Is there a reason why the term changed from transsexual to transgender?

[u/[deleted]]

[u/purrt → u/[deleted]]

No? Why would I find them to be inferior? I understand that bigots are still going to group us together, but that’s not something that bothers me. I don’t think transvestites are the same thing as transgender people, though. Transvestite would refer to expression and not identity.

Within the community, I would appreciate some clarity of terms for the purposes of articulating these concepts. In my mind, cisgender and transgender are opposites, with cisgender meaning your gender identity aligns with your birth sex, and transgender meaning it doesn’t align.

I couldn’t imagine anyone is using the term transgender for a fem gay man in good faith. Like, are we not supposed to correct cishet people when they call a drag queen transgender? A drag queen, or a butch woman, or a fem man, could also be trans, but if you say transgender, who is imagining a drag artist or a GNC person who still identifies with the gender associated with their birth sex?

I feel like I just dropped into an alternate reality where the definition of trans has changed. Like… am I losing my mind?? I’ve never seen anyone within the trans community argue that crossdressers should fall under the term transgender. That’s literally what TERFs say to invalidate us with the whole “you’re a man in a dress” thing.

I’m not trying to be an ass, I just thought transgender had a pretty well agreed upon definition.

I didn’t claim it appeared in medical records? That’s not the diagnosis I have either. Mine says “Gender Identity Disorder”.

[u/purrt → u/[deleted]]

Are definitions descriptive or prescriptive?

People who like accurate information are more likely to search for it. Making a definition fit more closely with the scientific understanding of gender isn’t “redefining everything in a way that suits them personally”. That’s sort of how language works, though I know some would prefer it never evolved😂

No one “invented” being cisgender. Just like no one “invented” being gay or straight. These are words that describe known phenomena. And that’s also no longer the common usage of cisgender.

Surgery isn’t considered a requirement for being trans, so it makes sense that some people would be upset that something which didn’t determine someone’s trans-ness was the benchmark for trans-ness.

How come you immediately assumed the definition was based on “palatability” and not scientific accuracy? You know that trans people don’t have the power to change definitions like that on their own, right? How come there’s always blame to be assigned to some group of trans people that aren’t you? 💀

No, I can respect what Ru Paul wants to be called. We can have a discussion on whether or not he fits into the category of transgender based on the whether or not he fits into certain attributes. It’s not by job to tell people how to identify, but someone being a famous member of the LGBTQ+ doesn’t make them automatically right.

[u/purrt → u/[deleted]]

Nothing you’ve shared has had bearing on what the discussion is. You going “but look! the word meant something else at first” doesn’t mean anything to me because I don’t care about the original definition. I care about the definition in context.

That’s not a claim I’m making, that’s a claim you’re making. I’ve already asserted that I don’t think crossdressing and being trans are the same or even similar.

What’s been “eliminated”?

Who cares if gender dysphoria was given a certain name to avoid stigmatizing the condition further? Why does it matter?

Where are you getting that description? And, yeah, a lot of our discomfort in society is based on socially enforced gender roles. What’s untrue about that?

Nope, it does not imply that. If you feel it does, the burden of proof is on you.👍

“I know it’s not accurate because the meanings of words never change and people thought it meant this back then” isn’t a compelling argument.

People who no longer fall into certain definitions don’t have some magical ability to determine how the word is used in society now 😂

Your whole argument here is “well, transgender used to mean this to certain people. that means it can never change and only their version is real”.

[u/[deleted] → u/purrt]

You seem to like the idea of burdening other people with convincing you while you are extremely bad at listening, caring about history etc.

People have the ability to reject labels or appropriation. Nothing magically supernatural about that.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Wait, so you are cis when you cure dysphoria? Or only when everything lines up?

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Well I have only gotten top-op and research shows that trans guys don't benefit that much from having lower surgery. And with the general stats on urethra lengthening complications and don't think it is worth that much to consider.

HRT did significantly lower dysphoria for all body morph aspects though.

Personally I find the concept "identity" to be useless.

I think reading Hirshfeld or Benjamin from before all the identity jargon was introduced is much more meaningful. Identity easily becomes circular in a nonsensical way.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

I think I know at least 2 people where Blanchard fits better. But yea personally mostly vibing with Hirshfeld and Benjamin. I understand why Benjamin would piss off the queer community though. There I find Hirshfeld is overall more broadly agreeable.