The Defining Factor. Male/Female/Etc.

[Elwood]

I think the word "gentleman" might confuse you. A woman can be a "gentleman," even though she isn't a man. She can be sophisticated, helpful, cunning, attractive, and knowledgeable. It doesn't take a man to open a door for a woman, to give someone your coat until they're inside, to help a blind person cross a street. Ever heard of girl scouts? Why, they're quite the perfect little gentlemen (well, they used to be, before their lives became about selling those blasted cookies).

I think it's easier for the public to believe someone is androgyne than to believe they are the sex they "aren't."

[Jaimey]

For example I was born a female but now recollecting my early memories - I've never felt a real female. It's a weird and strange sensation, like an awkward boy in a female attire. But I'm not a TS because I don't want to change my female body for a male one. I like my female image, frilled blouses, make up but I'm not a real girl. It becomes more obvious to me when I'm surrounded by girls and women friends. I just feel I'm 'different', a boy really.. but it's not because I find girls sexually attractive or wanna flirt with them - I've never been in love with a female, always have been emotionally moved by males and yet I'm not a girl. I never flirt like a female would, I simply don't know what it's like to be a female. But there are days when I feel stronger and more aggressive than usual in a male way and some days I feel like a sissy..

wow.  it's like you're in my head. 

Just how is a girl supposed to flirt?

Right?  I don't get it either.  I've tried mimicking what girls do and it just feels weird.

Yeah, I get ya, women know their way with men, but people like me don't.

I always wondered how all the boys and girls knew.  It was a big clue for me.  Everyone else knew what to do and I was quite lost.

But to the question at hand, I don't think there is a defining line either.  You just keep asking questions and considering the answers until you find yourself.  It's hard to have a single defining moment in a journey.  I think a journey starts at one point and at some point, you realize you have a destination...or something like that.

[Drik]

I kinda feel that many of the latest posts are very heteronormative 
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heteronormativity).

Like

Yeah, I get ya, women know their way with men, but people like me don't.

I dont get that? What do you mean by "women"? Do you mean all women?

i am terribly sorry if I offend people, I'll blame it on my asperger and lack of social skills. I just dont like generalizing comments like that. That comment excludes bi-homosensual women, homosexual women and women who's not interested in men.

sorry again if I seem like a picky brat.

[Jaycie]

I kinda feel that many of the latest posts are very heteronormative 
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heteronormativity).

Like

Yeah, I get ya, women know their way with men, but people like me don't.

I dont get that? What do you mean by "women"? Do you mean all women?

i am terribly sorry if I offend people, I'll blame it on my asperger and lack of social skills. I just dont like generalizing comments like that. That comment excludes bi-homosensual women, homosexual women and women who's not interested in men.

sorry again if I seem like a picky brat.

I don't think you need to apologize at all for your post.  I've only skimmed the replies so i'll try to make a more in depth comment later on.  ( busy yesterday with relatives wedding stuff,  fairly large cesspool of heteronormativity there )

However,  i've also noticed a lot of comments that are fairly gross generalizations and based in stereotypes. I mean,  come on people.  Mixed traits?  Traits are traits are traits are traits.  You can look outside your door and find any person with any combination of traits whether they be male-identified,  female-identified, or groundhog-identified.  It doesn't matter. To claim that your identity can exist outside the gender binary and outside of the stereotypes then cling to them for self-definition is a bit silly imo.

Now that that rant is over,  back to your regularly scheduled thread while i read through few on topic replies we've had. 

[J]

I kinda feel that many of the latest posts are very heteronormative 
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heteronormativity).

Like

Yeah, I get ya, women know their way with men, but people like me don't.

I dont get that? What do you mean by "women"? Do you mean all women?

i am terribly sorry if I offend people, I'll blame it on my asperger and lack of social skills. I just dont like generalizing comments like that. That comment excludes bi-homosensual women, homosexual women and women who's not interested in men.

sorry again if I seem like a picky brat.

Hey, Drik! I didn't precise it this time that I was referring to 'heterosexual cisgendered women'. And thanks to you I just learnt a new freakin' term 'heteronormative'. And you can't really accuse me of being homophobic as I can open up my second confusion (just wanted to deal with 1 problem at a time but it seems impossible): I'm sexually attracted to female body but have always fallen in love only with males but don't like male bodies. Now what?

J 

[Elwood]

I kinda feel that many of the latest posts are very heteronormative 
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heteronormativity).

Like

Yeah, I get ya, women know their way with men, but people like me don't.

I dont get that? What do you mean by "women"? Do you mean all women?

Exactly. This is what is starting to really bug me about this thread. "Women are like this. Men are like this. And I'm not like this so I can't be BLAH."

Transgendered people tell people to stop stereotyping, then they stereotype something they aren't so they can say they're not that thing. Talk about hypocritical. Listen to yourselves once in a while, please.

[Drik]

I kinda feel that many of the latest posts are very heteronormative 
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heteronormativity).

Like

Yeah, I get ya, women know their way with men, but people like me don't.

I dont get that? What do you mean by "women"? Do you mean all women?

Exactly. This is what is starting to really bug me about this thread. "Women are like this. Men are like this. And I'm not like this so I can't be BLAH."

Transgendered people tell people to stop stereotyping, then they stereotype something they aren't so they can say they're not that thing. Talk about hypocritical. Listen to yourselves once in a while, please.

Elwood, you are my hero (today anyway:P)
I think Im gonna blog about this (not this thread, but hypocrites within the transcommunity and stereotype gender roles). No back to thread topic!