Transition

The word ‘transition’ has been used profusely in the news recently.

The translation of ‘transition’ is the process or a period of changing from one state or condition to another.

Isn’t that is what life is all about?

We change our hair color, we seek the passage toward the meaning of live, we move from place to place, we transform to whatever mood we are in, we make the reality check between school and work and make the conversion, we metamorphosis during puberty, we have our clothes tailored in alteration, we segue through television serials, we shift our gears, we switch our lovers, we jump the shark, we have leaps of faith, we progress through life experiences, we are appraised or disdained for our development,  and we evolve

So what is this ‘trans’ all about?

We translate words, thoughts and meanings to better understand, we make transactions of our life’s savings into a joint account, we fake transparency but are as hidden as ever, we seen transmissions hoping for the answer and not a reply, we transform our wishes and dreams to comply, we yield yet are translucent, we indulge in our many forms of transportation hoping to get away and possibly come back, we check to see what has transpired but it is only life.

Is ‘trans’ a prefix?

Transgender people are folks who have a ‘gender identity’ or ‘gender expression’ that differs from their assigned sex. Transgender people are sometimes called transsexual if they desire medical assistance to transition from one sex to another.

Transgender is also an umbrella term: in addition to including people whose gender identity is the opposite of their assigned sex (trans men and trans women), it may include people who are not exclusively masculine or feminine (people who are genderqueer, e.g. bigender, pangender, genderfluid, or agender). Other definitions of transgender also include people who belong to a third gender, or conceptualize transgender people as a third gender. Infrequently, the term transgender is defined very broadly to include cross-dressers, regardless of their gender identity.

Being transgender is independent of sexual orientation: transgender people may identify as heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, asexual, etc., or may consider conventional sexual orientation labels inadequate or inapplicable. The term transgender can also be distinguished from intersex, a term that describes people born with physical sex characteristics “that do not fit typical binary notions of male or female bodies”.

The degree to which individuals feel genuine, authentic, and comfortable within their external appearance and accept their genuine identity has been called transgender congruence. Many transgender people experience gender dysphoria, and some seek medical treatments such as hormone replacement therapy, sex reassignment surgery, or psychotherapy. Not all transgender people desire these treatments, and some cannot undergo them for financial or medical reasons.

Most transgender people face discrimination at and in accessing work, public accommodations, and healthcare. They are not legally protected from discrimination in many places.

Gender / genderless, Androgyne, Bigender, Genderqueer / Non-binary, Gender bender, Hijra, Pangender, Queer heterosexuality, Third gender, Trans man, Trans woman, Transmasculine, Transfeminine, Trigender, Two-Spirit and etc.

A transvestite is a person who cross-dresses, or dresses in clothes typically associated with the gender opposite the one they were assigned at birth. The term transvestite is used as a synonym for the term cross-dresser, although cross-dresser is generally considered the preferred term. The term cross-dresser is not exactly defined in the relevant literature. This definition excludes people “who wear opposite sex clothing for other reasons,” such as “those female impersonators who look upon dressing as solely connected to their livelihood, actors undertaking roles, individual males and females enjoying a masquerade, and so on. These individuals are cross dressing but are not cross dressers.” Cross-dressers may not identify with, or want to be the opposite gender, nor adopt the behaviors or practices of the opposite gender, and generally do not want to change their bodies medically. The majority of cross-dressers identify as heterosexual. People who cross-dress in public can have a desire to pass as the opposite gender, so as not to be detected as a cross-dresser, or may be indifferent.

The term transvestite and the associated outdated term transvestism are conceptually different from the term transvestic fetishism, as transvestic fetishist describes those who intermittently use clothing of the opposite gender for fetishistic purposes.

Long before the use of generic ‘he’ was condemned as sexist, the pronouns ‘they’, ‘their’, and ‘them’ were used in educated speech and in all but the most formal writing to refer to singular indefinite pronouns or singular nouns of general personal reference (which are often not felt to be exclusively singular).

Shakespeare, Swift, Shelley, Scott, and Dickens, as well as many other English and American writers, have used ‘they’ and its related case forms to refer to singular antecedents.  This increased use is at least partly impelled by the desire to avoid generic ‘he’ or the awkward ‘he/she’ and ‘he or she’ when the antecedent’s gender is not known or when the referent is of mixed gender.

However, while use of ‘they’ and its forms after singular indefinite pronouns or singular noun of general personal reference or indefinite gender is common and generally acceptable, their use to refer to a single clearly specified, known, or named person is uncommon and likely to be noticed and criticized.

Even so, use of ‘they’, ‘their’, and ‘them’ is increasingly found in contexts where the antecedent is a gender-nonconforming individual or one who does not identify as male or female.
And although ‘they’ may be used as a singular pronoun, ‘they’ still take a plural verb, analogous to the use of “you are” to refer to one person.

From what I’ve read, there is a ‘transition’ period before ‘he’ or ‘she’ becomes ‘they’.

Personally I’ve transitioned enough and don’t really concern whatever the latest flavor for the month is and myself with the LBGTQXYZ community. A person is a human being, a fellow companion on this spinning ball we all call home and it doesn’t matter.

The person who decides they want to be responsible or perhaps greedy will take the acceptable clothing and walk the walk and talk the talk to achieve their monetary goals. Those who do not want to conform to the norm can migrate to another area hoping for realization of their beliefs, or become strong enough to create a NEW norm, or hide away in the shadows in fear of retribution.

Being from the ‘arts’ community I’ve always had interactions with those who do not conform to the norm. Partly due to the display of creativity and particularly to getting monetary reward from the world for their art, these individuals are flamboyant enough to draw attention to themselves.

Think of the dancers and writers and musicians and painters who had to become celebrities through being flamboyant. Think of the rock and roll musicians you can name without any knowledge of symphony musicians. Who was that bassoon player in the third row?

Sorry parents but you are to blame. You have rewarded your kids for performing wildly to entertain guest and family alike. Home movies bare this out.

But we all want to be acknowledged. From the person who tattoos their face to the shade of lipstick, each is an individual.

Gender doesn’t matter into you have to be separated by the authorities that define you as a ‘boy’ or a ‘girl’. Different teams, different life preparations, different sides of the dance floor are engrained into our psyche. Similar to politics and religion, are you ‘pink’ or are you ‘blue’?

Or are you black or brown or Muslin or Hindu or Southern Baptist or a farmer or a stockbroker or a pipe fitter or an airline pilot, does it matter? We are all here in this big pot of stew called humanity. Why should all the labels matter?

I might be somewhat shocked (or surprised) by a purple Mohawk hairdo or a military uniform or a Hijab or whatever other fashion statement one wants to be described by. It is just vision our of the usual and I get the same reaction by seeing a baby bunny sleeping in the tall grass or morning glories in full bloom. It is the diversity of life and as long as we don’t fear the other, after a transition we can all get along.

It is not the clothing or makeup or the house or car or title that makes the person who they are.

As I transition into old age there is more thought about comfort than ideality impression or even want for acceptance. Different isn’t bad, it makes us individuals.

Just don’t stick it in my face and expect me to accept it or any variation of it. One must take time to transition.

Until we expire.