Reader Q&A: "Am I Really Trans? Or is it Something Else?" - Dara Hoffman-Fox

I belong to those who support the standard broad umbrella understanding of transgender, as in gender variance. That definition is valid regardless of what causes your state of mind. If you have to ask, you are probably transgender in one way or the other. 

That does not mean that you are transsexual and that you should transition. It simply means that you do not fit into the narrow confines of the culturally expected gender roles, expressions or identities.

In this article Dara Hoffman-Fox looks at all the question trans people may ask themselves when trying to find out who they are. Are they trans, or is this “something else”.

Here are examples of what people feel that “something else” might be:

“Or do I have OCD?”
“Or am I a gay man?”
“Or is this a fetish?”
“Or is it peer pressure?”
“Or is it my bipolar disorder?”

What they are really asking is this: What came first? OCD or my cross-gender identification? Which again means: Is my gender issue real?

What people forget is that since being transgender is controversial and often stigmatized, this state of being can cause depression, anxiety and compulsive thoughts or behavior. 

Or - since transgender people are people too - they may easily have other traits or conditions that are not caused by them being transgender. Most fetishists are cis. But trans people may have their kinks too. That is perfectly all right!

Here is what Hoffman-Fox has to say about this.

Photo: Anilakkus