A Few Things Non-Transgender People Need To Understand And Take For Granted


So, to start, non-transgender people are called cisgender. Cisgender, meaning they aren't transgender and identify as their biological sex. So I will now use the term cisgender.

Basically, there are many things that transgender people face daily that cisgender people do not understand, claim they do, but take for granted.


A Few Things Non-Transgender People Need To Understand And Take For Granted

Bathrooms

Cisgender people, you will NEVER understand the public restroom struggle. Let say you're a cisgender male. You go into the mens restroom. You do your business, you leave. But what if you're a transman? You aren't born male, you have no penis or anything. You identify as male, yet are born female. This is when the struggle is real. You don't want to go in the male restroom and get weird looks, maybe even violent reactions when they realize who, or as some people like to say what, you are. Yet, you don't want to go in the female restroom because maybe you look like a guy. From experience, I've had security called on me several times from using the female restroom because I look male. It's just uncomfortable as hell. Some even avoid public restrooms all together. Some are lucky enough to find a unisex bathroom. But despite all that, its still an awkward situation all together, one thats faced everytime a transgender person has to go in public.


A Few Things Non-Transgender People Need To Understand And Take For Granted

Swimming Pools And Outfits

Ahh, swimming pools. It's a hot summer day and you, a cisgender female, wants to go swimming. You get your swim suit on and go, no worry to it. But for a transgender person, it's bullshit. Reason for that? Because both sides, and unfortunately MtF transsexuals or transgender men who identify as women more, can't exactly go without identifying one way or the other. For example: A transman wants to go swimming, but he hasn't had top-surgery yet and still has breasts. Does he wear a female swimming suit and go, or find a swim shirt that covers up? Either way, you still might be able to tell he's female and refer to him as 'her' and 'she', misgendering him and probably causing more discomfort. A transwoman may want to go swimming, but she doesn't have breasts yet and still has a penis. Well, some cisgender women wear swim trunks, but what about her lack of breasts? She could just use fake ones for the moment, but is there any guarantee they will stay? You'll see her and misgender her as 'him' and 'he' and, like the transman, probably cause discomfort. This makes swimming a weird situation that may be avoided all together, like I've been doing despite the fact that I love to go swimming.


A Few Things Non-Transgender People Need To Understand And Take For Granted
A Few Things Non-Transgender People Need To Understand And Take For Granted

ID's And Drivers Licenses

This is one that cisgender people really need to understand how easy they have it. It's filling out your information for you state ID and drivers license. For cisgender people, that's beyond easy. Put down your name, your gender, your social, all your info, turn it in and wait. For transgenders? The weight, social, height, eye, and hair color are easy. But name and gender is where it gets messy. See, a transsexual identifies as the gender opposite of what they were born as. Therefor, a transman will want to put down male, but it unfortunately says female on his birth certificate. He might go by a name thats not on his birth certificate and social security card. He might not want to put down the stuff on paper, but knows he has to or he can run into serious trouble, so he does. Later, when he has to show ID for something, he might get treated differently when they realize his gender is in fact female. And trust me, that makes for a very awkward situation, one that can turn ugly in a quick second.


A Few Things Non-Transgender People Need To Understand And Take For Granted
A Few Things Non-Transgender People Need To Understand And Take For Granted

Social Security Card and Birth Certificates

This right here can be the source of many issues regarding the ID and drivers licensing issues. For a cisgender person, you might not mind seeing your real name and biological gender as what it says. For a transgender, it can cause quite a few issues, like if you want to identify as female but your birth certificate says male. All your paperwork may say male. School papers, work stuff, financial things may all say male. But you identify as female. Your social security card may say, "Alicia Thomas" or example, but you don't go by Alicia, you might go by Thomas, your last name, because you feel it fits you more. Well, tough luck. Your gender on your birth certificate says female, you may be refered to as female, and you can't do much for the time being.


So to summarize all this:

Cisgender people have it very easy in regards to their gender identity. But some people aren't so lucky and go through hell to express their gender identity. Some people face violence, physical for some like my friend who got beat up, and some face discrimination, like myself who was denied work because I came to the interview in a suit. Oh yes, the interviewer explained that being exactly why. Everything was good, but they couldn't be confusing customers and all women wore a skirt and heels, as part of the uniform. I asked if I could just wear what the men wore, pants and shoes, and be called Chris because nobody can tell I'm female anyway. He said no, will you wear a skirt and heels? I said I won't wear that, not on my life. He said it was nice meeting me and dismissed me. Lets say a cisgender male walked in, however, suit and everything. Probably would have gotten the job.

So anyway, we face a lot of issues daily in identifying as the opposite sex, knowing very well its hard and can be dangerous. I don't know why people say we choose to be transsexual. Yes, people choose a life of discrimination, pain, hardship, some are disowned, some kicked out, some may be beat up, some are killed. Yes, we choose that life on purpose. No, it happens because our gender identity does not match our biological sex.

One more thing cisgender people will never understand: The costs of Gender Reassignment. It isn't cheap and many insurance agencies clearly say they do not cover anything relating to Gender Reassignment Surgery, that includes hormones and therapy sessions. So its all out of pocket unless you get insurance that does, and is not cheap either. Plastic surgery is the closest you can get to costs, but that's truly optional. For transsexuals, GRS is more of a necessity, so you can finally be the male/female you've always dreamed you were but never experienced due to looking down and seeing the wrong body parts. And many doctors who do these surgeries aren't found in small towns. So transsexuals from smaller towns are out of luck in this situation and may have to travel farther out to get the help they want.

Also, you can change the information on your birth certificate, ID, drivers license, and social security card. It just better be done at once, or it can cause issues. Also, it may cost quite a bit to change all that information. I am currently in the process myself, and its no fun at all.

So basically, those are a few things I believe cisgender people don't understand and really need to understand, as they have it easy. Feel free to comment, but if you're going to comment stuff like, "Oh these trannys are all disgusting" and shit like that, feel free to just not. We already get enough shit everyday, negativity such as that is unnecessary.

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Most Helpful Guy

  • If I said this once I've said it a million times Gender Identity Disorder as well as Body Dysmorphic Disorder should not be treated as something normal by giving it a label of transgender/transsexual. As for most of these "issues" if you insist that it is not a mental disorder (well actually 2 as mentioned earlier) here are the possible solutions.

    1) Washrooms:
    If you look like a guy use the men's room, if you look like a girl use the women's. If you're still unsure try going to the disabled washroom.

    2) Swimming
    If you look like a guy dress like a guy, if you look like a girl dress like a girl.

    3) Driver's licence
    Why can't you put the desired gender?

    4) Social insurance birth certificate e. t. c
    I think you should look into what immigrants do when they come to the West especially Chinese immigrants that change their name to an English name.

    Finally perhaps you should seek help on why you believe you were born in the wrong body. Some psychologists believe it is from some sort of childhood trauma or maybe you feel that men have it better than women.

    • Another cisgendered asshole who doesn't get anything. Sigh.

    • Just going to say, I honestly doubt you got the point of this, if you even read it to begin with. People like you are literally the reason trans people are given shit in life.

    • Rofl ok so what exactly do I not get? Trans people get shit because they don't seek help and instead pursue their delusions. Just because homosexuality is no longer considered a mental illness doesn't mean that transgender will soon be seen as normal. I don't wish harm onto anyone but sometimes people have their head so far up their a$$ they think their shit don't smell no more. Have you ever considered that maybe there is a reason around 98% of people are cisgendered?

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Most Helpful Girl

  • I could feel the difficulty just by reading this. I really feel for you guys. Kind of want to name my child a name that could be a boy or girl name like Alex so they won't have to go through the struggle if they are transgender.

    • At least we have a few smart younger kids out there.

    • I never considered this.. good point! I don't care if my child is gay, bi, trans etc. So long as they do what makes them happy I am happy, I will support and love. I just wish some of the older generations were more accepting.. I definitely won't be a stubborn oldie stuck in my old ways that's for sure :)

    • Thank you! @myTake Owner @JessikaSky thank you! And definitely, some people are sostuck in their parents and past generations ways, we have to accept people for who they want to be.

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What Girls & Guys Said

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  • Wow, thanks! I actually am glad to see I'm not the only trans guy who has trouble with bathrooms--I mean, I knew I wasn't, but I thought maybe it was strange that I use the women's restroom still tbh out of fear/anxiety.

    • I do remember a time I used the mens bathroom at a Home Depot. For the longest, everyone assumed I was a guy until one asshole from my class in particular opened his mouth. So I was almost beat the fuck out of. The next day, however, I kicked his ass. The only reason they almost beat my ass was because he lied, claiming I was checking out their dicks and I'm gay so I was probably fantasizing and took things way outta proportion. Had I not been carrying my pocket-knife, which I pulled out, grabbed a guy, and put it to his neck so they let me go, I probably would have been killed or in the ER.

    • Wow. Yeah, I saw you live in a pretty dangerous area for a transgender person. I think in my area I'm probably fairly safe, but still, I look like a woman, and I'm really small, not that strong so no matter what using the men's room isn't for me. Not yet, anyway.

    • Thats why we work out and build muscle ;)

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  • I must admit, if you have security called on you for going to the bathroom that aligns with your physical sex, then I am pretty sure you could even sue them for harassment. It is a shame you typically just don't have enough money to throw around to sue everyone.

    What I don't understand is what transgender people hope to gain from going against all pre-set rules regarding gender expression for what is seen as appropriate for a member of a given sex. And when it comes to sexuality and getting physical, the fact that you are not the sex they believe in some cases isn't really something that can just be "ignored".

    I mean, is it really worth the harassment to wear makeup as a male? Is it worth the harassment to wear a skirt as a male? Is it worth the harassment to have others say "he" instead of "she"? People are taught to hate what they deem abnormal. It is clear that many people are not taught to be empathetic and therefore will do their best to hurt you harm you and harass you wherever you go, and these people are too dumb and have a stick so deep up their anus that they will never change for the better to become a socialized and civilized human being. You can't change society. They are all raised to be asshats. So is it really worth it?

    • I can't change society just like I can't change who I am. I refuse, in any way possible, to go along with what's deemed acceptable just to not get hurt. I'll get talked about until the very memory of me is gone, I refuse to pretend to be someone I'm not in the short time I have alive then. And if people are taught that it's nothing wrong with me at all, but society who needs to teach their kids to be sensible humans and not judgmental assholes who'd rather hurt someone who is different instead of trying to understand WHY they are who they are. This shit is why I already know that if I EVER have kids, they will be taught to ask first, assume second due to the fact that my life is full of assumptions and ignorance.

  • This take is enlightening.

    I've never thought about what everyday life must be like for a transgender before finishing their transitions. The bathroom example is already bad, the swimming pool example is even worse.

    • And this is real life for us.

    • I'm sorry if this is too personal, but haven't you finished the transition? I thought I read this in your other take. Or do you mean things like these still happen to those after transition? Are transgenders allowed to change their names and sexes on legal papers in the US?

    • You're being very polite, and therefor I do not take offense. Now it's hard to explain, but I'm still in the process of transitioning. It takes years to complete. I can be 45 and everything says male, I could have a penis, balls, and male chest. Full on beard and everything, but people may still call me female because its my biological gender, for reasons I can't understand. However, I consider myself a straight man, if this makes any sense at all. And things like this may still happen because things like breast removal and bottom surgery (everything involving genitals basically) can, and typically does, leave scars, some noticeable as hell. We can change out gender and names, but some states purposely make it difficult as hell for discrimination reasons. Other states don't have anti-discrimination laws that prohibit certain firms from denying us that ability. So, yes we can. But its hard, especially in areas where there's literally NO anti-discrimination law existing for LGBT people

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  • Glad I finally understand.

  • There is no "cisgender". It's called "normal". To feel like the gender for which you do not naturally have the hormones or genitalia is a mixup in the wiring, an aberration. This is not to say that transgender people should be looked down on, just as any other people who are born with a condition that makes their daily life more difficult deserve understanding of their travails.

  • One of my closest friends is a trans-woman, and I showed her your take.

    It brought tears to her eyes to feel so well understood. Thank you for this take.

    • No problem :). Glad I can help someone. I'm at college now and the bathroom issue isn't nearly as bad as it was in the city I came from. Everyone at my college see's me as Chris and as soon as I use the mens bathroom, apologize for misgendering me. So it's all good.

  • Trans bring it on themselves! Just stay how you were born and be gay!
    What I mean is if you're a woman trapped in a man's body and you're attracted to men them be gay. Saves you all the cosmetic trouble.

    The toilet issue is stupid.
    If you look like a man, use the man's bathroom. Is you look like a woman then go to a woman's bathroom! Problem solved!

    • Problem solved? No. In fact, I doubt you actually read this if you're saying this.

    • I did. What's so difficult? If you are a man with the mind of a woman and you look like a man then use the man's bathroom. Nobody going to say, hey you think you're a woman so you can't use this room! No, just walk in, do what you need to, wash your hands then leave! If you're a man with the mid of a woman and look like a woman then go to the woman's bathroom. Nobody is going to pull your pants down to check! It's simple, you bring it on yourself!

    • I want you to thoroughly re-read the bathroom portion of this because some people do.

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