gdp's Comments

Breitbart.com : Spanish \'man\' is pregnant with twins: report

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 18:00:32 +0000

I'm not sure if you'll get this reply, since the site seems to say there are no comments anymore, but the instructions say I can just reply via e-mail.

The first problem with your statement is that "man" and "woman" are terms describing gender, not sex.� You're a "man" or a "woman" depending on how you identify yourself.� The terms "male" and "female" represent biological reproductive roles, and cannot be changed (yet!) once set.� But the terms are often used interchangeably, even though they are not interchangable.

My point is not to say that transsexual persons can change their chromosomes, because we can't.� Rather, my point is to say that trying to determine what is a "man" and what is a "woman" based on chromosomes is silly.� They aren't constants.� All men aren't XY.� All women aren't XX.� Most are what you'd expect, but not all of them, and while it's not something I'd say is common, it's not that rare either.� It's part of nature, just like all the other variations we have.� To take it further, even those who are XX or XY may or may not be able to reproduce and may or may not have genitalia expected of their assigned sex.� So ultimately, the identification is left to two things; how you identify yourself, and how others identify you.� The former is the most important, as there are plenty of cisgender males who identify as men, but are mistaken for women, just as there are plenty of cisgender females who identify as women but are mistaken for men.

Whether or not the various surgeries involved to treat the medical aspect of transsexuality is "mutilation" is a matter of personal opinion, but I fail to see how surgeries such as these are different than surgery for any other condition that is adversely affecting your life.� I don't expect you to understand what it's like to be transsexual, since I get the impression you aren't transsexual yourself.� You'd be surprised how many transsexual people you meet on a daily basis and never have any idea that they're transsexual.

I don't think stories such as this one are newsworthy, because there's nothing happening here aside from people being challeneged on their shortsighted beliefs.� I also am not particularly fond of the various transmen who seek to have children while making a spectacle of themselves, because I feel some of that does a disservice to those of us who do everything we can to distance ourselves from our incorrect gender assignment.� However, I'd chastize them for trying to get attention, not because of the choices they've made.� They're free to live their lives just as you're free to live yours.� Why all the animosity towards them?� Why are you so concerned about it?� Or is it just a case of perceived homophobia, where you're frightened that the person to whom you're attracted may not biologically be what you think they are, even though that biological definition is meaningless unless you're intent on reproducing with that person?

And for the record, he is a pregnant man.� He's just not, scientifically speaking, a pregnant male.

Breitbart.com : Spanish \'man\' is pregnant with twins: report

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 04:27:10 +0000

There is variation within the transgender and transsexual communities, with some people not having surgery whatsoever, but still identifying with the gender opposite the one assigned to them at birth. Your surgical status doesn't make your identity any less valid, regardless of whether or not other people understand it. Some people elect to not have surgery, or to only have some of the surgery, for a variety of reasons (including their own feelings, health, dissatisfaction with surgical results, etc.). Transmen often have "top" surgery, but not "bottom" surgery, because the results tend to be unsatisfactory for the risk involved. Unless you're in an intimate relationship with them, or they come out to you, you don't know what's in their pants. You don't know what's in anyone's pants unless they either show you, or tell you. Trying to base everything off what equipment one may or may not have is just stupid. Not all the cisgender people even have the equipment they're "supposed" to have! Does that make their identities invalid? Now, with regard to transmen having babies. I don't understand it myself, because I would never seek to do such a thing. However, I suppose the drive to be a parent is stronger than the factors involved in the rest of their situation, and that's the choice they make. I can easily accept it without having to understand it. Regarding intolerance, I didn't say that intolerance didn't exist, but that doesn't make it any less ridiculous. Oh, and I love how you determined my morals for me! Thanks! :) I never said anyone here didn't have a right to their own opinion. I'm telling them their opinions are based on ignorance, which is obvious considering the plethora of nonsense present in so many of these posts.

Breitbart.com : Spanish \'man\' is pregnant with twins: report

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 04:09:32 +0000

Haha, that's pretty funny, actually. Transsexual people have existed in nature for centuries, if not millennia. Trying to force everyone into two categories, when nature obviously has not done so, doesn't make all the natural variations disppear, nor does it make them any less natural. In essence, you're saying it's not possible to do the very thing your statements attempt to do. Bravo!

Breitbart.com : Spanish \'man\' is pregnant with twins: report

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 03:38:03 +0000

Nowhere in this article does it say that he hated himself. He saw a problem and sought to remedy it, just like any other person is able to do. If it bothers you that much, perhaps it's a case of projecting your own feelings on to someone else, then claiming that they're theirs.

Breitbart.com : Spanish \'man\' is pregnant with twins: report

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 02:05:42 +0000

The problem with your assertion is that "male" and "man" are not the same thing. Society tends to link them together, but one is a scientific/biological concept while the other is a construct created by society. Personally, as a transsexual woman, I do not see why stories like this continue to be deemed "newsworthy". However, the ignorance and intolerance that seems to fuel any discussion on the topic never ceases to amaze me.

Breitbart.com : Spanish \'man\' is pregnant with twins: report

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 02:03:10 +0000

No, as long as testosterone is not being taken through the pregnancy, there likely wouldn't be any problems.

Breitbart.com : Spanish \'man\' is pregnant with twins: report

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 01:56:51 +0000

There are men with XX chromosomes, and there are women with XY. There are all manner of genetic variations, some resulting in infertile persons, while others remain fertile. There are men with no male reproductive organs, and women without female reproductive organs. Is a man suffering from testicular cancer less of a man because he was castrated? Is a woman who has to have a hysterectomy less of a woman because she's unable to bear children? If not, then what's the difference? You can't prove that we're not who and what we say we are, and more than you can prove that you are who and what you say YOU are. Who cares?

Breitbart.com : Spanish \'man\' is pregnant with twins: report

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 01:53:10 +0000

I disagree. I think the sad, deluded individual who is sick and a freak is the person who labels someone different than them as "demonically possessed", to the point of condeming their unborn children as well. Why? Why so much hate and vitriol? I pity the person who has to live their life with such intolerance and hate.

Breitbart.com : Spanish \'man\' is pregnant with twins: report

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 01:50:12 +0000

Oh, please. We don't have to convince you that we're normal, nor are we fraudulent. Your inability to understand and check your privilege at the door is your problem, and it's something that's easily remedied with education.

Breitbart.com : Spanish \'man\' is pregnant with twins: report

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 01:46:02 +0000

Not all women have two X chromosomes. Some have 1, 2, 3, 4 or even 5. Not all men have XY chromosomes, some have two X chromosomes or some other combination of X and Y. Perhaps you should educate yourself before revealing your ignorance by making blanket statements that are demonstrably false.

Breitbart.com : Spanish \'man\' is pregnant with twins: report

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 01:40:29 +0000

There is no such thing as "gender confusion disorder", there's "gender identity disorder", which is only classified as a disorder due to the amount of trauma (both emotional and physical) suffered by people in this situation when denied medical assistance. We aren't confused, we know who we are.