[Katie]

just for clarification, I will explain why the use of the "Binary" is important and how it applies to all of us whether we like it or even acknoledge it or not. there Are 2 fundemental energies, Masculine and Feminine, I don`t think anyone could argue against that (not with a straight face anyway).

In Digtal electronics we use Binary too, 1`s and 0`s there is also something called Tri-State! a Third state if you like, and that`s neither a 1 or 0, it`s just Nothing, like the chip simply isn`t even there, it has no opposite as such, this would be similar to Agender people.

if we take a simple 8 bit number (called a Byte) just for simplicity, and 1`s are masculine and 0`s are Feminine, then 1111111= He-man and 00000000=Barbie! LOL  
Most people are a combination of these, some have more 1`s than 0`s and vice versa, we have all numbers and combinations in between this BINARY!
it doen`t negate the Binary at all, it still exists, and Many numbers can be represented using just these 2 digits.
And, these numbers don`t have to remain static either!

so to say there`s no Binary is a nonsense really.



ok,Now for that Analogue minded folks here...

I present a simple Bimodal curve that i stole from somewhere, and it`s appropriately colored for this too!

   

if you look along the X axis that will be (going from Left to Right, the Masculine heading towards the Feminine on the left in pink).
the Y axis represents the Percentage of the population that fit along this gender line (the X axis).
far Right = He-man far Left = Barbie. in reality there would be very few to none at these extreme ends, and we can see the Majority of Men would fit in the highest Blue peak and the majority of women in the Pink peak.
now this isn`t the perfect picture to use as the the ends would really go to Zero and the middle wouldn`t be so high up as it is, it`s just a simple graphic to show a Bimodal curve, and explain how I see the gender spectrum, but you will note that there would be no areas without somebody being there even if it`s only a few (the middle and the extreme ends).
But there is Still only 2 energies represented here, Masculine and Feminine, a Binary if you like.

I really can`t explain it any better than this, so I`ll bow out now since I`v made my side as clear as I can, these are not points I wish to argue with anyone. xx

[Rippere4s]

Excellent explination. I always thought that a spectrum was an overly simplistic, and the binary obviously not correct.

[Katie]

Thanks! I think it demostrates nicely how it`s foolishness to try and put people into only 1 of 2 gender boxes, Yes there are 2 basic enegies at play, but there is a distribution throughout both of these with a good deal of overlap.
in fact there are fewer Purely binary people than there are those that are exactly 50/50!
it would indeed make the Purely Cis the minority!

[sommy]

My personal opinion is that no single person is exclusively male or female, and that the binary system of identification is simply a way of making sense of gender issues. The only clear reference for the construct was anatomy as it is the most obvious at birth. The reality is that each one is at a different place on the gender spectrum, and the different aspects of how we experience gender and sexuality aren't necessarily the same as each other (excuse my lack of terminology knowledge) - every single person alive is unique. Most trans people are so conditioned to use the binary system as there isn't really a suitable way to describe themselves I believe.

As for myself:
I was assigned male at birth but I'm not typically macho at all
My sexual preference is women (I have no interest in men)
My gender identification is a mix - I'd consider myself a feminine male, and I long for a very female body
My gender expression is male, albeit not so manly - I have feminine nuances
I present male although I'd much prefer to become more androgynous in appearance

I wish there was a way to describe ourselves without having to use the word trans (because essentially every person is trans to varying degree's), the silly binary system of male or female (because nobody is truly either), or the host of crazy made up labels which expand so rapidly that there'll soon be one for every person.

Thanks this is an interesting discussion, How you describe yourself is similar to how I am, and I have long thought of my self as somewhere on a 'spectrum,' though I see a graph picture above that explains things perhaps more clearly. Of course I am brand new to talking about any of this.

[Diana]

---

Definitely feel like Katie described it. It is more or less non-functional and I want it to remain so, until I can have it remade. Just looking at it makes me feel ill and I try to think of it as little as possible.

But yeah, there is a spectrum, and some transition to various degrees. It i when people go further than they really desired that things become problematic.

[jannet.duff]

Oh wow ..old thread ..

Just to throw a bit of humour into the mix.


As some of  you know,  before the surgery we have to go off hormones ect. This can cause an increase in unwanted morning wood.

The day before my surgery is actually called PALM Sunday.. It could end up being a very fitting description...

[The First Aria]

Oh wow ..old thread ..

Just to throw a bit of humour into the mix.


As some of  you know,  before the surgery we have to go off hormones ect. This can cause an increase in unwanted morning wood.

The day before my surgery is actually called PALM Sunday.. It could end up being a very fitting description...

ROFLMAO !

See, I know what you mean.  That plus dysphoria kicked me in the nuggets and I was almost ready to rape my wife...  Believe me, it would of been rape !   

Aria

[Billie]

Key Psychological issues include self acceptance, proper diagnosis, proper treatment. Before that we have our GP our Specialistslists our Psyciatrist our talk therapist Psycologist. Having a lifetime of treatment I developed coping mechanisms. I set myself apart from my parents to protect myself. My PHD Psycologist treats severe issues that caused visits to a mental hospital. When I cam out Bipolar 2 developing breasts I needed to develop treatment plans. My Psyciatrist found I had internal and external female traits. I have a very high voice and had voice lessons to lower it. But now It is regular high. I grew up as a naturist where my parent were naked at home and on trips. So I am not ashamed to be naked in public and at home. But I was luckey to get so much medical help. Then there are support groups. I attended DBSA AT a hospital with transitioning treatment and a mental hospital.

[notveryinteresting]

What a great thread.

As far back as I can remember, I've not felt comfortable in the full 100% manly male role, from my early teens I've crossed dressed, this came and went over the year in the usual euphoria to guilt to denial cycle.
That was almost 5 years ago since I packed all my stuff up an put it away. Since then the world has changed, my wife is hooked on watching Drag Race, (I can't watch it, it makes me feel too sad at the stories and appalled but the bitchy cat fighting), but that has helped her understanding. New labels have come in to use, before the options felt like you were a crossdressing male or trans, now I can be a gender fluid femboy, or as my wife put it this morning a gender fluid femgrandad.
I have no wish to present as female any more than occasionally, but I'd love to have a more feminine body. Before when we went to a therapist to figure this out I was asked why I use the female version of my name instead of picking a different one, I described my crossdressing as two sides of the same coin, so why would I have a different name, so here is me signing off with my girl name for the first time in 10 years.
 Danni xxx

[Kay Lady]

Hi to all readers. Yes this is an old thread, but that just means that it is meaningful to the folks here. So that spectrum. I am unique and all our lives are different. As far as gender, I have always felt feminine, sensitive and nurturing. But in my family, I could never show that. We were tough men playing sports, lifting weights, boasting of our power over others. I hated every minute of it and I could see right through it. Toxic masculinity with a deep insecurity of self. Plus, I was born during a time when mothers were often given a drug called DES to prevent miscarriage. I have a deep belief that my mother took this. It is a synthetic estrogen. Yes, it affects the fetus in the womb. If curious, look it up. At a very young age, I felt that I should have been born a girl. A secret that I would carry for decades. In secret, I would try on girls clothing when I could. When I did, all the stars in the sky would align. It was a feeling that I would never forget. And I would not forget the pain of my dysfunctional upbringing. When I would show any sensitivity, I would get drenched in toxic shame. I felt defective, worthless and my spirit was broken.

I have always been a fighter. Contrary to what my family thought. I knew there was a better way, a way to mend my spirit. I was searching for years in self help books which probably saved my life. Seeing transgender women on tv, the internet and in public changed my life. Things started to click. I spent years in therapy, altho I never mentioned my feelings and wish to be female. I never trusted my therapists with that secret. 

So where on the spectrum am I? Transgender woman is my internal identity. I have long, pierced ears, a smooth body and A cup breasts from NBE. If I step too far out, I will lose family that I am not prepared to lose right now. My career could also end and I am not prepared to start over right now. I believe this will one day change as I evolve. My daily thoughts of who I am and where I am heading are intertwined. Healing old wounds, old beliefs about myself and becoming who I really am are all part of each other. They would not exist without each other. So I am on a path of healing and becoming my true self.