similarities between gay people and transgender/transexual people?

[SunWuKong]

if you will excuse the ignorance of a hetero man...

i've been wondering, why are the gay communities and the transexual/transgender communities often grouped together? it seems to me that the two groups are very different. one being a group of people who are attracted to others of the same gender, the other being a group of people who either want to change their genders and/or assume the traditional gender role assigned to the opposite gender.

[tapestrybabe]

while those 2 groups are different...
perhaps their commonality...
lies within the fact that
they are both seen as
ALternative lifestyles...
that go against the mainstream??

just my guess...

[NVDugan]

Similarities? Kind of a broad question, isn't it? Personally, I don't identify with transgendered nor transexual people. I'm a normal gay "guy" who happens to dig guys. Don't cross-dress nor feel like I need to be a feminine in any way.

I don't consider myself living in an alternative lifestyle -either. Have been in a monogamous relationship for over 20 years. Unless, you consider a "committed" relationship to be alternative.

Some or even most, in those two groups identify themselves as gay but, not necessarily.

Ed - Hapa Kepani

[SunWuKong]

Similarities? Kind of a broad question, isn't it?

yeah i suppose it is. basically i don't really understand why the two groups are often put together. but i do understand that society may group them together.

[Martino]

Don't know any transgender/transexual folk, but I know a few fab cross-dressers.

[mizhi]

yeah i suppose it is. basically i don't really understand why the two groups are often put together. but i do understand that society may group them together.

Transgender groups are starting to pull away from the traditional lbgt umbrella, but they still need support that greater numbers provide. Plus, many transgendered people just don't want to identify as transgendered, but as the gender itself. E.g. A FtM may not identify as "a transgendered man" and will identify simply as a man. I think this may limit visibility to a certain extent. I know 2 transgender people, one is an FtM I know from working in the lbgt campus community. Another is a MtF that I met briefly when he (at the time) stopped by the lbgt office. He was still questioning at the time, but now I think he's going by she. To them, identity is really important; even the meaning of their male names is a deeply sensitive topic for them. If you were to see either of them on the street, you'd have a hard time telling what their biological sex is, and that's how they want it.

Still, that doesn't really answer the question. I think there are two explanations. One is that when a transgendered person is starting to sort out their emotions, they may initially think they're gay or bisexual and thus they'll get involved with local gay groups. So, many of them have that history. Two is that of all demographics, even though lbg issues are different from tg issues, lbg people will usually be very sympathetic and helpful for transgendered people even though the circumstances are different.

Did that help at all?

[SunWuKong]

Did that help at all?

yes, a bit. thanks. :smile: