Serious Question: Why are so Many People Afraid/Unaccepting of Transgender People?

I think the biggest hurdle is not being educated about the subject enough and instead making up fallacies that disagree with their world view.
Examples:

- Believing that gender is dictated by genitalia only - disregarding neuro chemical gradients and hormone levels

- Believing that trans people are kinky sex fiends and hence have to be punished - when actual sex is not even the driving force

- Believing that it is a choice, see above point about kinky.

- Believing that it is somehow 'contagious' to their children - when in fact the reason that more people come out is more tolerance [in general] and not something 'more and more' people are catching.

- Believing in some old [2000 odd yrs] book, written at a time when science consisted of nailing people to a cross to fix them and applying this logic to our enlightened times with microbiological knowledge.

- They wrongly believe that everyone will go crazy and wants to become the opposite gender, just for the lolz. [count me out, I'm happy as a woman ]


- Maybe, just maybe they are unsure about their gender themselves, and fear this, so they shout the loudest - basically to chastising themselves.

In some cultures transgender people are seen as 'lucky' and are invited to important parties. It isn't trans people who are the problem, it's a narrow mind set.

a reply to: Hecate666

I agree with much of what you wrote and your sentiment overall.

I would point out though that you preach about people being "educated" yet you essentially tossed a clearly uneducated grenade at Christians. Also, people weren't crucified to "fix" them.

a reply to: eluryh22

I was using those examples to show that what makes a "Woman" and "Man" or "Female" and "Male" are not always correct and it's not only outdated but false to think of gender as it's been taught in the West.

originally posted by: honested3
Hi ATS,

I am a transgender woman (meaning I was assigned a male body at birth but identify as female) I have a serious question for you. In light of some of the transgender topics that have come up I have seen a lot of unacceptance, fear, and downright hatred towards us. Why is this?

Why is it so important to so called "transgender" people that we all share in the delusion? You're a man. You'll always be a man. I refuse to see 4 fingers when you're actually holding up 5 fingers.

a reply to: Darth_Prime

Understood. I can't say I totally agree with you, but I think I see where you are coming from.

a reply to: eluryh22

When you are born whoever births you sees a "Male" Body, but that Male body could have Two X Chromosomes (Associated with Female) in Rare Cases a Uterus (Female Reproductive System) or a Gender-Identity of a Woman.

The "Sex" you are assigned at birth is based on what someone sees, but not always Truth.

a reply to: TheBulk

You are actually wrong, Trans people have existed across Cultures far before the "West" Decided what "Gender" Is, Trans people, Two-Spirit, Genderfluid have all existed before, and still do

originally posted by: Darth_Prime
a reply to: TheBulk

You are actually wrong, Trans people have existed across Cultures far before the "West" Decided what "Gender" Is, Trans people, Two-Spirit, Genderfluid have all existed before, and still do

The west didn't decide gender,mother nature did. Males and females are built differently and they are also genetically different. None of this can be changed by putting on a dress and hacking off your junk.

originally posted by: honested3

Lastly, if you are not transgender/genderqueer then don't comment like you can understand these struggles, becasue they are real and just like I can't comment on the struggles of certain things, it doesn't mean they don't exist or I shouldn't care.

That's interesting. You want to understand the viewpoint of people who do not accept your sexual preferences, yet you don't want them to freely express their opinion on the subject. I don't know how far you're going to get with this.

In response, I simply have to say that MOST people do not care. If you're being literally oppressed, people will stand up for you. If you're crying wolf, people will ignore you. Outside of that, people don't care. What you do in the bedroom is your business. Live your life and let others live theirs. There's no need to shove a specific lifestyle down others' throats. The very fact that you made this post means you seek the approval and acceptance of everyone... why? Stop caring what people think and live your life.

Refer to this post for more details on how I feel:

originally posted by: Legman
a reply to: honested3

For me? Its having sexual preference pushed down my throat. Its simply not convenient for me. If heteros (and they do at times) do the same- I resent it. Look... I was delayed by an hour trying to get to work a month ago because of a gay parade.... That is inconvenient to me. I don't care what sex anyone is... I don't care what they screw and how. Just leave my life alone with this crap. I get tired of the flaunting and the fighting simply all over sex and identity. Am I selfish? Sure. I just simply cannot be bothered by your problems when there are people dying of hunger, war , and murder every minute we live.


Cheers

An average of 14 people die each minute of starvation related issues. Think about that before you consider your own problems to be the world's problems.

I haven't read this whole thread, and I can only express my concerns. First, I don't think we should discriminate against a transgender person and treat them as if they were contagious. They are our fellow human beings and deserve our love and kindness.

Ever since Bruce Jenner's transition, I have been curious about this unusual condition and have actually done quite a lot of reading on the subject. Some of the science is most interesting when it comes to hormones in vitro and the whole process of what happens at the stages that determine sex and sexual orientation. The science is still inconclusive, however.

Then I began reading about species dysphoria and body integrity identity disorder. Just last week there was an article about a woman that had biid and extreme dysphoria concerning blindness. She was absolutely convinced, and had been, since around five or six years old that she was supposed to be blind. Many times she tried to blind herself and she would walk around with dark glasses and cane in order to appear to be the person she thought she truly was.

She even convinced a doctor to procedurally blind her to alleviate this dysphoric feeling that she was a blind woman in a sighted person's body. The dysphoria was so debilitating, that they did the procedure and today she is blind and happy. She is normal in all other aspects of her life as far as I can see.

Most people that go through the transition to the opposite sex say they have been convinced since they could remember that they were a boy in a girl's body or a girl in a boy's body. Why do we look at that type of dysphoria differently? Is it because we are, at our core, so eager to be open and accepting of all people, that we turn a blind eye to continuing to search for what it truly is?

While I feel deep sympathy for this extreme dysphoria, I cannot see how it is something normal and how, we, as a society should just accept it without doing more in-depth neurological, psychological, and biomedical studies. These are real people that suffer, not only with the original dysphoria, but with social stigma, psychological issues, and extreme physical and hormonal medical procedures that can be dangerous and painful.

We don't have to belittle those in this dilemma, but in our effort to be open and accepting, we should not write this off as perfectly normal, and not continue to look at the psychological, neurological, endocrinology, and medical issues that might help to prevent it in the first place.

a reply to: TheBulk

The West teach Gender as "Male" or "Female" but different cultures all over the world have documented Trans people, Two-Spirited People, Genderfluid people. we exist outside of the Binary

When children all over the world started being born with no arms, we did not accept that as just another physical way of being. We looked at all the environmental and chemical possibilities and eventually found out what was happening. Psychological anomalies should be no different.

a reply to: queenofswords

But it's not the same as being born without Arms, again if you look throughout the history of many cultures this is a normal and acceptable thing

originally posted by: Darth_Prime
a reply to: TheBulk

The West teach Gender as "Male" or "Female" but different cultures all over the world have documented Trans people, Two-Spirited People, Genderfluid people. we exist outside of the Binary

Did you know that in Samoa they actually raise their youngest boy to be a girl if they do not have a daughter?

Fa'afine

Transgender is just another 'thing' that happens to people. Love the person inside, not what you see I say.

a reply to: markosity1973

Exactly!

In Different Cultures they are Normal to be a "Third Gender", it's the Western teaching of gender that has adopted a Binary "Two gender" system "Male/Female"

Even their Gods and Deities were Genderfluid or Two-Spirit or other "Third Genders"

originally posted by: markosity1973

originally posted by: Darth_Prime
a reply to: TheBulk

Did you know that in Samoa they actually raise their youngest boy to be a girl if they do not have a daughter?

What... the hell.... does that have to do with the topic at large?

Samoa also has one of the highest suicide rates in the known world. Should we emulate that too?

a reply to: eluryh22

yeah....nah thats not quite right mate...i was bought up by a samoan father (im a white kiwi) and im not a fafafine (boy....girl.....confused )....and they dont bring up the youngest to be one of them either....

originally posted by: eluryh22
a reply to: Hecate666

I agree with much of what you wrote and your sentiment overall.

I would point out though that you preach about people being "educated" yet you essentially tossed a clearly uneducated grenade at Christians. Also, people weren't crucified to "fix" them.

Weeell, if they'd have come out as transgender back then, their fate wouldn't have been free housing and food for life...
I actually exaggerated with the 'crucifiction' as a jest, yet even then there is more truth in what I said than you may explain away. I am actually very educated in christianty and islam, because I believe that "know thy enemy" is very important when arguing a point.