?

[Babycham1979]

Piper, a person can't be born one of three genders, though. Gender is the social construct, the made-up bit; sex is definted by your genitalia and your chromosomal make-up (generally speaking XX or XY).

I can't help but think all this multiple-identity stuff is the predictable consequence of certain strains of feminist theory and agitation, come to bite it on the arse.

It sounds as if this is a big 'thing' amongst some teen groups at the moment. Which, to be harsh, just sounds like another faddy way to define yourself as 'different'. 'Twas ever thus.

[Babycham1979]

defined not definted. Whatever that means.

[BarbaraofSeville]

I don't give a stuff about how people define themselves in this context, but I do admit to wondering why this appears to be 'a thing' all of a sudden.

[Scoobydoo8]

People can be who/ what they want but being told what I now am is irritating.

It's attention seeking for many celebs I think - any publicity is better than no publicity.

So we should all stop talking about it.

Another politically correct issue nightmare.

[MyFavouriteClintonisGeorge]

It isn't so much that people are defining themselves in myriad different ways that is new. It is the business of publicly declaring it and then wanting others to validate that identity that is often problematic. I don't think I would have anything to say about people declaring any identity, old or new, except 'Oh ok'.

[Seeyounearertime]

Dawn
Not forgetting that all "men" sould be muscle bound morons who fight, drink and only care about football.

Speaking as a cisman who prefers glitter and cushions to fighting and football its all very confusing.

[rogueantimatter]

Transgender people are now always very brave and never ever confused. Ever. The rights of transgender people trump women's rights. It's the law.

I'm very glad I'm not young now. When I were a lass you were male female or once in a blue moon transsexual. If the last, the people I knew would view you with sympathy for the difficulty you surely have to face. (I felt sorry for gay people too for the same reasons). Very glad that attitudes to sexuality have progressed.

Now there are more options including pan sexual. And anyone who wants to be known as female needs only to put on lippy and ask and we must applaud their bravery and make way for them in female only spaces, apparently. And remember to be inclusive of women with womanly penises and remember that discussing menstruation, reproduction, delivery and breast-feeding might be trans exclusive. And no feminist should ever ever fail to include any oppressed, misunderstood individual in their ranks. Because women are meant to be caring you see.

Meanwhile disabled and frail elderly people are hardly ever seen. Because they're not as important as transgender people.

[rogueantimatter]

I disagree. It's fine for men to be 'in touch with their feminine side' (I hope that includes changing nappies and risking a promotion so they can share child care.) Women in touch with their 'masculine side' are what? Butch I assume.

[Boredofthinkingofnewnames]

It is totally ridiculous. What the fuck is non-binary anyway?

[FrozenAteMyDaughter]

I am baffled by a lot of it but, quite seriously, I genuinely don't understand what someone means when they say they have always felt like a woman (or for that matter what someone means when they say they feel like a man). I was born female and grew up as a girl (albeit one who, for a large part of her childhood genuinely wanted to be a boy because it seemed to me that to do the things I wanted to do you needed to be one) and I STILL have no concept of what I feel like other than, I guess, a human being.

I really wish someone could explain to me what it is they identify in themselves that tells them they are a woman (in a man's body) or vice versa.

Which is not to say that, until someone can explain this to me so I understand, I will refuse to accept such a person at face value and use the name, pronouns etc they would prefer because surely that would be bad mannered at best and bigoted at worst.

[RhodaBull]

On yet another thread on this subject on MN someone talks about a tv presenter in Ireland who is "gender fluid" so some days he might be a man, and other days a woman. I don't care if on Wednesdays the man wants to be a hippo, but you can't have "fluid" people hopping in and out of public lavatories and changing rooms - literally - willy nilly.