Question about gender change

[lougle]

If someone is making a transition to one gender from another, what does their sexuality relate to - their original gender, or their new one?

For instance, if a man is transitioning to become a woman, and is attracted to women, would that make them 'straight' or 'gay'?

If a woman is transitioning to become a man, and is attracted to women, would he then be 'straight' or 'gay'?

I'm likely to have to explain 'gender change' to my children, but it occurred to me that I really don't understand the 'gender' part of it at all.

I understand the physical processes and the medical timeline, etc. (ie. live as new gender for x period, medication, initial reassignment surgery, final reassignment surgery), but I don't understand how someone who has had gender reassignment would identify their sexuality.

I hope I haven't offended anyone - I may not have used the right terminology and may have been clumsy in the way I've asked the question.

Nursey - It is simply not true that most people have extensive psychological evaluations. It is basically a self diagnosed condition.

My palpable distaste of mental anguish?

That's not what I wrote so I stopped reading your post at that point.

When you can be bothered to read my posts, I'll bother to read yours. It's clear that you're not even slightly interested in listening to anyone else so there's no point in trying to engage with you.

Kim - you don't have to accept us as women
Except we do, legally we do. We have to come up with exceptional reasons if we want spaces for female born women only. Then we are frequently made out to be transphobic bigots.

I heard a news item this morning about trans people in India who are being granted legal recognition as a third gender.what do people think of this idea? Personally I would have no problem with it.

lollerskates Fine by me. I find your posts to be aggressive and condescending anyway so please, feel free to ignore me.

Grennie - really? That's strange because there's extensive guidelines on the matter.

Apparently there's evidence to show that transexualism could have prenatal and genetic causes. If this was to be proven, would everyone's minds be changed? Would you be okay with gender reassignment then? Or would you insist they stayed in the 'wrong body'.

Kim under the NHS, MtoF Trans people are normally expected to "live as a woman" for between 1 and 2 years before being approved for genital surgery.

If you go private, the process is usually much quicker

if I want surgery, do you have any rights over my choice what to do with my body?

I think that when what you want to do is irreversibly change a healthy body because you are suffering serious mental pain, then yes, there's scope for the wider community to have a say. I don't think they have the right to say "there's no problem with your body, therefore there's no problem." There is a problem. There is very obviously a very serious problem and it needs to be acknowledged and addressed. Personally, I just think that surgery is not the right way to address it.

I'd be in favour of a third gender I think.

But transexual people don't relate do the 3rd gender though do they, they relate to being a male or female.

It's easy for us to say 'oh yes lump them in the 3rd gender' category.

When I found the discussion of gender roles and feminism interesting. The ideas that transwomen play into patriarchal stereotypes or are transgressive. The idea that trans people are discussed by cis people and fitted into their categories rather than being listened to.

Grennie, with all due respect it can take six to eight months to even get an initial appointment. Subsequent ones are months and months apart. Charing X where the majority of people go are incredibly slow to move people through the system. It is an extremely gruelling process to get to the point where you are recommended for surgery.

I don't know how it would work but I think it could. Changing rooms are a practical problem, why not have private cubicles for everyone? Why not have third gender pronouns? We'd get used to it. Who goes round saying 'look at me' now?

You have said you don't consider yourself a woman but you clearly don't consider yourself a man either.

Okay that is simply a waiting list though because of budgets and is exactly the same as anyone for a whole list of serious illnesses.

In regards to getting rid of gender how would that work do you think?

Because we'd still have to use female and male, medical reasons, identity etc. Or...?

That's why I said we'd have to use female and male polter, sorry if I didn't make that clear. I usually say man and woman for gender.

*still have to use

Yes I think it would be better polter but I can't see that happening any time soon.

Nursey I'm not lumping anyone anywhere - unlike those who lump trans women in with women whether women are happy or not. I am just floating an idea and asking what people think.