Philosophy 101

I've though a lot about why I am what I am. That self exploration has caused me to look deeply into myself and evaluate and develop some thoughts to help answer my own questions.

Fundamentally, why is anyone the way they are? A product of society? Genetics? Environment? Sociological? Psychological? Physiological? Divine intervention or design? I think the answer is a combination of all of those things. And, since those facets are too vague to quantify, I have tended to ignore the question of "why." Instead, I focus on "what" I am and try to understand what it means.

I am a human being. Complete with feelings, hopes, desires, motivations, apprehensions, fears, talents, and the need to be loved. Is there a male and female component to those concepts? I think not. Are we biologically and physiologically associated with male or female? Generally, yes. We are each, with some exceptions, born with a sexual assignment for the reason of procreation. (Some might even say for recreation.) Socially, we then assigned a gender to each of us. For simplification, we made gender = sex. Sex is easily definable and is based on function. Gender is another matter. We associate certain traits and characteristics to gender. Females are child bearers and home makers while males are hunters and gatherers. Females are softer and more caring while males are hard and stoic. Females are loving while males are aloof. Does anyone really believe these gender role assignments? Did any ever believe these? I certainly know some women who stronger than me and I know some men who are just as caring and compassionate as any female I've encountered. So, is the cultural description of gender germane? Maybe not.

Another interesting item is that of cross dressing. What is that? Colloquially, we mean male-to-female (MTF) trans-dressing -- men wearing women's clothes. What makes clothing sex (or gender) related? Well....we assign clothing to the sexes. Today, women wear skirts and men wear pants. At least in Western society. African and Asian societies have women and men wearing almost the same types of clothing. Most often, a wrap of cloth to cover the body. 2,000 years ago, trousers were not developed. Robes and wraps were the attire of the day. What was the difference between a woman's robe and a man's robe? Did major historical identities "cross dress" as we think of it today?

Why is it OK for a woman to wear trousers and a man may not wear a skirt? Why may women wear nail polish while men must not? Why is it OK for a woman to cry in public while a man must contain his emotions? In almost every other species, the male is the most colorful in order to attract the attention of the female. Why is that different for the human species?

Anyway, gender is a term that is culturally assigned and I reject. I have a biological assignment but I have characteristics and traits that span the cultural definitions of gender. I am soft and hard, compassionate and aloof, emotional and stoic. Aren't we all? To be a complete person, a complete human, I encompass the entire gender spectrum.

In fact, I transcend the gender boundaries. I dress androgynously and I act how I want to act and react in any given situation. I'm OK to cry, laugh, yell, or quietly sigh. All of the human emotions. I find comfort in being able to express myself without the constraints of society and culture. I also find comfort in my feminine nature. It soothes me and allows me to be free with expression.

I struggle to find the "right" mixture of femme and homme. I've determined that there is no right mixture. We are individuals who react differently to different situations and stimuli. All that being said, I proudly say that I am Transgendered.

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