[AnnieBL]

They can... but shouldn't. The sharing of ideas should be logical and dispassionate, untainted by emotion. That's hard to do unless one is Vulcan, of course, but that's the idea.

There is no possible way to write anything of any significance without upsetting someone. There just isn't. You can write so as to not upset one or two or a handful of people... but no matter what you write on the internet, someone is going to be offended. It really truly cannot be helped. No one can be held liable for offended readers... it wouldn't work even if we didn't think free speech was a good idea.

Agreed. But it should be possible without risking it being perceived, rightly or wrongly, as personal labeling, and it was I believe such a perception that led to problems in the case we were discussing. This is really the same point I was trying to make with my 'ageism' comment. I wasn't offended, just seeing an opportunity to make a point, and I can fully accept that no offense was intended on your part. I myself have tried to be very careful in expressing my views after inadvertently causing offense by drawing a parallel which was perceived as trying to categorize another member. Since we tend to discuss very personal and sometimes troubling issues here, I see it as entirely to be expected that some people may be over sensitive.

I seem to have wandered a long way off topic. My apologies, Flame. I don't know where I stand on the dysphoria scale. My main concern presently is my difficulty in persuading my wife that I have any gender issues.

[GoneGirl]

It depends Clara many TS women spend their whole lives transforming themselves into very convincing women and still feel dysphoria no matter what they do to themselves...

Hi, Eva Marie. I like your new name, honey.

Yes, I agree that there are transwomen who are extraordinarily convincing as women and still experience dysphoria. But, what is the source of the dysphoria? Is it sex-gender mismatch, or something else?

When Anne Vitale states that gender dysphoria is caused by being deprived of a means to express one's innate gender identity, I don't think she means to imply that making one's gender presentation convincing to the world is always sufficient to bring about mental peace. Gender expression must also be unencumbered by negative emotions that arise from conflicts with one's own values and beliefs that otherwise prevent self-acceptance and fulfillment as a person.

Non-gender conflicted people suffer from emotional distress for various reasons, so it's certainly reasonable to expect that transsexuals will as well, aside from psychological factors related to their transitioning.

I think you'll find that the vast majority of gender dysphoric people find significant psychological relief through HRT and removing barriers to authentic gender expression. I go along with those who contend that there are other ways to express one's female gender other than feminization or crossdressing. Can anyone give examples from personal experience? How effective have those means been in relieving your GD?

Clara

[Samantha Rogers]

Like taking up knitting, Clara? LOL What other "methods" were you thinking about?

[GoneGirl]

Like taking up knitting, Clara? LOL What other "methods" were you thinking about?

Sure, Sammie, or cooking, hair dressing, child care, whatever provides an outlet.

Jack Molay is self-described crossdreamer who has chosen not to transition or to crossdress. He expresses his female side by creating TG caption art. He says it relieves his GD.

I don't think it would work for me, but we're all different, right?

Clara