Hi Everyone I appreciate the thoughts shared about how bottom surgery might change one's connection to the transgender community and whether it alters how someone identifies. This is something many people think about, and perspectives on it vary widely. Some people continue to embrace the transgender identity throughout their lives, while others feel that medical changes bring closure and allow them to move forward without that label.
The word transgender is just a label. People can accept it or reject it based on their own understanding of who they are. The term was not always commonly used, and for many, it does not define their personal experience. Historically, words like transsexual and gender dysphoria have evolved over time, but none of these terms are requirements for self-identification.
The DSM-5 makes it clear that gender dysphoria is a medical condition and does not require someone to identify as transgender. It focuses on distress, not identity, meaning a person can seek medical care without adopting that label (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Some find strength in identifying as transgender, while others see it as unnecessary for how they live their lives.
I'm not transgender and never have been, and I have lived my life as a female accordingly. When I changed my life, the term transgender was not commonly used, and even after encountering it later, I found that it did not apply to me. Historically, the term transgender only started gaining broader usage in the late 1980s and 1990s (Stryker, 2008).
Georgie Stone's words in The Dreamlife of Georgie Stone reflect this reality. When she said, "I don't want to be trans," she acknowledged that, while she understands the term, she ultimately knows she is female. That feeling is shared by many who prefer to live simply as themselves without additional qualifiers.
People step away from the transgender community for various reasons. Some prioritize privacy, some never felt a strong connection to it, and others, after surgery, see no need to engage with it any further. Some have lived for decades without participating in any transgender support group or community. I'm one such person.
I lived in stealth for 20 years before ever interacting with a transgender forum. After two years of participation, I stepped away again for another 12 years. Whether someone steps away or remains involved, the choice is deeply personal. There is no single path that everyone must follow.
Identity is a personal perspective, and no one can define it for someone else. Whether others see someone as transgender or not is irrelevant. What matters is how they see themselves. For some, their assigned gender at birth follows them throughout life, while others define themselves on their own terms. Some embrace their past, while others distance themselves from it. Surgery does not change this. Many people live as women without any need for qualifiers, and that is not up for debate in their minds.
Society often forces people into rigid categories, distinguishing between women and trans women as if they are separate. But identity is not necessarily an either or issue. Terms like transgender are social constructs that developed over time, shaped by cultural and historical factors rather than medical necessity (Valentine, 2007).
The DSM-5 does not require someone to identify as transgender to access gender-related medical care, reinforcing that identity and medical needs are separate concepts (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Some hold onto labels for personal reasons, while others find them unnecessary. Being female is not something that needs a secondary descriptor. It simply is.
Life is not about fitting into predefined categories. People have the right to embrace or reject any label that does not serve them. Georgie Stone's perspective highlights that even within the transgender community, there are those who do not want to be seen as trans. That is a valid feeling. Some people choose to identify with the term, while others never have. I'm not transgender, never have been, and have lived as female without ever needing that label. Identity is not something that has to be publicly defined or justified to anyone.
Surgery does not change who someone is, just as it does not have to change their connection to a community. Some people remain deeply involved in transgender spaces, while others step away. Some continue identifying as transgender, while others never did in the first place. What matters is how people see themselves. No one else can dictate that.
Bibliography
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5). Discusses gender dysphoria as a clinical condition, not an identity.
Stryker, S. (2008). Transgender History. Seal Press. Explains how transgender as a term gained usage in the late 20th century.
Valentine, D. (2007). Imagining Transgender: An Ethnography of a Category. Duke University Press. Explores the ways in which transgender is a constructed label and how it does not universally define identity.
Best Wishes AlwaysSarah BGlobal Moderator@CosmicJoke
