“Gender is an Expression, Not A Lifelong Sentence”
I can’t speak for all transvestites, but one of the things that have occurred to me over the weeks, is that there is a marked difference between transvestites and hormone/surgery-destined transgender folk. Honestly in all the excitement and reassertion of who should lay claim to the throne beneath the almighty T* umbrella, some of us have neglected to pay attention to differences. Here is what I think:
For transvestites, gender is an expression, not a lifelong sentence.
What does this phrase mean? For me, an expression could be fleeting. It could be something you can turn on and turn off. I personally see it in terms of an artistic expression. I think it’s important to understand this distinction, because even though I think transvestites do face discrimination and an equal amount of problems, violence, and lack of understanding in society AND communities, I also believe that to put transvestites in the same group as hormone/surgery-destined transgender folk may negate from the seriousness of the latter’s situation.
Many transvestites like myself value our “other” self as a part of identity. Look at the word itself: It is only transgressing in costume and dress. The hormone/surgery trans folk, on the other hand, are looking to replace the other self with a realization of their true self. It’s definitely a greater calling and demands a higher level of commitment.
That’s not to say transvestites don’t face their own set of problems. We do.
