I agree that it should be changed.
Frankly, I am not a cross dresser. At least not any more. I gave that up when I purged the last of my male clothes.
I am a transsexual. I would truly like to be referred to as that, not necessarily as part of the over-all umbrella of transgender. Actually my first preference is female. My transsexuality no more redefines my femininity that any other birth defect like diabetes.
However, there has been a fair amount of talk about splintering the "T" off from the LGB from a vocal, and activist, minority of the greater LGB movement. Claiming that "Those trans people (sometimes in more disparaging terms) cost us ENDA." And who can forget Barney Franks compassionate words of "If men in dresses are going to be in the ladies room putting on lipstick, then there's not enough votes for that".
The transgender people have always been a minority within a minority. And we transsexuals are a minority within a minority, within a minority.
If transgender is split off from LGB and transsexual is splintered off from that, our voices alone will be so faint as to be very easily ignored. And great fodder for television comedy, a very visible minority with no voice. That SNL sketch would be just the tip of the iceberg.
I agree that all media reference guide should have much more specific and compassionate referrals about transsexuals that do not automatically lump us with cross-dressers. Most media reference guides and guidelines were probably set up without any transsexual input, but made an effort to be considerate in the reference. But even as a compassionate reference, they are still inaccurate.
And what about all the folks who are intersex? Are they automatically under the umbrella term of transsexual? I fear that many, if not most, do not think of themselves as that and wish to be referred to as Intersex, or IS.
But I am at a loss on how to better define those in our community (which ever way you wan to split it up), and do that without it appearing as splintering the LGBT movement and losing what little voice we have in society and politics.
-Sandy
