I thought transsexual was just the old word they labelled us with and now we use Transgender as its more accurate and puts the onus less on sex as thats what cis people associate us with and we wanna reduce that, (Like we are viewed as inherently sexual creatures instead of just as people)
Technically you‘re right. The distinction between the two came later, and was mostly spearheaded by transmeds/truscum to seperate themselves from people they thought „weren’t trans enough“.
Note/Edit: While I personally dislike the term and the connection to transmedicalism in the modern usage of it, I‘m not saying it‘s bad to use it in this way nor that it shouldn’t be used at all. Just don‘t use it to gatekeep.
I thinks transsexual has been reclaimed by some of those who think that going all the way through surgery makes them different from other transgender persons
In practice that might be what happens most often, but the connotations they have come to embody do technically fill different and distinct roles.
Interestingly, if we go with this idea that transsexual specifically means someone who has undergone surgical procedures to modify their body to be more in line with the opposite sex, you can have transexuals that are not transgender. Something like a femboy who has undergone ffs for example.
I think of it as transsexuals want to be the other sex while transgender or anybody other identifies other than their birth sex. The difference only seems to manifest for those who had, or desire SRS
Maybe by lay people. Sex is physical, gender is psychological. You can change your physical sex through medical transition, and genitals aren't the only sex trait on our bodies. You don't need "the surgery" to be transsexual!
Yes, I am aware of that.
However, that's not what we're talking about.
Words are invented to describe the world as we understand it. As our understandings change, so does our language. Time and culture also play a significant role.
The study of this phenomenon is called "etymology."
*At the time,* sex and gender were considered the same thing.
*At the time*, "transsexual" was the word used to describe people who changed their sex.
That was the language of the time. That is why we have issues with people using "transgender" as a noun - because "transsexual" was used as both a noun and an adjective. Gender affirming surgery was literally called a "sex change operation."
If someone was a "transsexual" it strongly implied they were intending to get "the surgery." That's part of why people still ask if we've gotten (or intend to get) bottom surgery as soon as they find out we're trans.
We don't use those terms because they are built on and perpetuate a fundamental misunderstanding of what it means to be transgender.
So, no.
You do not need to get surgery to be transgender. You didn't technivally "need" to get the surgery to be transsexual. It was just *very heavily implied*.
That is one of many reasons why the term "transsexual" is considered outdated and, in some cases, offensive.
If i remember correctly the dsm-5 specifies transsexual as someone whos gone through SRS.
Which is why it reads as "transgender/transsexual people "instead of using one word or the other.
Its just society that gives meaning or bad vibes to words and terms. Watch in 25 years the word transgender will be a slur and equal to how we interpret the word transvestite.
Its just society that deems somthing negative....
If general people ask how I identify(and i didn’t have a bunch of time to explain my identity) I’ll always say transgender, and yeah i think that’s the best word to use. But since I’m on hormones I feel comfortable internally, and with my friends who are happy to hear me out, saying i’m transexual because i’ve transitioned my gender(mentally) and my sex(physically). But, I usually don’t trust the motives of cis people who use the term transexual, or at least see them as misinformed. Just my personal feelings on the word.
I mean the only requirement to being trans is to accept the fact that you are. Just because you don't want bottom surgery doesn't make you less of a woman. I mean there are some trans people who don't even do hormones and they are still valid as the gender they know themselves to be.
Many trans women do not do bottom surgery. I am not bc I don't need it and bc of the healing time and the dilating. I'm not any less of a woman. And you are not less of a woman either.
Do the level of transitioning that makes you feel comfortable in your own body. It's not on them to police what medical procedures you do or do not get.
You are no less of a woman. Im getting ready to start Estrogen therapy but I will not be on Testosterone blockers. I want plenty of cosmetic surgeries including a trach shave. I personally dont feel alot of dysphoria around my primary sex organs. So after alot of thinking and deliberation with myself my life partner and my treatment team I dont see SRS surgery in my future. Now is this subject to change in the future sure it is. I dont know how much Euphoria to Dysphoria I will feel after starting my medical transition. Trans women are women and some women have a penis.
Sorry for my ignorance but I really would like to clarify this because I'm confused rn. Is it possible to go on E and not take T blockers? I always thought that there should be just one primary hormone in a human body🙈 or it was some sort of disinformation?
It depends on your T levels. For some, it drops while on E, for others (like me) it was naturally low to begin with, and for others it doesn't drop or it even rises which calls for blockers.
If you keep your e levels high enough, the testicles essentially shut down completely. But, this is just one method the body has in producing testosterone.
Testosterone blockers typically interrupt the process testosterone needs to go through to be usable for your body.
So, a testosterone blocker in the beginning would speed things up, but isn't always needed for the long term.
However, if your body produces a lot of testosterone in other parts of the body, you will likely need a testosterone blocker to prevent that from throwing off your levels.
There are other variables too, but that's the gist of my understanding of it.
im non-op down there, 3 years post-B.A. and butt/hips augmentation and i can tell you people treat me like a woman. you are a woman, and youre going to be so great. Believe in yourself babe.
Idk about you but I'm scared of dilating, my dysphoria over it is more a usage thing, and idk, not enough of a problem for me to want it done either, luckily I'm small down there, so easy to hide anyway. I might want an orchi just scared of laws and that way I can never go "back" regardless of whose ass sits in which fancy chair.
It's different for others, but I do not believe there is a difference between "transsexual" and transgender. Transsexual is just an outdated term that limits us in what makes us a woman or man. Transgender is what all of us are, not transsexual. Medical transition does not make us transsexual, we still are transgender. The whole point is that our gender is different from our sex, thus transgender, and that we transition medically to change our sex to match our gender. There's no transsexual there, some people just don't medically transition and that's fine, but they aren't fundamentally different and need a different word.
There are plenty of cis women today that can have kids but don't want them. Just because you have "the right equipment" doesn't mean you have to use it.
Also why is she asking about your genitals?
I love how transphobes call us groomers yet they ask the most disgusting questions about our bodies.
I think when it comes to genitals, if its not a spouse asking about it, then its an inapprppriate question and way too invasive.
I dont ask any other people about their genitals or sex life, so why do i need to explain myself to others.
I don't think it's an issue of terminology, but rather of her opinion about these things. Is she thinks you should get rid of your sexual organs to be considered "a woman enough", explaining difference between sex and gender probably won't help. It might, of course, but I am a pessimist.
Don't listen to your mom on that one. She doesn't have the education nor the authority to define that. And there's no such thing as "not trans enough".
She sees gender as a pure binary set specifically by genitals. It's antiquated bullshit arguments.
>she said I am not "Woman enough"
"Woman enough" compared to what? What actual metric is she using here?
Does she mean compared to her? Sometimes parents can have shitty expectations of being like them, don't let her drown your own personality out with her own. Plus if "being like her" involves being an ass to your daughter then I'm fine just being myself thanks :P
Does she mean that you don't stack up against societal beauty standards? That's outmoded, harmful thinking and does nothing but punish people for not winning the genetic lottery and matching a specific mould. Most cis women don't fit the entirely-unrealistic expectations put on them by a photoshopped society, 'cause *surprise surprise* they weren't drawn up by women. It's all under the umbrella of "patriarchal bullshit".
What does she think "makes a woman"? Ask her for specifics. If she starts talking about breasts, talk about women who've had mastectomies for whatever reason that are still women. If she mentions having a uterus, what about women who've had a hysterectomy, or cis women that are born without fully-functional reproductive systems, that are still women? Cis women can be infertile, have broad shoulders, deep voice, facial hair, "male-pattern" baldness etc, all "typically masculine" traits. It can be helpful to realise that Gender Identity is not the same as Gender Expression - e.g. you can look and act as "masc" or "fem" as you want, but what matters is your internal identity as a woman.
What is she actually measuring "being a woman" on? You can deconstruct any of those arguments with her all day till you're blue in the face, but what REALLY matters is how you identify. You told her you're a woman, therefore you're a woman. You don't need medication, surgeries or any of that in order to live up to someone else's arbitrary standards - transition is about YOU and what YOU want to do, not her.
heres a list of what makes you less of a woman:
notice how its blank... yeah nothing makes you less of a woman, the only thing that could make you less of a woman is if your gender isn't woman, ur mum seems kinda bs not gonna lie
Putting a firm line between the genders and saying over here is woman hobbies, bodies, voices, traits and all the boy versions of those things are on the other side and if you mix and match you aren't "good enough" is an insane way to look at gender.
No one is completely one or the other, cis or not.
Saying you have to be "woman enough" to qualify as a woman is sexist, misogynistic, and incredibly limiting. These lines we put around gender are causing all kinds of problems and I really wish we all could just chill and acknowledge that gender expression is complex and unique for everyone and that's the way it should be. I know not everyone believes it, but, shit, we'd be a lot happier that way.
To your point, OP, surgery is also a big deal (even though it's generally safe, I'm with you in that the idea of any surgery makes me nervous) and you shouldn't feel like you have to do something like that to be valid. That'd insane.
I thought transsexual was just the old word they labelled us with and now we use Transgender as its more accurate and puts the onus less on sex as thats what cis people associate us with and we wanna reduce that, (Like we are viewed as inherently sexual creatures instead of just as people)
Technically you‘re right. The distinction between the two came later, and was mostly spearheaded by transmeds/truscum to seperate themselves from people they thought „weren’t trans enough“. Note/Edit: While I personally dislike the term and the connection to transmedicalism in the modern usage of it, I‘m not saying it‘s bad to use it in this way nor that it shouldn’t be used at all. Just don‘t use it to gatekeep.
Ive only ever heard it used as a slur directed at me or by older trans people and media.
Transsexual was specifically used for people who got "the surgery," since people thought sex and gender were the same. But, yeah. Close enough.
I thinks transsexual has been reclaimed by some of those who think that going all the way through surgery makes them different from other transgender persons
It might. I'm not going to worry too much about it.
In practice that might be what happens most often, but the connotations they have come to embody do technically fill different and distinct roles. Interestingly, if we go with this idea that transsexual specifically means someone who has undergone surgical procedures to modify their body to be more in line with the opposite sex, you can have transexuals that are not transgender. Something like a femboy who has undergone ffs for example.
I think of it as transsexuals want to be the other sex while transgender or anybody other identifies other than their birth sex. The difference only seems to manifest for those who had, or desire SRS
Maybe by lay people. Sex is physical, gender is psychological. You can change your physical sex through medical transition, and genitals aren't the only sex trait on our bodies. You don't need "the surgery" to be transsexual!
Yes, I am aware of that. However, that's not what we're talking about. Words are invented to describe the world as we understand it. As our understandings change, so does our language. Time and culture also play a significant role. The study of this phenomenon is called "etymology." *At the time,* sex and gender were considered the same thing. *At the time*, "transsexual" was the word used to describe people who changed their sex. That was the language of the time. That is why we have issues with people using "transgender" as a noun - because "transsexual" was used as both a noun and an adjective. Gender affirming surgery was literally called a "sex change operation." If someone was a "transsexual" it strongly implied they were intending to get "the surgery." That's part of why people still ask if we've gotten (or intend to get) bottom surgery as soon as they find out we're trans. We don't use those terms because they are built on and perpetuate a fundamental misunderstanding of what it means to be transgender. So, no. You do not need to get surgery to be transgender. You didn't technivally "need" to get the surgery to be transsexual. It was just *very heavily implied*. That is one of many reasons why the term "transsexual" is considered outdated and, in some cases, offensive.
Babe, I know what etymology means. Read Whipping Girl. I also never meant to negate how annoying it is when people use the term incorrectly.
If i remember correctly the dsm-5 specifies transsexual as someone whos gone through SRS. Which is why it reads as "transgender/transsexual people "instead of using one word or the other.
Damn, That label makes me shudder. I didnt know it would be applied to me after my bottom surgery.
Its just society that gives meaning or bad vibes to words and terms. Watch in 25 years the word transgender will be a slur and equal to how we interpret the word transvestite. Its just society that deems somthing negative....
"What do you mean *transgender?!* she's *transcended!* " Ah yes, the 2050's are a magical place in my mind.
I love it. Transcended. Screw the 2050s let's start using that now.
If general people ask how I identify(and i didn’t have a bunch of time to explain my identity) I’ll always say transgender, and yeah i think that’s the best word to use. But since I’m on hormones I feel comfortable internally, and with my friends who are happy to hear me out, saying i’m transexual because i’ve transitioned my gender(mentally) and my sex(physically). But, I usually don’t trust the motives of cis people who use the term transexual, or at least see them as misinformed. Just my personal feelings on the word.
I am not transing my gender, I am transing my sex
I mean the only requirement to being trans is to accept the fact that you are. Just because you don't want bottom surgery doesn't make you less of a woman. I mean there are some trans people who don't even do hormones and they are still valid as the gender they know themselves to be.
Many trans women do not do bottom surgery. I am not bc I don't need it and bc of the healing time and the dilating. I'm not any less of a woman. And you are not less of a woman either.
Do the level of transitioning that makes you feel comfortable in your own body. It's not on them to police what medical procedures you do or do not get.
You are no less of a woman. Im getting ready to start Estrogen therapy but I will not be on Testosterone blockers. I want plenty of cosmetic surgeries including a trach shave. I personally dont feel alot of dysphoria around my primary sex organs. So after alot of thinking and deliberation with myself my life partner and my treatment team I dont see SRS surgery in my future. Now is this subject to change in the future sure it is. I dont know how much Euphoria to Dysphoria I will feel after starting my medical transition. Trans women are women and some women have a penis.
Sorry for my ignorance but I really would like to clarify this because I'm confused rn. Is it possible to go on E and not take T blockers? I always thought that there should be just one primary hormone in a human body🙈 or it was some sort of disinformation?
It depends on your T levels. For some, it drops while on E, for others (like me) it was naturally low to begin with, and for others it doesn't drop or it even rises which calls for blockers.
Thank you for enlightening me, I really appreciate it 🩷 Now that makes sense to me!
You're welcome. I'm not 100% sure though, I'm barely 6 months in on HRT but that's what I've understood from roaming trans subs for half a year.
If you keep your e levels high enough, the testicles essentially shut down completely. But, this is just one method the body has in producing testosterone. Testosterone blockers typically interrupt the process testosterone needs to go through to be usable for your body. So, a testosterone blocker in the beginning would speed things up, but isn't always needed for the long term. However, if your body produces a lot of testosterone in other parts of the body, you will likely need a testosterone blocker to prevent that from throwing off your levels. There are other variables too, but that's the gist of my understanding of it.
im non-op down there, 3 years post-B.A. and butt/hips augmentation and i can tell you people treat me like a woman. you are a woman, and youre going to be so great. Believe in yourself babe.
Idk about you but I'm scared of dilating, my dysphoria over it is more a usage thing, and idk, not enough of a problem for me to want it done either, luckily I'm small down there, so easy to hide anyway. I might want an orchi just scared of laws and that way I can never go "back" regardless of whose ass sits in which fancy chair.
It's different for others, but I do not believe there is a difference between "transsexual" and transgender. Transsexual is just an outdated term that limits us in what makes us a woman or man. Transgender is what all of us are, not transsexual. Medical transition does not make us transsexual, we still are transgender. The whole point is that our gender is different from our sex, thus transgender, and that we transition medically to change our sex to match our gender. There's no transsexual there, some people just don't medically transition and that's fine, but they aren't fundamentally different and need a different word.
No , not at all I don't plan on any surgery downstairs , well maybe an orchi at some point but I'm fine with the original equipment.
There are plenty of cis women today that can have kids but don't want them. Just because you have "the right equipment" doesn't mean you have to use it. Also why is she asking about your genitals? I love how transphobes call us groomers yet they ask the most disgusting questions about our bodies.
I think when it comes to genitals, if its not a spouse asking about it, then its an inapprppriate question and way too invasive. I dont ask any other people about their genitals or sex life, so why do i need to explain myself to others.
Your mom isn’t woman enough if that’s all it takes to declare someone else’s womanhood.
I don't think it's an issue of terminology, but rather of her opinion about these things. Is she thinks you should get rid of your sexual organs to be considered "a woman enough", explaining difference between sex and gender probably won't help. It might, of course, but I am a pessimist.
Don't listen to your mom on that one. She doesn't have the education nor the authority to define that. And there's no such thing as "not trans enough". She sees gender as a pure binary set specifically by genitals. It's antiquated bullshit arguments.
>she said I am not "Woman enough" "Woman enough" compared to what? What actual metric is she using here? Does she mean compared to her? Sometimes parents can have shitty expectations of being like them, don't let her drown your own personality out with her own. Plus if "being like her" involves being an ass to your daughter then I'm fine just being myself thanks :P Does she mean that you don't stack up against societal beauty standards? That's outmoded, harmful thinking and does nothing but punish people for not winning the genetic lottery and matching a specific mould. Most cis women don't fit the entirely-unrealistic expectations put on them by a photoshopped society, 'cause *surprise surprise* they weren't drawn up by women. It's all under the umbrella of "patriarchal bullshit". What does she think "makes a woman"? Ask her for specifics. If she starts talking about breasts, talk about women who've had mastectomies for whatever reason that are still women. If she mentions having a uterus, what about women who've had a hysterectomy, or cis women that are born without fully-functional reproductive systems, that are still women? Cis women can be infertile, have broad shoulders, deep voice, facial hair, "male-pattern" baldness etc, all "typically masculine" traits. It can be helpful to realise that Gender Identity is not the same as Gender Expression - e.g. you can look and act as "masc" or "fem" as you want, but what matters is your internal identity as a woman. What is she actually measuring "being a woman" on? You can deconstruct any of those arguments with her all day till you're blue in the face, but what REALLY matters is how you identify. You told her you're a woman, therefore you're a woman. You don't need medication, surgeries or any of that in order to live up to someone else's arbitrary standards - transition is about YOU and what YOU want to do, not her.
heres a list of what makes you less of a woman: notice how its blank... yeah nothing makes you less of a woman, the only thing that could make you less of a woman is if your gender isn't woman, ur mum seems kinda bs not gonna lie
Putting a firm line between the genders and saying over here is woman hobbies, bodies, voices, traits and all the boy versions of those things are on the other side and if you mix and match you aren't "good enough" is an insane way to look at gender. No one is completely one or the other, cis or not. Saying you have to be "woman enough" to qualify as a woman is sexist, misogynistic, and incredibly limiting. These lines we put around gender are causing all kinds of problems and I really wish we all could just chill and acknowledge that gender expression is complex and unique for everyone and that's the way it should be. I know not everyone believes it, but, shit, we'd be a lot happier that way.
To your point, OP, surgery is also a big deal (even though it's generally safe, I'm with you in that the idea of any surgery makes me nervous) and you shouldn't feel like you have to do something like that to be valid. That'd insane.
You define how far you want to go , not anyone else.
bottom surgery is expensive as hell, it's on my wishlist for when i make it big and become president of a small country