[Shirazmn]

@Katie I insist that crossdressers and TS are two completely different beasts, and we touched this topic in another (in)famous thread.

First of all, let's see where transgenderism sits in all of this. If we consider transgender a person that is gender-dysphoric but hasn't done anything to alter their primary sexual characteristics (secondary are up for debate, particularly on this forum) then being TG is on the same side of being TS for the sake of this topic.

There are crossdressers that are not gender dysphoric. They, "we" as I am one of them, dress up for reasons different from wanting to be of the opposite sex. It is usually a sex-driven act, probably due to the fact that in our society dressing up is taboo. I like heels because they put me in a situation where I must give up control, and I like softer fabrics because they feel nicer, but the idea of dressing "against the rules" is what defines my crossdressing a kink and makes it sexually interesting for me when it comes to be fully dressed in a social situation. I am not expressing my true self when in drag. I am expressing one side of me, one that breaks the rules and feels different from my usual self. To some degrees I compare this to having sex on a plane.
To those like me, the sex drive push is necessary to keep fully crossdressing. As I already described, many of us lose interest in doing so after masturbating because the sex drive drops. Note: in this case "crossdressing" is meant as "fully dolled up". We do not seek to change sex because we are foundamentally happy as our gender assigned at birth, though we like to bend the rules for some reason that lead to excitement depending on the situation. 

TS and TG (let me put them together for the sake of this post) are not driven by sexual urges, even if they sometimes are highly sexually active. They, you, identify with the opposite gender (and/or sex) and dressing up is merely a self confirmation of their true perceived identity. You went through transition because you felt you were a woman. Hormones probably had no part in your "dressing". And maybe you, like many TS, even despise the depiction of ultra-stereotypical femininity that many crossdressers like to mimic when in drag. If Testosterone is toxic for you or not, I can't tell. Maybe your brain is just wired in a different way for genetic or social reasons.

Personally I believe that gender is a spectrum and that we all sit somewhere between black and white. I believe that we are transgender as much as we "relax" when crossdressing. In my case it is some 5%, because I like the soft touch of women's clothes and a bit of heel in my everyday wear and I like the idea of being a bit softer on occasion, in your case it's probably near 99% as I imagine that dressing as a male would put more pressure on you rather than not. Imagining that percentage as the markers on a pressure gauge, I can think that at 50% the need to physically transition arises.
This website in particular presents a "strange" variety of human beings, that is the non fully transgender-yet-transexual oriented individuals. Some of us, many in the "male staying male" section, are not interested in primary sex characteristics transition but seek body modification of the secondary ones. I think that we escape the definitions that many have for crossdressers and transexuals, even for transgender, as we are not gender dysphoric but we still want to adopt something of the other sex for our body.

Bottom line: I think that there are infinite versions of being transgender, transexuals and cisgenders. Not all combinations are mutually exclusive and there isn't a word for all of them.

[The First Aria]

???????????   Anyone else understand???   HELP ! !

[The First Aria]

@ Shirazmn:  I went to my therapist not knowing a thing, other than my basic and standard idea of what Transgender and Transexual meant...

The Therapist put it this way....   A true CD, does NOT want to transform his/her body, but gets sexual or feelings of intimacy by dressing as the opposite sex.  Yes, there are cis females that drag it up sa well.  This is considered a fetish!

Whereas a male or female who tries to diminish or changes one's perceived gender by any type of permanent ways, be it surgery, binding or hormonal treatment, is 90% of the time classed as a Transgendered Person.  The Transgender who truly wants SRS is either a pre surgical Transexual or Post surgical Transexual.  That's not my definition, but the definition as described by modern psychiatrist as well as the more knowledgable doctors.

But you are correct in one regard...  There are many points of view from Female to Male.  Hence the term of Rainbow Spectrum of Gender.

[Pansy-Mae]

Shirazm,

I think I do understand your POV, and I think that in the wider world it is pretty common. However, I also think that here in this forum it is fairly unusual. Not saying it's bad, or invalid, or anything wrong with it, just simply not what most on here feel. I think that most here do not x-dress or want boobs or a bigger bum, or whatever, for sexual reasons. For most it is a gender related issue not a sex related issue.
Either way the bio-chemistry needed is the same, hence why all variations and all reasons are welcome here.

[Katie]

Whilst I`m fully aware there are differences between everyone onder the whole Transgender umberalla, I`m more specifically concerned here about the differences between Transsexuals, in Particular the Medical psychopharmachological aspects.

as stated in that article and also other places, there is a reocurring theme that i (also a Transsexual) do Not follow, Namely that taking E lowers the "urge to dress".

In My case it did no such thing, I didn`t start wearing the propper clothes until After I started E, there was no Lessening of the dysphoria, just an end to the constant lilness I`v felt since puberty. like blocking T unlocked the gates of hell and set me free, and taking E unlocked the gates of heaven and let me in. it lit a fire in me, and for the first time since I was a little Girl I actually felt Well, and Normal, and happy and balanced.
This runs contary to the whole "Taking E stopped me cross dressing" theme.

Taking E was the Keystone for me, the final peice in my jigsaw, that`s why I had this tremendous feeling that my brain was shouting "Yay!!! you finally figured it out!". I unlocked me, it helped me remember who I Really was, it Certainly didn`t Dull anything down!

so why is My experience as a trassexual Different to that of Other transsexuals? (not CDs, fetishists, or any other  part of our spectrum, just transsexuals).

OK, so Why am I wondering about this? well it`s quite simple really, One day I will sit in front of a man that will  have the power to decide if I`m a transsexual or not and whether I get treated (namely SRS, and Legal Hormones).
he will base his decision (my fate) on the answers I give to a load of inappropriate questions he will ask me.
if I give the "wrong" answers, then it`s Game-Over.

so I want to know if my experiance as a transsexual is Valid, or if there is something wrong with me since I don`t seem to follow the party line!

I didn`t want to put my reason on here as it`s got me in tears now (such is my concern), but maybe it`ll help you understand Why I`m asking, and why it`s important to me to find an answer. xx

[Shirazmn]

@Aria @Pansy The definition of transgender that I know involves gender dysphoria. There are a number of individuals on this forum that are "proudly" men and happy to be so. Have a look in the Males Staying Male section for reference. I don't think that they (we) are a minority to be honest.

Gender doctors usually classify as transgender any deviation fro cisgender. Some, few, use the term genderqueer for those people that are neither trans nor cis, but I don't think that there even is a definition for cisgender individuals that change their body, not necessarily their appearance towards society, to mimic that of the opposite sex.
The closest definition would be "cisgender transexuals", but then again we (MsM on this forum) have no interest in SRS, that is usually connected with transexualism, and frequently the only confirmation we need from society is of being male and not female.
Our push for crossdressing, as Aria correctly states, is mainly a fetish. As such, it is for sexual gratification (mostly), therefore it ceases when out sex drive lowers. Since one of the effects of E on the male body is a reduced sex drive, here's the ansver to Katie's question from a cisgender male crossdresser point of view.

Katie's case, like many other, is one of transgenderism that leads to transexualism. Most probably it's not testosterone driven and it's hardly ever been a fetish. And that's why with her "it didn't work".

[julieTG]

Katie is not a TG who went TS

she is was a TS all along

Also many on here and many everywhere think there CD and have crossed over

CD is just the first manifestation,

Pansy is correct, it all depends where the brain is set on the female range,

PM or E will take you to your level of set, ie percentage female

If you did not know where your set when starting pm/e you soon will

Also I know a lot of totally cd, they did it for years, simply thought there cd, some now have had SRS, some are twin world livers.

IT HARDLY EVER STOPS AS CD

One thing as Pansy said on this forum, not many dress, as there are not many cd here or e/pm declines the urges

We are nearly all TG/TS


Julie
x

[julieTG]

oh and as a footnote

For years the mastabatory drop worked for me ,

Now it does not,

The recovery period from relief to girl feelings used to be days,

Now its minutes

The girl feeling is deeper more whole now and this is was the feelings stated from many of the CD
people I know as well

Careful on your road shiraz

Even Aria is shifting you can tell by her writings over the last 3 months

Julie


x

[Katie]

Our push for crossdressing, as Aria correctly states, is mainly a fetish. As such, it is for sexual gratification (mostly), therefore it ceases when out sex drive lowers. Since one of the effects of E on the male body is a reduced sex drive, here's the ansver to Katie's question from a cisgender male crossdresser point of view.

Katie's case, like many other, is one of transgenderism that leads to transexualism. Most probably it's not testosterone driven and it's hardly ever been a fetish. And that's why with her "it didn't work".

I`m srtuggling to understand this in terms of my question though, so these people in that article cited as TS, are Not TS because they had their desire lowered by E? but are in fact as you state, fetishist or sexually motivated?

or are you saying that since my desire didn`t alter in that way, but almost the Opposite that I`m not a TS?

I`m a little confused here. xx

[Katie]

For years the mastabatory drop worked for me ,

Now it does not,

The recovery period from relief to girl feelings used to be days,

Now its minutes

The girl feeling is deeper more whole now and this is was the feelings stated from many of the CD
people I know as well

I never had any change in feeling after orgasm or anthing, I still feel female, actually I feel Cis Female, it`s just some of my body parts are a bit wrong.