Quote:
Originally Posted by pezbaby
She is transgendered, not a cross-dresser. It's not a lifestyle, and theoretically, it's a choice to live as a woman, but it's not a choice if your brain and your genitals aren't in tandem.
So yeah, some of us are offended by the bigger picture here - not one person's specific reaction to another. And FFS, the bigger picture is not men playing in ladies events!
This. Serious amount of ignorance there. Obviously she made a choice at some point to bring her outward gender inline with her internal experience of her gender, but there's a world of difference between the transgendered and cross-dressers. The transgendered believe that they, effectively, were born in the wrong body - their brains don't match their external physiology. Cross-dressers are sexually aroused by dressing in the clothing of the opposite sex.
From the DSM-IV-TR (the text used by doctors/shrinks/counselors to diagnose mental illnesses):
Transvestic Fetishism:
A. Over a period of at least 6 months, in a heterosexual male, recurrent, intense sexually arousing fantasies, sexual urges, or behaviors involving cross-dressing
B. The fantasies, sexual urges, or behaviors cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning
Specify if: With Gender Dysphoria - if the person has a persistent discomfort with gender role or identity
Those who cross-dress regularly are almost without exception straight males who may or may not be uncomfortable with traditional male gender roles but otherwise consider themselves to be heterosexual males who just happen to derive intense sexual arousal and/or satisfaction from wearing women's clothing. If this causes significant impairment for them, they can be considered for this diagnosis. Notice the complete lack of any desire to be a female, or to live as a female.
Gender Identity Disorder (GID)
A. A strong and persistent cross-gender identification (not merely a desire for any perceived cultural advantages of being the other sex). In adolescents and adults, the disturbance is manifested by symptoms such as a stated desire to be the other sex, frequent passing as the other sex, desire to live or be treated as the other sex, or the conviction that he or she has the typical feelings and reactions of the other sex.
B. Persistent discomfort with his or her sex or sense of inappropriateness in the gender role of that sex. In adolescents and adults, the disturbance is manifested by symptoms such as preoccupation with getting rid of primary and secondary sex characteristics (e.g., request for hormones, surgery, or other procedures to physically alter sexual characteristics to simulate the other sex) or belief that he or she was born the wrong sex.
C. The disturbance is not concurrent with a physical intersex condition
D. The disturbance causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning
I left out the symptoms for children. As you can see, no where do sexual fantasies or arousal come into play as part of the diagnosis for GID. Until society becomes more accepting, there is almost no way that any transgendered individual will be able to transition without first receiving a diagnosis of GID, since clinical distress or impairment is the norm while they struggle with accepting themselves and gaining acceptance from others.
Oh, and since that was a poker website and Rosa Lee is well known in poker circles, the only reason to post her photo was so encourage others to mock her. There's almost zero chance this was an innocent error. And if it wasn't an error, there's only one other logical explanation for why they would post her picture along with shots of other men dressed in drag to play the ladies event. See, look, here's pictures of dudes dressing up as women just to play in a women's only tournament; and wow, holy ****, here's a dude who dresses up as a woman all the time! He's got boobs and everything! Isn't that weird/disgusting/******ed?
Intolerance and bigotry of the highest order, IMO.
* Please note that my inclusion of the DSM-IV criteria was not in any way to imply that I believe transvestic fetishism or GID should be "cured", just like the psychological community used to believe being gay could be cured. Most people who suffer from these disorders are treated in order to deal with the distress/impairment part of the disorder, not the actual behavior (in the case of cross-dressers) or beliefs about themselves and their true gender identity (in the case of GID persons).
Last edited by SGT RJ; 07-27-2011 at 07:38 PM.