Crossdresser. Transvestite. Transgender(ed). Ladyboy. Whatever’s next?

It’s strange how certain words or phrases come into vogue, slip into “fashion,” reoccur in regular usage–perhaps initially being used by a small group of people, and then becoming adopted by the wider community at large.

Language is always evolving and we’re forever seeing new “tech” words or words or phrases, which often begin as slang, creep into regular spoken or written usage.

I know it’s popular in this day and age not to speak directly about certain things, not to speak plainly or bluntly anymore, for the risk of unknowingly upsetting someone, somewhere, somehow–after all, nowadays, our written words can reach an unknown, vast audience in the blink of any eye; quite, unimaginable, even a decade ago. Our emails, our Twitterings, our postings on Facebook, websites or other social network channels all zip into cyberspace instantly–and grab the attention of millions.

As well as the above, more and more we live in the age when so many people tend to put a “spin” on almost all of our words–on things we say, on events; trying to shape opinions, direct our perceptions, mold our thinking.

When I look at some of the so called ‘new’ words, actually, sometimes, they are old words with new meanings (does anyone remember when “gay” was akin to “happy”?) or other old words with a new emphasis (like “sick” now meaning to a number of people “great” or “cool”?).

Sometimes it’s even a whole phrase which comes into vogue or, maybe, it’s just a couple of words strung together–more often than not when the PC brigade are trying to find euphemisms for a sensitive topic or for a group of people like us in the T community, for example.

Undoubtedly, our community, the “Crossdressing, Transvestite, Transgender(ed), Ladyboy community” or, for ease, the “T Community” (or should that be the TG community, or even the LGBT community… oh dear…?), has always been difficult to label, so diverse are the offerings within: the people, the interests, the huge variety of shades of our “colors” and so on.

Recently, the Community has fought hard to move away from words like ‘Trans-sexual’ (to “Transgender(ed)”), from “Tranny” (to “Transvestite”), from “Sex Change” to “Gender Reassignment” and so on … trying to move to words considered less abrasive, less associated with the “old” times. Less associated with the offensive, derogatory usage they previously carried.

But new labels, new tags, new descriptive phrases keep cropping up and I often have to reread some articles or documents to make sure the subject does, indeed, have to do with us. Maybe it’s just me, I don’t know but, of late, I’ve been seeing certain terms more and more frequently in articles, commentaries and interviews when people, not always from within our Community, are talking about us; using some new “buzzwords”… phrases such as “gender fluid,” “gender flexible” or “gender variant.”

Gender what?

Now, I’m as reasonable, as tolerant and as open minded as most people but, in my opinion, the first two labels, respectively, make us sound like some sort of liquid concoction or some sort of recently invented fabric.

Gender variant? Wow! I’m sorry, but to me, this conjures up an image of some sort of alien, life not from this planet, something at odds with the rest of the human race (hmm, maybe we are, I don’t know…); or even a nice way of saying we’re some sort of deviants….

I must admit it’s really very easy to slip into this sort of vernacular, this sort of expressionism; or simply just accept what we read about ourselves at face value; accept the labels the rest of society give us.

So, maybe we should make more noise about being “gender gifted” (this one I do like), or “gender blessed” (this one I’m not so sure about) or even “gender non-specific” (this one is a bit of a joke, really! Sounds to me like someone who’s been neutered).

Still, we’ve a long way to go and, for now, I’ll simply content myself by calling myself, “Me”…or maybe more appropriately: “Gender up-to-me”.”

After all, what’s my real gender got to do with anyone else?

Available from Club Lighthouse Publishing

Tags: crossdressing, featured, Identity, Politically Correct, Transgender, Transsexual

Category: Transgender Body & Soul, Transgender Opinion