[MissC]

I think one reason why some 'disorders' are listed in the dsm is so insurance will cover treatment for it.

I think a more sensible, but perhaps not practical approach for determining what is or is not a disorder on the individual level is deciding whether a particular behavior or condition impairs a person's ability to function on a daily basis.

That makes good sense. Like occasional social drinking vs. full blown alcoholism.

I get where you're coming from Miss C, but I don't get that kind of vibe from Clara or any of the other regular contributors on this forum that I've gotten to know.

I didn't mean to point fingers there.

Many times we adopt language, and even entire processes of thought -- even whole religions! -- through osmosis, but without filtering it through our thinkers first. It is perfectly natural that the same phraseology gets repeated across the social sub-group. (This concept is akin to how every baseball fan knows what a triple play is, but a non-fan may not. It's language dialect, and it's not necessarily purely regional in nature.)

I've watched this language form over the time I've watched trans* forums. It wasn't always this way. In the early days of the internet, it was a blossoming time. Trannies everywhere were leaving closets, stretching their legs, enjoying some sunshine.

Now it seems all we read about is victimization. There was always the opinion of the shrinks that there's something wrong with the other-gendered -- that hasn't changed. What has changed is that a large majority of trans* people have fallen for it, jumped in with the herd, and are busy running around being victimized and offended at every opportunity.

For those few of us who cherish our otherness as a gift, the victim culture is one hell of a river to swim upstream in. It's all around us.

It's not been all for naught, however. The past decade has enormously leapfrogged the previous century for widespread awareness that there *are* others out there. The pendulum has swung far. Random people ask me questions that seem to indicate they know much of transexualism... but not any other form of gender otherness. Sometimes it feels as though I've been thrust into ambassadorship.

What it boils down to is... will we write our own stories? Or will we follow the narrative laid down by the professionals who profit from our struggles?