If indeed, Mike is looking for knowledge as opposed to attacking the idea, as the wording suggested, I am willing to apologize. I am aware that in this medium of communication, perceived intent can come across as opposite of actual intent. But I still stick by the position that his answer provides needed insight as how to more accurately answer his question, regardless of the actual intent.
I think this more than anything is the source of most animosity towards not only transgender people, but to neurodivergant people as well. I think my struggles with my conditions have allowed me to emphasize with what transgender people go through better.
Yes, text communication complicate understanding of one’s intent. Even with verbal communications we can’t truly know what is in someone’s head. Some posters have taken this thread as an opportunity to debate, but I don’t feel that is what Mike is doing. He’s admitted these concepts are alien to him and that understanding, or lack there of, shapes his approach.
Granted it seems a difficult concept if you are on the outside, but that's true of a whole range of human experience. So let me break this down a bit: Do you think you've always suffered from dysphoria and were never really "gay" in the commonly understood term, or is the dysphoria something that has grown gradually? Is this related to porn consumption? Did you watch some extreme trans porn and then began to identify that way, or was it the other way around? Have you actually been diagnosised by a psychiatrist with gender dysphoria or is this a self diagnosis? Are you on a hormones?
It's comparing apples and oranges. I've not really had a reason to intellectualize manhood or masculinity. Nor is there a psychological disorder to give me a reason to identify with the actual sex that I already am. Your question seems to imply that concepts such as masculinity and femininity are merely the product of a dysphoria or some other disorder.
Thank you for your thoughtful questions! Do you think you've always suffered from dysphoria and were never really "gay" in the commonly understood term, or is the dysphoria something that has grown gradually? Thinking back on my previous experiences, I would say I have always been gender dysphoric. I don’t think gender dysphoria precludes one from being gay. That said, personally, I think my preferences have always leaned towards pansexuality with a preference for masculine presenting people. Is this related to porn consumption? Did you watch some extreme trans porn and then began to identify that way, or was it the other way around? I used to watch transgender pornography, but don’t anymore. There’s a whole host of ethical concerns around what trans actress have to put themselves through to perform. I would say my gender dysphoria likely informed my interest in that particular genre instead of being a product of it. I remember having feelings about wishing to be the opposite gender long before I ever started consuming pornography. Have you actually been diagnosed by a psychiatrist with gender dysphoria or is this a self diagnosis? At the moment this is a self diagnosis. I’m set to speak with a psychiatrist for an official diagnosis in a little over a month. The VA requires a confirmed diagnosis before I can begin hormone replacement therapy. Are you on a hormones? Not yet. My transition thus far has been social only.
I have to admit it's pretty ballsy to open up like that, even with balls becoming essentially an accessory.
First things first. Your previous post (to the one I am responding to) comes across as more informational seeking than of the oppositional type that seeks to prove transgender people are not actually transgender or are making a choice. So you have my appologies on that aspect. But I still stick behind the basis of the question being turned around on you, because it does get to the root of things. What is it that actually makes for man or woman, as opposed to male or female? Where does masculinity and femininity fall, especially since we can point to how they have shifted across the centuries? One of my favorite points is to say that if a person thinks that wearing hose, heels, corsets, wigs and make-up makes a male feminine, then I have some bad news for them about the Founding Fathers. You initial question left an impression that somehow, manhood was automatically tied into maleness. But if DBN has a basis for their sense of womanhood while being male, then it seems that there should be a basis for your sense of manhood while being male. With regards to comparing apples to oranges, we can question how accurate the idiom is. Using oranges when comparing different types of apples is problematic, but when comparing fruit, apples and oranges is an apt comparison. Ultimately, it boils down to what is gender, at least in the sense of the use of the word by the transgender community and its supporters. Is masculinity and femininity the same as gender or sex? Looking at the idea that being transgender is some kind of psychological disorder, why are we limiting the possibility to that. Especially in a world we we know there are brain structure differences within many transgender people, coupled along with out of statistical normal occurrences, such as chimeras, and the misplacing of the SRY gene, to create those potential conflicts between sex and gender. This would be physiological, not psychological. The resultant GD would be psychological. I do offer up my appologies if my words left an implication of masculinity and femininity being the product of a disorder of any type. As far as I am concerned they are pure social constructs with no basis in anything objective and consistent over history. We can look at trends during given periods of history or in specific cultures, but those are only snapshots that don't persist.
I have always said that the size of your (generalized) dick has nothing to do with the size of your penis, and the size of your balls has nothing to do with the presence of testicals. Especially given the size of the balls of some cis-women I know.
@DaveBN I probably should have thought of this earlier. But given the in between state you are in currently, do you have any problem with me using the "they" pronoun set?
Hate to say it, but don't trust the AI quote unless you can back it up with something else. Use direct quotes from the source documents.
How did that work out? Please don’t tell me you let AI tell you it’s possible for a male to become a female and that there are no scientific separation in male and female
Of course a person can’t change their chromosomal makeup. There is more than chromosomal makeup that defines who any person is. Biological sex and gender are distinct concepts. While biological sex is fixed, gender identity is a deeply personal experience that is shaped by much more than biology. Gender does not have to coincide with one’s biological sex. You can see how fluid gender is by looking at individuals. Some little girls are ultra feminine and do the girlie things expected of them — dolls, dresses, pretend make-up. Some girls take on more of what society defines as a boys role and labels them as ‘tomboys’. I have a nephew who is transgender and has many transgender friends and not one of them denies the sex they were born with. None of them make angry and militant demands to be addressed by the proper pronoun. I am glad that @DaveBN has started a conversation to dispel some of the stereotypes pushed by people.
I’ll let you know on me I’ve had a chance to review the study today. Don’t be silly. My gender identity has been based on how I interpret my feelings and experiences. I’m not of the opinion that I can change my biological sex, but there is much that can be done to change my secondary and primary sexual characteristics.
I’m sure I can’t speak for everyone, but my sexual preferences and my gender identity are based on how I interpret my feelings and experiences, not on any social or societal trends. Speaking of fashion though, I am enjoying learning what types and styles of clothes flatter my frame. It’s pretty exciting.
Okay, so it looks like Google’s AI pull was from an aggregate of sources. It was quoting this article. (It’s a direct quote, so you should be able to use find on page to verify.): (@Maquiscat , found it faster than I thought.) Lung volumes On average, males are taller than females, and therefore have larger lungs. Population-based studies indicate that males have larger absolute lung volumes than females even when matched for height [9, 21]. However, relative lung volumes and capacities are similar between the sexes. For example, the ratio of functional residual capacity (FRC) to total lung capacity (TLC) is similar in males and females. That FRC/TLC is similar between the sexes suggests that the intrinsic elastic properties of the lung and chest wall are independent of sex. https://err.ersjournals.com/content/31/163/210074#:~:text=Lung volumes,wall are independent of sex.