How Do You Respond to Transphobic Arguments?/I'm back!

[OGirly]

Being transexual myself this issue used to come up a lot. Since I've been on hormones, and have had my surgery it's no longer a part of my life (I was lucky to get on hormones very young (around 16) as my parents were understanding so I don't have any of the 'male' features most associate with transsexual women), but I have plenty of friends who were not so lucky with an early start and face these types of "what do I call you" questions daily. Transsexualism is an accepted medical condition, and since there is evidence (look it up I'm too lazy to cite lol) that those of us born male who transition to female (and vice versa) usually have the brain mappings of the 'desired' gender I would say your boyfriend is simply not educated on the medical condition. Personally it's not an issue to me as transsexuality isn't something I identify with. It was something I went through, but it's not who/what I am if that makes sense? I simply identify as female now.

I agree with your boyfriend in saying that there are only two genders. Those who are on a spectrum either haven't figured out where they belong, or simply choose to present that way (androne, male female etc); but when it comes to transsexuality (not transgender issues there is a HUGE difference) it's clearly a case of a brain either staying female and the body becoming male, or the brain developing into a male brain but the body remaining female. It's a physiological issue (one that I plan on treating as a psychiatrist so it's why I'm so interested lol), and since it's a physiological issue and not an issue of opinion I feel your boyfriend simply needs to be educated on the difference between transsexualism and transgenderism. That seems to be the issue here if I'm reading this right..but I just came off an Organic Chemistry test so I'm not sure if my brain is functioning properly or not lol

To quickly summarise I feel acceptance of transgenderism is polite, but not something that should be required by society. If someone wants to play with gender lines/roles that's their prerogative, but if it makes others uncomfortable then what can I say other than I'm sorry; but when it's a documented case of transsexuality we owe the person the respect of calling them by their proper gender (target gender) and showing them the same respect we would show someone with any mental/physiological condition (I must note I am uncomfortable calling transsexuality a mental condition as I believe it is purely physiological, but since that's the common accepted way of classifying it I'll stick with my medical colleagues for now).