Reply #20: Fine, I will Voice the unpopular position (flame Suit On) [View All]

[Ioo]

I am going to voice a truth that, while you may not want to hear, I think is worth saying. I am NOT, IN ANY WAY, Condoning the removal of the T, but I understand those that do...

I think that the T is something all together different, and far more complicated then even the G&L debates. I have read in many places that "Transgender" does not imply any form of sexual orientation. I know this from my own life, one of my best friends in named Victor left high school, lived as a women, and dated women. He knew he was not a man, he did not feel like a man, he hated his penis, but he loved females. What is she?

As much as I am able to understand from the outside looking in the fact that the need to express ones gender is as complicated and proplexing as expressing the person you are attracted to sexual, I think that there are times when the conundrums that the transgender community bring up force people to walk away from the issue all together. I think that when you look at the Gay issue, the mechanics are cut and dry, the issues are, at there core, easy to define, and simple to rectify. I do not think that is the case when you put transgender into the mix, that adds a level of complexity that makes a lot of would be supporters turn tail and run. It is right, HELL NO, is it a fact, sadly YES.

My 74 year old grandmother once told me (she dies 3 years ago) "I support what you are and where you want to be Mark, but I just do not understand those people who want be a women when they are men. I just can't wrap my brain around that. Where do they use the bathroom? You don't want to dress like a girl do you?"

I give you my grandma's quote because that was the end of her long road coming to terms with her ONLY grandson in a very small family coming out of the closet. After a lot of thought, and some very personal questions, this was her conclusion... Gay is okay, transgender is odd and uncomprehending. It took her over 2 years of not really talking to me to get to that point.

Before you go and burn me to the ground I will repeat, I am okay with the T, but I am also a realist here and know from my own life what people are thinking. I love all my GLBT people, and I want us all to get the rights that are coming to us, and I want them all sooner rather than later... but I suspect that will not be the case...