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

Yes, that's what I keep wondering, Frozen.

OMG - I can't wait for a couple years down the line when everyone can be femalish, butch, one one day, another the next, what the ever, and we all stop talking about it.

I think what I'm saying is that the attention seeking is tiresome.

Just get on with life.

dawn sorry to quote you but
gender (the socially constructed idea that you, women, should look and behave like sex dolls and just think about glitter and cushions)
this is what gets me in the whole debate.
As a woman and previously as a girl - that never applied to me at all and to me that is not what makes a woman a woman - our physical sex makes us women within which sex there are variations from women who play football and fly planes (including those brave women in WW2) and those who like pink glittery stuff. Our gender is 'fluid' (sorry) as we are not all the same.

The gender 'divide' seems to be made more of now - princess girls and superhero boys etc (for commercial reasons?) which makes me wonder if there is a confusion in the case of some transgender people between not wanting to conform to the stereotypical pink/glittery or boisterous/builder and feeling that you are in the 'wrong' body. Or a perception that girls are more looked after/protected than boys (or something else perhaps) ie treated differently in a way that you would like to be treated that leads to the feeling that you are the 'wrong' gender.

There's more emphasis on appearance than there used to be what with 24/7 advertising and social media than there used to be which (IMO) increases the pressure on girls to be extremely groomed.

I like to have different looks - I love my short velvet skirt with flowery woollen tights and pumps or boots and a pretty scarf, but I like to wear sweatshirts (are they still a thing?) cargo trousers and trainers on other days. I've never felt gender fluid though. If you hear everyone going on about it it must put the thought in your head; a thought that you probably wouldn't have had twenty years ago when nobody had heard of gender fluidity. It's a blimmin' shame IMO.

As for pan sexual - you really don't 'see' individuals as either male of female? Really?

Every. Fucking. Day.

Transgendered people exist.

This is no longer news or thread worthy.

I struggle daily with this very subject. What is it that makes me feel more feminine than most guys? I don't know, honestly.

On the surface its purely superficial things. I love heels, love women's clothes in general, the look, the designs, the materials etc. Are all preferable to men's clothes which I find dull, rigid and ugly.

Underneath I believe it's emotional responses and preferences of a more ethereal nature? The difference between smelling a rose or smelling petrol

It's almost like there is a blurry photograph in my mind of what a "Woman" is and another of what a "Man" is and then yet another for what "I" am and yet another for what "I" portray beyond these four walls.
If I could, and the things stopping me are beyond my comprehension, but if I could I would Photoshop the photo of what I am and what I portray and make them nearer what the "Woman" is.

How much of this makes sense? None, how much is relevant? None. It's a ball of wires and they all lead back on themselves.

Hope that helps.

People need to be free to be transgender, Obviously.

Forgetting/dismissing biological differences is damaging to society as a whole though.

I would be more convinced by so-called "Gender fluidity" Once a male-born person, for example, chooses to present themself as a Woman, call themself "Miss Cathy Braithwright from BraithTown", has breast implants, big hair, shiny lips and patriarch compliant, but still recognises and understands they are a man.

Likewise a FTM should absolutely be free to present themself as male with breast reduction, hormones whatever so long as it makes them happy while still respecting their own biology in certain situations.

SUCH AS medical diagnosis. In segregation of the most vulnerable in prisons and crisis centres. In refuge. In reporting m/f statistics.

In sport (because born men are stronger and taller and have physical advantage)

In many areas where biology needs to be truthful.

Being asked to set aside biology in favour of "gender" is fucking ludicrous.

I will jump for joy the day men like Caitlyn Jenner can stand up in lipstick and heels and says "I am a man".
Then "Gender" will truly be broken.

As we have it, concepts if gender are still artificially linked to biological sex and this is not progress.

Whenever I have seen a transgender person out and about - that is, a male to female person, I have probably given them a nano-second glance more than I would a run-of-the-mill person, probably thought that they still don't look much like a woman, and then instantly forgotten about it.

Now I'd probably inwardly mutter that I hope they weren't one of those nutty trans-activists.

I also looked at a trans site about sports policy, after reading about the problem of Olympic competitors changing sex. It was flippin' ludicrous. You can't decide one day to be in the male swimming and the next day in the women's. Really! The official Olympic rules dictate that a competitor should be two years post-completion of gender realignment to participate as a different gender, BUT at puberty a body has developed male build, muscles etc, and this cannot be undone. Therefore males to females have an advantage.

Apparently the correct term now is LGBTQI. I thought that had something to do with Stephen Fry when I first read it.

apparently the correct acronym is:

Although the term LGBT is widely known to mean Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender, the extended acronym of LGBTQIA+ has caused some confusion in recent months. ‘Q is Queer, I is Intersex, A is asexual
there is some debate about whether the 'Q' is 'questioning'??
don't know what the + means unless it means all the subcategories of Asexual.

Yesterday on Mumsnet I came across 2 threads about people being called 'cis'. I had no idea what they were supposed to be about so I looked it up and am still none the wiser as to why some people get cross about it.

There was a transexual person on the tv yesterday and they made what I thought was a funny comment but I daren't tell about it as I will probably offend someone about something.

Thank you for starting this thread OP.

I am totally clueless when it comes to the whole transgender thing.

And honestly, I was going to start a thread but didn't want to offend anyone!

"Yesterday on Mumsnet I came across 2 threads about people being called 'cis'. I had no idea what they were supposed to be about so I looked it up and am still none the wiser as to why some people get cross about it."

Because they're precious idiots.

Couple of years ago I picked my daughter up and her mates in the car and gave them a lift. Never met her friends before. DD is lesbian - dressed in her usual jeans, DMs and top ( she is her mothers daughter) and the two others were dressed in short skirts, make up etc.

The three of them are sat in the back seat. I turned round and said 'right ladies where is it I am taking you'...

When we got out of the car DD spins round and hisses to me I had upset one of her friends as they are not straight or lesbian but queer.... And I shouldn't have called them a lady... I was made to feel quite stupid....

I was only doing them all a favour

I think I am too old for all this.....