Definition in Feminism: Transgender vs Transsexual.

Definition in Feminism: Transgender vs Transsexual.  

Explanation

Members of the transgender and transsexual community and their struggles in a world that discriminates against them are not widely known by the general public, because many do not let their stories be heard for fear of public ridicule.  

I recently had an unpleasant experience at work involving a co-worker that reduces women and members of the LGBTQ to titles that are not nice ones.  For example, I recently had to correct him in his thought that it is okay and acceptable to call any woman who is either having a bad day or is aggressive as a "bitch."  I hold that calling a woman a "bitch" is downright disrespectful and just as bad as using a racial slur and reveals the name caller's lack of thought and intelligence.  Do not tell me that she is being a bitch, but rather tell me intelligently and maturely how you are feeling.  Rather calling a woman a bitch, you may say, "I recently had a bad experience with a person at work.  She was being difficult and uncompromising."  After you tell me that she is being difficult and uncompromising, tell me why she was being like that.  Often I find human beings lack the ability to intelligently convey how they feel through conversation.  I occasionally have problems communicating how I feel too.  But we must continue to improve.  It is understandable that a human being has a difficult time with another human being.  But lets not reduce our intelligence as a species to name calling, but rather lets be descriptive of how we are feeling.  This idea is applied not just to men who call women bitches, but also to women who call each other bitches as well.  Women calling women bitches just make men feel justified in calling them bitches.  Collectively, let us change this.

This same co-worker came to meet another co-worker who was giving him a lift back home.  This co-worker came to say good bye to me as work was over.  As she was standing there I was still working and explained to her that I will be a little while.  She turned to our co-worker that she was giving a lift home and said, "Let's go then."  He responded, "Wait I want to see the 'transgender' get fired."  I peered over to a glass room and saw one of our co-workers who happens to be a 'transsexual' talking to her supervisor and team lead.  This particular women has been struggling with attendance issues, so as a result she had to speak to them about it in a meeting room in a private setting.  I was annoyed with this co-worker that he would be entertained by someone else's horrible day at work, that he was getting some sort of sick pleasure out of seeing a 'transgender' facing hard times at work, and finally that he used a definition that was not exactly precise to the topic.  As a result,  I assertively asked him to back off and walk away.  After he refused to I explained to him you are able to either walk away or I will ask a supervisor to help you walk away.  Fortunately he and my friend walked away, and my friend took him home.

I am bothered by these stories, because they regrettably happen with a species that is over 200,000 years old (anatomically modern humans).  That a human being would get pleasure for seeing someone different than they are have a bad day at work.  This is medieval, not enlightened.  It also bothers me that this individual did not think to educate himself on a co-worker that is different from himself.  This education may often come with a few buttons pushed on the keyboard and mouse on the internet, after a mere ten minutes of research and reading may often change someones perspective.  As a result of this experience, and many others similar to this one, I felt the need to make my first definitions' session in regards to transgender and transsexual.  

Explaining the difference between transgender and transsexual is important to feminism.  Fighting for women's equal rights helps the transgender and transsexual community because the reason for societies indifference for this group of human beings is looked down upon because many of these people are men that would much rather be women or those that embrace their femininity rather than their masculinity.  Society looks down upon men who do feminine things and want to be females because society consistently views women and femininity as inferior and for a man to cross the line from superiority to inferiority is unthinkable to them.  The transgender and transsexual community must be sick otherwise.  Reversing this for women, women in this case are too looked down upon for crossing the imagined gender barriers of today's modern world.

Definition

To help us know the difference between transgender and transsexual we will use GLAAD's website to help:

Please click GLAAD for the link's reference point.

Now I am not arguing against using the term transgender to describe a transsexual; GLAAD describes transgender as an umbrella word that often includes transsexual, but rather I am arguing that one human being should not reduce another human being to a title.  Referring someone to someone's actual name is the best thing to do.  

""TRANSGENDER-SPECIFIC TERMINOLOGY

Transgender An umbrella term (adj.) for people whose gender identity and/or gender expression differs from the sex they were assigned at birth. The term may include but is not limited to: transsexuals, cross-dressers and other gender-variant people. Transgender people may identify as female-to-male (FTM) or male-to-female (MTF). Use the descriptive term (transgender, transsexual, cross-dresser, FTM or MTF) preferred by the individual. Transgender people may or may not decide to alter their bodies hormonally and/or surgically.

Transsexual (also Transexual) An older term which originated in the medical and psychological communities. While some transsexual people still prefer to use the term to describe themselves, many transgender people prefer the term transgender to transsexual. Unlike transgender, transsexual is not an umbrella term, as many transgender people do not identify as transsexual. It is best to ask which term an indi­vidual prefers.""

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