as far as the rest of what I saw,
i’m glad you don’t find me angry or sexist, but I’m sorry you don’t appreciate my sense of humor ;)
why would I get angry regardless of the pronouns you use? What you call me doesn’t change my life that much. I’m satisfied with who I am, and don’t require your validation at this time. I’m glad that you find so much joy in your own experience of womanhood and feel like “the real deal.” However people respond to me doesn’t define my womanhood. A part of me wishes I “passed” less well, to be honest. “Passing” in my experience decreases safety more than it increases it.
moreover, for I guess the third time now that I’ve said this, I don’t draw validation from the experiences I shared, positive or negative. I self-validate :-)
I simply shared my experiences because there was a lot of conjecture as to the experiences transsexuals must have, and based on my experiences, this conjecture was not accurate to experiences I’ve had. So I gave more of an even view of my own personal experiences, for the sake of increasing awareness and representation purposes. They aren’t your experiences to rewrite, or gaslight away if you find them inconvenient to your philosophies. If there was a board that discussed lesbians who was born with vaginas, I would never question your right to participate on it.
as far as the sexualization of a person, rather than their womanhood being what men respond to—
this one surprised me because I felt blamed as a victim. It may surprise you, or not, to learn that I have been approached by men while fully clothed, without smiling, and wearing zero makeup. I don’t actively look for attention, and sometimes I find it uncomfortable. Being that I’m attracted to some men, and overall men more than women, it doesn’t probably bother me as much as it might bother you depending on the man and the situation, but these situations can be terrifying. I have been both sexually harassed and abused. Blaming me for instances of my own sexualization is actually exactly what both men and females, though sadly many more females, have done to me numerous times when I’ve been the victim of actual crimes. I think there are a whole lot of women in the world, and not enough sisters— Im not sure the responsibility should fall on me so much to protect my safety so much as it should be on men to not commit crimes, but I guess that’s the nature of the world in which we find ourselves.
as far as who people are on the internet, I guess it’s hard to say. That cuts both ways. For all I know, there are several men on this chat saying they are women. I choose to simply respect you all, assume you are who you say you are, proceed assuming best intentions on both sides in good faith. I think that’s the best way to establish meaningful and constructive dialogue.
I don’t have as much time to jump on here today, but I’ll try to return at some point.
thanks again for all your thoughtful comments. I feel empowered and strong today :-)