Quote Originally Posted by voxelectronica View Post
For me, the biggest tell about gender roles are trannies. They FEEL feminine, they feel like their body needs to match that. When i start talking about hunting and camping i start to feel more masculine, so do a lot of m2f. It's when physical members of another gender identifies with feelings and attitudes that they all believe to be of the opposite gender to the degree that they must change their physical appearance that you have to accept there is a difference.
I'm not sure if this is what you meant, but it kind of sounds like you're saying that, for instance, an MTF transsexual is someone who identifies with feminine attitudes so much that they go through all the hassles necessary to get a female body? 'cuz that really isn't how it works. Transsexuality isn't about how feminine or masculine you are or want to be. Like with me - I'm transsexual (female, born with a male body that I'm in the process of female-izing), but I have a pretty strong butch streak in my womanhood. I wouldn't describe myself as very feminine, but I consider myself very much female nonetheless.

If there's one thing I've learned from years of talking to and reading the writings of and about various sorts of transgendered people, it's that things are far, far more intricate and complicated than you'd ever imagine without getting really into it. The closer you look, the more subtle-yet-significant distinctions and variations you find. There are more identities in sex and gender than are dreamt of in your philosophy... no matter what your philosophy is, as far as I can tell. Learning not to try to make sense of everything with some kind of general theory has been a difficult but valuable lesson for me.


edit: My first post in months and it's about transgender issues. I guess I'm kind of predictable.