“A new hairdo, walking in heels and a glowing tan are among the things that make a woman feel sexy. Freshly applied lipstick, newly-shaved legs and a little black dress also have a positive effect on the psyche”
Joanna writes:
Are you surprised? I’m not because it is exactly the same list that makes transgender women feel sexy.
For a long time the idea was pandered about that transsexualism was rooted exclusively in aberrant sexuality. But of course you cannot separate the sexuality from the individual because that forms part of their overall makeup and the fact that genetic and transsexual women overlap here surprises no one.
As far as I can see the study was commissioned by the car manufacturer Kia. Mail Online presents the following summary.
A crossdreamer is someone who explores being another gender through fantasies and daydreaming, art, crossdressing and cosplay, role playing and more. It is normally a way of getting to know the gender side of ones psyche and personality. Both transgender and cisgender (nontransgender) people may crossdream.
Crossdreaming primarily describes an emotional experience or an act, and not a separate subcategory of transgender people or an identity. (I am using the word transgender as an umbrella term here, including all shades of gender variance.)
Most transgender people crossdream during periods of their lives. It is hard for them not to, if they have not come out as trans. They have few other ways of getting their real gender identity affirmed. This especially applies to gender dysphoric transgender people, who may later transition and present as their true gender.
But it also applies to queer and transgender people elsewhere on the gender spectrum – people who are not completely alienated from their assigned gender, but who still feel the need to explore “the other side”.
For others crossdreaming and (for many) crossdressing open up the possibility of exploring masculinity and femininity in new and exciting ways.
This is also the case for erotic crossdreaming. Gender variant people are sexual beings, as most people are, cis or trans, straight or gay. For trans people the fantasy of having sex with a body aligned with your true gender, as such a body would allow for them to have sex as themselves, without footnotes and caveats.
Among trans people crossdreaming may be seen as the other side of gender dysphoria.
Gender dysphoria (which may vary in form and intensity among gender variant people) is the jarring feeling of dissonance between ones assigned gender and ones real gender.
Crossdreaming is the gender euphoria or joy that follows from allowing oneself to accept and experience ones gender in its fullness, whether you identify as transgender, nonbinary or cisgender.
The well known trans philosopher and trans activist, Julia Serano, has written about erotic crossdreaming, calling the phenomenon “feminine/masculine embodiment fantasies”.
The World Health Organization publishes the international health manual used by the medical profession world wide. Yesterday’s edition represents a huge step forward for both transgender people and the medical profession.
1. Gender incongruence (which is the manual’s term for the mismatch between assigned and experienced gender) is no longer classified as a mental illness.
2. Categories like “transvestic fetishism” are removed from the manual. Being transgender can no longer be reduced to a sexual fetish or perversion.
I see that some people in the trans community as well as outside it try to put up a fixed boundary between crossdressers and “real” transgender people. That is unfortunate.
Crossdressing is not a “condition” or a “syndrome”. It is an act that reflects something else, something deeper. Some people do crossdress because it gives them a kick, some people crossdress because they want to explore gender boundaries, but others crossdress because this is a way of exploring and expressing their gender identity. Many – if not most – trans women and trans men have “cross-dressed” before transitioning.
(And please do not give me that “they did not crossdress, because they were women/men all the time” argument. Crossdressing is always seen in reference to the assigned gender).
For some transgender people crossdressing is traumatic. It intensifies their gender dysphoria, as shown in this comic. That does not make them “worse” transgender people or “better” trans people. It just reflects that all trans people are unique, with different personalities, backgrounds and life journeys.
This comic was shared by Lost over at CDL. It was made by Gella from Spain. She has since transitioned. You can follow her on Tumblr here, and on deviantart here.
So there was this study in which adults were shown a crying baby. Those who were told the baby was a boy interpreted the baby’s emotion as anger. Those who were told the baby was a girl interpreted the baby’s emotion as being upset.
Confirmation bias is when people only acknowledge information that supports their biases, or twists information that does not into information that does.
So whenever someone says “trans women are acting according to male socialization” or characterizes anything a trans woman does as being “male” keep that bit about the babies in mind, and confirmation bias.
For some people trans women can do literally anything and it is perceived as somehow stemming from a fictional essential ~maleness~.
I recall snowflakeespecial, for example, linking two webcomics. One was of a cis woman celebrating her breasts, and one was of a trans woman celebrating her breasts. These comics were very similar in presentation and both said basically the same thing. However, snowflakeespecial claimed that the two strips were obviously completely different because the one made by a cis woman was genuine, whereas the one made by a trans woman was evidence of autogynephilia.
This is also reflected when cis people know a woman is trans, they will interpret any behavior, any physical feature, anything to support the contention that said woman is obviously trans, even if they had no idea even moments before.
In short, the game is rigged. When TWERFs, when truscum, when trans women collaborators pull this shit, they’re not engaging honestly. They’re engaging in terms of “Trans women are men. Therefore everything they do is indicative of being men.”
This is also why they lose their shit when trans women refuse to comply with their perceptions, as happened last night.
The basic rule is, however, that trans women are not allowed to be authorities on our own experiences. Everything we say is debatable and simply being a trans woman makes one discreditable. Any attempt to step outside the very narrow, confining boxes that others have decided describe us is seen as an act of aggression.
For that matter, any attempt to assert boundaries is seen as an act of aggression.
I have written a blog post presenting similar arguments here:
The “autogynephilia” theory has become a favorite among transphobic bigots and trans-exclusionary radical feminists. The theory is pure pseudo-science, and has been thoroughly debunked by both researchers, health personell and trans activists. That does not stop those who have to harm transgender people from using it, however.
YouTube vlogger Natalie Parrot has made an intelligent, provocative and entertaining video where she explains why the theory misses its mark and why it is so destructive for transgender women.
Natalie is a transgender woman herself, so she actually knows something about this.
If you look at this comment to that post, you will see that Nikki is not the only one who have felt betrayed and hurt, not so much by the crossdreaming itself, as the fact that their partner has kept this part from them.
Nikki and John do unfortunately use the destructive and misleading “autogynephilia” word, but don’t let that stop you from listening to what they have to say.
His girlfriend had taken an open approach to his gender variance, but was hesitant about the crossdressing. Now he was looking for ways of explaining his feelings to his girlfriend. (His pronouns).
The short version is that there is so much variation among gender variant people, that it is impossible for someone else to predict what is going to happen to one with any precision. Some crossdressers, crossdreamers and transgender people are gender dysphoric, some are some shade of nonbinary, while others again feel at home in their assigned gender.
Moreover, the transgender journey may bring people to unexpected places.
It makes sense to share this with partners, though, even if there is always a risk involved. Not doing so will harm both parties.
Any person who uses terms like “fetish” and “autogynephilia” to invalidate a transgender person does not understand the basics of bigotry and marginalization. This applies to other LGBTQA persons as well. Stop it now!
Over at Transcend Movement Felix Conrad argues that trans people should stop arguing as if the autogynephilia theory – which is often used to invalidate trans people – is a real scientific theory:
Firstly, let’s stop spending so much time on autogynephilia…it’s not worth it. Better you think: how can we improve LGBT rights in this country?
Secondly, let’s stop thinking of transgender psychology as a science with right and wrong theories. No one knows shit about why people are transgender or why they transition or why it turns me on to be a girl. All we have are ideas that each transperson finds helpful, slightly helpful, not helpful at all, or…toxic.
The particular narrative you choose is not, therefore, something scientific, but a story that is deeply personal and expressive of how you see yourself and your gender variance. Your theory about your gender variance is as personal as a tattoo or your female name.
The crime of the autogynephiliac troll is, therefore, not that they are promoting an idea that is scientifically wrong, but that they are framing something as science that is not science. It’s just a narrative.
I agree with most of what Felix’ says in this post.
But there is one thing to be said for arguing against the theory in public fora. For new generations of trans people the arguments made by the transphobic autogynephilia-supporters may be destructive.
It helps them to see that other trans people have been through this before and are vigilant. It helps them to read arguments about why the theory is pseudo-science, arguments like these.
