Trangender FAQ

FAQ - Transgenderism

Taken in part from the alt.transgendered newsgroup FAQ, 1996 and other documents found at the Gender WEB Home Page

Due to the personal nature of the material contained within this document, I hope that each person will realize that while this is not the end-all piece of information, it is a start.

Because most transgendered material available deals with M-F cross dressers and transsexuals, much information on F-M transgenderism and missing or incomplete.

This FAQ was written from a North American viewpoint, and social attitudes/statistics may be different in other parts of the world.

1.1) What is a Gender Dysphoric?

Gender dysphoria is unhappiness with your given sex or sexual identity. There are mild to severe cases of gender dysphoria. Many people will experience gender dysphoria at some point in their lives.

1.2) What is a pre/post/non-op transsexual?

These are all transsexuals in various stages of the surgical procedure which will change the physical attributes of a person of one sex, including their genitals, to those of the opposite sex. Pre-op means "pre-operative transsexual," someone who has begun the hormonal and surgical procedures and is very close to the operation.

A post-operative transsexual is someone who has had the actual genital surgery done. It is very difficult to tell a m-f post op transsexual from a genetic female. Up to very recently, female-male transsexuals had no effective surgical technique to create a penis. There are penile implants and grafts, but these are often easy to spot.

"Non-op" transsexual is a new word that is floating around. Originally from a computer language, it means a person who has had all the hormonal/surgical treatments, except the genital surgery, and has no desire to proceed with the surgery. GIDAANT is another term for this (Gender Identity Disorder, Adolescent or Adult onset, Non-Transsexual).

1.3) What is a transvestite/cross-dresser?

This word has a few different meanings. In its purest form, transvestitism means the same as cross-dressing. Some people make a distinction between dressing for sexual stimulation (transvestitism) and dressing for stress relief or non-sexual enjoyment (cross dressing). Many people, however, use the words interchangeably.

There are several different categories of transvestitism:

fe/male impersonators, who dress as members of the opposite sex for a show
fetishistic transvestites, who are stimulated by dressing up in the clothing of the opposite sex
drag queens/kings, who dress with the intent to amuse or offend
shamen who cross-dress during religious/spiritual ceremonies
transvestites who dress only for an hour a week
transvestites who live almost full time dressed as women or men

In addition, there are people who combine male/female characteristics (such as a bearded man in a miniskirt and heels); they are often classified as "genderf**kers".

1.4) What is an intersexual?

An intersexual is a person who is born between (inter) sexes, having partially or fully developed pairs of female and male sex organs.

Intersexual is preferred over the word "hermaphrodite".

1.5) What does transgendered mean?

Transgendered was a term put into general usage by Virginia Price. It originally meant a pre-operative transsexual with no desire to have surgery. It later became a catchword for transvestites, transsexuals, female and male impersonators, drag queens, intersexuals, gender dysphorics, and those without a specific gender label.

1.6) What is "passing" and "reading"?

Passing is the ability to go out in public and be accepted as one's preferred sex. Reading means noticing that another person is transgendered.

It is easiest to pass around middle aged and older people. Children and teenagers often read transgenderists. Women are often more likely to read a trans-MTF than a man is.

1.7) What is SRS?

SRS stands for Sex Reassignment Surgery, the final stage in the sex-reassignment procedure. SRS will cost anywhere from $6,000 to $50,000. It may be partially or fully covered by some employers, government programs, or insurance companies.

In North America, women are more likely to consider SRS than men are, but men are more likely to go through with SRS.

1.8) What is RLT?

RLT stands for Real Life Training. It means that one lives as a member of one's preferred sex for a period of time while still having the genitalia of the former sex. This is to help the prospective transsexual determine if becoming a total member of that sex is right for him or her.

1.9) What is transition?

Transition is the period of time from when the individual first starts the sex-reassignment procedure until the individual is living entirely as a member of the opposite sex .

1.10) What causes the urge to crossdress or to change one's sex?

There is a great deal of debate in the medical community as to what causes transsexualism and transvestitism. Transsexualism is thought by some to be caused by a area in the brain called the "sexually dimorphic nucleus". Others claim that it is caused by a hormonal imbalance during pregnancy.

Some types of transsexualism (e.g. xxy syndrome) are genetic.

The two main types of transsexuality are called "primary" and "secondary" transsexualism. Primary transsexualism occurs in young adults who are gender dysphoric from a young age.

Secondary transsexualism occurs in middle-aged people who have not had very strong transgender urges in their earlier lives. This type of transsexualism is thought to be linked to hormonal changes in the body at that time.

There are also cases where people are forced into alternative sex roles due to religious, social, or family pressures. Some men dress as women to avoid draft or get out of the army. Very religious male homosexuals may feel the need to change their sex in order to correspond with their religious beliefs. Parents may dress their children in clothing of the opposite sex because they wanted a child of that sex.

Transvestitism has no definite cause. MTF cross dressers sometimes crossdress because it feels more comfortable than male clothing. FTM cross dressers are more easily accepted than male cross-dressers.

1.11) What is DSM III? (Isn't that that new Star Trek series?)

DSM is "The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders". It is the publication put out by the American Psychiatric Association publishes which details what is and is not a psychiatric illness. Transsexualism and transvestitism are still included in the list of psychiatric disorders.

1.12) What are the Benjamin Standards?

When sex reassignment surgery became available for the first time, many men rushed to get the surgery performed. A great deal of these men later committed suicide or became suicidally depressed after losing their penis.

This situation was played over in many different countries. The medical community decided to enforce its own standards of conduct regarding sex reassignment surgeries. The Benjamin Standards were created at a conference by Dr. Harry Benjamin and were adopted as the world standard for determining who should be eligible for sex reassignment surgery.

1.13) How long has transgenderism been around?

The idea of a being having characteristics of both sexes predates the human race. Cave paintings and artifacts found in Cro-Magnon and early Homo sapiens settlements show transgendered figures.

It is difficult to say to what extent transgenderism was found in earlier societies. Men wearing skirts and bright green eyeshadow would be considered transgendered in modern society, but in some parts of Egypt, skirt-like garments and eyeshadow were worn by many men.

1.14) Who are Virginia Price and Tula?

Virginia Price is the co-founder of tri-ess, a heterosexual transvestite support group. She was instrumental in bringing transvestitism into the public eye and getting cross-dressing decriminalized. She also helped to put forth the notion that not all transvestite's are gay or bisexual.

Tula is the stage name of Caroline Cossey. Caroline was a model working in England, and had done many modeling jobs around the world. She also appeared in a James Bond movie.

A few years ago, she was publicly outed as being a post-operative transsexual. Her marriage to a Greek shipping tycoon fell apart after his family forbid him to wed her. She became very active in the transsexual community in England and around the world.

Today, Tula has resumed her modeling career and has remarried, this time to a Canadian (she announced her engagement on the "Shirley" show about a year ago). She has an autobiography called "My Story."

1.15) How many transgenderists are out there?

There are no actual statistics on the numbers of transvestites, transsexuals, or intersexuals in the world at large. Due to the nature of transgenderism, a accurate count cannot be made. The estimated ratio of MTF transsexuals to genetic males is between 1:2000 and 1:80,000. The estimated ratio of FTM transsexuals to genetic females is between 1:2000 and 1:125,000.

Researchers estimate that the percentage of men who have crossdressed is quite high, perhaps as high as 50 percent. Female crossdressers are comparatively uncommon (crossdressing meaning someone who dresses in male clothes and attempts to look male.)

There are numerous other unverified statistics floating around in the world, such as:

less than 1% of all people saying they are transsexual ever have SRS
7-12,000 sex changes have been performed in the US, half of them MTF
there are 4 times as many MTF transsexuals in Europe as there are in America
90 percent of all transvestites and transsexuals live in large cities

1.16) Are all transvestites gay? Are all transsexuals gay?

Most transvestites are heterosexual. Tapestry Magazine did a survey on the sexual orientation of its transvestite readers, and found that 75 percent of them were heterosexual.

There are several groups exclusively for heterosexual transvestites that have very large memberships (tri-ess, etc.).

Many psychologists say that transvestites are in the same proportion of gay to straight individuals as the non-transvestite segment of the male population.

The MTF transsexual population is roughly 50 percent oriented towards males. The FTM transsexual population is more oriented towards females, but many FTM's have relationships with gay men.

1.17) My significant other is transgendered. What should I do?

There are several support groups that can help you deal with a crossdressing male spouse, a transsexual/intersexual spouse, or a transgendered girlfriend/boyfriend.

If your spouse's transgendered activities are interfering with your sex life, a marriage counselor might help you. Transsexuals and transvestites in married situations sometimes remain with their wives as sort of a "sister" figure. In some cases, a transsexual spouse spells the end of a relationship.

Heterosexual males involved in relationships with MTF transsexuals or gay transvestites may feel that their masculinity is at stake. Being in a relationship with a MTF transgenderist does not mean that you are gay in any sense of the word, nor does it mean you are somehow "less straight".

Heterosexual women involved in relationships with FTM transgenderists are often very accepting of their boyfriend's condition. Many female transsexuals marry and adopt children. Some women involved in such a relationship leave because they want to have children. As with the above example, being in a relationship with a female transsexual does not make you any less heterosexual.

Intersexuals and post-operative transsexuals are a special case. In many cases, there is no way for a person to know that his/her spouse was an intersexual or transsexual. Having your spouse tell you this is a symbol of trust and commitment.

Children of transsexuals often feel upset over a parent's decision to change his or her sex. Children may feel guilty, neglected, or hostile towards the parent. Sometimes, the transsexual parent will leave the family altogether. This does not mean that the parent has stops loving his or her children. Sometimes, especially at the beginning of a sex-change, a person will feel very guilty and have a lot of self-hatred. They will feel "unworthy" to be a family member and may feel obligated to leave. The parent still loves you, but he or she cannot bring himself to face you. Eventually, the guilt will fade. It is important to maintain a relationship with your parent and let him or her know you are interested in maintaining a relationship.

Parents of transsexuals and transvestites feel a range of emotions towards their children, ranging from disbelief ("It's just a phase") to anger and disgust. Some parents will be upset at the prospect of no grandchildren. Many parents who cannot deal with their children simply tell the child to leave the household. You should remember that your child is going through an incredibly rough time, and needs your support now more than ever.

Above all else, remember that you are not alone. Many other people have gone through what you are going through right now. It is okay to feel angry, disgusted, or sad; those are natural emotions to feel. It is not okay to feel guilty, unworthy, or ashamed. You have done nothing to justify such feelings.

There are support groups for children of transgenderists, spouses of transgenderists, girlfriends and boyfriends of transgenderists, and parents of transgendered youths.

1.18) Are all male gender dysphorics effeminate? Are all female gender dysphorics masculine?

Not at all. Many male transsexuals are "captain-of-the-football-team" types. Some males with xxy or xxxy genetic patterns may look somewhat effeminate.

Female transsexuals are just as feminine as any other person born with a female body structure and the female hormone distribution. There are several former female models who have become men ("Stratton" is one who comes to mind). Some females have genetic structures such as xo or conditions such as hirituism which may make them look more masculine.

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