The Femme Continuum: The "Highs" and "Lows" of Visibility

[~baby~doll~]

Originally Posted by femmeInterrupted

I'd like to gently respond to a piece in your post that I take issue with...specifically with the issue of a male with a transsexual experience, (transman) not 'counting' as a straight male. Regardless of his orientation, queer, bi or heterosexual, dismissing a Transman as not counting is entirely problematic. More so because it is also this belief that keeps women of transsexual histories and experience ( Transwomen) in a state of being 'othered' and not being seen or perceived as 'a real woman' also. Using genitals to make this distinction is also problematic. I assume that is what you meant when you said "gynesexual'? So a Transman without bottom surgery is still seen a 'really a woman' because ..... ? You can see how potentially disrespectful and derogatory that can be to a male who has transitioned. On the flip side of that, a woman who for what ever reasons cannot or does not have reconstructive bottom surgery is no less a woman for it. This is the pussy police crap that Michigan Women's Fest and other gate keepers use to oppress and discriminate out of ignorance.

I think there is a vast difference between sex and gender. There is biological sex. There is brain sex. Gender in and of itself is a social construct. It's an important distinction because identifying as gender queer, or gender fluid, or anywhere on that spectrum, is NOT the same thing as having a transsexual experience or history. In transitioning, people are aligning their bodies with their brains. Making right ( or right as possible) an often painful discrepancy between who they 'are' and what their bodies 'did'. I am not speaking for Transwomen here, but the women I know who have transitioned identify as WOMAN first and foremost. Then as lesbian or straight or bi, femme, butch, (or not at all) vegan, feminist, etc etc. It is very important for me, as an ally, to voice this distinction because it's easy for the most marginalized voices to get lost.

This is an interesting article about brain sex
http://www.newscientist.com/article/...rain-scan.html

I appreciate your post and your presence here, and wanted to speak up about that which bothered me respectfully, which I hope I have done.

In Solidarity,
j.

Thank you for the very polite and lovely post. i appreciate it.
i have done much reading on the myths of gender and the sociological construct and agree this is what gender is. Our sexuality is our mental makeup. If you look i myself identify as Third Gender. I do understand what you are saying.
i have not gone to the Michigan Women's Fest in eons because they are the gender police. i am totally against their policy.
Gynesexual and Gyneromantic means i relate only to females. i do not relate in either way to males. i do agree that transmen are fully male. i will stand behind that 100%. Something though inside of me allows me to go there. i cannot explain this. It is one of those mysteries of the mind and sensory nature of individuals human beings and how and what they process. i have been with fully transitioned transmen. i can't tell you or explain this in my nature. i can't say that it is something about personality. i can't say this is because of some chemical makeup. i have no idea.
i can say that i have had very bad experiences with a number of straight males in my life. A number of friends have experiences as bad or worse. Many women have and see life through a different lens than i do.
i do see where you are coming from and do agree transmen and transmen are every bit the gender they are before and after transitioning. i disagree with the idea of gender police.
i am sorry if this somehow seems offensive as i do agree with all you have said. Though i stand with you there is something which allows me to experience a transman in a sexual nature. Perhaps it will all come out in my ongoing walks through therapy.
i hope you can understand my particular quark. i mean no disrespect to transmen or transwomen. In fact i never or rarely use those terms and see everyone as the gender they state. ON sites like this i will use SYR, hym hy and so on but i do believe these separate our community rather than unite us. Though i do not believe there are only two genders i think the only people who should be called by these gender neutral terms are people who are outside of either gender or Third Gender/Gender=nul/Agender/genderqueer and so on. Anyone trans IMO should be called whatever gender they are.
i have rambled enough and say this in respect to the post you so lovingly crafted.
If you have any questions i am more then happy to respond and thank you
sincerely,
fayedoll