Susan's Place Transgender Resources

I'm curious to know if anyone who is pre-op or non-op has or has considered renaming any body parts.  The reason I ask this is I myself am not considering complete SRS, but will get an orchi, and see my genitals as a "large clitoris." 

Anyone else feel the same?  Thoughts?

I think of myself as completely male, including giving male names/labels to my body. I think of my clitoris as my penis, my breasts as my chest, etc. I didn't think other people did it, too.

I named my little guy Stan. You know what they say, it's not the size of the boat, but the motion of the ocean!  :P

haha, i always have referred my boobs as my chest.  even before i knew about my trans-ness.  and my other parts... ehh... i prefer not to think about it.  i dont want to name it or anything because then its there.  i like to think of myself as a barby down there.

I do that, use the names for the female equivalents. I definitely think the difference between a male part and a female part is whom it's attached to - believing that helps me feel better about being in this situation. :)

Naw. I don't like lying to myself.

Quote from: Yochanan on June 22, 2008, 01:39:13 PM
I didn't think other people did it, too.

I've been to a transgender conference before, and found out it's pretty common.  I think it might be more common among FTM people but I could be wrong.

Quote from: umop ap!sdn on June 22, 2008, 09:13:56 PM
I do that, use the names for the female equivalents. I definitely think the difference between a male part and a female part is whom it's attached to - believing that helps me feel better about being in this situation. :)

It makes me feel better about being transgender too, its really hard not having a vagina.  Being able to see what I have in a different way really helps overcome my disphoria when I'm not in a position to change what I have.

Quote from: redfish the medically constructed on June 22, 2008, 09:49:13 PM
I generally am against the gendering of body parts.

In my view, a penis is just a penis and a vagina is just a vagina - neither have inherent maleness or femaleness in them.

Indeed, if someone is to gender their body parts, why not take preference from the individual? In that case, the penis can be described as male, female, androgyne, etc and likewise with the vagina - body part genders cascade from the gender of their owners.


Examples:

I am a man.
I have a vagina.
Men have male body parts.
Therefore, I have male body parts.
Therefore, my vagina is a male body part.

I am a woman.
I have a penis.
Women have female body parts.
Therefore, I have female body parts.
Therefore, my penis is a female body part.


Though, to reiterate, I much prefer a genderless view of body parts to this model.

I understand your point, but I personally can't have it that way.  I'm a woman.  I have a clitoris.  A penis is not a female body part to me, and if I acknowledge it as a penis it only makes my body dysphoria worse.

I never, ever thought about renaming body parts. I mostly tend to ignore the parts I have that I shouldn't have, and try to think about them as little as possible. And when pushed, I usually go as far as saying "down there" or "it" or something.

To give something a name, in my mind, acknowledges it's existance. And I would rather not acknowledge it exists as a part of me. It's something that doesn't fit... something that doesn't tally with who I am and the image I have of myself in my mind. And I'm not sure that using either masculine or feminine terminology would make me feel like it was mine.

As for my chest, I guess I do still use that term. I don't have breasts yet, so I can't associate that name with something that isn't there, it's too much of a leap. But 'chest' is, I think, pretty neutral anyway, so it isn't that big a problem for me. And I might still end up calling it my chest even when my breasts are fully developed.

Overall, though, I am a woman in every way that matters to me. The way I think, feel, love etc. And my body is only a small part of who I am; one which can, and will be altered to fit with who I am. As such it doesn't play a large role in my sense of self-identity. So I haven't formed any great attachment to, or association with it. :)

I don't really name any of my parts.  I sometimes think of what I have as a trim piece that I can't remove because I can't find the fastener.  It's not really a part of me but I can't get rid of it.

Quote from: Maddie Suzumiya on June 23, 2008, 11:00:35 AM
I don't really name any of my parts.  I sometimes think of what I have as a trim piece that I can't remove because I can't find the fastener.  It's not really a part of me but I can't get rid of it.

I feel the same way, "it's not part of me but I can't get rid of it," so I have to work around it.  Hence the reason behind renaming what I have.  I want a vagina but can't have one because of cost and fear of pain and death from the surgery.  Therefore, I have to deal with my body the best way I can.

Quote from: Leiandra on June 23, 2008, 10:01:03 AM
I never, ever thought about renaming body parts. I mostly tend to ignore the parts I have that I shouldn't have, and try to think about them as little as possible. And when pushed, I usually go as far as saying "down there" or "it" or something.

my body is only a small part of who I am...As such it doesn't play a large role in my sense of self-identity. So I haven't formed any great attachment to, or association with it. :)

Sometimes I have to ignore "down there" too, it's still something I'm getting used to.  My body doesn't define my identity; I know that when I leave this world my soul will be all female, so it doesn't really matter in the long run.  For now though, this is how I'm dealing with it.

I had a real problem using any words to describe what was down there. In the end I just got used to calling it donor tissue and thats what it became.

Ann

I've never liked my 'breasts' and used to joke about my 'boobs'.  For now they're 'man boobs' soon to become my CHEST.

My clit, once I start T, will be come my penis, as tiny as it may be.  I'll likely always have a prosthetic, though, for a realistic sized penis and balls.  Otherwise I've always referred to my 'bottom' parts by their anatomically correct names - vulva and vagina, though the word vagina creeps me out, always has.  Funny, though, that's the one part I'm keeping.  It doesn't creep me out as much as it's name.  Not sure what else to call it though.

Jay

Quote from: sneakersjay on June 23, 2008, 05:59:39 PM
I've never liked my 'breasts' and used to joke about my 'boobs'.  For now they're 'man boobs' soon to become my CHEST.

My clit, once I start T, will be come my penis, as tiny as it may be.  I'll likely always have a prosthetic, though, for a realistic sized penis and balls.  Otherwise I've always referred to my 'bottom' parts by their anatomically correct names - vulva and vagina, though the word vagina creeps me out, always has.  Funny, though, that's the one part I'm keeping.  It doesn't creep me out as much as it's name.  Not sure what else to call it though.

Jay

I've heard a lot of names FtM's give their parts..."man hole" comes to mind, so does "clit-dick".  I went to a conference and heard a bunch of different words for it.