Panty Party

Roberta Angela Dee, contributing author at TGGuide.com

Panty Party

Panty Party By Roberta Angela Dee

Panty Party By Roberta Angela Dee, contributing author at TGGuide.com and pioneering transgender activist.In one sense, it took considerable courage. They were, however, tired of the loneliness of cross-dressing, of parading under the cover of darkness as though they were inherently evil creatures.

They had grown proud of their ability to master the feminine arts, and they want to celebrate. They wanted to have a party — a panty party.

Each had met on-line or through the classifieds but had never met face-to-face. So, when Linda suggested that they put on a lingerie show, there was much to consider. None wanted to risk having their secret life revealed. So, there would have to be precautions, and the party would need to account for their varying needs for privacy.

She too had a need to maintain her secret

Linda promised to make all the arrangements. She too had a need to maintain her secret. She too had a wife and children who would react negatively to discovering that hubby or daddy cross-dressed.

Still, they all agreed that it was time to put the skills they had developed as women to a practical test — a lingerie fashion show to display just how feminine they could look and move, how well they could each sashay in high heels, flutter their lashes, and prance about so fashion model sweetly.

A date was set and money for a hotel suite was collected. There would be a select audience of women who had a professional interest in how women looked. They were hair stylists, clothing designers, and seamstresses. A few had even worked as models. So they would not only enjoy the show but would also be able to critique each performer from a professional perspective.

Finally, the time arrived for the six women to put on the show. They had each fabricated an elaborate excuse as to why they needed to be away from home that evening. Food and beverages had been pre-arranged, and whether or not the show succeeded, a pleasant time was guaranteed for all.

It was difficult to tell which group was most excited

The hotel suite was more than sufficient to accommodate the six models and their ten guests. As the room filled, it was difficult to tell which group was most excited — the guests or the models. Everyone was laughing, speculating and chattering happily as preparations for the show continued. Then, finally, Alexandria, announced the start of the show, and introduced the first model.

Alexandria sashayed into the area of the living room reserved for the models. She wore a lovely panty and bra set designed by Aubade, one of the finer designers of exquisite lingerie.

Alexandria also wore a gaff, so as to display no hint of her masculine appendage. Her padded bra provided a modest hint of cleavage; and for the first time in her life, she felt proud to look like a woman. The guests were very much impressed but naturally wondered where she had hidden her male part.

Cindy followed Alexandria, and wore a white lacey bra, panty and garter set with silk hose. She received an immediate applause from the guests. And some of the guest openly commented that they envied her physique. “I wish I were so thin,” one guest was heard to say.

The entire show lasted no more than 45 minutes.

Still, it was one of the most well presented and exciting shows any of the guests had seen in quite some time.

As the models dressed and mingled with the guests, it was impossible to distinguish the genetic females from the cross-dressers. The demeanor and ambiance was clearly all female. There was no discussion of cross-dressing or anything other than the usual conversations that women enjoy while in the company of other women.

The six models were a little sad when their guest departed. For four hours, they really felt like women and were not placed in a situation that made them either fearful or ashamed. Linda commented, “I can’t recall ever being dressed without my heart pounding in my chest as though I was about to have a heart attack.”

The other girls expressed similar sentiments and promised to have other shows.

Back into their male attire

By one o’clock that morning, each of the six girls had changed back into their male attire. They would return to their respective homes and resume their roles as husbands and fathers. However, the magic of the evening hadn’t quite ended. They hugged each other as they left the hotel. For that one night, they didn’t care who saw them or what conclusions might be reached about men hugging in the lobby of a motel. They had entered as sisters and would depart as sisters. Nothing else mattered.

More by Roberta Angela Dee

Prejudice and Gender

The Transgender Guide Site Links:


Roberta Angela Dee, Journalist & Trans Activist

Roberta Angela Dee was an early advocate for the African-American transgender community.Panty Party was written by Roberta Angela Dee for publication on TGGuide.com. © All rights are reserved.

Roberta Angela Dee (October 31, 1950–March 13, 2003) was an American author, transgender rights activist and frequent contributor to TGGuide.com. Roberta was born in Brooklyn, New York, grew up in Long Island, and lived in Atlanta before settling in Augusta, Georgia. She had a journalism degree. Her writing was published widely, and she was founder of the Women on the Net (WON) website, an early online resource for women of color.

See Roberta Angela Dee’s bio page.

Cross Dressed Christmas

Roberta Angela Dee, contributing author at TGGuide.com

Cross Dressed Christmas

Cross Dressed Christmas By Roberta Angela Dee

Cross Dressed Christmas By Roberta Angela Dee, professional transgender journalist.When Mel moved into the apartment complex, the first tenant he noticed was a tall, slender African American woman by the name of Elaine Taylor. The 33-year-old Jewish man had never paid much attention to African American women. However, there was something very distinctive about Elaine. He noticed the many ways she differed from the typical modern woman and he liked those differences.

Mel’s interest did not go unnoticed. He always made a point to greet her whenever she would arrive home from her job at the library, and she noticed through the corner of her eye — in the manner that women often notice things — how he looked at her.

Differences between Mel and Elaine

There were also differences between Mel and Elaine. Some of the differences were obvious. Elaine was tall, very slender, and always very neatly dressed and groomed. She exemplified the care and concern women were expected to display before the feminist movement took its cultural hold. Mel was shorter and somewhat portly. It was all the more reason he very much appreciated a woman willing to adhere to earlier standards of femininity.

Months passed. Mel continued to greet Elaine as always but had never summoned the courage to solicit a conversation; and Elaine, not wishing to be uncharacteristically forward, respected his shyness.

He paced nervously

However, one evening, shortly after the Thanksgiving holiday, he found himself discussing Elaine with one of his few friends. He paced nervously while he talked about her.

“I don’t know what to say,” he began. “She’s black. I’m white. She’s Christian. I’m a Jew. She’s beautiful. I’m average.”

“All right,” Samuel interrupted. I get the picture.”

Samuel worked with Mel at a popular bookstore. They were both managers. Samuel was also Jewish and in his mid-thirties. Unlike Mel, Samuel had been married for slightly more than five years, and had two children — a boy and a girl.

“Just start out with casual conversation,” Samuel suggested. “Mention that you’ve noticed her and that you’re curious as to where she works. If she’s interested, she’ll take it from there.”

“Yea, but what if she’s as shy as me?

What if she gives me a one-word answer or if she tells me it’s none of my business? Then what’ll I do? This woman is gorgeous. I doubt she’ll even want to speak to me.”

“Well, she’s not speaking to you now. So, what have you got to lose? Anyway, you just want to encourage enough conversation to ask her out. It’s not as though you were asking her to marry you.”

“I would if I could,” Mel responded. “I would if I thought for even an instant that she would have me.”

“You don’t think that would create a problem with your family?” Samuel inquired.

“Oh, I know it would. It would probably create a problem with her family too. But I really don’t care. I think about this woman day and night.”

“Well, just take it slow, partner. Don’t rush into anything.”

Natural forces have a way of causing events. Mel’s desires caused him to overcome his shyness and to begin a discussion that eventually led to him asking her out on a date.

“Well, before I can accept your invitation, I need to tell you that I was born a male,” Elaine began nervously. I mean, I was born physically male. Mentally and emotionally, I’ve always been female; and that’s how I’m most comfortable.”

“Are you telling me that you’re a guy?” Mel inquired with a tone of voice that bordered surprise and disgust.

“No! That’s not what I’m telling you. I’m telling you that I was born physically male and emotionally female, and because I’m most comfortable as a woman, I’ve been living as a woman for the past 10 years.”

“But– but you have breasts!

You have breasts like a woman!”

“I’ve been taking female hormones for the past 10 years as well. So, yes, I have breasts. I have breasts like a woman because from my perspective I am a woman.”

“No, this can’t be happening to me,” he announced. “But if you’re a guy and I’m a guy, then for us to go out, we’d have to be queers. And I’m not a queer. So, I’m sorry. I don’t go that way. I mean, I’m straight. I’m not gay.”

Elaine stood quietly. She said nothing for a brief time but eventually said, “I’m sorry you think of me as being a guy. I had hoped you’d be able to see beneath my exterior and see the real me. If you’re unable to do that, then I’ll just have to accept your point of view.”

“It’s more than a point of view, Elaine,” he stated, firmly defending his position. “It’s a fact.”

“Well, we see the facts differently, Mel.

So, take care.”

“Take care,” Mel replied as though both his ego and his perception of reality had been shattered.

Mel continued to watch Elaine as she returned home from the library. He looked at her as he had never looked at her before, but he did not meet her outside the apartment building, nor outside his apartment door.

A week passed without an exchange between the two tenants. However, eight days after Elaine’s revelation, Mel met her as she was entering her apartment.

Sort of caught me totally by surprise

“Listen,” he began humbly, “I want to apologize for saying you were a man. You’re obviously not a man. At least not the way that I understand being a man. It’s just that you sort of caught me totally by surprise and I didn’t know how else to react.”

“It’s okay,” Elaine answered sweetly. “At least now you know. We’re still neighbors and if you like we can still be friends.”

“Yea, right,” Mel responded somberly.

“Take care, Mel,” she responded as she unlocked her apartment door and entered.

Mel stood there as though he was questioning whether he should have said anything at all. He was still looking like a man who had been hurt and a man confused by his hurt.

Another week passed without any interaction between Mel and Elaine. Then, once again, he met her.

“Hi, Elaine,” he started.

“You look rather nice today. Very pretty.”

“Thank you, Mel. I appreciate the compliment.”

“No problem.”

“Well, good night, Mel.”

“Okay. Goodnight, Elaine.”

Again, Elaine unlocked her apartment door and entered; and, again, Mel stood outside. This time, however, he was not content to return to his own apartment without saying something more to Elaine. He knocked at her door and waited patiently for her to answer.

Elaine opened the door just enough to see her guest. She kept the security chain bolted.

“Oh, Mel. Is there something you need?”

“Yes. I need to talk with you. May I come in?”

Elaine looked at him for a second or two and then said “all right.”

He entered and began talking as though he were confessing the sins of his life. Elaine listened attentively.

“Listen, Elaine. I have feelings for you that are stronger than I’ve ever had for a girl. If you’re a guy, then I must be Lady Di, and I’m not Lady Di. And, you’re no guy. So, I’d like to extend an invitation to take you out once again. We’re having a Christmas party at work, and I’d like you to attend as my guest. In fact, I’d be deeply honored if you would attend.”

“Have you thought about the possible consequences of dating someone that most people would assume to be a cross dresser?” she asked.

“Yes, I have. I’ve thought about a lot of things but I’m still asking you out.”

“Well, in that case, I accept.”

He was totally stunned

Elaine left work early on the evening of the occasion. She groomed and dressed like a young bride. And when Mel came over to pick her up, he was totally stunned. He showered her with compliments, and although there were some comments made at the party about an interracial couple and the possibility that Elaine was transgendered or transsexual. Most people didn’t seem to care. They had come to enjoy themselves and were happy to see everyone having a good time.

After the party, Mel drove directly back to the apartment. They were giggling and laughing all the way up the stairs and didn’t care who heard them at 2:00 AM in the morning.

They looked into each other’s eyes, and Mel said, “Thank you, Elaine, for a fantastic evening.

“Thank you,” Elaine responded.

“Why don’t you step in for a cup of coffee?”

“I’d be delighted,” he replied.

Mel celebrated Christmas that morning in a way he had never celebrated the holiday at any time in his past. Perhaps, they celebrated in a spirit that Christmas really ought to be celebrated, as a union of people who would normally stand apart because of artificial barriers. That morning, they were just a couple making love and enjoying each other’s company in the most intimate way.

“Was it as good for you as it was for me?” Mel asked.

“Merry Christmas,” Elaine replied. Merry Christmas to all.

The End

More by Roberta Angela Dee

Panty Party

The Transgender Guide Site Links:


Roberta Angela Dee, Journalist & Trans Activist

Roberta Angela Dee was an early advocate for the African-American transgender community.Cross Dressed Christmas was written by Roberta Angela Dee for publication on TGGuide.com. © All rights are reserved.

Roberta Angela Dee (October 31, 1950–March 13, 2003) was an American author, transgender rights activist and frequent contributor to TGGuide.com. Roberta was born in Brooklyn, New York, grew up in Long Island, and lived in Atlanta before settling in Augusta, Georgia. She had a journalism degree. Her writing was published widely, and she was founder of the Women on the Net (WON) website, an early online resource for women of color.

See Roberta Angela Dee’s bio page.

The Magic of a Girdle

Roberta Angela Dee, contributing author at TGGuide.com

The Magic of a Girdle

The Magic of a Girdle By Roberta Angela Dee

The Magic of a Girdle By Roberta Angela Dee, TGGuide.com author and trans activist.I was no more than a five-year-old, when I donned my first girdle. The garment belonged to my grandmother — a tall stout woman from the Caribbean island of St. Vincent. She wore her girdles religiously.

Girdles were not only worn for aesthetic reasons. They obviously lifted a woman’s derriere, trimmed her hips and thighs, narrowed her waist, and provided her with a more hourglass shape. However,the additional benefit was that women felt secure in these garments.

That feeling of being held

It was one thing to have a panty removed. It was quite a different matter to forcibly remove a girdle. Also, women like to feel held, as though they are in the arms of a powerful lover. A girdle helps provide that feeling of being held.

To my good fortune, my grandparents owned an apartment building in Brooklyn, New York. My parents rented a suite on the top floor of the building while saving for a home. Grandma and grandpa lived on the second floor. So, at least for a while, visiting my grandparents was a simple matter of walking down a flight of stairs.

During the week, my grandmother taught at a local elementary school. My grandfather attended to the apartment building.

I would transform myself…

I and my three sisters had free access to my grandparent’s apartment, but I was the grandchild most interested in browsing through my grandmother’s girdles and bras, wearing her lipstick, and spraying myself quite generously with her perfume. Each day I would select a girdle and bra, then lock myself in the bathroom across the hall. While inside, I would transform myself into a beautiful girdle-bound princess.

This had nothing to do with any fetish or anything that was of a sexually erotic nature. I was a child. Yet, even as a child, I knew that my body was not representative of what was going on in my mind. I wanted to be a girl. I identified with being a girl.

My desire to be a girl had nothing to do with homosexuality or any of the other labels that psychologists frequently assign to behaviors they fail to adequately understand. As girdles were used to shape women into lovelier and shapelier people, it was my hope that the garment along with the perfume would perform the same magic for me.

My secret practice was discovered

Understandably, it was not long before my secret practice was discovered. The heavy scent of perfume was readily noticed and led directly to the young culprit. My behavior was discouraged, not only because grandmother’s perfume was quite expensive (Chanel No. 5 being our favorite scent), but it was also discouraged because I was a young boy, or at least perceived to be a boy.

Mother did not wear a girdle. Consequently, when we moved to Long Island, I no longer had access to the garment for which I had developed such fondness. However, by the age of 10-years-old, I saved enough to buy three girdles — each from a Woolworth store not very far from my home.

Aromi, an American manufacturer, was my first purchase. It was an open bottom girdle with a very long tiny waist and four garters. Warners, another American manufacturer, produced the second girdle. The design was similar. It had the four garter clips but I remember that it had a tiny white bow in front that I simply adored.

I can’t recall how I acquired my third girdle

However, a manufacturer called Francine of France made it. Like the previous two, it was an open bottom girdle.

What most fascinated me about the girdle by Francine of France was that it was a pinkish color — not the typical white, and it had a beautifully decorative lace front. If anyone can recall this girdle, I would certainly appreciate a note via e-mail. I’ve not encountered any since my youth.

I eventually established myself as a “legal” female

At 25-years-old, immediately after graduating from college, I began taking female hormones, in order to live and work full-time as a woman. My first jobs were low paying clerical positions. However, I eventually established myself as a “legal” female and was able to use my degree to attain better paying positions as a technical writer.

Today, at the age of 50-years-old, I have successfully lived as a woman for 25 years, and previously lived with a gentleman as his wife, albeit common-law.

I’ve added corsets to my listing of favorite undergarments but still feel something wonderful when bound by a girdle. The open bottom types are far more difficult to find today. Rago and Crown manufacture those that I own. Although I’m five feet, eleven inches, and weigh only 155 pounds, I still love my girdles, and wear them whenever I’m not wearing a corset.

Some might consider these garments to be out-of-style or outdated. I, however, enjoy the sense of security they offer along with the heightened sense of femininity — not to mention how much they improve the look of my dresses. They remind me of a more romantic era for women. And isn’t it all about romance?

More by Roberta Angela Dee

Cross Dressed Christmas

The Transgender Guide Site Links:


Roberta Angela Dee, Journalist & Trans Activist

Roberta Angela Dee was an early advocate for the African-American transgender community.The Magic of a Girdle was written by Roberta Angela Dee for publication on TGGuide.com. © All rights are reserved.

Roberta Angela Dee (October 31, 1950–March 13, 2003) was an American author, transgender rights activist and frequent contributor to TGGuide.com. Roberta was born in Brooklyn, New York, grew up in Long Island, and lived in Atlanta before settling in Augusta, Georgia. She had a journalism degree. Her writing was published widely, and she was founder of the Women on the Net (WON) website, an early online resource for women of color.

See Roberta Angela Dee’s bio page.

The Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival

Roberta Angela Dee, contributing author at TGGuide.com

The Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival

The Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival By Roberta Angela Dee

The Michigan Womyn's Music Festival By Roberta Angela Dee, transgender rights journalist for TGGuide.com.An excerpt from the welcome page of the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival (August 10 – 15, 1999):

Michigan: … the incredible clear night skies.
A place to go to get your opinions stretched and your senses rocked.
A community of womyn. Freedom and safety. Diversity …

This article is an open letter to the lesbian community. I write it because it doesn’t seem that the lesbian community — at least as their community is represented through the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival — is very willing to stretch their opinions or open their minds. The fact is that there is very little diversity in an essentially homogenous crowd.

Overview: The Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival

Given the reputation that the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival has earned for excluding transgendered and transsexual women, it was no surprise that their exclusionary policy was not stated anywhere among the pages of their latest website. They also avoided using the phrase “woman-born woman” as had been used during previous festivals. The phrase “woman-born woman” was devised solely to exclude transsexuals, transgendered women, and cross-dressers.

The purpose of this article is to address a form of prejudice that has been prevalent for far too long among lesbians. It must be addressed because social biases do not disappear or dissolve by spontaneously. People have to take a stand and speak out against prejudice in all its varied forms.

Silence is not golden regarding matters of prejudice — whether it has to do with race, religion, sexual preference, or gender preference.

Some say that the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival has changed its policy against transsexuals, provided they are postoperative. It is my hope that this true. If true, it’s at least a beginning.

THE OPRESSED OPPRESSING THE OPPRESSED

It would seem that women who have suffered discrimination as a result of their sexual preference would be more compassionate towards women who have suffered discrimination because of their preference of gender. Unfortunately, this has not been the case. While boasting about a willingness to get their opinions “stretched,” little has changed within the lesbian community to improve their relationship with transgendered and transsexual women.

It is a case of the oppressed oppressing the oppressed.

Prejudice is prejudice. You can’t ridicule society for directing prejudices at your group while you direct identical prejudices towards another group. Prejudice is wrong. Bigotry is wrong. It’s not something that’s unjustified in one group but justifiable in another group. Bigotry is wrong wherever it exists.

LESBIAN LOGIC

The arguments from the lesbian community regarding transsexual or transgendered women can be identified as follows:

* Lesbians feel threatened by the penis because of childhood experiences;
* One cannot be anatomically male and psychologically female; and
* Neither transsexual, nor transgendered women can be socially conditioned to be women, partly because they have not, and cannot, share all of a woman’s experiences.

Argument One:

The first bulleted item suggests that the majority of lesbians have been raped or sexually abused as children; and, as a result of this negative sexual experience 1) became lesbian, and 2) developed a phobia of male genitalia.

Are these arguments reasonable or probable?

The first part of this argument suggests that an individual develops their sexual preference as a result of some prior sexual experience. If it were true that a negative sexual experience could cause an individual to become homosexual, then it would also follow that a positive sexual experience would cause an individual to become heterosexual.

Does bad sex lead to homosexual preferences and good sex leads to heterosexual preferences? Is this probable or reasonable? Or, is it more probable and reasonable to argue that sexual preference is predetermined?

A heterosexual would never argue that they were forced to become heterosexual because of a positive sexual experience with a member of the opposite sex. More importantly, there is no evidence that such is the case. Why then would anyone assume it is logical or reasonable to assume that a woman becomes a lesbian because she was sexually abused as a child or raped as an adolescent or as an adult?

The second part

The second part of the argument bears some credibility. The first part, however, bears little if any at all.

It is understandable that a young girl or woman, raped or sexually abused by a man, is likely to develop distrust and a degree of contempt for men who are sexual predators — possibly for all men. However, can we say that most transgendered or transsexual women are sexual predators? Do most even have the ability to sexually perform as men?

In the instance of a postoperative transsexual, there is no penis. Therefore, there is no source for aversion. As for preoperative male-to-female transsexuals and transgendered women, most often they make a very conscious attempt to conceal their male appendage. Additionally, prolonged use of female hormones, anti-androgens, or a combination of both, has already caused sterility and impotency. So, again, we are presented with a very poor argument — one that appears to be rooted either in prejudice or ignorance.

Some fears are simply irrational. Should we punish a segment of society because a few members of some other group suffers from irrational fears?

Argument Two:

The second bulleted item suggests that one cannot be anatomically male and psychologically female. This is not only a false assertion; it is also an assertion that is highly hypocritical.

What is a butch lesbian but an individual who is anatomically female, yet predisposed to exhibiting a more masculine than feminine demeanor? Some butch lesbians even wear a concealed prosthesis of the male appendage. It’s called packing. And in a community that supposedly fears the male appendage, it’s acceptable.

So there appears to be a selective comprehension of the fact that sex and gender are not always the same. Some lesbians even assert that they are neither male, nor female.

A lesbian might say that her gender is butch, or that she is male but not a man. Within the lesbian community, gender is afforded a wide variety of flexibility. It is only when someone is perceived as being outside the lesbian community that views on gender become so limited.

The fact of the matter is that sex and gender are not the always the same. A man can be more feminine than masculine, just as a woman can be more masculine than feminine. Sex is physical. Sex is the body. Gender is the mind. Gender is the heart, mind and soul.

Argument Three:

The third argument is rooted in the feminist “social construct” philosophy that asserts that society is the great mechanism that defines us and lays down the rules that tells us what to be. Today, the same teachers who once taught that all homosexuals were deviants, now teach the theory of a social construct as thought it were an indisputable fact.

The idea that anyone born male cannot understand what it means to be born female is absurd. Not every woman bears a child. Not ever woman menstruates. And aside from birthing and bleeding, what is so unique and incomprehensible about the experience of being a woman that no transgendered woman or transsexual woman could ever comprehend it?

This is typically the last great argument against the acceptance of transgendered or transsexual women. Not surprising, I’ve never heard or read anything that identifies the specific experience that makes it impossible to understand what it is to be a woman. It is always some vague and mystical idea that has yet to be made clear to anyone.

Yes, if you are a man and live as a man, it’s nearly impossible to understand much of what it means to be a woman. However, if you identify as a woman and live as a woman, it’s not all that difficult to comprehend what being a woman is all about.

After living as a woman for 24 years, I very much know how women feel about things: about cross dressers, transgendered women, transsexual women, a patriarchal society, male anatomy, and so on. I assure you, it’s not an incomprehensible mystery.

CONCLUSION

End prejudice! Stop bigotry!

That’s the beginning and end of my message: end prejudice and stop bigotry. It doesn’t work to say that prejudices directed at African Americans or Jews is unacceptable but prejudices directed at lesbians or disabled citizens is tolerable. As a society and as a nation, we must learn to recognize that all forms of prejudice and bigotry is unacceptable and that it should never be tolerated.

I’m certain that there are many lesbians who will say that they have no problem with transgendered or transsexual women. Well, if this is true, I would love to hear their voices. I would love to hear even a small part of the lesbian community vocalize that the exclusionary policy of the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival is wrong, and that all such polices are wrong. Silence is not golden regarding matters of prejudice — whether it has to do with race, religion, sexual preference, or gender preference.

A small percentage of transgendered and transsexual women say that they are accepted by the lesbian community and have experienced nothing that can be called exclusionary. Well, if this is true, speak out with your lesbian sisters. Silence is not golden regarding matters of prejudice — whether it has to do with race, religion, sexual preference, or gender preference.

The End

More by Roberta Angela Dee

The Magic of a Girdle

The Transgender Guide Site Links:


Roberta Angela Dee, Journalist & Trans Activist

Roberta Angela Dee was an early advocate for the African-American transgender community.The Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival was written by Roberta Angela Dee for publication on TGGuide.com. © All rights are reserved.

Roberta Angela Dee (October 31, 1950–March 13, 2003) was an American author, transgender rights activist and frequent contributor to TGGuide.com. Roberta was born in Brooklyn, New York, grew up in Long Island, and lived in Atlanta before settling in Augusta, Georgia. She had a journalism degree. Her writing was published widely, and she was founder of the Women on the Net (WON) website, an early online resource for women of color.

See Roberta Angela Dee’s bio page.

Men Trapped in Transsexual Bodies

Roberta Angela Dee, contributing author at TGGuide.com

Men Trapped in Transsexual Bodies

Men Trapped in Transsexual Bodies By Roberta Angela Dee

An introduction to gender in the year 2040:

WHEN EVERYONE BECAME TRANSSEXUAL

Men Trapped in Transsexual Bodies By Roberta Angela Dee, contributing author to TGGuide.comIn the year 2020, parents began reporting that children born since the year 2013 were all asking for a sex change operation. Scientists were baffled and could offer no logical explanation for the phenomenon. By the year 2040, it was made national law that every child would receive sex reassignment surgery upon reaching his or her fourteenth birthday. Transsexuality had become the norm.

It wasn’t even considered a rite of passage. It was just the way society had begun to work. At the age of 14 years, young men received sex reassignment surgery to become young women. The surgery included organ transplants from former females. This made it possible for the new women to conceive and have children. Former women became the fathers of these children.

Society adjusted to its new norm

Society adjusted to its new norm, until one day a young man by the name of Adam refused to undergo the surgical procedure. His parents were understandably confused by his behavior and took him to the eminent psychologist, Dr. Annie Lawson.

Dr. Lawson was a pudgy, middle aged woman. She kept a very soft-focused portrait of herself on her desk. The portrait captured a smile that was difficult to discern. In other words, one could not determine whether her smile was an indication that she was content or merely constipated. At best, it was ambiguous.

Adam was led into Dr. Lawson’s office and instructed to sit in the chair placed in front of the physician’s small desk. He seemed resigned to the fact that his behavior would be questioned. However, he showed no signs of being nervous or unsettled by the experience.

“Good afternoon, Adam.”

“Good afternoon, Dr. Lawson,” the boy replied.

Dr. Lawson smiled and, while fidgeting with some journals scattered about her desk, asked, “What’s this I hear about you not wanting to have sex reassignment surgery? Would you like to talk about it?”

“Not really,” Adam answered, while examining the office for items that might be of interest to a young boy.

Do you think it’s normal?

Apparently anticipating some resistance, Dr. Lawson revised her question. “Do you think it’s normal to be a 14 years old boy and not want to become a young woman?”

“It’s normal for me,” Adam answered. “I’m happy being a boy. I enjoy being a boy, and I really don’t see what all the fuss is about.”

“Well, the fuss is about your abnormal behavior, Adam,” Dr. Lawson replied. “You’re 14 years old, and obviously enjoy wearing boy’s clothes and parading yourself around like a young man.”

“Yea, I do. “Cause that’s what I am.”

“So, you’re telling me that in terms of your gender, you identify with being a male?” the doctor inquired.

“Yup! That’s what I’m telling you,” Adam replied, confidently. “What part don’t you understand?”

The doctor interpreted Adam’s tone as being condescending, arrogant, and disrespectful. She responded accordingly.

“I understand it all,” she said, obviously annoyed by the young man’s response. “You need to understand that I’m a psychologist, and a pretty good one. I probably know you better than you know yourself.

“That’s crap!” Adam responded.

“Crap?” Dr, Lawson shouted. “You think what I’m saying is crap? Well, let me show you something, young lady.”

“I’m not a young lady, Adam retorted. “I’m a guy, you silly old –”

“Now, you watch that tongue of yours, Adam,” the doctor interrupted. “I need to read something to you.”

The doctor rose from her seat and pulled a thick manual from the bookcase behind her desk. The cover read “DSM-VII” in huge red letters.

“Do you know what this is, Adam? Do you know what I’m holding in my hands?”

“A better question would be, ‘do I care?'” Adam replied.

“Whether you care, doesn’t matter,” Dr. Lawson replied, angrily. “What I’m holding is the bible of psychological diagnosis. I’m going to read something to you; and I want you to listen very carefully.”

GENDER DYSPHORIA IN THE YEAR 2040

Dr. Lawson flipped through the pages of the DSM-VII, eager to find the text that would explain Adam’s condition.

“Ah, here it is,” she announced. “This is the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistics Manual (DSM-VII).” Then, she read aloud:

“Gender dysphoria, stated as an obsession regarding the physical characteristics and social roles of one’s biological sex, is considered symptomatic of mental illness by the assumption that masculinity in males and femininity in females are pathological.”

“That’s your problem, young lady,” the doctor answered, sympathetically. “You’re obsessed with being a boy!”

I don’t have a problem, lady,” Adam answered, now frustrated and annoyed. “And, if you call me ‘young lady’ one more time, I’m gonna take that book and shove it right up your fat –”

“STOP!” the doctor shouted. “Any more language such as that and I’ll have you committed here and now.”

Adam muttered something but Dr. Lawson couldn’t hear.

“Now, I’ve looked through The DSM-V, VII and the DSM-VII, and I’ve concluded that you have a mental disorder as defined in those three manuals.”

Adam remained silent.

“I understand that you may be having a difficult time with this, Adam. However, I’m only trying to help you.”

“If you really want to help me, let me be a boy,” Adam replied.

“That’s not as easy as it sounds, Adam,” the doctor answered. “The medical profession has developed very well-researched standards that must be met for those who have a compulsion to retain their biological sex.”

“Not a problem,” Adam answered. “Just tell me what’s involved, doc’.”

“Well, you need to be formally diagnosed as having gender dysphoria — your obsession with being a boy that I talked about earlier. It takes about a year for a psychologist to make that determination. During that time you will also need to undergo what we call a real life test, or RLT.

“And what’s that?” Adam asked.

“What is RLT?”

“It means that you would have to live as a boy for a period of no less than one year. This will allow a highly trained psychologist to determine whether you can adjust, emotionally and socially, to the role that you prefer to hold in society.”

“Does that mean I get to keep my penis?” Adam asked, enthusiastically. “I’ve got a lot of plans for ‘Mr. Happy’ and I’d like to be able to follow through with those plans.”

Dr. Lawson glanced down at the young man’s crotch. She immediately understood Adam’s intentions.

“Well, you’ll be able to follow through with your plans, provided you’re approved for a state license to keep your name and your penis. At that time, you’ll be allowed to apply for legal status as a male.”

“So, are you gonna help me or what?” Adam asked.

Dr. Lawson looked at Adam for a while, then said, “I’ve been doing some research with a Dr. Blanco.”

A theory

She giggled, then continued. “I’m a big fan of Dr. Blanco. I think he’s kinda cute, if you know what I mean. Anyway, he has a theory about gender dysphoric males like you. Mind you, it is only a theory. But if Dr. Blanco believes it, then it must be true.”

“And what’s this theory that he’s got?” Adam asked.

“Well, it appears that there are two types of gender dysphoric males — androphilic and autoandrophilic. An androphilic dysphoric male is a male aroused by women. The autoandrophilic male is a male who is aroused by the idea of being a man. You appear to have attributes of both an androphilic man and an autoandrophilic man. You like women and you like being a man.”

“Yea, I’m a guy and I love doing the wild thing with pretty girls,” Adam responded. “Is that a problem?”

It just isn’t normal

“It just isn’t normal, Adam, ” Doctor Lawson replied. “Please, understand that the objective here is for us to make everyone as normal as possible.”

“Yea, well my objective is simply to be who I am,” Adam replied. “You see, doc’, I don’t really care a rat’s ass what you’ve got in your DSM-V, VI or VII. I know who I am and I know what I want to be.”

“I’m sick and tired of ass-hole psychologists attempting to reduce the complexity of my life to a word or two followed by one or two sentences. They used to do the same thing to homosexuals. They used to invent labels to convince people that gays were neurotic and perverse. Now, you’re attempting to do it to transgendered and transsexual human beings. AND I AIN’T BUYING IT!”

“I’m tired of spending my life being a label!”

CONCLUSION

Adam never returned to Dr. Lawson’s office. He graduated college and became a writer. For 30 years that followed, he wrote that people born transgendered or transsexual had the same right as those born heterosexual. As public resentment to the DSM-VII mounted, it was finally revised in the year 2065. The revision to the DSM-VII made it clear that the work of Blanco and Lawson had been the result of far too many cultural prejudices.

Within the next 5 years, federal legislation was passed providing anyone, who wanted to be identified by their biological sex, full legal protection. The requirements for a psychological examination, and a real life test, were eliminated.

Adam retired shortly afterwards with his wife — a woman who had refused to be changed into a man. They lived in a cabin in upstate New York, and were visited frequently by their children and grandchildren.

The End

More by Roberta Angela Dee

The Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival

The Transgender Guide Site Links:


Roberta Angela Dee, Journalist & Trans Activist

Roberta Angela Dee was an early advocate for the African-American transgender community.Men Trapped in Transsexual Bodies was written by Roberta Angela Dee for publication on TGGuide.com. © All rights are reserved.

Roberta Angela Dee (October 31, 1950–March 13, 2003) was an American author, transgender rights activist and frequent contributor to TGGuide.com. Roberta was born in Brooklyn, New York, grew up in Long Island, and lived in Atlanta before settling in Augusta, Georgia. She had a journalism degree. Her writing was published widely, and she was founder of the Women on the Net (WON) website, an early online resource for women of color.

See Roberta Angela Dee’s bio page.

What Does Transgendered Really Mean

Roberta Angela Dee, contributing author at TGGuide.com

What Does Transgendered Really Mean?

What Does Transgendered Really Mean? By Roberta Angela Dee

WHAT DOES TRANSGENDERED REALLY MEAN?

What Does Transgendered Really Mean? By Roberta Angela Dee, professional journalist and pioneering trans activist.Never make assumptions about a transgendered or transsexual man.

In the scientific community, it is easy to suggest that a transgendered man is simply the opposite of a transgendered woman. In other words, it is easy to say that a transgendered man is simply someone born anatomically female who wants to become a male.

What’s wrong with the word ‘transgendered’

I have never liked the word transgendered. I suppose I could wait for some distinguished scholar to write a thesis and explain why the word is inaccurate. However, that is likely to take another 10 or 15 years. Therefore, I will do it now.

When a young girl realizes that her feelings are more accurately identified with males than with females, she is beginning to define her gender. She is anatomically defined at birth as female, and it is assumed that she will identify with becoming a woman. However, if she does not identify with being a woman, then the scientists arrive with their labels.

If the scientific analysis is that she is “a man in a woman’s body,” they label her transsexual. If the scientific analysis is that she simply does not understand which gender she is supposed to be, then they label her transgendered, and suggest that she is suffering from a gender identity disorder, or from gender dysphoria.

Gender dysphoria

Of all these terms, “gender dysphoria” is my absolute favorite. Why? — Because it infers that she has a gender but that her gender is dysfunctional. This is so far removed from being scientific that it astounds me that anyone can even utter these words. How can gender ever be dysfunctional?

At this point, the psychologists, psychiatrists and sociologist explain that the phrase does solely apply to gender, but rather to the individual’s association with their gender — which, of course, I already understand. This being the case, the scientific community is suggesting that it is not the gender that is dysfunctional but rather the individual.

They call it “gender dysphoria” anyway, because you can do that when you really do not understand what it is you are talking about in the first place. What they are really saying is that the individual is dysfunctional.

Correct and incorrect terminology

In so far that these medical professionals have placed themselves in the very distinguished position of deciding whether or not an individual should or can have surgery to become functional, we should at least expect them to be able to use correct terminology. We should, but we do not. Instead, we use their inaccurate terminology and then prance around as though we are enlightened and informed, when in fact we are misinformed.

Anyway, we still have this dysfunctional young woman. So, my next question is: What is her dysfunction?

It is a fair question. Is it not? If an individual is dysfunctional, he or she should have a dysfunction.

Well, the doctor says, “Her dysfunction is established by the fact that she is anatomically female and is unable to socialize as a normal female. That is her dysfunction. Is this not correct?”

Confusing anatomy with gender

No, my distinguished colleague, that is not correct. It is true that he is anatomically female. However, he is not able to socialize as a normal female because he is a male. You confuse anatomy with gender. That is your misunderstanding, not his. The only problem or dysfunction this individual has is with getting the scientific community to distinguish between sex and gender, and educating the public to be able to make the same distinctions.

The problem is not with the individual. The problem is with the scientific community, and with society.

Another problem is that this individual must pay a psychologist $75 dollars an hour, for a year, merely to be misinformed. That, however, is another issue.

DOES GENDER ALWAYS FOLLOW ANATOMY?

Gender does not always follow anatomy.

We all know men who are more “feminine” than some women, and women who are more “masculine” than some men. Are they dysfunctional? No Why not? — Because society does not regard their behavior as being so outlandish as to want to subject the individual to its cultural prejudices. It only becomes a problem when “Judy” says, “I’m a man and I want to be treated and respected as a man.”

What must Judy do to function as a man in society? Judy simply needs to be Judy.

Judy can do anything any man does, except to father a child. However, if a man is sterile, is he considered less a man? Does society say, he cannot be a man because he has not fathered a child?

TRANSGENDERED LESBIANS

Another source of confusion within the study of gender, as well as within the gender community, is that a number of different meanings are assigned to the same word — that word being transgendered. It’s like using the word red to mean blue, green, gray, and sometimes red.

Transgendered-1

The original meaning was introduced to the gender community by Virginia Prince, perhaps around 1958. Virginia had taken female hormones, had fully developed feminine breasts, and wore woman’s attire. Still, Virginia stated he was a man. He did not profess to be a woman, and distinguished himself from a transvestite or cross dresser, because he did not dress for the mere enjoyment of cross-dressing but because he felt more comfortable projecting the image of a female. Therefore, the first definition can be stated as: an individual of one sex that is more comfortable living as a member of the opposite sex and who may take hormones to facilitate that effort, but refers to himself or herself according to their anatomical sex.

Transgendered-2

Later, the word transgendered was used to refer to an individual who was transsexual but did not wish to have sex reassignment surgery (SRS), less formally known as a sex change operation. This is the classic “woman in a man’s body” or “man in a woman’s body.”

The word almost immediately created problems, because individuals did not believe they were “crossing” from one gender to another, as the word suggests. They understood that their sex was different from their gender. However, as a person, they identified with their mind more than their body.

Therefore, the second definition can be stated as: an individual of one sex that is more comfortable living as a member of the opposite sex and who may take hormones to facilitate that effort, and refers to himself or herself according to their preferred gender. Such individuals do not desire sex reassignment surgery (SRS).

Transgendered-3

Within the lesbian community, the word transgendered has yet another definition. Here the word is used to refer to a woman who is masculine in terms of dress and mannerisms and identifies as male, but does not regard himself to be a man. Some prefer to say that there gender is neither male, nor female. They prefer to say their gender is butch. This definition contains elements of the two previous definitions, but is different in what it says about the individual and about gender.

Nonoperative Transsexual

Some individuals, to avoid using the word transgendered, refer to themselves as nonoperative transsexuals. In this case, nonoperative is used to indicate that the individual has no desire to have sex reassignment surgery. It’s an awkward phrase because it’s a contradiction. Transsexual seek surgery – a sex change operation. So what sense does it make to be a nonoperative transsexual.

Transsexual Lesbian

About 10 years ago, I wrote a novella for Reluctant Press, titled, Roberta Angela Dee: Transsexual Lesbian. It was a story about a transgendered woman who becomes a sort of concubine to two lesbians. The phrase “transsexual lesbian” later became quite popular. It continues to be used by male-to-female transsexuals who have a sexual preference for women. More importantly, at least to me, the novella continues to be a good seller.

Whether one agrees with all or none of these definitions, or accepts some while rejecting others, the underlying condition is the same for each case. The underlying condition is that an individual’s anatomical sex conflicts, to varying degrees, with their preferred gender — the gender with which they identify.

The word transgender suggests changing gender

Again, the problem with the word transgender is that it suggests changing one’s gender. These individuals have no desire to change their gender. Their sole wish is to be accepted by society in accordance with their gender preference. They are not dysfunctional, except as far as society imposes restrictions or limitation on their lives.

The legal criteria for a man to be have status as a woman is that they alter their genitalia. The logic stems from Christine Jorgenson’s statement that she was “a woman in a man’s body” and had gone to Sweden to have a sex change operation. From that day to this, the criteria has been to have surgery.

The medical profession readily accepted the idea that for a man to become a woman, a surgeon must surgically alter his anatomy. And why not? Few surgical teams would turn their noses at a $12,000 dollar operation, not including subsequent office visits. Psychologists and psychiatrists also benefit through $75 dollar-per-hour visits for a period of one year.

The “logic” here is that a surgeon does not want to perform an irreversible procedure and find himself or herself being sued by the patient at a later date. So, he or she calls in a psychologist. Why not call in a guru, an ancient culture priest, or a Tarot card reader?

Frankly, I have more faith in the I Ching or Tarot cards than the DSM-IV — the so-called diagnostic bible for psychologists. Why don’t we tell women that before they can have breast implants, they must live for one year wearing a stuffed larger bra, and undergo a psychiatric examination. Why not? Because women would not stand for it.

TRANSMAN

Now what does all of this have to do with transmen?

This entire essay is about our need to reevaluate how we look at gender, how we look at transsexuals, and how we look at the medical profession.

There’s a reason why transsexual so often appear on television talk shows. They project the idea that being transgendered or transsexual is somehow deviant and dysfunctional. Frankly, I’ve grown tired of that image.

Female-to-male transsexuals

Female-to-male transsexuals, and female-to-male transgendered men are not simply “the opposite” of male-to-female transsexuals and transgenderd women. And here lies another problem: If the legal solution for allowing a man to become a woman through a surgical procedure, what it the legal solution for a woman who wants to be legally recognized as a man? Is it constitutionally acceptable to require men to have surgery but not women?

The law confuses sex and gender. The law fails to understand that an individual can be a woman although she is anatomically male.

The law also fails to understand that gender is not always restricted to 100% male or 100% female. A man can be 75% male and 25% female, in terms of gender.

Variations of male and female

Lesbians seem, for whatever reason, to have grasped this idea long before the professionals. Some lesbians not only recognize that an individual can be variations of male and female, but that an individual can be some combination that is neither male or female. Some lesbians recognize “butch” and “femme” as genders.

As I have said, the issues affecting transsexual and transgendered men are different from the issues affecting transsexual and transgendered women. Women who are anatomically male have different medical issues from women who are anatomically male. The transition into society as the preferred gender is also different. In other words, society looks differently at men who prefer to live as women than it does women who prefer to live as men.

The gender community has suffered a grave disservice by physicians who want to be praised as pioneers, by psychologist working from a handbook in serious need of a good editor, by talk show hosts, and by post-operative physicians with web pages.

I am a woman, in spite of the fact that I was born anatomically male. I am not a clown. I am not a freak. I am not dysfunctional.

The End

More by Roberta Angela Dee

Men Trapped in Transsexual Bodies

The Transgender Guide Site Links:


Roberta Angela Dee, Journalist & Trans Activist

Roberta Angela Dee was an early advocate for the African-American transgender community.What Does Transgendered Really Mean? This article was written by Roberta Angela Dee for publication on TGGuide.com. © All rights are reserved.

Roberta Angela Dee (October 31, 1950–March 13, 2003) was an American author, transgender rights activist and frequent contributor to TGGuide.com. Roberta was born in Brooklyn, New York, grew up in Long Island, and lived in Atlanta before settling in Augusta, Georgia. She had a journalism degree. Her writing was published widely, and she was founder of the Women on the Net (WON) website, an early online resource for women of color.

See Roberta Angela Dee’s bio page.

Asian Cross Dressers

Roberta Angela Dee, contributing author at TGGuide.com

Asian Cross Dressers

Asian Cross Dressers By Roberta Angela Dee, professional journalist Asian Cross Dressers By Roberta Angela Dee

Within the steel and glass temple to technology known as Manhattan, there are orchids and trees. There are flowers and people who whisper in foreign tongues — languages that are foreign, at least to me. To my rear, I hear such a whisper, while I stand near a corner on a busy New York City street.

I wear a low-cut fuchsia Lycra dress. It attracts approving stares from white-collared businessmen with 5-o’clock shadows, and disapproving glances from other women. C’est la vie. Such is life.

The men examine the shape of my derriere — an icon of feminine form. A certain kind of lust is evident in their eyes, and their eyes say far more than they would dare to speak aloud.

You — pretty lady

“You — pretty lady,” I hear someone say. The voice is mature, female, and carries a heavy Asian accent. I turn to see an elderly Korean shopkeeper. She is a woman who sells fruits and vegetables to provide for herself.

“You — pretty lady,” she says, again. “Many men notice you.”

“You’re very kind,” I reply. “Thank you.”

“You — tall,” she says. “What you are? Six feet?”

“Close enough. I’m five-feet, eleven inches. Almost six feet.”

Men like the women with long legs

“You taller than a lot of men,” she says. “But men — they like the women with the long legs! Long legs like you.”

The woman makes me laugh. It is so refreshing to be able to have a discussion with another woman that has nothing to do with cross-dressing or with being transgendered. I look like a woman, and she is satisfied that I am a woman.

“You have man to take care of you?” she asks.

“No. I’m afraid not. There’s no one taking care of me.”

“You look good. Wear tight dress and look pretty,” she replied. “A man will find you.”

Another woman who stops to examine the grapefruit distracts her. They discuss the quality of her produce. Within a short time, she has made a sale consisting of some grapefruit and a bunch of bananas.

I wonder whether the woman thinks that I am standing on the corner to attract men, or merely to wait on a friend. If she knew, would it matter?

Friction between African Americans, and Asians

There have been reports, mostly through American media, that friction exists between African Americans, and Asians. Media, however, tends to make exaggerated claims. And it’s perhaps why many people no longer trust the Media. As Americans, we enjoy freedom of the press. It’s unfortunate the privilege is so often abused by those who control it.

My own experience with Asians is that they are a beautiful people. However, there is often a certain degree of friction between different cultures, until they get to know each other. Eventually, an understanding develops. After all, we are all people. We are all human beings.

“I have a daughter now. She like you,” the shopkeeper said. “She born a boy with the heart of a girl. Now she a girl. Now she my daughter.”

I was surprised at how accepting this woman was towards her transgendered daughter. How much better the world would be, if more people were like this old Asian woman. Why must we hate or dismiss people solely because they are not like the majority. We should praise what is rare. We should cherish what is rare, the same way we cherish natural pearls.

“Did you help her to become the woman she is today?” I asked.

Who we are comes from inside

“No. I cannot help anyone become a woman. Who we are comes from inside,” she replied. “I talk to her like a talk to my other daughter. My other daughter like me. But both are doing good. Both have good men.”

She laughs, perhaps at the thought that the woman she once loved as a boy has now succeeded as a woman. But it is happy laughter motivated by positive emotions. I laugh with her.

Tiger at the Gates

In 1957, Jean Giraudoux wrote, in “Tiger at the Gates,” “I have been a woman for fifty years, and I’ve never been able to discover precisely what I am.”

I believe that what Jean Giraudoux wrote is true for all of us.

Finally, a man did come along, but he was not the kind of man that the shopkeeper had wished for me, nor the kind of man I would wish for myself. Still, he was attractive enough and willing to buy me a drink.

He and I talked for a while. He explained his need to be discreet as though I had no such need. In any event, the evening was fruitful for each of us. He was rewarded sexually. I was rewarded financially. Some call it hustling or prostitution. I prefer to say it is a way for people to barter goods and services. Is that such a crime?

The End

More by Roberta Angela Dee

What Does Transgendered Really Mean

The Transgender Guide Site Links:


Roberta Angela Dee, Journalist & Trans Activist

Roberta Angela Dee was an early advocate for the African-American transgender community.Asian Cross Dressers was written by Roberta Angela Dee for publication on TGGuide.com. © All rights are reserved.

Roberta Angela Dee (October 31, 1950–March 13, 2003) was an American author, transgender rights activist and frequent contributor to TGGuide.com. Roberta was born in Brooklyn, New York, grew up in Long Island, and lived in Atlanta before settling in Augusta, Georgia. She had a journalism degree. Her writing was published widely, and she was founder of the Women on the Net (WON) website, an early online resource for women of color.

See Roberta Angela Dee’s bio page.

The Myth of Autogynephilia

Roberta Angela Dee, contributing author at TGGuide.com

The Myth of Autogynephilia

The Myth of Autogynephilia By Roberta Angela Dee, professional journalist, pioneering transgender activist and contributing author for TGGuide.com.The Myth of Autogynephilia By Roberta Angela Dee

Abstract
Introduction
Cultural Diversity
Gender Dysphoria
Conclusion

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this paper is twofold:
1. To address the absence of cultural diversity in Western psychology; and
2. To address the cultural biases adversely affecting any interpretation of so-called gender dysphoria within the transgendered and transsexual communities.

INTRODUCTION

Each of us is at risk at losing our intrinsic value as human beings when anyone attempts to define who we are on the basis of his or her own prejudices or biased information. Shoddy research has consequences. Casual use of terms like gender identity disorder, gender dysphoria, and autogynephilia can create negative conditions and images for entire communities. Unless these communities speak out against such stereotypes and disinformation, the ruling culture will continue to be transphobic as the term applies to cross dressers, and as it applies to gender-defined or transsexual men and women.

CULTURAL DIVERSITY

Anne Lawrence, M.D., a post-operative anesthesiologist, frequently cites Ray Blanchard’s writings on autogynephilia. Ms. Lawrence even credits Blanchard with inventing the term autogynephilia that he defines as “the propensity to be sexually aroused by the thought or image of oneself as a woman.”

Ray Blanchard, a clinical psychologist at the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry in Toronto, hypothesizes that there are two fundamentally different types of gender dysphoric males: those who are exclusively or almost exclusively aroused by men (androphilic), and those who are aroused by the idea of being women (autogynephilic).

Failure to distinguish between sex and gender

In attempting to create a correlation between androphilic and autogynephilic behavior, Blanchard fails to distinguish between sex and gender. Such oversight is excusable among the lay public. However, it is inexcusable for any scientist or researcher. Androphilic behavior has to do with sexual preference. Autogynephilic behavior has to do with gender preference. How can anyone present a study on gender and fail to understand the difference between sex and gender?

Ironically, Anne Lawrence fails to see this as a problem. In fact, Lawrence physician embraces the idea and later elaborates on it in subsequent articles.

Absence of cultural diversity

This disturbs me. However, what disturbs me even more is the total absence of cultural diversity in any of the research by Blanchard, and any of the writings by Lawrence. They both seem to live in a world where everyone is subject to Anglo Saxon norms. No other cultures exist. Furthermore, neither the doctor, nor the researcher seem capable of acknowledging that what might be gender dysphoric in one culture might be totally acceptable in another.

This is not solely symptomatic to studies on autogynephilia. It is symptomatic of psychology.

A recent study demonstrated that physicians, when examining African American men with the same heart condition as Caucasian men, significantly prescribed less aggressive treatment for African American men. The study confirmed a belief held within minority communities for decades.

Sample size

Let us assume that the transsexual community in the United States consists of one-tenth of one percent of the population. This would suggest that there are 270,000 individuals in the country who would either want to change their sex, or want to live as a member of the opposite sex. It is obviously a small percentage of the population. Still, Blanchard’s study only examines 200 alleged transsexuals. This amounts to only 7.407e-4 of the total population. It is far too small a sample from which to draw any meaningful conclusions as to human behavior, even if the study were to be limited to one culture and one ethnicity.

It is impossible to respect any research that draws global conclusion as to the human condition but only examines one portion of it. Both Blanchard and Lawrence also fail to acknowledge cultural biases that exist both within the sampled population and the researchers themselves.

Thus far, none of the studies pertaining to autogynephilia or androphilia have even made as much as a modest attempt to be cross-cultural. Each assumes that European culture and values are applicable to all cultures.

GENDER DYSPHORIA

What is dysphoria? What does it mean?

The dictionary defines dysphoria as “an abnormal feeling of anxiety.” Gender dysphoria is as one might imagine a feeling of anxiety about one’s gender.

Gender Identity Disorder in the DSM – IV

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual – 4th Edition (DSM – IV) pertaining to transgendered behavior, as published by the American Psychiatric Association, speaks mostly of gender identity disorder. Gender dysphoria is defined as a person with a persistent discomfort with gender role or identity. The definition also suggests that such individuals have difficulty or find it impossible to function normally in society. I am certain that this would be quite a revelation to the tens of thousands transgendered or transsexual men and women who have been functioning in society all their lives.

As far as gender, the DSM-IV is filled with contradictions, prejudicial statements and comments that are simply absurd. For example, according to the DSM-IV definition for gender identity disorder, the average heterosexual man who walks into a room filled with women, and feels a degree of discomfort with being the only man in the room, may be said to momentarily suffer a gender identity disorder. This is nonsense. And,without a means to measure discomfort, the phrase serves little if any clinical purpose.

Every transsexual, whether male-to-female or female-to-male, is said to be gender dysphoric. Yet, as even Lawrence suggests in some articles, transsexuals raise families and parent children. In fact, the overwhelming majority of transsexuals function and succeed socially, in spite of their often secret desire to be a member of the opposite sex.

What is dysphoria?

With this in mind, one must again ask, “What is dysphoria? What does it mean?”

Blanchard and Lawrence use the phrase gender dysphoria almost indiscriminately. They use the phrase as though it defines something specific and measurable, but it does not. They use the phrase without regard for the cultural values that might affect the degree to which and individual adversely suffers a gender identity disorder, if he or she can be said to suffer at all.

CONCLUSION

In what appears to be a rush for some physicians to validate themselves as psychologists, and for some psychologists to validate themselves as scientists, some otherwise intelligent people seem to have forgotten the complexity of the human spirit. The validity of their so-called discoveries must be questioned, as well as their methods.

What clever word or phrase do we use to describe the man who strongly desires to be a woman but resolves himself to cross dressing for the sake of his spouse and possibly his children? Isn’t all the hype about autogynephilia little more than the varying degrees of euphoria any of us can have when we imagine a better life?

Gender delusional rather than gender dysphoric

Can anyone of us imagine that an individual would undergo sex reassignment surgery (SRS) simply because he or she has had a sexual fantasy of what it might be like to live as the opposite gender? I would think we would call such an individual gender delusional rather than gender dysphoric.

As for my own prejudices, I must confess to my not having been very much impressed with Dr. Lawrence’s methods of presenting transsexuals to the world. It is certainly the doctor’s right to employ any method acceptable to the doctor’s conscience. In most instances, it’s a matter of taste. And I can suffice it to say that we have different tastes as far as our presentation of topics concerning gender. Still, of all the doctor’s allegedly academic or scientific exploits, this preoccupation with autogynephilia has impressed me least of all.

We people who must live beyond the typical assumptions that “boys have a penis” and “girls have a vagina” deserve considerably more respect than afforded to us through either Lawrence or Blanchard.

The End

More by Roberta Angela Dee

Asian Cross Dressers

The Transgender Guide Site Links:


Roberta Angela Dee, Journalist & Trans Activist

Roberta Angela Dee was an early advocate for the African-American transgender community.The Myth of Autogynephilia was written by Roberta Angela Dee for publication on TGGuide.com. © All rights are reserved.

Roberta Angela Dee (October 31, 1950–March 13, 2003) was an American author, transgender rights activist and frequent contributor to TGGuide.com. Roberta was born in Brooklyn, New York, grew up in Long Island, and lived in Atlanta before settling in Augusta, Georgia. She had a journalism degree. Her writing was published widely, and she was founder of the Women on the Net (WON) website, an early online resource for women of color.

See Roberta Angela Dee’s bio page.

Virginity

Roberta Angela Dee, contributing author at TGGuide.com

Virginity

Flowers of Every Kind By Roberta Angela Dee, professional journalist and TGGuide authorVirginity By Roberta Angela Dee

Then words shall try
That long preserved virginity,
And into your quaint honor turn to dust,
And into the ashes all my lust.
— Andrew Marvell

Losing their virginity

We live in an age where female children are losing their virginity. Little girls, too young to have outgrown playing with dolls, have been sexual abused by incorrigible men.

Our culture is riddled with images and inferences to the sex act. It can almost be said that we are preoccupied with sex, or obsessed with it. Children often do little more than mimic our obsessions.

A different culture, a different time

Growing up, things were different for me. My generation grew out of a different culture, a different time. There was a protocol to sex, and even the most deviant among us recognized that protocol.

Sexually, I was quite timid. More so, because I was a gender-defined girl, deeply ashamed of the part of my body recognized to be male. I was morbidly ashamed of my penis and absence of breasts. It was not until I had reached 25-years of age, that I even considered having sex with a man.

My fantasies about sex consisted of nothing more than walking along the beach, sitting together in the moonlight, holding hands, or kissing on the lips. They were never explicit, nor did they need to be. I was Cinderella amoured by my private image of Prince Charming.

Like most of the girls of my generation, sex was coupled to the idea of being married; and being married was coupled to the idea of a beautiful and elaborate wedding ceremony. To think of sex in any other way would be to deem oneself a whore or a slut.

Love has a way of changing or perceptions

Fortunately or unfortunately, love has a way of changing or perceptions.

When I met Charles, I fell in love. He was everything I’d imagine Prince Charming to be: tall and muscular with broad shoulders and a broad back, and strong. I was confident that he could protect me and keep me safe from a world that thought being a gender-defined woman was akin to being a pervert. Charles was my king. He was my savior.

Like most women in love, I saw what I wanted to see; and when Charles promised to marry me and pay for a sex change operation, I found myself on the proverbial cloud nine. I floated from day to day, never touching the ground, nor pausing to check in with reality. I was in love!

Reason is poison

A woman in love is void of reason. Reason is poison to the man or woman in love.

The evening that I first laid on his bed, I knew I would expose that which I had concealed my entire life. My heart fluttered like the wings of a butterfly, and my stomach seemed to know itself, as I watched him undress — bold, brazen and as beautiful as the perfected sculpturing of a Greek statue. And there, before me, flaccid yet huge, waited the instrument that would severe my virginity.

When I put my lips to the physical essence of his masculinity, all my past fears disappeared. The moment of truth had arrived and caused the room to spin like a gentle carousel. I felt lust stronger than my most intense hunger, and soon felt myself slipping into a trance. The room and all within the room vanished from my consciousness. There was nothing in the world save my lips and his manhood.

The fluid striking the room of my mouth came like a gift, like a present to be cherished on Christmas or a birthday. I devoured him dutifully, perhaps with the thought that it was some prerequisite to my becoming a bride. Later, after his strength had returned, he performed the task and took from me a girl’s first treasure. The event was less than I had fantasized but the joy was in having given this gift to the man I loved most dearly. That joy would later become my deepest disappointment.

A proposition

Charles convinced me that we could earn the $12,000 dollars need for sex reassignment surgery (SRS), if I were only to perform intimate favors for his friends. I was horrified, then only reluctant. If, after all, there would be a wedding, then my collecting the paltry of $30 dollars from each client would be worth the sacrifice.

The sacrifice, however, was far more than physical. It drained me of my self-respect and self-esteem. I drank profusely and was often on the verge of passing out during the daily encounters that lasted for a year. But at the end of the year, I had earned the money — all $12,000 dollars of it.

The betrayal

I quickly asked to see the passbook savings book, but Charles hesitated. At my insistence, he eventually told me that the money had been used to pay for his new sports car and to buy expensive gifts for his other girl friends. The realization that I had sacrificed my greatest and most private treasure merely to be humiliated left me feeling as though my entire body had been slammed against a brick wall. I left him, immediately.

Repairing one’s confidence and self-esteem, however, can be the most arduous of journeys. I learned, painfully, that sometimes the treasure is of greater value than the gift of it.

The End

More by Roberta Angela Dee

The Myth of Autogynephilia

The Transgender Guide Site Links:


Roberta Angela Dee, Journalist & Trans Activist

Roberta Angela Dee was an early advocate for the African-American transgender community.Virginity was written by Roberta Angela Dee for publication on TGGuide.com. © All rights are reserved.

Roberta Angela Dee (October 31, 1950–March 13, 2003) was an American author, transgender rights activist and frequent contributor to TGGuide.com. Roberta was born in Brooklyn, New York, grew up in Long Island, and lived in Atlanta before settling in Augusta, Georgia. She had a journalism degree. Her writing was published widely, and she was founder of the Women on the Net (WON) website, an early online resource for women of color.

See Roberta Angela Dee’s bio page.

Flowers of Every Kind

Roberta Angela Dee, contributing author at TGGuide.com

Flowers of Every Kind

Flowers of Every Kind By Roberta Angela Dee

Flowers of Every Kind By Roberta Angela Dee, professional journalist and pioneering transgender activistIt’s April in Augusta. The azaleas are in full bloom, and travelers come from around the world to view The National Golf Tournament, better known as The Master’s. There’s the scent of a spring rain on its way. I observe the flight of the bumblebees, and couples sitting on park benches. Signs of love.

Winter’s clothes have been put away, wrapped in mothballs. Time for spring cleaning, airing out rooms and mattresses, washing windows and working up a sweat that’s been afraid to come out for fear it would turn to ice. It’s spring!

The dogwoods have blossomed too. There are chrysanthemums, begonias, blue salvias, gold rudbeckias, purple coneflowers, and flowers of every kind — as varied as the people native to Georgia.

Flowers merely blossom… never at war

Flowers have always intrigued me. For all the many varieties, they grow together, die together, and eventually decay together. They’re nothing like people. People fight because when they sense they’re different from someone else. Flowers merely blossom. They’re never at war.

I’m supposed meet with Lee-Sue today. She’s a male-to-female preoperative transsexual who fervently believes that if a man cuts off his penis, he somehow becomes a woman. “If you’re a woman, your anatomy doesn’t matter,” I say, hoping to convince her to revisit her reasons for sex reassignment surgery (SRS). “Nothing matters. Not what society thinks, or what the shrinks think. If you’re a woman in mind, heart, and soul, then that’s who you are. It’s what you are.”

Unfortunately, Lee-Sue has fallen prey to one of these Internet support newsgroups or mailing lists where transsexuals at varying levels of intelligence have convinced this poor child of God that hormones and cosmetic surgery can erase all the complexities of life as easily as a painter erases a mistake with a happy little stroke of a happy little paint brush.

It’s not that I have anything against people changing their sex, their underwear, or whatever else they want to change. In fact, I’m a fervent believer that people should use all that modern science has to offer, if it will make them happier or help them look a little better. It’s just that I don’t believe people should be duped into making decisions that could never come near to their expectations.

Misery loves company

Lord knows, misery loves company; and I’ve dealt with more than my fair share of pre-operative and post-operative bastards turned bitches to know what I’m talking about — quite a few of them looking like Samurai wrestlers wearing miniskirts.

To make matters worse, many of them have retained their masculine dispositions and are still perceived by most people as being male albeit penisless. For the rest of their lives, they’ll walk around labeled as transsexual, which is society’s way of saying you’re neither one, nor the other, sex.

The truth hurts, and I have a way of speaking the truth that gets on some people’s last nerve. Still, it’s what a writer does, especially one with a journalistic background.

Lee-Sue asks if calling myself transgendered is any different than being called transsexual. “Some people say that if you call yourself transgendered, it just means you’re not committed to changing your sex,” she comments.

I reply, saying, “And some people say that if you’re bisexual, you’re not faithfully heterosexual, nor homosexual. But, dugh, just what does bisexual mean? It means both. So, by definition, a bisexual person is one who can enjoy being intimate with a man or a woman. Faithfulness and sexual preference are two different issues. And as for my being transgendered, the word loses a lot of significance when you’ve lived a quarter-century as a woman. After a while, you just think of yourself as a woman, and you’re no longer trans-anything.”

I’ve tried to make a point, but I’m not certain that Lee-Sue gets it. She continues to stare out at the traffic, possibly imagining the day she’ll walk down Broad Street, surgically corrected.

All the labels

“All the labels — they can drive you crazy after a while: pre-operative, post-operative, transsexual, transgendered, stealth, passing, gender dysphoric, gender identity, male privilege, and on and on,” she says. “It’s like you can never be anything more than the sum total of all the labels that people stick on you.”

“Well, labels are what labels do,” I reply. “If you allow yourself to be defined by the labels that people put on you, then you’re destined to go crazy. I’m a woman. My self-definition works for me. People can call me whatever they like. I just live according to how I’ve defined myself.”

“I just want to put the surgery behind me,” Lee-Sue replies, almost apologetically. “I just want to move on with my life.”

“Well, I don’t blame you for that,” I answer. “I just hope the money, pain, and the risks leave you a happier and healthier human being. That’s my only concern as your friend.”

Lee-Sue nods approvingly.

I look at the island between the streets. Augusta is beautiful in the Spring. All the flowers — flowers of every type, size, shape and color. I love the harmony and often wish people could live together with the same sense of harmony.

The End

More by Roberta Angela Dee

Virginity

The Transgender Guide Site Links:


Roberta Angela Dee, Journalist & Trans Activist

Roberta Angela Dee was an early advocate for the African-American transgender community.Flowers of Every Kind was written by Roberta Angela Dee for publication on TGGuide.com. © All rights are reserved.

Roberta Angela Dee (October 31, 1950–March 13, 2003) was an American author, transgender rights activist and frequent contributor to TGGuide.com. Roberta was born in Brooklyn, New York, grew up in Long Island, and lived in Atlanta before settling in Augusta, Georgia. She had a journalism degree. Her writing was published widely, and she was founder of the Women on the Net (WON) website, an early online resource for women of color.

See Roberta Angela Dee’s bio page.