May 15, 2007

• Woman in Progress It's curious that she says society has very strongly demarcated ideas of gender, and attaches a great deal of importance to the physical operation. Surely no-one attaches more importance to ideas of gender, and body shape, than transsexuals themselves? Otherwise, why not just be a man who loves shopping for women's clothes?
• And what man here doesn't love that, eh guys? Eh...? Guys? um...
• From her blog: "What do you say, ladies? If a guy says something stupid, is that really news?" Maybe that was meant to come across as more tongue-in-cheek than it did, but I have to wonder if she wrote that sort of thing as Mike.
• Yeah, this guy's gegging in on the whole 'lady' thing way too much. Right, Sisters? *sits down, gets out mirror*
• Surely no-one attaches more importance to ideas of gender, and body shape, than transsexuals themselves? Otherwise, why not just be a man who loves shopping for women's clothes? This is an excellent point, but I think the importance is far different for her than it is for mainstream hetero culture. I don't know much about the psychology of transgender(ism?) or gender identity disorders, but I'd guess that the question of physical shape for transsexuals isn't as much about labels as it is about authenticity of the experience of being a woman or man. If I should one day come to feel that I am at my core a woman, then I'd start to long for the full experience of womanhood, and that obviously includes hormones and indoor plumbing. Not because I'd need that to fulfill some category, but because otherwise I'd feel a bit trapped and slighted, not getting to experience the psychological weight of having breasts and a vagina.
• Failing to properly read the sidebar, I was looking for an interview with a transgendered typewriter. Interviewer: So, you've had textual reassignment surgery? Typewriter: Yes. Interviewer: And what does that involve? Typewriter: Well, the surgeon takes each key and inverts it. Interviewer: And the typeball? Typewriter: Removed. Okay. I'll stop there.
• The thing I don't get is this. She's obviously happier now that she's made the public transition, but she goes on about how she didn't think it was fair that the whole thing had to be public, and that she didn't want to do it. If she was writing sports criticism, and not doing actual interviews, and she really wanted to maintain privacy, why not keep writing the articles with the nom de plume of Mike Penner? I mean, wasn't Ann Landers not really named Ann Landers? Kudos to her if she wanted to make the public announcment, but she makes it sound like she had no choice.
• Not because I'd need that to fulfill some category, but because otherwise I'd feel a bit trapped and slighted, not getting to experience the psychological weight of having breasts and a vagina. Without the fun of pregnancy, breastfeeding, menstruation and hysterectomies their bodies are still just little wooden puppets; they'll probably start to feel hollow in that mould eventually.
• Speaking as someone who is amazed that so many people can be so sure that they would want to permanently alter their physical appearance by getting a tattoo, I just have to wonder: Are you really sure that one day when you are older you aren't going to say to yourself, "Damn. I really could use that cock now."
• Without the fun of pregnancy, breastfeeding, menstruation and hysterectomies their bodies are still just little wooden puppets There have got to be millions of women out there with incomplete reproductive systems. They might take exception to that characterization. Not to mention those who don't want to have children or breastfeed.
• Why did she change her surname?
• I was wondering that, too. I guess if she had to do a legal name change to change the first name, she figured she'd go for a total change. Or she hated her father.
• There have got to be millions of women out there with incomplete reproductive systems. They might take exception to that characterization. Not to mention those who don't want to have children or breastfeed. Agreed. There's a lot of women out there who lose or choose these aspects of womanhood and have to cope with that as well, which was kind of my point - these are women's issues. I wasn't characterizing women as being that alone, mind you. These are just things that science can't offer the transsexual individuals today.
• MonkeyFilter: Damn. I really could use that cock now.
• I'm fascinated by the way that transsexuals are so often swept up in the hypercommercial gotta-dress-in-the-latest-fashion hype that lifelong females frequently reject as artificial. The make-up and fashion industries are saying "ladies, you just don't cut it as you are, you need help and we'll sell it to you." There's something highly ironic about men getting a clip job--to be their "true selves"--just so they can buy into this mindset and disguise their appearance further with trendy duds and paint. Sadly, this person just sounds to me like another wannabe retail therapy addict.
• Well, a lot of us lifers get that out of our systems in junior high school, and it can take a few years. I imagine Christine's still experimenting with it.
• Are you really sure that one day when you are older you aren't going to say to yourself, "Damn. I really could use that cock now." >>>>> YES! <<<<< why not keep writing the articles with the nom de plume of Mike Penner? Because it's just one more reminder of the pain and confusion of being considered "male" by everyone else. There's something highly ironic about men getting a clip job--to be their "true selves"--just so they can buy into this mindset and disguise their appearance further with trendy duds and paint. That's offensive. We MtFs and intersexuals are NOT "men getting a clip job." The "dress-up" thing is an unfair stereotype that isn't true most of the time, anyway. And when it is, the girl probably needs the extra help.
• My apologies for flippancy. I in no way meant to trivialize gender-reassignment surgery, as I am quite sure the process is far from easy. I do, however, find it ironic that women continue to be defined by appearance, as evidenced by your remark "the girl probably needs the extra help." Would the same remark be made of a man, as in, "that guy oughta grow a beard, he needs it"? Buying into this mindset seems to be, curiously, part of the definition of femininity as viewed at least by Ms. Daniels.
• I read her more as just excited to be able to let herself go and enjoy a lifestyle she's been dreaming of, with freedom and exuberance. Looks pretty harmless from where I sit. I.e. pretty much what the always-insightful TUM said.
• I agree -- sometimes it's just fun to get dolled up. No mindset-buying-into involved. And not to speak for nil, but what I understood her to mean was that a pre-op transgendered woman (apologies if I messed up on the terminology) might need the "extra help" to mask the more obviously male aspects of her appearance -- not because she's unattractive.
• Would the same remark be made of a man, as in, "that guy oughta grow a beard, he needs it"? Yes, on an FtM man! As HBS correctly understood me to say, passing is very important, as nonpassing/non-"stealth" transgendered folks are still treated very badly in general, and discriminated against all the time. So being as passable as possible (whether presenting as one's true self or not) is very, very important to most trans people. And what TUM said definitely applies, also. (It sure applied to me!) That phase is usually mostly over within a year or so, though.
• Thank you for the insight, nil.
• Makes a lot of sense.