As the article appears to exceed the Net Explosive Weight (NEW) standards for a single article. There might also be some problem with the explosive quantity safety distance between any two articles which may exceed physical limits that cannot be breached without incurring risks,.

Sincerely, I get confused over the way some Brits use gender. Maybe its because I'm an American, but I have learned that sex and gender are two different things. What do you make of this?

Creating confusion through gender politics is part of maintaining a male dominated society. Gay men particularly like denial both of the status of women and their right to equality. Standard political tactic to hide something the majority would consider unacceptable.

womanhood of penis people!!! You should be shot, drawn and quartered and the remains fed to housecats of transvestites you have offended!!!!
(just thought I'd start off the explosive reactions here)

I do see one potential problem with lumping, for example, transsexuals under the transgender umbrella.

I've seen a push in various parts of the world for a third sex category, let's call it T, so we'd have M, F, or T. A category of T might make some people happy, but for me it would be totally unacceptable, as I'm female, period, and do not consider myself in any way beig in-between M and F.

Nor do I want to be forced to use unisex bathrooms only. Once again, being female, I should be able to use the women's bathroom. To do otherwise would be to treat me as a 2nd class woman.

I'm not against the creation of a third gender marker per se, but I do think that if society sees transsexuals as just part of the transgender group, and therefore, is required to use a T marker, then I'd be very unhappy about it.

I can hardly wait to hear the outrage and screams and long rants of those that disagree with Maggie. Is anyone taking bets as to who will be the first to post and how long the scream will be?

Are you going to measure the number of replies in Inches or Words??
Just askin'.

Millimeters probably, Maggie's British,

[wait for it}

Or perhaps stones.

I am stuck with my penis. I can not get medical clearance for GRS due to multiple medical conditions. If I could get GRS I would be on the table yesterday.
I am cursed to take a males body to my grave.
So I am relegated to being a cross dresser/TG regardless of the fact I have been full time for quite some time now?
I would love to have a vagina and good health to pursue a new life. That dream is denied me.
Please do not call me a man.

One of the classic socio-political arguments to justify the bogus theory of gender is what do we do about those on their death beds unable to have surgery. It is often accompanied by the poor victimhood sympathy card and I dismiss it as ludicrous. I know people (myself included) who were advised caution. What you do is find a way to get there (multiple local anaesthetics whatever it takes) you go through it because if your brain is female and your body male then you do whatever it takes and at whatever risk to correct. You have no choice it is not an aspiration, a desire, a fetish, a life-style choice etc. It is who you are. I do not know a woman that would be content if they had a penis. I won't however chose a label for anyone else that's their call as it is my call to chose my label. The one thing I'm proud I can do is walk past another woman naked and be myself. I could not live with the alternative I'd rather die.

....ok
So I should die now because my life as a woman impossible with a penis? Only my doctor and I know I have a penis. The world treats me like a woman. I am a woman. In every way save a couple ounces of ussless flesh between my legs, I am a woman.
I have some serious medical issues. I will last anouther 5-6 years.
All I was attempting to do was inject some humanity into the debate.
This is not always a black and white world.

Myth 1. People have incurable medical conditions that are so impossible to manage that they would die if exposed to either a general or local anaesthetic so cannot have surgery.

The list includes? Never published as won't stand up to peer scientific peer review.

Myth 2. That Trans may indicate an underlying serious mental illness, a medical condition that talking can cure, thereby eliminating the need for surgery.

The list includes? Never published as won't stand up to peer scientific peer review.

Myth 3. It has to be a mental illness as I can't afford surgery and it wouldn't be funded otherwise.

A better classification outside of specialist psychiatry dominated by gay men / admirers is easy and the surgeons can set their own acceptance rules which is easy and what would happen.

In England with the best surgeon in a fantastic private hospital the cost is just £10,000 (17,000 USD) which is not a lot to pay to make a permanent irrevocable correction of a birth defect. If you can't borrow that what is your life worth?

Transgender are men with excuses whilst women find a way that's a key indicator of different brain sex by the way!

Peace, Love & Light.

I know of one person that could NOT get surgery, neither SRS nor FFS due to her medical condition; She suffered from MG (don't ask me to spell it). With SRS, the surgeons, including ones in Thailand, refused to do the surgery on any one with her condition and the same even for FFS. She at one point thought she had both a surgeon and an anestheiologist lined up to do some FFS work on her (she didn't really need any in the opinion of several of her friends) and then they more than doubled the agreed upon price, moving it well beyond her ability to pay. They were all afraid that while under the anesthesia her heart or lo
ungs would cease to function and they would be unable to get them restarted.
That along with threats by her Ex to cut off contact with her only child and general constant sniping and lies by her sister and other family members finally became too much and in a fit of deep depression, she committed suicide.
Things do happen.

Bad example completely silly see the even use surgery to improve the condition "Surgical thymectomy is indicated for its therapeutic effect in myasthenia gravis (MG)"

So anaesthetic is possible for MG patients wanting sex corrective surgery.

http://totw.anaesthesiologists.org/2008/12/14/anaesthesia-and-myasthenia-gravis-122/

Your condition that means you must keep your penis is?

Come on give me a laugh!

Maggie, Several years ago, the surgeons in England and Thailand all felt the risk was too great; So, NOT a bad example but a true example. Blame the unknowing surgeons if you like, BUT NOT the person who was devastated by the refusals; Her death was several years prior to your article. She was told that they WOULD NOT perform surgery on her except in an emergency where it was a matter of life or death without the surgery.
I'm beginning to think you ARE a pretty nasty person IF you found something humorous in her committing suicide or looking for someone to give you a "laugh" out of it.
My advice to you is "go pound sand!"

Where is the list of medical conditions that stop you having sex correction? Answer only in the mind of a transgender.

It is not a valid argument for the assimilation of women who were once women born transsexual into the transgender myth.

I don't care if you refuse surgery or only want "top surgery" but the qualification for being a woman is simply not having a penis.

In England the law allows yo have a female birth certificate but requires you to become a transgender to get it. If you ask for a new birth certificate having had irrevocable sex corrective surgery you are refused one as that is not a valid criteria.

That is the crazy world of trans-theory written by lazy men for men to demean the status of women to something that only a male psychiatrist (usually gay or an admirer) can affirm.

If you think I'm being a "nasty person" by defending all women's right to say "you have a penis you are a man" then I gladly accept it.

"Trans" is a sand sculpture that the power of the sea of women will wash away.

Just because surgery can be performed does not mean that a particular surgeon has the skills and infrastructure to perform it. Couple that with the situation of a patient who is stymied and depressed by continual rejection, it is no surprise to us that medical conditions can and do deter SRS.

In my own case, my medical history was a significant hurdle. I got over that, of course, but saw others who could not, daunted and overwhelmed by complex medical and financial considerations. I also saw others with even more difficult obstacles make it through.

There comes a point where human resolve reaches the breaking point.

I think Maggie should reexamine what Pamela actually said and reconsider her response.

For Pamela: one thing I have often wondered about is whether someone who falls apart when confronted with the difficulties of obtaining corrective surgery was a good candidate for surgery in the first place.

If an individual is susceptible to depression and despair, that might require attention before making major health decisions.

I am entirely sympathetic to the situation of people who cannot get the money and/or medical cooperation to achieve correction. I am far less sympathetic toward narcissistic people who make excuses and whine about their oppression -- the real subject of their narrative.

This case, as Pamela describes it, strikes me as quite different. She sounds like someone who had a tough obstacle course to run, but lacked the tools to do it.

Sorry I have no sympathy whatsoever for "narcissistic people who make excuses and whine about their oppression - the real subject of their narrative." I realise that we should be sympathetic and feeling but the Queer political lobby use these arguments to justify their myth that a male drag queen or a transvestite fetishist is part of the range / spectrum of transgender. This is the quote they use to justify their politics!

"The term trans as in trans man, trans woman, trans community, trans people etc. is a very British term, coining in the 1960s when a well known member of parliament uttered the words;

“transgender, transsexual, transvestite – this gets so confusing – there must surely be one word we can use to refer to all”

One joker around the table suggested “transistor radios” and following that up, another wit said “that’s it: trannie”, and then the voice of reason said that might be objectionable to some ‘trans’ people, at which point the term came into being."

http://transequality.co.uk/transpeople.aspx

I’ll personally side-step the question of who is or isn’t a transsexual. However, personally I can say without hesitation for me living as a female with a penis was COMPLETELY unacceptable. I had someone once say they were concerned about having GRS, as they were afraid they would lose the ability to reach orgasm. They were surprised, I guess, that I responded that I could care less, as I wanted my body and brain in alignment PERIOD. I could no longer live in the body of a male—I mean, like, I was planning to commit suicide immediately prior to transitioning! It was also COMPLETELY unacceptable to me to live forever in an in-between state. I’m simply a woman, that’s all. Now, if someone is happy on hormones alone or by dressing as a woman without medical intervention, I say, do what you need to do to find some peace and joy in this life. What label does that make you fall under??? Sorry, but I don’t really care, nor am I interested in labeling everyone. Anyway, does it really matter if you’re happy??? I can’t see into the heart and soul of anyone else, so I’m not going to spend my time labeling them, nor do I want anyone else labeling me. I know who I was and am. I was a transsexual, by medical definition, without any question and absolutely zero doubt on my part. Now, post-GRS, I am now simply a woman who, in the past, medically corrected her brain/body dysphoria. The central problem, I feel, is the tendency of others to impose their vision of self onto others and insist that what works for them, or not, will now be the requirement for everyone else. So, I know what I needed to do to be whole, and I’m extremely thankful to God, family and friends who helped me to be healed. I’m also thankful to modern medical science, which made this miracle possible. If someone else is like me and needs help along the way, I’d be more than happy to provide any insight my experiences have afforded me. If, however, one has taken a different path, that’s perfectly ok with me, too. Just don’t erase my path to justify your own.

I completely understand the annoyance and distress caused by those conflating terms out of ignorance, a desire to be inclusive or exclusive, or as an attempt to over simplify or completely eradicate their opposition. There have been people born since people appeared on this earth who have had their brains cross-sexed, relative to their bodies. Of course, as soon as I say this, some will prefer cross-gendered. LOL

So, even before I can discuss the word “transsexual”, I’m immediately forced to consider the words “sex” versus “gender”. Both words have multiple meanings, in part, due to sloppy usage on multiple forms we fill out in life. However, bottom-line, the word sex can refer to one’s biological sex or the act of having or doing what one calls sex. Because of this latter definition, and the puritanical characteristics of our society, I speculate that many people end up using “gender” to refer to one’s sex, as the word “sex” makes some people uncomfortable, just as some do not like the word “transsexual”, as it has that word “sex” in it — OMG!

So, one will find some transsexuals referring to themselves as “transgender” to avoid connotations of transition having something to do with wanting to have sex. Suffice it to say, for good or ill, the words “sex” and “gender” are commonly used to mean the same thing, and therefore, are synonyms in this respect. However, the word “gender” is also used to refer to arbitrary and socially-constructed, sexually-dimorphic rules and behaviors associated with being male or female. The word “sex” does not have this particular use, just as the word “gender” does refer to sexual intercourse.

Therefore, in order to make myself perfectly clear, I will use the term “sex” to refer to those innate, biologically-sourced aspects of being male or female, and the term “gender” to refer to social role and presentation of being male or female.

At birth, the identification of male or female sex is made on the basis of penis or no penis. This is such a basic reality of human existence, that doctors of our modern age (within the past 50 years or so) would and still do surgically alter intersexed babies to force them into one of the two groups — male or female. The problem with this, of course, is that the baby is too young to speak for themselves and say “I’m a boy” or “I’m a girl”.

For those without deformed or intermediate appearing genitalia, the decision is immediately made on the basis of penis/no penis, corresponding to boy/girl, which then is documented on the birth certificate.

I digressed onto this topic of birth, as it is becoming clearer through medical research that not only are the body’s primary and secondary sexual characteristics generally sexually dimorphic, but so is the brain itself, with the former being visually obvious, and the latter being not visually obvious. Now, if the body can be born with intersexed characteristics, what about the brain? Personally, I would see no reason it couldn’t also have intersexed characteristics.

Herein lies, I believe, a central truth. There are indeed, most likely, those with intersexed brains. Does that make them male or female? Genderqueer? A crossdresser?

I, for one, cannot look at someone else and make such a determination. If one is insistent upon wanting a label, I suggest they find an appropriate qualified therapist, who can assist them in applying the appropriate label.

But back to the contentious word “transsexual” — Once again, there were transsexuals in existence long before modern medical science made it possible to correct this birth defect. So, at some point transsexuals had to either find a way to live with their condition or commit suicide. The intense internal dysphoria did and does still result in significant numbers of transsexuals, as well as transgenders, committing suicide.

Historically, those, those whom would be considered transsexuals in pre-modern times (keep in mind “transsexual” is a modern term coined with the availability of surgical correction, and therefore, referring to those who did so) often did attempt whatever means possible at the time to force their bodies to match their brain sex.

Examples of this exist to this day. Desperate transsexuals cut off their penis, sometimes dying in the attempt. As I said a moment ago, the term “transsexual” came about with the availability of surgical genital correction, so obviously it is a term referring to those whose brains are cross-sexed with their bodies and seek surgical correction.

Much of the fighting over the use of the term “transsexual” seems to me to be in regards to those who self-identify as “transsexual”, but have no desire to transition. This situation is further complicated by those who for various reasons treat the words “transgender” and “transsexual” as synonyms, just as we could argue for eternity as to whether or not “sex” and “gender” mean the same thing, or why one drives on a parkway, but parks on a driveway!

This all aside, the reality is that it can and does take transsexuals varying amounts of time to come to terms with their reality and decide to transition. Personally, I believe that unless one commits suicide first, they will eventually start the process of transition and will be driven to complete this task (as much as they are able and modern medicine allows), as there brains are fully female (or male) and they want their bodies to match accordingly.

Now for one to say they are a transsexual, but they like having a penis, well, I have yet to meet a woman who wants a penis, at least not in that way — grin! Such a person might indeed have a partially cross-sexed, or intersexed, brain, and if they insist upon a label, I’d guess transgender, or genderqueer, or some other term is probably more fit than transsexual.

I say this because the argument can go both ways. “You’re not really a transsexual because you don’t have xxx!” or “You’re deluded, because I’m a transsexual and don’t need or want xxx! In fact, I’m going to work to prevent you from being able to obtain xxx!”

Now, I’ve said all I’m going to say for now on this tedious topic, which seems to get blown way out of proportion. I’m just going to hope we can get past arguing long enough to work together to help protect the rights and needs of every individual, which is what I like about the US constitution, in that it states we should all have the right to pursue happiness and live in peace with each other. I find all of this fighting tiring and boring.

I was diagnosed as a transsexual by skilled psychologists. I had no more interest in wearing that label the rest of my life than when other doctors told me I had cancer. In the former case, I transitioned and have put the label behind me, and in the latter case, I had the tumor removed. In both cases I have moved on. Life presents each of us with multiple challenges, and each of us must do what is necessary to find some amount of peace and happiness in this life.

I truly hope that the rhetoric I’ve seen can be toned down a bit, and we can instead focus upon making this world better for everyone, but then again, I’m a deluded dreamer, I guess!!! LOL"

Wow, and here I was thinking because of our struggles and unique perspective, we'd be a bit more enlightened, but thank you so much for disproving this naive notion, Maggie Fox. You sure do like to use the word "know" in place of "think" a lot, I've noticed. But your prejudices are good enough for you, I guess, and you're set in your ways and uninterested in any damage your bitterness might cause. Good for you. Bad for everyone else.

I always find it ironic how the older, more bitter transgendered women are always the most likely to be dicks. Every difference you can find with other transgendered people is an excuse for you to say "see, this proves I'm better than you. A TRUE woman wouldn't do that. A true woman would be specifically like me and me alone. But you are different. You are not a true woman."

Whole thing is a childish "trannier than thou" game that I would have hoped adults would be above.

She was a good candidate, there was no doubt of that, she did her best to obtain the surgery and her best to obtain even the FFS. A "piling on" of things over whelmed her as it does many people who are Transsexual. She had a single child, her son, whom she loved very much; her ex had taken steps to prevent her from every seeing her son again; Her sister was telling lies about her and especially where she worked, then add on the inability to obtain SRS or even FFS and the burden became more than she could bear; she felt that the world had dumped upon her head and there was no way out, so she did what many had done before her and took her own life.

I wrote this in an earlier article and in view of the vitriol and direction of the comments away from the subject which is a standard transgender tactic to avoid the truth I feel it is worth repeating:

The fantasy or fetish role where women can have a penis has dominated Gender Theory with very aggressive transgender people silencing all those who question the scientific basis by screaming transphobia and gender is a range.

Gender is at best a range of expression & perceptions but not including the right to deny physical sex correction and full integration into society.

Transsexuals never change the sex of their brain nor are they confused about it.

As a direct result three key issues remain unresolved for men & women who were born transsexual.

1 The absolute and total removal of the mental illness classification.

2 The automatic right to a corrected birth certificate with no pre-conditions if someone has had full sex corrective surgery.

3 The absolute right of a child from age 8 to obtain puberty delaying drugs prior to corrective surgery at 16 without permission from the medical profession.

Transsexuals do not deny the rights of Transgender to campaign for a third sex or gender but not at the cost of denial of corrected sex.