Ironic

As Angela Gardner blogged about how much things have changed for the better in the last couple of decades, I was working on a blog about…

…how little progress has been made.

Oh sure, we’re on the cover of Newsweek. Barbara Walters did a special on the topic of TG children. And transgendered youth are winning the right to not only go to school in their preferred gender, but they’re winning crowns at prom.

But what about the rest of us? Is there any progress in the ranks of crossdressers? I still see countless photos of t-girls who are afraid to show their faces. Look through any TG-themed Yahoo group and the blank profiles outnumber any other segment.

For many of us, transgenderism is only about a quick sexual thrill. And then it’s hidden away, discarded because of shame. I don’t visit chat rooms like I used to because I’m tired of the propositions.

And when I do chat, I tend to see the same people. They’ve been living their lives online for years now, and are still talking about the same thing: how much they like pantyhose. Fine, I get it. Can we move on?

The Internet gets credit for opening up a whole new world for us. But, I fear it has also closed us off from the rest of the world. When we get online for the first time, we learn that we aren’t the only person who feels this way. We connect with other like-minded individuals. We learn, we share, and we grow a bit.

And then, for too many of us, we stop. We’ve walled ourselves off in our little corner of the World Wide Web. Crossdressers don’t have to worry about fascists rounding us up and throwing us in prison; we’ve already built our own little ghetto.

I’m not suggesting in the least that we should all cancel our subscriptions to TGForum. (Lordy, no way!) But, I am saying the Internet should be part of a balanced breakfast: we can and should do more with life.

The ‘Net is a tool. Not a crutch.

Category: All TGForum Posts, Transgender Opinion