does the word transgender need to exist and just be just male and female

[evecrook]

Maybe it would be better for everyone if we just stopped using the word transgender. It would be clearer to say just male or female.

[Shaina]

I'd say identifying as a man or woman would be sufficient for most conversations. I think using the term transgender only becomes an issue when you're discussing that topic, coming out, etc.

Like most terms, it can be a useful way to identify yourself and used by intolerant people to marginalize others.

I say use it. Either way, haters gonna hate! 

[Devlyn]

I'm not sure I understand the question. Could you please elaborate? Hugs, Devlyn

[Alainaluvsu]

I'd say identifying as a man or woman would be sufficient for most conversations. I think using the term transgender only becomes an issue when you're discussing that topic, coming out, etc.

Like most terms, it can be a useful way to identify yourself and used by intolerant people to marginalize others.

I say use it. Either way, haters gonna hate! 

I agree. I think the word has as much place as any other label. When we see a skinny woman, we don't say she is a skinny woman unless there's a reason we need to describe her AS a skinny woman. That skinny woman doesn't introduce herself by saying "Hi, I'm the skinny woman you talked to on the phone 10 minutes ago".  I think there are times when the word should be used, like at the doctors office or telling a potential lover about yourself.

[Adam (birkin)]

Yeah, I really feel like transsexual (or transgender, if that's what floats your boat) just labels a condition. I really dislike people referring to my being transgender as if its my gender identity. My gender is male. Period. Transgender (or, transsexual is what I prefer) is just a way to describe my condition to my doctors or whoever actually needs to know, which is very few people.

[suzifrommd]

Not in love with the idea.

There are people whose brain is wired in such a way that their gender identity doesn't match their birth sex.

This is real. It happens.

How would we talk about it without a word?

Words are powerful. When you can name something, you have a symbol you can invoke that conveys your meaning quickly. When you have to describe something, your words are clouded and they lose power.

Example:

"Tigers can be deadly."

Vs.

"Those very large catlike animals found in the Bengal regions that tend to be striped (most of the time) can be deadly."

Which one gets the most attention? Which one conveys its meaning most effectively?

[JillSter]

When you fill out a form or profile and it asks your sex...

Male [ ] Female [ ] Transgender [ ]  (Nevermind the fact that trans is not a sex) sigh

Who checks transgender?

I only don't check female when I feel like it would be a lie. Soon I won't have to feel that way anymore. I try very hard to be proud of who I am, and that means being proud of being a trans person, but I would only ever identify as female. Trans is not my identity. It's just a caveat used to make people more comfortable in their limited understanding of gender.

Details are irrelevant imo, unless (as Alaina already said) the conversation is specifically about that particular detail.

[Devlyn]

Actually, setting up the account on this phone, I was given the choice of male, female, or other. I chose other. Hugs, Devlyn

[Isabelle]

Yes, the word transgender needs to exist. It's a cultural umbrella term that encompasses all behaviors considered atypical for a persons birth sex. Many of which are paraphillic and fetish driven.  I don't identify as transgender for this exact reason.

[Makalii]

Personally I consider myself more transsexual than transgender, because my desire is to change my sex, not my gender. My gender is female, just as any cis-gendered woman's gender is female. Sometimes I think a more appropriate term for myself might be "transbodied," but I kind of like the way "transgendered" rolls off the tounge. And sometimes in public it's easier to say transgender instead of transexual because then they think of sexual orientation as soon as they hear the root word "sex" and it's totally not about that.