Its not about who you are~
The episode of Sisters in Solidarity (SIS) did not end just yet. News spread and sistas from Changi Village was having some discussion about Marla and her story, but mostly on the negative part.
Many questions her decision of not performing any form of medical surgery to feminize herself and the “no-desire” of performing SRS, yet.
Marla’s stories had been pick up by our infamous tabloid newspaper TNP and on-going there was a series of transgender story. As usual, the journalist of TNP never fail to use their so call legally-correct pronoun to address the transgender people. But are they (TG) really transsexual or as the papers mentioned – Transvestites?
TNP always stand by their “legal” documents – As long as the MtF complete her transitioning (SRS) and her identification reflect her as a Female, TNP will address them as Transsexual and use the pronoun “she” or “her”. If they haven’t done their SRS, MtF will be known as Transvestites and the pronoun of a “he”, “his” and “him”.
I wouldn’t want to argue with TNP, for I know that they have limited knowledge to the subject and they have obligation to continue making good names for TNP as Singapore Most Read Tabloid.
I would like to bring your attention, not about how idiotic TNP is in providing such information, but towards the concept of transitioning to be accepted as a transsexual woman, or rather, as a woman.
On a general consensus, gender is define by the anatomy in between you legs. If you got a penis, you are a male. If you got a vagina, you are a female. Simple to understand, logical to explain, legally no hassle.
But the above is basically an identification based on a aesthetic image.
Most people live in the concept of Male and Female. It is hard to accept concept of transsexualism, about people transition to reflect the true “gender” of themselves. It is even upsetting to hear from sista, criticizing another sista because of the decision of not performing any “knife-art” to feminize herself. Even upsetting to know that there are sista that see transsexualism or gender as male and female in the concept of anatomy too.
You can read from the net about difference perception in the definition of Transgender, Transsexual & Transvestite. There are perception from medical POV, from Transgender community themselves and also from mainstream community. Within the mentioned 3 groups, they holds different POV from different angles. Its a messy community.
Day 1 when I started SgB, I stick to one definition:
1.) Transgender – People who perceived, act and behave different from their birth gender. A umbrella term for Transsexual and Transvestite.
2.) Transsexual – People who do not agree to their birth gender, which may (or not) attempt to seek minimum or complete medical procedure to conform to their brain gender. They may (or not) also seek to transition in fashion to conform to their brain gender.
3.) Transvestite – People who accept their birth gender, which usually seek to transition in fashion to be the opposite gender for any reason, which may attempt to seek minimum medical procedure to conform to that opposite gender.
That is why, I never agree to TNP’s reports on Transsexual and Transvestite.
Regardless of whatever definition that you may have, which I cannot make you to think otherwise, there is one that I stand by – Transgenderism is not a mental illness, or at least Transsexualism isn’t.
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