Finding one's self: What is life like for the transgendered?

[MarieDelta]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLqSno4KWM8

http://www.gainesville.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=GS&Date=20080224&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=802240322&Ref=AR


Finding one's self: What is life like for the transgendered?


By MEGAN ROLLAND
Sun staff writer


Published: Sunday, February 24, 2008 at 6:01 a.m.
Last Modified: Sunday, February 24, 2008 at 12:08 a.m.


One secretly donned his mother's clothes. Another spent 20 years in the military battling a feeling that something "wasn't right." A third always hoped friends in college would suggest a drag-queen Halloween costume.


Michelle, Amanda and Caroline were born male.

All three have crossed the threshold toward living as women - the gender they believe they are at heart.

All three are part of a little understood minority - the transgendered - whose gender identity is dramatically at odds with the sex they were born as.

For many, this internal struggle leads to an expensive and risky surgery. Others simply take on the identity of the opposite sex. Often the urge has nothing to do with sexual desires.

Michelle Phillips, Amanda and Caroline are telling their stories in an effort to increase understanding and tolerance, if not acceptance.

Gainesville joined a list of 93 other cities and counties across the country by adding transgender people to its anti-discrimination law four weeks ago.

The ordinance states that private citizens can't deny housing, employment, credit or public accommodations to someone based on their gender identity. A total of 13 people have identified themselves as transgender to The Sun in the course of research for this article.

A mobilized transgender population across America is now being likened to the gay rights movement of the 1980s by the medical professionals who work closely with them.

That movement has resulted in gender identity anti-discrimination ordinances that cover more than 30 percent of the nation's population. But these local and state ordinances are not without opposition from those who see transgenderism as an immoral act.


More: http://www.gainesville.com/article/20080224/NEWS/802240322?p=1&tc=pg#

[TwylaTwobits]

nice post, Marie, thanks :)

[onewhocares]

A well done article Marie. I concur with the comments that being transgendered is, for most, a very lonely life. Especially for those who are not "out" to members of their family and friends. It takes an incredibly strong person to move from one gender to another with no support. I personally know two most amazing transgendered women whom I admire so much. I have seen them struggle with all of the aspects of life addressed in the article.

Belle

[alli_smiles]

[/LIST]s MS"]I for one want to say that two of the most beautiful women I have met are transgender, and I admire them for going through what they went through to be who they needed to be.:2cents:

[Cherokee_Mountaincat]

Wish more people would understand that sometimes the wrong soul gets trapped in the wrong body, and a person cant deny being Who they are. I admire and respect those men and women who know who they really are. :}
Great artical babygirl.
Yer Cat

[Nadir]

I have recently started to know two F-T-M transexual boys (they identify as such) that reside in my home island. I have also met some M-T-F transexuals but I havent had much contact with them, to be sincere (and I feel sorry for that somewhat, because they seemed to be very funny to be around). One of the boys was sort of interested in me ( he is mostly interested in girls, but thought that maybe he could be attracted to men as well...he told me that he didnt usually reacted with men the way he did with me, that I looked kind of "atractive" to him ), so we went on a "date" of sorts to see if we could work things out. In the end, we kissed. But then he told me he hadnt feel anything at all while kissing me so I didnt press no further. He is a very sweet young man, truth be told, he thought I was gonna be mad at him because he hadnt liked the kiss. I told him the truth, it was also the first time I did that and I came to the date just to see if something happened. I liked his kiss, it was good, it was wet, and it made me see the stars. It really excited me. But, if he didnt like it, I didnt want to press him...I was a little bit disappointed by his answer,but anyway...the only thing I wanted to say is that life for him has not been easy, and he has told me he has had lots of problems because of his identity and his sexuality. He says he feels others cannot understand him. I like him, a lot. And I have realized through him that transexuals are one of the most misunderstood minorities... because ask everyone who is not familiar with the concept and tell him that one friend of yours is going to have sex-reasingment surgery,they will probably laugh and say : "So,he wants to be a girl, where he could have got the idea?"... its not an idea. Transexual people report the feeling of "being different" since an early age (I have read a case about somebody who knew that he/she wanted to be from the opposite gender since he was two and half years old). It is not something that appears from one moment to another. It is something that for them, it has always been there. I am glad that people is learning that :)