(22-07-2015, 04:13 PM)ClaraKay Wrote: 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
I think it'd just imply that, as far as society was concerned, you were a male, but YOU 'chose" (for lack of the correct word, because it's NOT something you simply CHOOSE, like in the first season of "Soap" where Jody CHOSE to have a sex change just so he could stay with his famous boyfriend and they'd be seen as a normal couple.) to have your body match your mindset. The point is, it is YOU, not some outside source, that is responsible for the want/need of a sex change.
I'm also not quite so sure you're using the word in the correct context.
It simply sounds like improper English, to me. As I said before, would it sound okay to say (just using your example,. not calling you names), "My friend, Clara, is retard." or "My friend, Clara, is a retard person."
A verb is an action, I don't see an action pertaining to "transgendered" any more than there is one pertaining to "retarded". If anything, they'd be conditions. And, before you go there, I'm NOT implying that being transgendered is ANY kind off illness or disease! Neither is retardation, but at least we can do something about the former! Maybe, someday, soon, "Flowers For Algernon" will actually come to pass, too!
I don't know, my two closest TS friends both call themselves and all of their TS friends, "transgendered", and one of them is in charge of a local group for transgendered people called, Trans Pitt. Her name is, Wendi Miller. Of all the transgendered people I've met in my life, you're the only one I know of that doesn't like the word all others choose to refer to themselves.
And, just so you know, I'm NOT pitching a bitch, I'm just calmly, casually having a discussion with you!
Take care!! :-)