22-07-2015, 04:13 PM
WAP, your post is a perfect example of what I'm talking about.
A person is born with a fixed gender identity and sexual orientation. They can't be transgendered any more that a person can be gayed. If someone says, "My friend Clara is transgendered." It implies that I was born with male gender identity, but somewhere along the way, someone or something changed me to have a female gender identity. That's not possible. They should have said, "My friend Clara is transgender." or "My friend Clara is a transgender person."
The gerund "transgendered" implies a verb "to transgender" which is meaningless.
It seems like a trivial distinction, but to many trans men and women, the use of that word (transgendered) perpetuates the myth that being transgender is a choice, a mental illness, or deviant behavior.
Clara
A person is born with a fixed gender identity and sexual orientation. They can't be transgendered any more that a person can be gayed. If someone says, "My friend Clara is transgendered." It implies that I was born with male gender identity, but somewhere along the way, someone or something changed me to have a female gender identity. That's not possible. They should have said, "My friend Clara is transgender." or "My friend Clara is a transgender person."
The gerund "transgendered" implies a verb "to transgender" which is meaningless.
It seems like a trivial distinction, but to many trans men and women, the use of that word (transgendered) perpetuates the myth that being transgender is a choice, a mental illness, or deviant behavior.
Clara