A Brief Commentary on Transgenderism

Hiya, I'm annie{MH. I am MsHoney's sub and very happy to be so. I consider myself a transgenerational cross dresser. I hear you asking, "What does that mean?" Well, to help with some of the confusing terms associated with my lifestyle, MsHoney has allowed me to present here a brief overview of some of the more common terms. Transgender is the term I'll begin with. I hope this is helpful. This information was gathered from various sources and people and reflects only my present knowledge and opinions on the subject. I am continually learning and growing. Although transgenderism is embraced by both male and female, I will confine my discussion to the more common Male to Female transgenderism, as that is what I'm most familiar with. If there are any questions or comments concerning this article, please mail me. I look forward to hearing from you. Enjoy!

I will begin with the term transgender. It is a fairly new term, but it is used quite frequently. To my surprise, it is nothing more than an umbrella term created for any individual not conforming to the socially accepted roles of gender expression or clinical definitions such as transsexual, transvestites or cross dressers. However, to be clear, some people in these recognized lifestyles consider themselves transgenderist. The term does help to unite people interested in gender related activity under a vague umbrella of interest. Along with this unity comes potentially many survival benefits, including social and political. A transgenderist can best be summed up as a person who, for whatever purpose, consistently lives as a member of the opposite gender either on a part or full time basis.

Let me continue by discussing the basic differences between gender and sex. They are two very different things, although some 'less aware' people consider them as the same. Sex is based on and characterized by the reproductive organs and function of those organs. Gender is a person's core identity itself, the mental and emotional components of a person, without an easily defined physical characteristic.

Below I will attempt to describe and define some of the more commonly accepted terms associated with various transgendered life styles.

A transsexual (TS) is a person who transitions and permanently lives as a member of the opposite gender and sometimes sex. Transsexuality, also know as "Gender Dysphoria", is a conflict between the actual gender and the physical sex of a person. A transsexual has a mind that is literally and physically trapped in the body of the opposite sex. They may seek out sex hormones, cosmetic surgery, and possibly Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS). All of which can take a toll on their emotional wellness. Considerable studies and much refection precedes SRS, and many are fulfilled and enjoy the outcome.

A transvestite (TV) is one who enjoys wearing the clothing of the opposite gender. They tend to dress completely and fully, in an attempt to 'pass' as a person of the opposite gender in public. There are two broad types of transvestites, Gender-Motivated and fetishistic. Gender-Motivated transvestites create a female persona to allow themselves to express such feminine attributes as sensitivity and emotionality. Fetishistic transvestites receive stimulation and sexual pleasure from dressing. Transvestites generally regard themselves as fundamentally male, and most would be appalled by the idea of actually changing their sex. Transvestites are relatively common in today's society and transvestitism is enjoyed by many.

Crossdressers (CD), while technically the same as a transvestite, tend to wear less of the opposite gender's clothing, as well as being less interested in the sexual component of dressing. They are people who temporarily wear clothing of the opposite gender to fulfill an inner sense of need or reduce gender-related anxiety. Typically this is done in private, but not uncommon in safe public places. Although the cross dresser doesn't experience as many difficulties as the transsexual does who seek SRS, they do experience emotional turbulence and social isolation, being concerned about privacy. Keep in mind that the joy of cross dressing freedom overcomes most emotional stress associated with this lifestyle.

Hermaphroditism is a rare condition in which the genitals are neither clearly male nor clearly female. The incidence of true hermaphroditism is reportedly somewhere around the one-in-a-million mark. Some hermaphrodites enjoy a transgendered lifestyles as well.

Intersex is a milder form of hermaphroditism, often resulting in varying degrees of malformation or dysfunction of the genitals. These conditions are very much more common than hermaphroditism. As many as 1 in 200 live births exhibit some degree of physical ambiguity, and as many as 1 in 400 people have a chromosome configuration that does not match either the standard male (XY) or standard female (XX) karyotypes. Some intersexed people also enjoy transgendered lifestyles.

Some other interesting terms:

Transgenerational cross dresser is a person who wants to dress and behave at a substantially different age, whether older or younger. However, my research has shown people tend to desire to be younger. These transgenerationalists are broken down into two categories, the infantalists or adult baby (AB), and the little girl (LG). Sex is usually not a part of this lifestyle, although sometimes sex is an integral part of a transgenerationalists life. Keep in mind some transgenerationalists dress because they have a sexual orientation toward certain objects, actions or situations related with a particular age, or it gives them emotional comfort or an outlet for social stresses. Transgenerationalists may stay at one particular age or may enjoy varying from all ages ranging from a baby to an adult. And one thing to make absolutely clear, this lifestyle does not involve children, minors or babies in any way. Most, if not all transgenerationalists loathe this thought or idea.

An AB's or infantalist's most common interest is the diaper fetish. It focuses on infantile objects such as diapers, plastic pants, and pacifiers. A strong maternal figure, commonly called Mommy or Auntie, is usually sought to role-play with, creating the image of a family.

A LG, while far less common than an infantalist, still thrive as a lifestyle enjoyed by many. It usually involves dressing, playing and enjoying the activities of a small girl, also having a Mommy or Auntie. These activities include: playing with age appropriate toys, dressing completely in frills and bows, wanting to be nurtured and loved, as well as many more little girl activities. Frequently, LGs enjoy being free to wear the clothing that they enjoy. Mostly, LGs stay to themselves and have only a few other LG friends. While LG is common, I've not seen any little boy interests thus far in my research.

Age play fantasies and age regression fantasies are two almost synonymous role-playing games enjoyed by some transgenderists. Age play and age regression fantasies often entail the subject being transformed from an adult into a child for a period of time due to some force, chemical, mental, or a Dominant figure. Often times this is done with consent, however not all live by the BDSM three-way behavior creed of safe, sane and consensual.

Finally, the term feminization is simply defined as giving a feminine appearance or character to, or causing a male to assume a feminine character. Below I will describe two terms that are fantasies rather than lifestyles. Both fantasies are often associated with the BDSM lifestyle and recognize the BDSM behavior creed for the most part.

A forced feminization fantasy involves a male being made or forced to wear woman's clothing. For the Dominant, the desired outcome is often achieved when the subject of this forced feminization is a heterosexual. Keep in mind, being consensual is a factor, as the submissive achieves satisfaction as well.

Petticoat punishment is very similar to forced feminization, however the setting for this fantasy is usually in a school, or similar setting and is often associated with age play or age regression fantasies.

In conclusion, I'd like to ask you to keep an open mind about these terms, lifestyles and fantasies, as none are concrete and often times they are blended to create a wonderful, happy and content person. Both males and females enjoy the lifestyles and fantasies, described above, whether heterosexual, homosexual or bisexual. Thanks for your time. I hope you've enjoyed this and maybe have learned something from it or possibly it may have sparked an interest to look further into one or more of these lifestyles or fantasies.

Below are provided some links I've used for the above article as well as some excellent links to further your education, if desired.