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The Most Misunderstood
People in the World
I'm going to try and make this a short article but I will be trying to put 1000's of pages of study, scientific research and information into one or two pages ... this article will mainly relate to the male to female Transgender community but what is said also relates to that of the female to male community.
I'm sure people from every country in this world have seen a person dressed in the opposite genders clothes and thought, holy cow, they must be perverted, sick, weird, crazy and many many other terms that are used that I won't mention. People make fun of people dressed in the opposite genders clothes all the time, point fingers, laugh at them behind their backs and stare at them like they are from another world. One might say these people are from another world but that world exist on this planet. It is a world these people really do not wish to live in but they are forced to live in this world from fear of being ridiculed, called names, made fun of, labeled something they are not and many other reasons due to the lack of education about the Transgender community. These people have to live in what you might call a secret society because they are forced to, not that they want to but for reasons and fear as described above among some of various other reason. These people who dress in the opposite genders clothes come from all walks of life, all types of professions, your neighbor could be one of these people, your brother or sister could be one of these people, your boss, a General in the military, a truck driver, a Doctor, a major movie star, the bully in school, a teacher, a college professor, your best friend, a farmer, and the list just goes on. Transgender individual are for the most part the same as anyone else, normal, but, born with a desire that other members of society do not have. These people have feelings just like anyone else, in fact, Transgender individuals hate the fact they have this desire to dress as the opposite sex or wear any type of female clothing. But after they adjust to their unwanted way of life and desire and accept who they are they begin to love the feeling and at the same time hate it. You have to understand these people have no choice in the matter what so ever. The desire comes naturally to them just as you find it natural to get up in the morning and dress in your own gender clothing. Many people do not ever adjust or accept how they were born and live a life of misery mainly because of the fear of the time they will be discovered. There are several levels of Transgender depending on the amount of female ID the fetus retains after a sex Identification cycle is completed. There are several different levels of a Crossdresser, and several different levels of a Transsexual. People in, lets call it the straight society, people whose gender is what they would consider normal. For lack of description and lack of words I will refer to this term (straight society or straight) through out this article to describe people other then those who dress in opposite gender clothing. I will refer to the people who dress in the opposite gender clothing as, Transgender or Transgender individuals or people throughout this article.
The major problem is that people who live in the straight society have no clue why Transgender people want or need to dress in opposite gender clothes, most people in the straight society are afraid of something different then their own way of living and life style so they make fun of what ever it is that is a different life style or way of living. The lack of education about the Transgender community in schools and colleges as well as the geneal population is another factor why these people are so misunderstood. Ninety nine percent of the population in the straight society think Transgender people just go about dressing in opposite gender clothes because they want to and think it is cute or because they are sick or perverted and this is so far from the truth it is sad.
Let me try to help you understand who Transgender people are and why they are who they are and why they live their way of living and their life style. Number one, Transgender individuals are born this way, yes I said born this way, it is not something they just decide to do over night like the 99% of the straight society think. There have been major research studies over the years that have concluded this by professors and doctors but unfortunately there are still a small number that believe that it is just something that is decided over night one wants to do meaning they consider this to be a voluntary act or mental problem. Let me give you an example. I'm sure all of you have no doubt heard of a person born with both sexes who are know as hermaphrodites. These people did not wish to be born like this but they were and they are made fun of just as Transgender people are. The life styles of Transgender individuals begin in the womb when the sex of a fetus is determined. First of all everyone in the world is conceived as a female in the womb, everyone's life begins as female, yes everyone no matter who they are. When the cycle begins that determines the Gender of the fetus it sometimes is not completed and female factors remain as part of the fetus if it is a male and vice versa if it is a female. In the case of a hermaphrodite the factors that determine which Gender the fetus will be does not complete the cycle to the point that the fetus ends up with both complete Genders along with both genders genitalia within their body. Transgender individuals have the same thing happen to them but the Gender ID cycle of the fetus completes more of the cycle for a particular Gender. Sometimes this will give a fetus almost all the information to complete the fetus as lets say a male but their are still traces of female Identification in the fetus. This female identification material left in the males fetus can be of any amount and can determine how a male will live when they are born and grow into adulthood. Some males can be born with little or no female ID material left and they grow into adulthood as what one in the straight society would call normal. A baby that grows into a boy then into a man with no female characteristics at all. Then you can have a baby male born with a little trace of female ID in their chemistry make up. These males could grow into adulthood and may end up wearing under garments of the opposite gender under their male clothing and no one will be the wiser. Some may be born and have that same desire, want and need but may act a little feminine but not that much that it would give away their Transgender identity, they would be considered normal in the straight society but they would also live with the fear of being discovered. There will be some baby males born with more of a mix of female ID and male ID in their chemistry and will have the want and need to wear clothing of the opposite gender once in a while. This can be anything from a dress to a gown and maybe the complete under clothing and outer wear of the opposite gender. But these individuals only dress around their house in secret when no one is around and only for a little bit of time. Maybe once a week or couple times a month but these people always live in the fear of being discovered also. This is not something these individuals want to do but it is something that they are compelled to do, sort of like an addition but a addition they are born with not one they have decided to do over night. These Transgender individuals are called CROSSDRESSERS. There are some Crossdresser's who are born with more female ID in their chemistry make up then the ones described above and these Crossdresser's have the need, want and desire to dress completely as a female whenever they can, go out to clubs, shopping in stores or just go out among other people who are Crossdresser's and associate and I don't mean have sex with other Crossdresser's, just be themselves. A major majority of Crossdresser's remain straight and live a normal male lifestyle, get married and have families. They do not have the desire to have sex with a male, they are only attracted to women. Crossdresser never have the feeling that they are females trapped in a male body or vice versa. There are however a percentage of Crossdresser's who are what is called Bi sexual meaning they have the desire to have sex with both genders, again something they are born with, not a decision they made overnight. Crossdresser's always live in the fear of being discovered by family, friends, co workers and the straight society. This is not a way of life they just decided to live, it is something born within them from the time they were conceived as a fetus in the womb. Sometimes the desire to dress in the opposite genders clothes is so compelling that it will control a person and they will try to find a safe place to dress whenever they can. Sometimes they will have excuses to miss a family functions so they can remain at home or go to a motel room and dress in the opposite genders clothes. Again, this is not something they want to do but something they need to do to satisfy their hunger to wear opposite gender clothing. It is not a great way to live because it can and does create problems in family. Transgender individuals who have the desire to go out in public dressed as the opposite gender usually give their self a feminine name they are known as when they associate with others like themselves. This helps to keep their secret for their desire to dress as the opposite gender from everyone and protect their male image. Transgender individuals always live in the fear of being discovered every day of their lives. It is a secret these people have that they actually hate because they know they are different but yet they are normal because they were born with these desires. Transgender people learn to hide their secret second self very well and for the most part hardly any are discovered and remain in what is called the closet, their life's long secret. There are some how ever who are found out by accident many times by their wives and that usually leads to divorce and family break up. Something these individual fear the most when they are married is loosing their love ones because of their desire to dress as the opposite gender. One major reason men keep this secret from their wives and family is so they can remain with their love ones. Many men really want to tell their wives and their family who they are and what their life style is but cannot because of the fear of being misunderstood, labeled something they are not, made fun of because they like to wear a dress and dress as the opposite Gender and yes loosing their family. If anyone thinks this way of life is fun or is something these people just decide to do they are badly mistaken.
This is a desire they are born with that has no cure, it is something they have to adjust to and live with the rest of their life. Yes I said it has no cure. Psychologist try to help these people live and learn who they are and why they exist but there is no known cure. It is something these people have within their chemistry from birth born within their brain. Many Psychologist are educated by Crossdresser and Transsexuals about the Transgender community and their way of life since there in no educational courses offered in any schools or colleges. There is a small pea size organ at the base of the brain called the hypothalamus. It is thought to be a source of gender ID and sexual urges. This was discovered by research on cadaver brains of heterosexual males, gay males and women. It was found that in a Transgender person and Gay person the hypothalamus was more like that of a heterosexual woman then a heterosexual male. This is only a small factor that determines the wants, needs and desires of a Transgender persons desire and urge to dress as the opposite Gender. There are a lot more details but I am trying to keep this simple enough to understand. In 1991, Simon LeVay proposed that part of the anterior hypothalamus of Homosexual and Transgender men has the anatomical form typical of women rather than of heterosexual men. The hypothalamus is thought to be the source of our sexual urges as stated above.
The development of the fetus when determining gender can and does cause males to be born with the desire to live full time as a woman, and also give them the desire to live full time as a woman and have sexual reassignment surgery. These males are called Transsexuals. These males are actually born with the physical appearance as that of a male but have the actual brain of a female or major parts of the brain are female with some but very little male indentification. There are males who live full time as women but do not have the surgery but do take hormones to develop breast and bodily features of a female to satisfy their need and desire they were born with to match that of their female brain. Many Transsexuals have the feeling that they are females trapped in a male body and vice versa. These people are real people who do have real female feelings because of their chemistry and the fact that they have a female brain. These Transgender individuals also live in the fear of being taunted and ridiculed because of their needs and desires. None of these Transsexual individuals wanted this, it was born within their chemistry make up and female brain and a real part of their being. They cannot help their feelings and desires. Many of the males born that want to have SRS (Sexual Reassignment Surgery) really are females in a male body.
Many Transsexuals remain in the closet for several reasons. They do not understand who they exactly are yet, they fear losing their family, wife and children, friends, jobs and much more. They live a life of misery because they cannot live life as who they really are hiding as the male they appear to be. Trying to be who people who know them as, a male. Your brain is who you are, not your physical appearance and male to female Transsexuals are born with a female brain, I can't stress that enough. These people usually have all the characteristics of a female, walking, talking, mannerisms, speech but look like a male. Some of these people do not have female features as listed above but still have the brain of a female, the wants, needs and desires of a woman. Some of the Transsexuals are called gay because of the way they act and their mannerisms....
There is a form of a cure for Transsexualism, it is called SRS meaning Sexual Reassignment Surgery. This is where a person goes through an operation to have their born genitals removed and the genitals that match their brain surgically structured. Many have plastic surgery to gain more feminine features and take hormones to grow breast or have breast implants to gain a more female figure. Once this is done these people begin to live a normal life as who they really are in their brain. Many Transsexuals are / were heterosexual meaning that if they were born looking like a male physically they usually only liked or were attracted to females.
There have been many Transsexuals and Crossdresser's commit suicide because they could not adapt to society as a male if they were a male to female Transsexual or Crossdresser. Suicides among these people vary for different reasons. Some of the reasons are the lost of their families, wives, children and homes due to their life's long secret being discovered or even revealed by themselves. The inability to adapt to their sexual reassignment surgery because they misunderstood who they were when they had the surgery and could not live the life they choose. Suicide is a real part of being Transgender although it does not happen often it still does take place for other reasons then mentioned.
Getting back to Crossdresser's .... there are those Crossdresser's who are not born with the desire and compulsion or need to dress as the opposite gender but crossdress as an entertainer or as a job. In the Gay community men dress in drag to entertain a audience in drag shows and to make money and compete for titles. However their are gay men who are Transgender Crossdresser's who do drag shows as well as straight male crossdressers and Transsexuals who do drag shows. This gives them the oppurtunity to dress as their preferred gender without being ridiculed.
All the above also relates to the female's who are Transgender but you not hear much about women being Transgender even though people see women dressed as men every day. The advantage women have is that what ever they wear is considered womens fashion. So a women can be a female to male Transsexual or Crossdresser and wear mens clothes anywhere, any time and never be noticed as Transgender individual, either as a Transsexual or a Crossdresser. The difference is when men are seen dressed in womens clothing they are automatically labeled gay, perverted, sick, in need of psychiatric help, made fun of, called all kinds of names and the list goes on.
Transgenerism is the most misunderstood community of people on this earth due to the lack of education about Transgnderism. These people live a life that can be very tormented and fearful ... as stated in the beginning ... these people have to live in a world all of their own in their own home and neighborhood just so they can remain sane and live a some what normal life. Society can be very mean to this community of people making their lives a life of misery and torment. This is why Transgender people have to keep their Crossdressing or Transsexual lifestyle a major secret. Revealing who they really are can lead to many different degrees of misery and these people take a major chance when they tell family and whomever who they really are, who they are in their brain and not their physical appearance.
Crossdressing and Transsexualism is but a few of the categories that pertain to Transgenderism. These two particular categories are the most talked, researched and the the most known. The other categories also face all the problems and life long threats and fears. The Term, Transgender is a umbrella term used to contain all of the categories of Transgenderism of which there are many. Each category has different levels depending on how much Female or Male ID was developed in the fetus.
Michelle Lynn GreyFeather
CEO / Founder
Renaissance of South Eastern Pennsylvania (ROSE
June 8, 2005
