Would you still transition if you were blind?

[lightvi]

I was thinking about this earlier and wondering what everyone's opinions are on it.

Imagine that you were completely blind from birth and you've never seen yourself in the mirror or know what you look like, other than what people have told you. How do you think you feel about your gender role?

To me transitioning is looking on the outside, what I feel on the inside. To make me feel complete and whole. But I'm wondering if I never saw myself and just knew what I felt on the inside if I would transition, because transitioning should be for myself not for other people right?

Anyway, just a thought

[Domitia]

This has been brought up before (although a while ago) here: https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,16977.0.html
It has, however, been posted in not too long ago.

I would suspect that the dysphoria would still be there for all those who have it (who are not blind). Just because you're blind, doesn't mean you're oblivious to everyone else or how they are. Gender roles would also still be forced upon them just as anyone else.

A blind male wearing a dress would be made fun of just like a non-blind male wearing a dress by society.

Furthermore, if you have issues with your genitals you will know about it regardless; as with other parts of your body. If anything, it might just be more confusing.

[rexgsd]

I don't think it would change much at all. Lots of my dysphoria and whats wrong I can FEEL, just by being concious and alive i can feel the wrong parts i have which bothers me. Of course it doesn't help having to actually see those parts once in a while, but still. So yeah, blindness wouldn't change my feelings towards transition at all.

[lightvi]

This has been brought up before (although a while ago) here: https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,16977.0.html
It has, however, been posted in not too long ago.

I would suspect that the dysphoria would still be there for all those who have it (who are not blind). Just because you're blind, doesn't mean you're oblivious to everyone else or how they are. Gender roles would also still be forced upon them just as anyone else.

A blind male wearing a dress would be made fun of just like a non-blind male wearing a dress by society.

Furthermore, if you have issues with your genitals you will know about it regardless; as with other parts of your body. If anything, it might just be more confusing.

Ahh, my apologies. I searched but didn't see that one for some reason.

Anyway, I think I have to agree with you. I would still transition because I think it's something you can "feel", and the societal pressures would still be there. I was interested to see others opinions on it too.

[V M]

Yeah, so it was brought up in 2007 and that thread was necroed a couple of times... It is still an interesting topic and worthy of a new thread imo

I think I would have still transitioned... Maybe even sooner than I did... The only thing that may have stopped me is my over controlling, meddling family

[Domitia]

Ahh, my apologies. I searched but didn't see that one for some reason.

No need to apologize really. I agree with Virginia:

Yeah, so it was brought up in 2007 and that thread was necroed a couple of times... It is still an interesting topic and worthy of a new thread imo

I just thought that I would point out that it has been talked about before (a bit). A new thread is welcome to me; the other one is kind of tattered.

It is an interesting thought.

[Ashleyjadeism]

@lightvi
YES!! You have made my day with this! I love anything that makes you thinks and kind of brings your attention to something you would never think of otherwise... And honestly, you have perplexed me and caught me off guard, which mind you is not easy to do!! I really don't know how to answer that question... lol

[Jillieann Rose]

Yes.
A friend of mine is blind but is'nt trans.
He is very aware of himself and other who are near him.
He still see but not with his eyes.

I do beleive that transitioning is for us, but it is also for other as far as how they treat us.
We want people to accept us and treat us as our true gender.

Jillieann

[blair]

I absolutely believe I would still transition. Blind people still have relationships with people. They still have to go through the world and people still relate to them differently if they see a male or female. For me being transsexual is not only making the outside match the inside for myself (although that's the biggest part), but it's also so that the rest of the world relates to me as a female rather than male, including strangers, friends, and lovers. All of this doesn't change because you're blind.

[Ashleyjadeism]

i would probably to... Although, being blind would ruin my career so I'd probably die before I could transition lol

[spacial]

Sorry to be missing the point, but what's sight got to do with anything?

I don't mean to be confrontational, but I just don't understand this one.

[Gilmorton]

I don't see what difference it would make. You're still aware of your body and of other people in society. It's not just about the way you look, it's about the way you feel.

I'm deaf and I can't herar my own voice; doesn't make any difference, I know my voice should be more male.

[lightvi]

Sorry to be missing the point, but what's sight got to do with anything?

I don't mean to be confrontational, but I just don't understand this one.

Well, it's basically the argument that if you couldn't see yourself would you still feel disphoric enough that you would need to transition. Don't worry, you're not being confrontational at all just asking a question

[spacial]

Well, it's basically the argument that if you couldn't see yourself would you still feel disphoric enough that you would need to transition. Don't worry, you're not being confrontational at all just asking a question

I've spent my life ignoring what I see, so yes, I would.

[Nero]

Yes.
A friend of mine is blind but is'nt trans.
He is very aware of himself and other who are near him.
He still see but not with his eyes.

This. Actually I hear when you're blind, your other senses are working over time. And blind folks have to be really sensitive to cues from others because they can't see them. They also would probably be extremely aware of the feel of their bodies and the sound of their voice. I think it could actually heighten certain aspects of dysphoria. Just a guess.

[Devyn]

Honestly, I'm not sure.

If I were blind, I probably wouldn't transition simply because I'd be blind. I wouldn't want to be blind and transsexual. Especially because it'd be questioned more than just being transsexual. "How can you hate your body without seeing it?" Questions like that would piss me off.

Sure, it would make me depressed, but I mean, being blind would be hard enough. I would try to deal with it as best as I could.

[Michelle.]

I am transitioning and I am Legally Blind.

I find this entire topic to be offensive and verging on exclusionary.

[straycat]

I am transitioning and I am Legally Blind.

I find this entire topic to be offensive and verging on exclusionary.

  I think this question or similar ones are asked sometimes because we wonder about the nature of gender identity and whether it is inherent in biology or a purely a social construction or due both to biology and social interactions.  I suspect it is some of both but I don't think there is a definitive answer.

  Our senses are a large part of our social interactions and knowledge of ourselves so asking how we might feel if this or that sense were missing is just trying to explore these ideas about gender identity. I don't think anyone posting here wanted to offend anyone.  If we had no senses at all, we would have no social interactions at all, right? The degree to which missing one or more senses affects us probably depends on whether we were born without that sense or lost it after experiencing it, since we would have memories of it if we lose it.

  I know we can be very sensitive to the slightest suggestion that our GID condition is not legitimate or that someone could apply some arbitrary criteria to tell us we don't need to transition.  When I saw your post Michelle, I looked carefully at all the other posts to see whether anyone suggested anything exclusionary but I can't see it. Everyone has only stated what they might do themselves and so far there was only one poster who believes the lack of sight might prevent them from wanting to transition and I hope you would agree they should have the right to decide that for their self.  For myself I am with the majority, I don't believe blindness would have changed my desire to transition.

  Now with your post I see you are a real life example of someone experiencing the very thing that was being pondered and it does not change your mind.  If you do continue reading here and if you are willing to share with us, I am curious whether you have in fact experienced someone telling you that you should not transition because of your blindness and how you have handled it.  Then there is the difference between wanting to transition and how to actually accomplish it.  I can only imagine the extra difficulties you must have Michelle, compared to my own transition.

[Amazon D]

A good friend of mine is blind and she has been post op since 99. She ran a computer lab at a hospital in portland Oregon. She went thru FFS etc etc and is now married 5 yrs and seems very happy.

[spacial]

I am transitioning and I am Legally Blind.

I find this entire topic to be offensive and verging on exclusionary.

Dear Michelle. To back up straycat, I'm absolutely sure that lightvi wasn't intended to be offensive. I get the impression that it was visual image over inner feeling. At least from the clatifaction.