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Gender variations are more common
than most people suspect, because many people hide their true nature out
of fear for their safety and security. Many people explore transgender
behavior without identifying themselves as transgendered. Women wearing
pants may not seem transgender today, but fifty years ago it would have
been. Boys wearing "girl's clothes" might not see themselves
as inherently feminine, yet enjoy playing in this way.. Nancy
R. Nangeroni
Denise Ottoson, of the Ingersoll
Gender Center, a non-profit support and information center to help
people with gender issues, offers the following definition of various
terms used with transgender.
- BENJAMIN STANDARDS:
- A set of standards established by committee to guide therapists and surgeons in the process of male-to-female
sexual reassignment. The standards are named after Dr. Harry Benjamin, who worked with Christine Jorgensen,
the first American to receive sexual reassignment surgery. The standards are often modified or not applied to
female-to-male transsexuals.
- CROSS LIVING:
- Living, working, playing full-time in the gender one feels oneself to be, in opposition to gender assigned at
birth; often refers to the transition time prior to surgery.
- GENDER DYSPHORIA:
- Clinical literature on transsexualism once spoke of transsexuals having "gender confusion." The term now used
is "gender dysphoria," a fancy way of saying "extreme discomfort."
- GENDER AND SEXUALITY:
- For lack of its being an issue, people generally ignore the distinctions between gender and sexuality. Gender
is about what kind of body one has, and gender identity is about whether one's core identity corresponds to
the body or not. Sex roles are about what cultural role one plays in life--as a male or a female or somewhere
in between. Sexual orientation is about whom one is sexually attracted to or has sex with--as a gay/lesbian,
bisexual, or heterosexual. Non-heterosexual orientation was removed from the DSM (Diagnostic Standards Manual)
as mental illness in 1973.
- GENDER REASSIGNMENT SURGERY (SEX CHANGE or GSR):
- The term used for the set of surgeries to alter the gender of an individual. For male-to-female transsexuals,
it usually involves amputation of testicles and most of the penis, inversion of the penis skin into a vagina,
and optional breast implants, tracheal shaves, and labiaplasty. For female-to-male transsexuals, it involves
mastectomy, hysterectomy, and attempts at creating a penis and scrotum. Preparatory and follow-up hormonal
treatment is almost always given, and M to Fs often undergo long, expensive, painful electrolysis.
- TRANSGENDERISM:
- A much debated term. It can be an umbrella term to refer to all forms of thinking and behavior across gender
lines. Transgendered is also a catch phrase for people who don't quite fall into transvestite or transsexual
categories.
- TRANSSEXUAL:
- A person who wishes and seriously acts upon the sense of having the wrong gender body, often-- though not
always--culminating in sexual reassignment surgery. Pre-operative transsexuals include those not yet
undergoing surgery; post-operative transsexuals are those who have received surgery; non-operative
transsexuals are those who, for whatever reason, cannot or choose not to have surgery.
- NOTE ON PRONOUNS: All transsexuals are referred to by the pronouns of the gender they see
themselves as being, whether they are pre-operative, non-operative, or post-operative. If in doubt, ask the
individual. Other ways of expressing transsexuals are MTF (male to female) and FTM (female to male).
- TRANSVESTITISM/CROSS DRESSING:
- Since our current society sees little or nothing wrong with women dressing as men and even insists on its
fashion ability at times, transvestism is generally not a issue for women in much of the world. Male
transvestites differ from transsexuals in that they desire to dress and occasionally act as women, but do not
consider themselves women or even want to be. Transvestites never seek sexual reassignment surgery, and most
are heterosexual, often married. Clinicians recognize transvestism as a tranquilizer against the rigors of
manliness. The usual forms of transvestism were removed from the list of mental illnesses in 1995. Many
societies, including our own, have ritualized transvestism in religious ceremonies or in secular party times,
like Halloween or Mardi Gras. Support groups and private events exist in most major cities in the U.S. for men
who want to dress as women but feel unsafe in doing so publicly. "Crossdresser" is often the preferred term of
those who participate in this behavior.
- GENDER BENDER:
- Term used to refer to anyone who acts outside the generally accepted norms of gender behavior, usually by the
way she or he dresses, without care about "what people think."
- INTERSEXED:
- The term preferred by people born with both female and male characteristics; the more commonly used term in
history is hermaphrodite. Children born with obvious intersexed characteristics are often operated on as an
infant to remove whichever characteristics the family or surgeon decides should disappear. This may or may
not coincide with which gender the child considers him/herself to be.
- DRAG QUEENS:
- A term used to refer to gay men (usually) who dress in a feminine manner, often exaggeratedly so. If they do
it on stage as well, they also are impersonators and the terms are sometimes interchangeable. The female form
of this is the drag king. Most commonly found in bars, parties, and parades, as well on television.
- FEMALE/MALE IMPERSONATORS:
- Though once used as a term to refer to anyone wearing the opposite gender's clothing, it is now used to refer
to those who do so for theatrical reasons. Off stage, they seldom even think of wearing such clothing.
Bob Hope, Jack Lemmon, Dustin Hoffman, Julie Andrews and many other well-known actors and actresses have done
impersonations. In countries/times when women were not allowed on stage, all female parts were played by men
or boys.
Some people believe that becoming
a transsexual (TS) is a matter of choice. Like many myths, this is false.
Gender is programmed in the individual's brain prenatally and/or during
the first 18 months of life. There has been no appreciable success in
changing this initial polarization through psychoanalysis or other types
of therapy such as aversion therapy. The syndrome is accurately described
as a birth defect rather then a preference. Learn more about other popular,
and not so popular myths and transsexualism.
Society often reacts to gender transgression by trying to discourage the behavior, punishing the individual.
Transgender folk are much more likely than others to commit suicide, to be murdered, to be fired from their job, to be
beaten up, and to be hurt in many more ways, some as blatant as open ridicule, some as insidious as non-hiring.
However, this is beginning to change, as people learn that there is no harm visited on either the individuals or
their families or workplace by gender transgression. In fact, there are and have always been cultures where gender
transgression is accepted as a natural part of the life of the culture.
Transgender individuals can experience a wide array of health problems, in addition to the normal ones experienced as
one ages. Research shows that transgender individuals are at higher risk for HIV,
suicide, discrimination and violence. In addition, in the process of
justing the body so that it matches the persons gender identity, there are additional health problems stemming from
long term use of hormones and gender reassignment surgery (GRS).
The following website has been designed for Vermont's transgender community in order to assist them in finding the
types of information and services they require to live life to the fullest.
Regional Resources
- TG North: Located in Montpelier,
VT focused on MTF. Offers every other week support groups, seasonal
gatherings, on-line chat, and resources for cross dressers.
- RU12?: Vermont's GLBT community.
Offers support group for gender questioning and transgender. Operates
the Vermont Diversity Health Project
- Outright Vermont: Offers Vermont
GLBT youth (under 22) support. Includes a questioning/transgender support
group.
- The ConnecticuT View
- The Tiffany Club of New England:
Provides a variety of activities including social activities as well
as on-line information and support.
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