Trans-species-inism

[Bellaon7]

I don't believe I'm the only gurl that's dreamed of running off with a beautiful horse. If there's a spat goin' here, cut me out, I'm just dreaming of horses.

[tekla]

I love this thread SOOOO much!

[FairyGirl]

Lots of girls dream of running off with horses. What makes your condition more legitimate than mine?

I saw this guy on Ripley's Believe It or Not who did some serious body modifications to look more like a reptile, including implants for a knotty forehead, getting his tongue forked (and not in a good way), his teeth pointed, and having his skin tattooed green with scales. It's easy to marry a high horse and judge others different than you and say oh well he's just insane or his condition doesn't count as a "real" condition like mine. Obviously of course being a muggle is the accepted norm, but GID is in fact listed as a mental disorder. I'm not so sure about RID (Reptilian Identity Disorder), but I'll bet reptile boy didn't have to live for a whole year as a lizard before he had surgery.

[tekla]

I've worked with that guy up close and personal, he used to MC Jaggermiester (naturally enough) metal band tours.

[V M]

I think I'm a Mermaid. I'll have to swim off with a Seahorse 

[deviousxen]

I think I'm a Mermaid. I'll have to swim off with a Seahorse 

I'm something like that...


Deep sea organism, mixed with alien, mixed with like 2 percent feline... There's a lot

[Just Kate]

Laura's comments are not unfounded in that if the public ever began to lump transsexuality and other cross identities as "identity disorders" it would spell big trouble for the transgendered movement - effectively giving ammunition to those wishing to bar us from the GBL and linking us with the incredible: furries, otherkin, etc.

It is a leap though.  Almost the whole of the public's exposure to these other lifestyles is pretty much a single CSI episode.  You know which one I'm talking about.  So the chance the average person will combine the two is unlikely.

Still, if one were to browse these "other identification" forums and lists and compare them to the TG boards, there are a lot of very striking similarities for better or for worse.  Still, I personally give more credibility to the TG side of things (as I am TG) but not much.  There isn't much good science on either side - only what we feel... and isn't that the same argument of the otherkin?

Oh, and welcome back, Tekla!

[Kurzar]

Laura's comments are not unfounded in that if the public ever began to lump transsexuality and other cross identities as "identity disorders" it would spell big trouble for the transgendered movement - effectively giving ammunition to those wishing to bar us from the GBL and linking us with the incredible: furries, otherkin, etc.

It is a leap though.  Almost the whole of the public's exposure to these other lifestyles is pretty much a single CSI episode.  You know which one I'm talking about.  So the chance the average person will combine the two is unlikely.

Still, if one were to browse these "other identification" forums and lists and compare them to the TG boards, there are a lot of very striking similarities for better or for worse.  Still, I personally give more credibility to the TG side of things (as I am TG) but not much.  There isn't much good science on either side - only what we feel... and isn't that the same argument of the otherkin?

Oh, and welcome back, Tekla!

LOL Fur and loathing...

I laugh at that episode and I'm a hardcore furry. I personally believe in past lives ect so many of these Therian and Otherkin folks might want to look into that. I feel with my animal instincts that it might be remembering a past life, but I really am not sure.  People are free to believe what they choose as long as they don't try telling me I have to conform to their beliefs, whatever they may be.  People look at me and think I should act female....

[Miniar]

Just to state the obvious... fury =/= otherkin

And like I said, "most" intelligent otherkin consider it probable that their otherkinism is caused by a psychological issue, not a spiritual/physical one, even if they choose to believe otherwise.

So most otherkin do not qualify as having species identity disorder.

And no one here is saying that one identity disorder is "as valid" or "more valid" than another either. It's apples and oranges.
_

That being said, I think it would be mutually harmful for both those who are transgendered and those who are otherkin if we put the two together in one pile, even if there may already be some overlap.

(Overlap refers here to my personal belief that it's entirely possible that my being otherkin is a result of my being trans, even if I choose to believe it's not.)

[FairyGirl]

My comparing GID with "RID" was being facetious, for those who didn't catch that. I agree with Miniar it is comparing apples and oranges- I for one am very comfortable in my fairy-ness, and do not see it as a disorder at all. In fact I see it as a distinct advantage, and I'm quite proud of it. Contrary to the Peter Pan/Tinkerbell mythos, fairies really don't care if humans believe in us or not. It's their loss.

Perhaps it is merely a psychological coping mechanism, for those who feel outside the norm, or disenfranchised by the rest of a faceless society they can live neither within nor without. But to equate it at all with a "disorder" like GID is missing the entire point of it, in my actually rather studied opinion on the matter. Missing the entire point (ie, comparing apples and oranges) is something some people do with distressing frequency.

[Walter]

Awesome. An Otherkin topic. Ok well here's my chance to come out at this place..

I am an Otherkin. Specifically, a Demonkin. I confuse even other Otherkin with my identity because I don't identify as just a Demon, but a Holy Demon. Which confuses some into thinking "Doesn't that mean an Angel?" but to me it's different than an Angel. I identify with more of the characteristics of a Demon than an Angel. And I have the phantom limb thing that most Otherkin have. I have phantom horns, wings and I used to have a tail but the feeling kind of vanished. I don't know of any Angelic Otherkin who have horns..lol