Thursday, September 1, 2016

Transgender, Genderqueer and Transsexual Glossary

Transgender, Genderqueer and Transsexual Glossary
There is much confusion about what terms means within the area of transgender and transsexual issues, which makes discussions harder than they have to be. Some terms are also very controversial.
Below I have given a list of definitions for terms used in relevant discussions. Please note that I do not necessarily support the ideologies underpinning all of these terms. This is a blog for learning and discussion, and I will take the liberty to refine and expand the definitions as I go along. Please add comments on the definitions given and suggest terms that should be included.

Agender: A non-binary gender identity described as the absence of gender, feeling as though one has                  no gender, or no definable gender.
AGP: See autogynephilia.
AFAB: Assigned female at birth
AMAB: Assigned male at birth
Androgyne: a person who live without appearing or behaving particularly male or female.
Androphile: a person who is attracted to men (see sexual orientation).
Asexual: lack of sexual attraction, or interest in or desire for sex. Sometimes, it is considered a lack of a sexual orientation.
Autoandrophilia (offensive term. I prefer the term female to male crossdreaming): biological female who get aroused by the image of herself as a man (cp. crossdreamer and autogynephilia).
Autogynephilia (offensive term, also AGP, and misrepresented as "autogyne". I prefer the term male to female crossdreaming). Term coined in 1989 by Ray Blanchard to refer to "a man's paraphilic tendency to be sexually aroused by the thought or image of himself as a woman." I do not consider the condition a paraphila (see paraphilia). Blanchard operates with four types of autogynephilia:
Transvestic autogynephilia (at this blog called crossdressing): arousal to the act or fantasy of wearing women's clothingBehavioral autogynephilia (at this blog called crossenacting): arousal to the act or fantasy of doing something regarded as femininePhysiologic autogynephilia (at this blog called nothing at all): arousal to fantasies of female-specific body functionsAnatomic autogynephilia (at this blog called crossdreaming): arousal to the fantasy of having a woman's body, or parts of oneBDSM (or Bondage, Domination, Sado-Masochism) sexuality characterized by the consensual exchange of power. This exchange of power can be either physical (e.g., spanking), psychological (e.g., teasing), or both. Often BDSM involves gender-related play when the partner with power adopt a male role and the partner without power adopts of female role. There are M2F crossdreamers (see crossdreaming) who take part in (or fantasize about) role-playing where the dominant is a strong woman or a she-male and where the crossdreamer takes the submissive female role (See shemale).
Bigender: a tendency to move between feminine and masculine gender-typed behavior depending on context, expressing a distinctlyen femme persona and a distinctly en hommepersona, feminine and masculine respectively.
Biphilic (also bi-philic): see bisexual.
Bisexual: a sexual behavior or an orientation involving physical or romantic attraction to both males and females.
Blanchard, Ray: the researcher that coined the term autogynephilia. See these posts for more information.
Body dysphoria: See gender dysphoria.
Boy's Love (also BL or yaoi, terms taken from Japanese culture): Female-oriented fictional media, especially Japanese style manga comics, that focus on homoerotic or homo-romantic male sexual relationships, usually created by female authors. Given that both female writers and readers identify with the male characters it is fair to say that much of this material can be considered crossdreamer fiction. The term "yaoi" (short for "Yama nashi, ochi nashi, imi nashi", meaning "No climax, no fall , no meaning", is sometimes understood as synonymous with Boy's Love, sometimes as a more sexually explicit sub-category of BL.
Boydyke: A biological female who intentionally or non-intentionally expresses and/or presents culturally/stereotypically masculine, particularly boyish, characteristics. Also, one who enjoys being perceived as a young male (passing).
Butch: Word used to identify a lesbian (biological female) who expresses and/or presents culturally/stereotypically masculine characteristics. Some butches are clearly crossdreamers.
CD: See crossdressing.
Cisgender (also non-transgender):man or woman who has a match between an his or her gender identity and the behavior or role considered appropriate for his or her sex, also known as non-transgender men and women or mistakenly referred to as "normal people".
Classic or classical transsexual women(controversial term, also known as primary transsexual, secondary transsexual, true transsexual, real transsexual, core transsexual, CT. The term is related to HBS, see Harry Benjamin Syndrome, and truscum, see truscum): In this blog normally a term used to describe a political tribe of trans women who argue that they have nothing in common with crossdreamers and crossdresser (see separatist). There are two main definitions of this term: (1) A woman that that has been born with a male body. She can be androphile, gynephile or bisexual, as can any woman. (2) An androphile M2F transsexual woman, as opposed to crossdreamers (autogynephiliacs) who are thought to be gynephilic or bisexual . The female to male equivalent to classic transsexual is truscum (see truscum).
Closeted (or in the closet): Not disclosing (coming out) or being secretive about an individual's own sexual orientation and/or gender identity.
Crossdreamer (also XD): A person who is crossdreaming (see crossdreaming)
Crossdreaming (or cross-dreaming, also XD, covers some of the same phenomena as autogynephilia/autoandrophilia): Term made by me to describe the act of dreaming about being ones target sex or getting aroused from the idea of being ones target sex.
These feminization fantasies (in case of biological men) and masculinization fantasies (in the case of biological women) are often found sexually arousing. Male to female crossdreamers often imagine themselves having breasts and female genitalia. Some crossdreamers will play the culturally defined role of the opposite sex in these fantasies. Female to male crossdreamers may fantasize about taking the proactive, dominant, thrusting, role when having intercourse. Crossdreaming is often, but not always, expressed through crossdressing, role playing and/or transgender erotica.
Many argue that most crossdreamers are attracted to persons of the same sex as the target sex of their fantasies. M2F crossdreamers are attracted to women. F2M crossdreamers are attracted to men. Research indicates, however, that there are also androphilic (man loving) M2F crossdreamers and gynephilic (woman loving) F2M crossdreamers. A majority of crossdreamers identify with their biological sex, at least partly and in public. Studies of M2F crossdressers indicate that close to 20 percent of them may consider sex reassignment surgery, however, and some of them do transition.
The term crossdreaming was originally a response to the concept of autogynephilia (see autogyenphilia), which was developed by Ray Blanchard. However, the term autogynephilia (or autoandrophilia for F2M crossdreamers) indicates that the conditions is caused byauto in the meaning of "self") whereby the person has internalized the external love object, becoming sexually attracted to the idea of him or herself having the body of the opposite sex. The term crossdreaming does not entail such an explanation. Personally I think crossdreaming is at least partly caused by a biologically based gender variance. The term crossdreaming can also be considered a parallel to Harry Benjamin's types 1, 2, 3 and 4. They may develop into type 5 and 6.
Julia Serano has suggested the terms Male/Masculine Embodiment Fantasies (MEFs) for FTM crossdreaming and Female/Feminine Embodiment Fantasies (FEFs) for MTF crossdreaming.
Crossdressing (or cross-dressing): the wearing of clothing and other accouterments commonly associated with the other gender within a particular society. If M2F crossdressing is associated with sexual arousal it can be categorized as crossdreaming (see crossdreaming).
Crossenacting: arousal to the act or fantasy of doing something regarded as feminine (in the case of men) and masculine (in the case of women).
Crossexuality: Term coined by me to describe a hypothetical condition that can lead to crossdressing and crossdreaming. Crossexuality is the cause, crossdreaming and crossdressing are the effects. (I no longer use this term).
CT: See classic transsexual.
Demigirl: A non-binary gender identity where one assigned female at birth feels only a very weak connection with ‘woman’ or someone assigned male at birth who feels a vague association with female, but not one strong enough to identity completely as ‘woman’.
Demiguy: A non-binary gender identity where one assigned male at birth feels only a very weak connection with ‘man’ or someone assigned female at birth who feels an association with male, but not one strong enough to identity completely as ‘man’.
DFAB: Designated female at birth
DMAB: Designated male at birth
DG: see drag queen.
Drag Queen: a person, usually a male bodied person, who dresses, and usually acts, like a woman often for the purpose of entertaining or performing. Drag queens often identify as homosexual (androphilic) males, as opposed to crossdressers, who are most likely gynephilic males (see crossdresser, androphilic and gynephilic). There are also female bodied drag kings. As gender variant people drag queens are included under the transgender umbrella. Some of them are also gender dysphoric, and may end up transitioning.
Dyke (also Femme Dyke, Butch Dyke, Bi Dyke): The term has been appropriated by the lesbian community, but some find it offensive): A female-bodied person or a woman who identifies with other women, and is attracted to women. This is a term that is used by many different types of people and used in a positive way for self-identification. The term may be political. Historically the term was used only in a negative context to ridicule and label lesbians who were perceived to express and/or present culturally/stereotypically masculine characteristics.
Effeminate (offensive): Used to identify a person (usually male) who expresses and/or presents culturally/stereotypically feminine characteristics.
Fetish: (on this blog used for sexual fetish) the sexual arousal brought on by any object, situation or body part not conventionally viewed as being sexual in nature. If you followthe official definitions of fetish, as found in the psychiatric manuals, crossdreaming cannot be understood as a fetish. Some crossdreamers seem to think that the term has a wider meaning, including any sexual desire that can -- presumably -- be explained as the end result of a personal psychological development (as opposed to being caused by an inborn, biological, factor). In my opinion this use of the word can only cause unnecessary confusion and further stigmatization of crossdreamers.
Female/Feminine Embodiment Fantasies (FEFs): Julia Serano's term for MTF crossdreaming (see crossdreaming)
Femme (may be understood as derogatory):Used to identify a lesbian (biological female) who expresses and/or presents culturally/stereotypically feminine characteristics. The word is also used by transgender people to express a feminine gender expression, regardless of sexual orientation.
F2M (or FTM): Female to male: Refers to the state of the biological sex before and after transitioning, or to the assigned sex at birth and the target sex in crossdreamer fantasies.
Gender: (1) In social studies: the socially constructed roles, behaviors, activities, and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for men and women. (2) In biology: the state of being male or female. The biology of gender is a scientific analysis of the physical basis for behavioral differences between males and females. In this blog I will use the term in both ways, trying to remember to tell you which is which.
Gender bender (controversial term): informal term used to refer to a person who actively transgresses, or "bends," expected gender roles.
Gender binary: classification of sex and gender into two distinct forms of masculine and feminine.
Gender dysphoria: a condition where a person feels that he or she is trapped within a body of the wrong sex. In the DSM-5 gender dysphoria is defined as "a marked incongruence between one's experienced/expressed gender, of at least six months duration." Dysphoria is often defined as an unpleasant or uncomfortable mood, such as sadness (depressed mood), anxiety, irritability, or restlessness. See also gender identity disorder. I sometimes use the terms "sex dysphoria" or "body dysphoria" instead, as this suffering may primarily be about the body, and not exclusively about cultural gender roles.
Gender expression: the physical manifestation of one's gender identity, usually expressed through clothing, mannerisms, and chosen names (see gender identity)
Gender identity or core gender identity (controversial terms): the gender a person self-identifies as (see gender 1).
Gender identity disorder (or GID, controversial term that has been replaced with "gender dysphoria"): formal diagnosis used by psychologists and physicians to describe persons who experience significant gender dysphoria (discontent with the biological sex they were born with). I have recently started using the term "sex identity" instead of "gender identity", as this -- in the case of gender dysphoric transgender -- is more about alienation from the sex of one's birth body than from cultural gender roles. The latest edition of the American psychiatric manual, the DSM-5, no longer consider gender dysphoria a mental disorder, and uses terms like gender incongruence, gender dysphoria and transsexual instead.
Gender non-conformity: Behaving and appearing in ways that are considered atypical for one’s gender.
Gender variant: A subjective sense of not belonging completely to the gender of one’s birth-assigned sex. The term gender-variance is used to refer to the behavioral expression of this identity which could range from occasionally dressing as one’s identified gender to living full-time in this gender. (from J Veale). This term is often used in the same way as transgender (see transgender).
Genderfluid: A non-binary gender identity where one’s gender changes over time as opposed to a single, permanent and unchanging gender. The gender can shift after a period of time or due to certain situations.
Genderfuck (or gender-fuck, controversial term): a form of gender identity or gender expression, using parody and exaggeration to call attention to its transgression of gender roles, seeking to expose them as artificial, often by manipulating one's appearance to create gender dissonance or ambiguity in stark opposition of the gender binary. Used for crossdressing with contempt for any concern about passing; e.g., a male wearing a skirt, but with a beard and unshaved legs.
Genderqueer (or gender-queer): term for gender identities other than man and woman. People who identify as genderqueer may think of themselves as being both man and woman, as being neither man nor woman, or as falling completely outside the gender binary. See queer.
Genetic Girl (also Genuine Girl or GG, offensive term): A woman born with a female body (see cisgender).
Girlfag (controversial term): a biologically female individual who feels a strong romantic or erotic attraction towards gay males or male bisexuals or their milieu. A girlfag might partly or wholly feel "like a gay man trapped in a woman's body". Many girlfags are FTM crossdreamers.
Guydyke (controversial term):: a biologically male person who feels a strong romantic or erotic attraction towards lesbians, female bisexuals, or the culture of women loving women. Guydykes experience lesbian feelings and are commonly referred to as lesbian-identified men or lesbian men. Many are MTF crossdreamers.
Gynandromorphophilia: see transfan.
Gynephile (or gynophile): a person who is attracted to females (see sexual orientation).
Gynemimetophilia: see transfan.
Harry Benjamin Standards of Care (also: HB SOC or SOC) A list of rules dictating what is considered by a consensus of mental health professionals the appropriate way to treat transsexuals.
Harry Benjamin Syndrome (also HBS, controversial): non-medical term made up by trans women who hate the idea of being associated with crossdressers and transgender prostitutes. They argue that the gender identity of HBS women, as opposed to crossdreamers, is inborn and based in the brain. The "syndrome" has no scientific basis, and the use of Harry Benjamin's name is lamentable.
HBS: see Harry Benjamin Syndrome.
Hermaphrodite (term no longer used for humans): see intersex.
Homosexuality: romantic or sexual attraction or behavior among members of the same sex. On this blog an M2F transsexual woman is homosexual if she is attracted to women, an F2M transsexual man is homosexual if he is attracted to men. To avoid confusion I use the word androphilic (attracted to men) and gynephilic (attracted to women) instead.
Homosexual transsexual (HSTS, highly offensive term): Ray Blanchard's term for trans women who are exclusively attracted to men. In other words: They are really heterosexual, not homosexual.
Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT): the taking of sex-related hormone s (e.g., estrogen, testosterone). Most often the term is used for post-menapusal women taking estrogen. The term also applies to a transsexual taking hormones of the target sex.
HSTS (offensive term used by Ray Blanchard): homosexual transsexual male. The real meaning of this term is androphilic M2F transexual woman (see homosexuality). Blanchard does not use this term for gynephilic F2M trans men.
Intergender (controversial term): see genderqueer.
Internalized transphobia: The belief that being a transsexual or transgendered is inferior to being cissexual or non-transgender. The internalization of negative messages, feelings about oneself and one's group, and the beliefs about how people like you should be treated, which often leads to self-hate and difficulty with self-acceptance.
Intersexuality: in humans refers to intermediate or atypical combinations of physical features that usually distinguish male from female. This is usually understood to be congenital, involving chromosomal, morphologic, genital and/or gonadal anomalies, such as diversion from typical XX-female or XY-male presentations, e.g., sex reversal (XY-female, XX-male), genital ambiguity, sex developmental differences. An intersexed individual may have biological characteristics of both the male and female sexes. If transexuality and crossdreaming/autogynephilia have biological (brain) foundations it could be argued that these conditions also are intersexual. In this blog, however, I will not use the term in that way, in order to avoid unnecessary confusion.
LGBT (also GLBT, LGBTQ and LGBTQA) refers to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (and queer and asexual) people. LGBT emphasize a diversity of sexuality and gender identity‐based cultures and is sometimes used to refer to anyone who is non‐heterosexual instead of exclusively to people who are homosexual, bisexual, or transgender. Some may also include and I for intersex persons (see intersex). Some "classic transsexual"s as well as intersexed people resist being included under the LGBT umbrella, as they feel they have nothing in common with the other members of the community.
Male/Masculine Embodiment Fantasies (MEFs): Julia Serano's term for FTM crossdreaming (see crossdreaming)
Male lesbian: (term coined by Dr. Brian G. Gilmartin in his book Shyness & Love: Causes, Consequences, and Treatment ): A heterosexual man who wishes that he had been born a woman, but who (even if he had been a woman) could only make love to another woman and never to a man. The "male lesbian" does not feel himself to be "a woman trapped inside the body of a man" and does not want a sex change operation. They envy the prerogatives of the female gender and believe these prerogatives fit their own inborn temperaments far more harmoniously than the pattern of behavioral expectations to which males are required to adhere.
Mangina: (derogatory) 1. Derisive term for a man's feminine side - especially when he's picky, touchy or emotional about something seemingly minor. 2. A man totally controlled by a woman 3. A weak willed man 4. The partner that takes it in the anus in a male homosexual relationship 5. A male prostitute, gay or straight. 6. A male looking persons who desires to change his genitals into female for no other reason than sex.
Metrosexual: a heterosexual man (especially one living in a post-industrial, capitalist culture) that has a strong concern for his appearance or a lifestyle and who displays feminine attributes stereotypically associated with homosexual men.
M2F or MTF: Male to female. Refers to the state of the biological sex before and after transitioning, or to the biological sex and the target sex in crossdreamer fantasies.
M/M: Romance fiction written by women for women about gay male relationships. The authors are often girlfags (see girlfag and W4M2M) This is a sub-genre of slash fiction.
Neutrois: A non-binary gender identity. One may feel that neutrois is a separate gender from man or woman in a similar way to how a person experiences a third gender, or they may feel that it is the lack of gender, or that it is a ‘neutral’ gender.
Non-binary: Gender identities that do not fit within the accepted binary of male and female. People can feel they are both, neither, or some mixture thereof.
Non-op: transsexual who has not and will not have sex reassignment surgery. (See transsexual, sex reassignment surgery).
Pangender: A non-binary gender identity where one experiences all genders in one body, including binary and non-binary genders. ‘One who experiences all gender identities’.
Pansexual: sexual orientation characterized by the potential for aesthetic attraction, romantic love, or sexual desire towards people, regardless of their gender identity or biological sex.
Paraphilia: a biomedical term used to describe sexual arousal to objects, situations, or individuals that are not part of normative stimulation and that may cause distress or serious problems for the paraphiliac or persons associated with him or her. What is defined as "normative stimulation" may vary a lot with time and cultural background, something that makes this a close to useless term in my book. Paraphilia is basically a science sounding word for "pervert" (see Perversion).
Passing: The ability to be accepted as a member of the sex you are transitioning into.
Perversion: (derogatory) types of human behavior that are perceived to be a serious deviation from what is considered to be orthodox or normal. Although it can refer to varying forms of deviation, it is most often used to describe sexual behaviors that are seen by the majority as abnormal or repulsive. Since this is a cultural relative term, I find it useless when discussing the true nature of crossdreaming.
Polygender: A non-binary gender identity where one experiences many (more than three) gender identities in one body, which may include both binary and non-binary genders. ‘One who experiences many gender identities’.
Post-op: transsexual who has had sex reassignment surgery (see transsexual and sex reassignment surgery)
Pre-op: transsexual who has not had sex reassignment surgery (see transsexual and sex reassignment surgery)
Post-structuralist (related to post-modernist): Poststructuralism denies the possibility of a truly scientific study of "man" or of "human nature", as all belief systems are believed to be socially constructed through language andsemiotics. This means that all meanings and intellectual categories are shifting and unstable. The term is relevant for crossdreamers as we from 2011 onwards have seen a few crossdreamers argue that crossdreaming is a social construct based on the psychological development of the individual crossdreamer. Personally I find poststructuralist methods very useful for analyzing the social context of crossdreaming, but since the philosophy has no tools for asserting the effect of biology on mental possesses, it cannot be used to study the interaction between body and mind.
Queer: (1, derogatory) Effeminate gay man. (2, controversial) Umbrella term for people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, transgender, transsexual, intersexual, genderqueer, or of any other non-heterosexual sexuality, sexual anatomy, or gender identity. See genderqueer.
Separatist:: persons who argue they are not part of broader transgender culture. There are separate schools of M2F separatism: (1) Classic transsexuals, who believe that there is a clear and distinct biological difference between being a woman who is born in a man's body and men who get aroused by imagining themselves as women (like crossdressers, crossdreamers, transgenderists and feminine gay men). (2) Harry Benjamin Syndrome supporters follow a philosophy similar to classic transsexuals, but are more prone to gender stereotyping. (3) Transkids are trans women who follow the theories of Ray Blanchard, considering themselves to be "homosexual transsexuals" and therefore more feminine than crossdreamers. (4) Some crossdressers and transgenderists, argue – based on the philosophy of crossdresser Virginia Price – that they have nothing in common with trans women and gay men. 1 2 and 3 believe the transgender movement is run by crossdressers and crossdreamers, while group 4 believes it is run by trans women. These MTF separatist groups fight each other and the transgender movement. It could have been funny in a Monty Python Life of Brian kind of way, hadn't it been for all the suffering this bickering is causing. (5) Lately there has appeared a second generation of separatists at Tumblr who call themselves truscum (see truscum).
Sex: (1) In social sciences sex refers to the biological differences between men and women, as opposed to gender which refers to the cultural expressions of the roles given to biological males and females. (2) In biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety (known as the two sexes).
Sex dysphoria: see Gender dysphoria.
Sex identity (also sexual identity, although the term sexual identity more often refers to sexual orientation): The inner feeling or conviction of being male or female. See also Gender identity disorder.
Sexual orientation: a pattern of emotional, romantic and/or sexual attractions to men, women, or both genders. Subcategories are : heterosexual, homosexual, and bisexual. Some argue that heterosexual and homosexual are exclusive categories, others that these orientations exist along a continuum that ranges from exclusive heterosexual to exclusive homosexual, including various forms of bisexuality in-between. Some people identify as asexual. To avoid confusion I will often use the words gynephile and androphile in this blog (see gynephile and androphile).
Sex reassignment surgery (also known as SRS, genital reconstruction surgery, sex affirmation surgery, sex-change operation): the surgical procedures by which a person's physical appearance and function of their existing sexual characteristics are altered to resemble that of the other sex. I have seen the term "gender reassignment surgery" used for M2F transsexual women, but I cannot see how you can do surgery on a gender identity that is already female.
Shape Shifter (also metamorph): Used by some people who choose not to identify as transsexuals, to express their belief they are not changing their gender, but changing their body to reflect their inner feelings and gender identity.
She-male (also shemale or t-girl; derogatory terms used in pornography): A genetic male who has physical characteristics of both male and female. This term should never be used for a real life transsexual or transgenderist (to whom it may refer). I will only use it to describe a transgenderists as a target in sexual fantasies. See transgenderist and transfan.
Sissy (or sissy boy, derogatory): (1) A term codified by the mental health community for biologically male children with gender identity disorder (in the sense of displaying feminine behavior). (2 colloquial) A boy or man are accused of feminine characteristics. (3) In the sissy sub-genre of transgender MTF erotica the word is used for men who enjoy humiliating feminization.
Skoliosexual: refers to people who experience sexual attraction towards people outside the gender binary, regardless of their sex or their own sex/gender.
SRS, see sex reassignment surgery.
Third gender or third sex (controversial terms): (1) individuals who are categorized (by their will or by social consensus) as neither male nor female, as well as the social category present in those societies who recognize three or more genders. It should be noted that such phenomena could just as well refer to roles understood as a mix of the male and female. (2) In zoology: Evolutionary biologist Joan Roughgarden argues that, in addition to male and female sexes (as defined by the production of small or large gametes), more than two genders or distinct morphs exist in hundreds of animal species.
TG: See transgender.
Trannie chaser or tranny chaser: (derogatory) see transfan.
Transbian (slang, most likely used derogatory): a male-to-female transsexual who is also a lesbian - ie. a transsexual woman who is sexually attracted to other women.
Transfan (also transsensual, admirerer or derogatory: tranny chaser) man with a sexual preference for preoperative male-to-female transsexuals , transgenderists or even crossdressers (see transsexual and transgenderist). Many argue that transfans are closeted homosexuals. I suspect that many of them are crossdreamers. You will also find female bodied transfans -- especially in the lesbian community where some are attracted to transsexual men.
Transfeminine: A non-binary gender identity where one assigned male at birth feels a strong connection with the female gender and enjoys typically feminine things, but does not feel a strong enough connection to identify completely as ‘woman’. Similar to – but not the same as – demiguy.
Transgender (contoversial term, also TG and trans): (1, common use) Umbrella term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to diverge from the normative gender roles connected to their original biological sex, including transsexuals. (2, a misrepresentation of Virginia Prince's term "transgenderist", see transgenderist) People who want to live cross-gender without sex reassignment surgery, excluding transsexuals. (3, derogatory) Crossdreamers and crossdressers, as opposed to "classic transsexuals" or HBS trans women. (4, controversial) Transsexual. I use the word as (1).
Trangender Pride Flag: Flag designed by Monica Helms. First shown in 2000. The flag represents the transgender community and consists of five horizontal stripes, two light blue, two pink, with a white stripe in the center.
Transgenderist (controversial and archaic term coined by crossdresser activist Virginia Prince): transgender people who derive pleasure from and value their genitals as originally developed. Like transsexuals, many are interested in obtaining electrolysis, hormones and even cosmetic surgery to bring their outward presentation in line with their inner sense of self. However, transgenderists are not interested in sex reassignment surgery. Transsexual men and women who for health and other reasons do not obtain SRS are not included in this definition. Some deny that transgenderists exist, arguing that they are either misled classic transsexuals or "autogynephiliacs". The term must not be confused with "transgender", which is an umbrella term for all gender variant people (see transgender).
Transitioning: Wikipedia defines this as the process of changing genders - the idea of what it means to be female or male. I am using the term for the process of changing ones biological sex, arguing that an MTF transsexual woman is a woman/has the female gender both before and after the transition (see also sex reassignment surgery).
Transkid: (1 controversial) Non-technical term for M2F androphilic transsexual, used mostly for political reasons to have a non-clinical way to refer to androphilic transsexuals as a population rather than a condition. See homosexual transsexual. (2) Gender variant children.
Transmasculine: A non-binary gender identity where one assigned female at birth feels a strong connection with the male gender and enjoys typically masculine things, but does not feel a strong enough connection to identify completely as ‘man’. Similar to – but not the same as – demigirl.
Trans man see transsexual man. Avoid the spelling transman, as this may be read to mean that trans men are not real men.
Transmedicalist see truscum.
Trans people or transpeople (controversial): in this blog used for both transsexuals and crossdreamers/autogynephiliacs and crossdressers.
Transphilic (also trans-philic): see transfan.
Transphobia (also genderphobia): The fear of transsexuals or transgendered, often assumed to be homosexuals. Expressed as negative feelings, attitudes, actions or behaviors.
Transsensual: see transfan.
Transsexual: Transsexual (also spelled transexual): (1) a condition in which an individual identifies with a physical sex that is different from his or her biological one. (2) A person who has undergone sex reassignment treatment and surgery (SRS) and/or who have legally changed his or her official gender identification.
Transsexual man: A person who was assigned female at birth, but who identifies as/is a man. Also known as a F2M transsexual or trans man. See transsexual and F2M.
Transsexual woman: A person who was assigned male at birht, but who identifies as/is a woman. Also known as a M2F transsexual or trans woman. See transsexual and M2F.
Transvestic fetishism (controversial term): having an erotic interest in crossdressing. See crossdressing and autogynephilia. I am not using this term, as I strongly believe that crossdreaming cannot be explained as a fetish.
Transvestism: see crossdresser
Trans woman, see transsexual woman. Avoid the spelling transwoman, as this may be interpreted to mean that trans women are not real women.
Truscum (also: transmedicalist): A more recent equivalent to the "classic transsexual", i.e. trans men and women who try to separate true transsexuals from whom they considered not trans. Unlike the male to female classic transsexuals they seem to want to appropriate the terms trans and transgender for themselves, using them as a synonym for transsexual. They argue that transsexuality is a medical condition and that transsexuality is defined by the symptom of physical sex dysphoria. The term originated on tumblr, and was and is dominated by female to male transgender people.
TS: see transsexual.
TV: transvestite. See crossdressing.
W4M4M: Women for men for men. (1) Women who read M/M slash fiction (see M/M and boy's love). (2) girlfags (see girlfag)
Woodworking (or stealth woodworking): for a transsexual to live in a manner that conceals her or his past sex.

XD: see crossdreaming (also used as an abbreviation for crossdressing)
*sources @jackmolay

API Philippines Interview

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Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Emak Dari Jambi

MOMMY FROM JAMBI – Emak Dari Jambi


38min  |  2015   |  Anggun Pradesha, Rikky M Fajar 
Language: Bahasa Indonesia
Subtitles: English
Synopsis:
A mother’s journey from a small village in Jambi Sumatra to the capital city of Jakarta, Indonesia where she is confronted by revelations of her transgender child’s life. She is caught between her Islamic values and unconditional love for her child. It is a heartwarming story about love, truth, and acceptance.
Perjalanan seorang ibu dari sebuah kampung di Jambi Sumatera ke bandar Jakarta di mana beliau akan menghadap kenyataan kehidupan transgender anaknya. Beliau dibelah antara ajaran agama Islam beliau serta perasaan sayang terhadap anaknya. Filem ini merupakan sebuah kisah menghayat hati tentang cinta, kebenaran serta penerimaan. 

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Thursday, July 10, 2014

Simple manual

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A simple manual for transsexual empowerment part1 (If you read this you already empowered to come this far so congratulations and keep it that way
-first, for non-trans or cisgender people who read this, to really understand the issues you have to empty yourself, like what Bruce Lee? Or confucious says, in order to learn new things you to empty yourself, because if your glass is full you can't fill it with something new. Especially coming from Malaysia political climate, many were programme to instantly judge a person especially malaisean where since the 80s who's diet on the daily local television programmes and newspapers.
You must realized that if you think that the LGBTIQ are deviants thats because you consumed information without questioning its validity and living in denial because we're all around you and that's the reality, so the next step is to learn to accept and be peace with the reality or forever living in your bubble-like fantasy world and thats ok as long as you don't hurt anyone who you think is different and against your beliefs which is questionable because is it ok for your actions even is its purely negative?
I learn about human rights a bit too late after i'm working closely with several NGOs, but i think its crucial and its been refined for 'everyone'. I just wish its been taught school and other constitutions eventhough its impossible for malaisea because it will go against its ultra racial system, monarchy system, that favours certain section of the racial population and destroy borders inbetween human.
-Coming out / Keluar When i was young, both of my parents are very fierce so its hard for me to share my feelings. I'm not close to my relatives either and didn't know any transwomen from my town. So i bottled up whatever feelings i have inside. But i knew i was different. Everyday, every night i wish and pray i would wake up in the right body and i felt suicidal all the time. I wish i know someone who i can talk to. I felt suicidal most of the time. I grab a knife and wanted to cut my genitals very badly but was so scared to do it. I felt so desperate i grab whatever pills on my mom's make up table hoping they were birth control pills and swallowed them.
After i get to know and befriend some transwomen, went through gender and sexuality workshop, understand more of the local transwomen issues, then i felt empowered to contribute to the community eventhough they're many different types of transwomen community segregated by race, economy, looks, thoughts, beliefs, post/pre-op but mostly our the similarities are our struggles.
Like in Japan, i think its crucial to have a helpline. They have a helpline for people feeling suicidal. I still remember in Malaisea there was a helpline called Befriender who's willing to listen to any caller who need to talk to someone. But i wonder if they still have one now.
(when i stayed over my aunties house, didn't bring any spare clothes, after shower she force me to on my cousin's men long sleeve short. Every inch of my body felt so disgusted wearing it i almost cried and since then hated button clothes for as long as i remember.
Since young i'm ok with just wearing t-shirt and after that incident it took a long time even with the women's long sleeve shirt i tried to avoid buttons shirt and never owned one in my life, so i always wear just t-shirt.)
-Lack of information
-Trans 101 / SOGIE(Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity) *experience (Philippines and Japan) In The Philippines, there are a few transwomen and transmen organizations that help the members of the trans community from different regions and areas. In the beginning there weren't any transmen group but there are a few transmen who's tagging along transwomen groups to learn from their activities and how they empower each other. Eventually a transman group was formed and then there's more and more groups formed for the needs of the community. Transwomen organization formulate the already available information on internet on Gender Identity and Sexual attraction, simplified them for the transwomen community to understand themselves more, this is crucial because some transwomen still using the word gay or bakla to describe themselves. Some proclaim the word 'Bakla' which is more for effiminate men and its not fitting for transwomen gender identity.
Beauty pageant is part of Filipinos culture and i was told that the event is held nearly everyday at every different district around the country. Its a fiesta, a community events that everyone looking up to and work together when they gathers like weddings but to some to celebrate the district's gathering and activities. The local municipal council often hired transwomen to work with and often besides beauty pageant, they also have a game of Bingo, karaoke, simple games event for the programmes. So from here you can witness there are many younger transchildren participating in this events and some proudly display their skills in English language and also doing costume design, stage or set design and make up skills.
In Japan, after a law has been passed in 2004 that a transwomen can go to doctor and diagnosed with GID or Gender Identity Disorder, she can proceed with hormones treatment, work towards her surgery and then change her legal documents and have no problem for employment, medical and also allowed to married her partner. (The problem with this system is there are transwomen who don't need the surgery, and for transwomen who transitioned later after her married with children than its impossible for them to change their legal documents)
-Who to contact (helpline service)
-the importance of having a support group
-join community activities workshop/civil law/syariah law/human rights/gender &sexuality workshop
-help online (mynetra) for job/medical/health information
-current issues (local/global) So far Penang is the only progressive state that in favours of trangender women. The local government, politician hired a transwoman for his assistant, and they also doing sensitization training in hospitals to educate the staff how to deal with transwomen patients or employees.
-any ideas?
*Coming out When i was young, there was no term like transsexual or transgender. But i know deep down inside i'm a girl/woman. There was no information or people i can talk to, because my parents were very fierce so i keep the lid tight.
Somehow how well you keep your feelings inside it will secretly manifest in the way our body language, the way we do things and most probably your parents will find out.
It is important to have information for the younger trans /children and also for their parents, so they don't kick their child because of lack of information and for their parents go safe face.
For parents if your child exhibit some traits or behavior of opposite *gender or birth sex, Don't worry this is perfectly normal.
-what is reansgender -SOGIE
*Who to contact Unfortunately in malaisea we dont have a helpline for younger trans to contact for help but what you can do is go seek for organization like PTFoundation who's main work is for AIDS and HiV awareness and prevention. But most community or trans people who go there also from the community so you can pay a visit and see the officers in charge and talk to them.
-If you dont have a supportive family cousins and friends. -During my time it was the birth of internet around 1999 where a lot of other trans share their stories and connect with other transgender people. I contact a local transwoman who shares her story on her website and she let me know about PTFoundation and we exchange information on hormones, surgeries and experience in life as a transwomen.
*Community empowerment workshop About your rights, human rights, civil law, syariah law, health issues, job opportunities, etc
-by going to the workshop and get to know your rights as a human being as a citizen and the syariah law for whos born in muslim family, how to deal with authority, getting to know others who attended the workshop, you will be empowered and shouldnt be scared to be who you truly are and express yourself freely
-there are a lot of information on gender and sexuality workshop, on internet but attending a workshop like i did, you will meet others and it will be a different experience altogether (Learning gender ands sexuality)
*Mynetra Is an online community for transwomen and transmen, a support group. Its sole purpose is to share information about job opportunity because trans community face alot of discrimination when it comes to finding job.
*Get to know issues pertaining trans* (personal diary) - meet first transwoman online', share information (PTfoundation ) (2000) - went to PTFoundation meet KakSu 2000 - attending Gender and sexuality workshop by Kryss 2008 - attending gender/sexuality workshop in Penang - civil / syariah law chitrah - attending seksualiti medeka workshop get to know more friends, allies, artists - volunteered at SM - volunteered at SM - Trace workshop (an empowerment workshop for transgender community) - making transzine (experience living as transwomen with malaisean political climate) - API scholarship August 2013- July 2014
*Current and local and international issues
-today news about Sweden, a person can change gender in identification without proof of surgeries,hormones,psychiatrict evaluations
- RuPaul in using the word Tranny and shemale

Thursday, June 26, 2014

akta/

Parez edit:

Yesterday I was at the Akta Community Centre, Shinjuku, to set up my exhibition. When I got there, I found that I couldn’t stick anything onto the wall. This could be a problem, I thought to myself. In the end, after much deliberation, I used hooks hanging from the ceiling to hang my artwork. Standing back and looking at the whole display, I felt a sense of pride because I did this all on my own.

Usually, I need lots of help from others, like for SG Bienalle last year. From the chairs, to the installation, to friends and curators who helped hang my artwork, that is a lot of outside help, but I did all myself this time, just by setting my mind to it. Start simple, I told myself. Things moved swiftly, with the help of two friends who pitched in. One help translate to Japanese, while the other helped me hang my artwork. I guess starting with a simple foundation makes it easier to develop and add on to the concept I had in mind. We would be done in no time, I thought.

While we were setting up, a woman came to the centre, and she spoke to Janji-san, who was a volunteer at the centre. Looking at her, I wondered if she was a transwoman, like me, or a crossdresser. In Japan, the crossdressing movement is huge, and there is a lot of visibility. There is an activist named Junko Mitsuhashi who is regularly invited to give talks and share her experience. She also writes articles about her life experience, as well as activities within the crossdresser community.

Contrary to popular belief, there is a huge difference between crossdressers and transwomen. The former does not experience what is medically known as gender identity disorder, or gender dysphoria – the feeling of being born with the wrong gender. For transwomen, the feeling of living in the body of the opposite ex is devastating. The suicide rate for transpeople is very high as they struggle with depression. They are often musinderstood and are shamed by the public for being who they are.

As a transwoman coming from a conservative, and at times extremeist, country, I find it a constant struggle to educate the public that we are not crossdressers, or transvestites, or even drag queens. We are women, who think, live, and function as women. Transvestites, or corssdressers, are men who express their femininity within a safe space, but only for certain periods of time before they go back to living as men.

In our efforts to get society to understand who we are, I think we may have undermined, or even overlooked, crossdressers, because society is easily confused by their presence, and our message could get lost in transmission. This is a society that doesn’t acknowledge, or care to understand, the simple difference between gender and sexuality. “Privilege-bodied” people, as I call them, see gender as binary, or black and white, and force others to abide by the heteronormativity that they were taught to believe and accept. Pink for girls, blue for boys. What if the girl likes pink? Or the boy wants to play with dolls?

I have crossdresser friends who meet regularly, in full makeup and women’s clothing. They hang out for a while, take photos for keepsakes, then go home to their lives as men. Some are heterosexual males. Some are married, some are single. Others are transwomen in the transitioning phase, who need a safe space to express themselves. There aren;t many spaces to do that if you are from a conservative background, in a conservative country. I hear a lot of their stories, here in Japan. That being said, crossdressers in Japan enjoy a higher level of visibility than in Malaisea. You can tell a crossdresser from a transwoman because of the skin and dimensions of the body. In Japan, because of the culture that respects privacy, crossdressers are safe in public.

The journey for a transwoman is a complex one. Some start out identifying as gay men, who eventually come out as trans. Some have always felt that way, but suppress theor feelings until much later in their lives, after struggling with depression.

When I was growing up, I wanted so desperately to undergo SRS (sexual reassignment surgery), but I was raised to believe I would be defying God’s will, and that I would go to hell. When I was young, the gender divide was very clear. My sister would be assigned to cook and clean, while I would do the heavy lifting and other “manly” errands around the house.


I always have this vision in my mind of standing on a platform, with one side for women, the other for men. I would be standing on the wrong side of the platform, trying to get to the other side. I just keep staring at the other side, watching trains pass by. Saturday 2:34pm

Original:

Yesterday i went to akta community center shinjuku to set up my exhibition, ironically i can't stick anything or use the wall but use the hook on the ceiling slightly infront of the wall to hang the artwork, i feel proud of myself because i did it all on my own for the first time in my life. Usually like last year big exhibition in SG Bienalle i need many people's help because of the installation, chairs and curators friends who helped hang the artwork on the wall. Yesterday i manage to do all with just a thought in mind. Make it simple. And with that thoughts i manage to do the setting up more breezely, switfly, and with the help of 2 friends, 1 who translate from English to Japanese and another help with hanging the artwork but setting up tying up the strings were fast, i guess with the idea of simple settings or start simple as foundation, then later i can just add on to make it more elaborate is the way to do it. During setting and putting up artwork, there was a woman who came to the center and she was talking to Janji san who volunteering at the center. I was wondering if she was a transwomen or crossdressers because in Japan, the crossdressers scene or movement is strong and very visible in public. There's an activists name Junko Mitshuhashi who shared her experience living as a crossdresser in Japan and she was invited to many talks, interviewed, written articles to media about her life experience and other activity in crossdressers community. The difference between crossdressers and transwomen is they don't experience what the medical term called gender identity disorder or gender dysphoria. For transwomen the feeling of having the opposite sex body and what they feel indside is devastating. The suicide rate for transperson is high. One often have an idea to hurt the body or someone to hurt them or som just end it by committing suicide. This kind of information is rately published in local media where they often misunderstood and shamed for being who they are. As a transwoman coming from extremist conservative country i find it very interesting because us transwoman trying hard from time to time to tell or educate the society who enforce gender binary that that we're not crossdressers or tranvestite or drag queen. We're just woman who live, think as one full time. Transvestite, crossdressers are men who express their femininity in their own safe-space in certain short time.
In our activism in a way we undermine crossdressers because for us they confused our messages to the public or society. A society who cared less about other fellow humans variety and the simple differences of gender and sexuality. Privilege bodied i call it often take this for granted and often force their handed down heteronormativity in their daily lives. Still buying pink for female assigned baby at birth and blue for male assigned at birth without questioning the origins of this stereotype.
I have crossdressers friends who meet occasionaly in one place, make up, wearing women's clothes congregate then take photos together and then go back to being a man. Heterosexual male. Some married some single and some transitioning transwoman. (For transitioning tranwomen its because she find a safe space to do so to express herself probably because she don't have the priviledge maybe coming from restricted, or conservative family and the difficulties of transition.)
I heard and read same stories here in Japan. Crossdressers often meet up in one place, a safe space for them to share their interests. But in Japan crossdressers are more visible in public than in malaisea. When i said crossdressers because they dont usually take hormones and 1 single look you can tell by the skin and dimensions of the body. But because of the Japanese culture as well that they don't invade other people's space then its ok for one to be or wear whatever one wants in public.
Transwomen journey also have many types before becoming oneself. Some thought they were a gay person who attracted to other opposite sex. But eventually found her true identity later. Some suppress it until later in life around 40s, 50s or 60s and eventually gave up and just be who they feel inside and start transitioning. Despite some medical disadvantages because of old age some even go through sex reassignment surgery late in the 60s to achieve their dreams.
When i was growing up, i strongly want SRS so so badly. The urge is very very strong. Some friends during that time kept preventing me from doing so because its a sin. This privilege born in the synched body woman friends of mind will never know for lacking empathy of information on gender dysphoria. When i was young the gender divide in the family is clear, my sister would do the cooking and i'll do the heavy lifting, buying stuff from the groceries stores. I always have this vision standing on a platform where one side is for women and one side is for men and i would standing on the wrong side of the platform and figuring out how to jump to the other side. Sometimes i just kept staring to the other side and see the train passing-by.

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

akta/crossdressing/transitioning/SRS/wrongsideofthetracks

Yesterday i went to akta community center shinjuku to set up my exhibition, ironically i can't stick anything or use the wall but use the hook on the ceiling slightly infront of the wall to hang the artwork, i feel proud of myself because i did it all on my own for the first time in my life. Usually like last year big exhibition in SG Bienalle i need many people's help because of the installation, chairs and curators friends who helped hang the artwork on the wall. Yesterday i manage to do all with just a thought in mind. Make it simple. And with that thoughts i manage to do the setting up more breezely, switfly, and with the help of 2 friends, 1 who translate from English to Japanese and another help with hanging the artwork but setting up tying up the strings were fast, i guess with the idea of simple settings or start simple as foundation, then later i can just add on to make it more elaborate is the way to do it.
During setting and putting up artwork, there was a woman who came to the center and she was talking to Janji san who volunteering at the center. I was wondering if she was a transwomen or crossdressers because in Japan, the crossdressers scene or movement is strong and very visible in public. There's an activists name Junko Mitshuhashi who shared her experience living as a crossdresser in Japan and she was invited to many talks, interviewed, written articles to media about her life experience and other activity in crossdressers community. The difference between crossdressers and transwomen is they don't experience what the medical term called gender identity disorder or gender dysphoria. For transwomen the feeling of having the opposite sex body and what they feel indside is devastating. The suicide rate for transperson is high. One often have an idea to hurt the body or someone to hurt them or som just end it by committing suicide. This kind of information is rately published in local media where they often misunderstood and shamed for being who they are. As a transwoman coming from extremist conservative country i find it very interesting because us transwoman trying hard from time to time to tell or educate the society who enforce gender binary that that we're not crossdressers or tranvestite or drag queen. We're just woman who live, think as one full time. Transvestite, crossdressers are men who express their femininity in their own safe-space in certain short time.
In our activism in a way we undermine crossdressers because for us they confused our messages to the public or society. A society who cared less about other fellow humans variety and the simple differences of gender and sexuality. Privilege bodied i call it often take this for granted and often force their handed down heteronormativity in their daily lives. Still buying pink for female assigned baby at birth and blue for male assigned at birth without questioning the origins of this stereotype.
I have crossdressers friends who meet occasionaly in one place, make up, wearing women's clothes congregate then take photos together and then go back to being a man. Heterosexual male. Some married some single and some transitioning transwoman. (For transitioning tranwomen its because she find a safe space to do so to express herself probably because she don't have the priviledge maybe coming from restricted, or conservative family and the difficulties of transition.)
I heard and read same stories here in Japan. Crossdressers often meet up in one place, a safe space for them to share their interests. But in Japan crossdressers are more visible in public than in malaisea. When i said crossdressers because they dont usually take hormones and 1 single look you can tell by the skin and dimensions of the body. But because of the Japanese culture as well that they don't invade other people's space then its ok for one to be or wear whatever one wants in public.
Transwomen journey also have many types before becoming oneself. Some thought they were a gay person who attracted to other opposite sex. But eventually found her true identity later. Some suppress it until later in life around 40s, 50s or 60s and eventually gave up and just be who they feel inside and start transitioning. Despite some medical disadvantages because of old age some even go through sex reassignment surgery late in the 60s to achieve their dreams.
When i was growing up, i strongly want SRS so so badly. The urge is very very strong. Some friends during that time kept preventing me from doing so because its a sin. This privilege born in the synched body woman friends of mind will never know for lacking empathy of information on gender dysphoria.
When i was young the gender divide in the family is clear, my sister would do the cooking and i'll do the heavy lifting, buying stuff from the groceries stores. I always have this vision standing on a platform where one side is for women and one side is for men and i would standing on the wrong side of the platform and figuring out how to jump to the other side. Sometimes i just kept staring to the other side and see the train passing-by.

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Malaisea media in the 80s

Malaisea media in the 80s (edited by Dorian)

Every country has got its own socio-political history and background thus shaping its citizen mind and behaviour. Malaysia, has a race-based system, thus transwomen are also divided by race, class, interests and also between who are beautiful, which is usually defined by the categories of very passable, barely pass and non-passable. Transwomen who barely pass or are non-passable are usually those who have experienced fully the male puberty and have developed secondary male sex characteristics like the brow bone, Adam’s apple, broad shoulder, bigger bones and feet, facial and bodily hair, etc experience more discrimination from society and from within the community itself.

Malaysian Indian transwomen, who are mostly Tamil, call themselves Thirunangais and follow the familial system as practiced in Tamil Nadu, India. Malaysian Chinese transwomen either form communities that are closely linked to Malaysian Chinese crossdressers or become stealth and do not acknowledge their transgender past. Most transwomen groups or organizations begin to cater to economically-challenged or poor transwomen who mostly do sex work. Most of these transwomen were either disowned or ran away from home at a young age and are forced to survive on the street.

Since the early 80s, the government-owned media machinery has spread a lot of fear and prejudice towards transwomen. Some local Malay dramas imply that transwomen are heavily-laden with sin due to transitioning or sex reassignment surgery by portraying the bodies of transgender characters in death as being too heavy to be carried by the pallbearers. Other examples of these negative connotations include portraying the flooding of the graves of transwomen characters, signifying that even the earth will not accept these “tainted” bodies. These ideas from popular media permeated the Malay culture so deeply that some Malay transwomen are afraid to transition or undergo sex reassignment surgery for fear that their bodies might not be accepted by their graves, which is a sign of grave sin to Muslims. Some who do undergo hormone replacement therapy opt to stop taking hormones later in their lives in order to avoid this “fate”, causing them to become depressed in an increasingly masculinising exterior that they no longer recognise or love.

One story I have personally encounter when I was published by a local magazine called 'Gila-Gila', which featured comics from popular Malay cartoonists at that time. I cannot recall who the cartoonist of this particular story was. It was about a seemingly effeminate man who was always mocked and made fun of by the people living in the same village. One day, she leaves the village for Kuala Lumpur to work and begins transitioning there. After some time, she returns to the village as a sexy woman. After peeping at her in the shower (most bathrooms in villages at that time were placed outside the house and sometimes do not have roofs), one of the guys in the village fell madly in love with her. She leaves again for Kuala Lumpur but returns soon after. Her admirer, wanting to propose for her hand in marriage, runs to her house as soon as he hears that she is back from Kuala Lumpur. He was greeted by a man who eventually informs him that he was the girl that he was looking for. She de-transitioned in order to conform to society’s expectations.

I resolved then that this was not the end that I wanted for myself, that I would live and die as a woman. According to Kak Su, a senior transwoman community leader (known locally as a mak ayam besar), she has attended many burials of Malay transwomen, a majority of whom are Muslim, and have never witnessed any superstitions such as graves flooding, thunderstorms and others manifesting in these burials. However, most Malay transwomen come from conservative family backgrounds and still perform their prayers as male for fear that their prayers will not be accepted by god. As such, these superstitions involving transwomen remain almost unquestioned in Malay society, even by Malay transwomen themselves.

An issue that cropped up recently was a directive by the Ministry of Information that banned local productions from producing anything with homosexual or transsexual characters. An unspoken rule in the local media community is to ensure that characters that were sexual or gender identity minorities had to die before the end of the movie or drama, or repent and return to the “straight and narrow” in order to not be taken off-air or be heavily censored. One such movie that was not banned despite this directive is “Dalam Botol”, which depicted a Malay transwoman who underwent sex reassignment surgery for her boyfriend. Later she regrets this surgery as her boyfriend leaves her, and she de-transitions and marries a woman who is committed to keeping her to the “right path”. This movie was a hit locally and further reinforced the stereotype that transwomen transition to fulfil the desires of their boyfriends, and can be “converted” to cisgender with enough persistence and god’s grace.

With such a toxic environment towards transpeople, it is no wonder that Malaysian transpeople are leaving the country for greener pastures, mostly in the West, where they might live their lives to the fullest. This is also one of the reasons why I am doing this project; to tell and create an island of positive stories of happy, successful local transwomen in a sea of negativity.



The Philippines

The Philippines is a country where the high majority of its citizens are conservative Catholics. However, it has a long history of sexual and gender identity minorities being well-integrated into society as they are. There is a blurring of boundaries between sexual orientation and gender identity, especially between gay men and transwomen, where it is commonplace to call both “Bakla”. There was also the influence of their American colonisers, where the introduction of the English language into Filipino society made it easier for information from the west about sexual orientation and gender identity minorities to be communicated to the people. Also, especially towards the end of their occupation, the gay civil rights movement was stirring in that Western superpower country, which further enabled Pinoy LGBTs to come out and form their own movements.

There is a vast economic disparity in the Philippines, where the majority of the people are desperately poor while the very few in power are ultra-rich. However, there seems to be a great deal of tolerance and freedom of expression for sexual orientation and gender identity minorities in society. There is a long tradition of beauty pageants, held on a weekly or monthly basis in different boracays or districts in Manila and other large cities. There is a great diversity and visibility of sexual orientation and gender identity minorities. This includes the transwomen which come in many stages of transition or those that do not feel the need to transition but still identify themselves as transwomen.

Japan

So far, I have not found any NGOs or NPOs (non-profit organisations) in Japan that specifically cater to transwomen or transmen. Most organisations that cater to the trans* community also deal with issues of other sexual orientation and gender identity minorities. The LGBTIQ here are called SekMai, which is an abbreviation of “sexual minority”.

Some people that I have interviewed say that there are gaps between the SekMai and the straight cisgender people in Japan. I wonder if the term “SekMai” was coined by the straight cisgender community to draw the line between them as the majority and the SekMai; much like how males who are neither straight nor cisgender are defined in the Philippines as “bakla” and in Malaysia with the derogatory term “pondan”.



Flow of information-SOGIE/TRANS101

  • From my observation, countries who use English as a main language often adopt information about sexual orientation and gender identity minorities more easily compared to countries that do not, as most of these information are in English. For example in the Philippines, community leaders can disseminate information to members as is without having to translate the contents. This information is presented in a format known as “Trans 101” or SOGI/E (sexual orientation and gender identity/expression), where the distinction is made between effeminate men and transwomen. In this format, transwomen make it clear that they are neither effeminate men nor bakla, but are women who are trans*.

  • In Japan, the medical term 'GID' (Gender Identity Disorder) has been adopted and used to diagnose MTF transwomen, FTM transmen and also 'X-jenda'. It is then easier for transpeople to come out to their families as it is a medical condition. The doctors would then advise their parents to not attempt to try to change the child into something they are not. 
So far there are no specific NGOs that are fighting for transwomen rights, probably because of the strong culture of conforming to gender stereotype. Most transwomen who have completed their transition live in stealth and are happy identifying only as women. In 2003 a law has passed that made it possible for transwomen and transmen to change their legal documents after their sex reassignment surgery. However, those who have transitioned after being married and having children cannot change their legal documents. Homosexual marriages are not allowed legally but there are some priests and other religious officials who offer special services for gay and lesbian people to be married.


  • In Malaysia, a majority of the Malay Muslim transwomen are not fluent or cannot converse at all in English. However, community leaders and activists spread the information about SOGI/E to the community through human rights workshops and trainings, and at community meetings. The Malay derogatory term used against transwomen is “pondan” or “bapok”, which is equivalent to “bakla” in Tagalog and “okama” in Japanese.







    The more where gender binary are enforced for example like a muslim country like malaisea and Catholic Christian country like in Philippines and also Japan, the higher the awareness in transwomen community to spread the knowledge about SOGIE, to tell the society that we're not crossdressers or transvestite which is only part time, but for transwomen we're going through what the medical term called GID (Gender Identity Disorder) or gender dysphoria, and intense hatred towards ones body because of the opposite inner feelings or the core that made the person a transgender person hence the separation from sexual orientation and gender identity. I've been through so suicidal phases in my earlier life and sadly my body went through make puberty and i felt i want to kill myself so badly. I even hold a knife in the kitchen wanted to cut the genital off. Nearly everyday, every night i cried in bed because there's no one to talk to and i wouldn 't imagine if i too, my life earlier i would't have this journey and be where i am at this moment.



    The more gender binaries are enforced in Japan, Malaysia and the Philippines, the higher the awareness that exists in transwomen communities about SOGI/E; and these communities feel a greater need to highlight to their societies the differences between sexual orientation and gender identity, and to differentiate ourselves from crossdressers or transvestites. This is because while crossdressers and transvestites practice a form of gender expression, transsexuals experience an altogether different gender identity – which is coined in the DSM-IV-TR as Gender Identity Disorder. The more current medical term, which is found in the DSM-V as Gender Dysphoria, describes an intense hatred towards a certain part or all characteristics of the assigned gender that are incongruent with the experienced gender. Taking myself as an example, I have experienced many suicidal phases in my life due to Gender Dysphoria, especially after going through puberty. I have even held a kitchen knife intending to cut my genitals off as I could not accept that I had to live with something that feels so alien to me.


    • What I have learned from the Philippines and Japan in terms of trans* and wider LGBT movements is that both these countries have had a long history of queer people which is documented in movements, written records, oral histories and stories. These movements usually begin as a singular entity, then branch out into other organisations or groups as it reaches maturity in having different ideologies and positions on matters.

    • For examples in the Philippines, transwomen only had a single group called STRAP. Many other groups later formed like Ganda Filipina, ATP (Association of Transsexuals in the Philippines), Colors and Transpinay. Even transmen communities have branched out into a few groups. These communities are there to cater to the same interests of its members, job opportunities and giving out information about their rights as citizens of the Philippines. The trans* movement in the Philippines seems to be very strong because it has a stronger union movement compared to Malaysia and Japan.

    • Transwomen in Malaysia are divided by race, class or socioeconomic status, interests, looks and experience of transitioning. It is hard to tackle the various problems as we are not as united as the transwomen in the Philippines. It is especially hard when in Malaysia, Malays and Muslims tend to feel more superior than the other races as they are considered the Bumiputera, or the Sons of the Soil and are accorded more benefits compared to the other “immigrant” races. As such, Malay transwomen tend to feel the same way and only feel comfortable being around other Malay transwomen. Ironically, the Syariah law, which prosecutes any Muslim transwoman for supposedly being a man dressed in women’s clothes, is implemented by these same so-called “champions” of the “superiority” of the Malay race. Another hurdle is also the moral policing and peer pressure within the trans* groups in Malaysia, preventing members from questioning issues about religion and politics as they are seen to be “sensitive topics”

    • The similarities between Philippines and Japan is that the people there are not afraid to protest or have open demonstrations for whatever reason. From what I see, it is more prevalent in Japan where many issues are protested daily. One such example is the “Genpatsu” protest, which protests nuclear plants, which happens every Friday outside the Gokkaigijidomae train station, by the roadside and at the National Diet Building.

    • I cannot help but to feel jealous as the sexual orientation and gender identity minority histories of Japan and the Philippines have paved the way for them to be where they are at now, and how this is not reflected in Malaysia despite our own rich heritage of gender and sexual fluidity – which has been lost beginning from the oppression of our British colonisers who tried to enforce their Victorian morality on us, to the current vigorous Islamicisation by our government which tries to enforce more and more radical and conservative Muslim values on our society. However sexual and gender minorities in the Japan and the Philippines, despite their repressive religious majorities, still manage to defend their existence and live proudly in society.