Ask a trans person!

[Ursy]

Originally Posted by StephanieAlexis

Urs, thank you for this!. "Standard issue" is a new term for me!

This post, and a couple of others, have made me think of language and lexicon regarding the trans-community. My experience has been if you get ten individuals who are trans you will come up with twenty different self-identifying terms. Sometimes this leads to further information; sometimes this leads to quarrels. ("I am not a tranny!" "Well, I am!")

My experience has been that this is not something new. I have heard this discussion blossom up in the middle of many different groups, whether socially, politically or even ethnically identified. For instance, which is more proper, dyke or lesbian? Queer or gay? Homosexual or same-sex?

Here is my question: Should there be any one standard of words/phrases used to identify people of transgender experiences and their lives?

My initial reaction is, oh hell, no! We are individuals and to some extent so are our experiences, and our language should reflect that. But then the activist in me says, well, yes, that's very p.c. but does having such a varied vocabulary help or hinder the community and its message on a more macro (local/state/federal) level? let me be the first to say, to that question I have no clear response.

I agree! I think we should all be free to define our own brand of "femmeness", "butchness", "trans-ness" (and the list goes on). Why should we insist that because one term works for me, that it should apply to the next femme/butch/trans person?

I think any term in itself is not the issue - it's the attitude with which it is used. A standardised vocabulary means absolutely nothing if the person who is using it is disrespectful or dismissive about it. Conversely, I can always forgive a person who has good intentions but who may not be using the most politically correct term. Maybe they just don't have the educational background to know any different.