I think it's because most people fear what they don't understand, anything that deviates from the norm is feared & shunned.

  It's sad because we as a species will never be able to evolve to our true potential if we can't understand one' n other and look past our differences. 

I think like another poster said this forces them to reconsider something they assumed was a given. That Male = Man and Female = Woman, period. The idea that this isn't true and we deconstruct this standard is disturbing to some people. Most people think birth sex = gender. There is of course sexual orientation which isn't linked to gender or physical sex either one.

So as a born male who lives as a woman with a male partner, am I gay? I honestly don't care how others view this but my boyfriend has told me he is heterosexual and given he has never shown any interest whatsoever in my junk, I believe him.  I'm Bi so you can't ask me, any playground seems fun to me

Quote from: Renee D on February 28, 2012, 11:16:58 PM
Some are....

Yes, but the same could be said of all walks of life.  Just read the news every day.  All of the 'pillars of the community' you read about turns out to be crooks, murderers, perverts, etc.  But remember, not all of us here on this forum walk east Colfax Ave, Castro Street and those other notorious places that others associate with our conditions.  Most of us here have a very strong sense of decency and morality despite the problems of others accepting us. 
  Joelene

east Colfax Ave, Castro Street

You realize that those two places have nothing in common with each other right?  Guess not.  Castro is a very, very expensive neighborhood in a very expensive city.  There are no streetwalkers there - window shoppers perhaps, movie buffs for sure, pretty boys by the truckful, but they are not doing prostitution.  And unless 'your condition' is being a highly educated, professionally successful gay male, you're not represented in the Castro.

Society is awash with with people doing all sorts of strange things, but they all put on a facade of being perfectly "normal" and can't be seen.
As MTF's we alone are identifiable and so to some extent we carry the can for everyone.
To the ignorant, we're just weird - and if we're THAT weird then who knows what else we're into   

  Sorry, Tekla.  I don't know why Castro Street got into my mind.  Yes, east Colfax has the low rate hotels only along a two to three mile stretch and that is shrinking due to the constant redevelopment.  Otherwise there are businesses, theaters and restaurants along nearly its whole length.   Colfax (US 40) as a whole is the one of the longest main streets in the world at 26.4 miles in length.  There is actually a marathon up it once a year. 
  The state capitol building, The City and County of Denver building. The Denver Mint, and 2 downtown areas of Denver's suburbs are along this street. 
  Joelene

when I was begin tormented by various Christian individuals they attributed numerous powers to me, to make my threat seem greater.

Apparently I engaged in witchcraft/demonic summoning and the power to enter dreams (This came out of the scarring on my body from self harm)
the other one is where they make my condition *seem* infectious.

If I'd had such powers I would have been able to defend myself alittle better don'cha think.

If I had the power I would totally infect the biggest bigots in society.

Pebbles honey, they aren't Christians, they are just wanna-be's playing at church and they give Christ a black eye with their bad behavior. There are Christians here that post, they are the real-meal-deal, cut them some slack and don't let some bigot turn you into one too.

@Pebbles, my church has been a place of great acceptance for me, at times greater acceptance than I've been able to find on this very message board.

Quote from: Shantel on March 01, 2012, 08:53:16 AM
Pebbles honey, they aren't Christians, they are just wanna-be's playing at church and they give Christ a black eye with their bad behavior. There are Christians here that post, they are the real-meal-deal, cut them some slack and don't let some bigot turn you into one too.

This^

  Thanks, Shantel.  Hugs.
  Joelene

With regard to the question in the subject line, I suspect the answer is simply: because transsexual people are easy targets.

Psychological motivations aside, if it wasn't one person or group of people being stigmatised, it would be another. The hows and whys have already been covered, in terms of fears and insecurities. But also, it seems to be human nature to externalise feelings of inadequacy, fear and rage onto people who will not fight back, or are considered weaker somehow. It seems to make some people feel good about themselves to know they have power over someone else and give them a perverse reassurance that they aren't at the bottom of the Homo Sapiens food chain.

And the herd mentality of a lot of groups of people make such actions easier for some to justify to themselves. Forgoing personal morals and responsibility in favour of a catch-all "they deserve it" attitude, which is further affirmed by far too many sources that such morally bereft individuals resort to in order to ease their conscience.

I read a story about the horrors of Auschwitz written by a Jewish man who had been forced to remove the corpses from the gas chambers. He had noted that the bodies were always in a huge pyramiding pile the smallest and frailest on the bottom, while the biggest and strongest were always on top in the struggle to escape the gas which was heavier than air and took time to reach the ceiling of the room. It is a hideous physical example of what Sephirah is alluding to.

Quote from: Joelene9 on February 29, 2012, 04:47:14 PM
  Yes, but the same could be said of all walks of life.  Just read the news every day.  All of the 'pillars of the community' you read about turns out to be crooks, murderers, perverts, etc.  But remember, not all of us here on this forum walk east Colfax Ave, Castro Street and those other notorious places that others associate with our conditions.  Most of us here have a very strong sense of decency and morality despite the problems of others accepting us. 
  Joelene

Well said Joelene !!!

Most people cannot tell the difference between ->-bleeped-<- prostitutes, she-male porno actresses, and female impersonators, and "the rest of us." The formers elect to look female to make a living -which is OK with me-, but most people consider them either "evil" or  immoral or at least shameful. "We the rest" did not elect or choose to be the way we are, we are not evil at all, but the victims of a physical birth defect.

Quote from: tekla on February 29, 2012, 06:40:22 PM
east Colfax Ave, Castro Street

You realize that those two places have nothing in common with each other right?  Guess not.  Castro is a very, very expensive neighborhood in a very expensive city.  There are no streetwalkers there - window shoppers perhaps, movie buffs for sure, pretty boys by the truckful, but they are not doing prostitution.  And unless 'your condition' is being a highly educated, professionally successful gay male, you're not represented in the Castro.

You are absolutely right Tekla. Yet for most American's the mention of the world "Castro @ SF" evokes visions of gay orgies at bathhouse, etc...and has become a synonym of Sodom and Gomorrah

Quote from: peky on March 03, 2012, 09:08:02 AM
You are absolutely right Tekla. Yet for most American's the mention of the world "Castro @ SF" evokes visions of gay orgies at bathhouse, etc...and has become a synonym of Sodom and Gomorrah

I guess even places have a hard time shaking off bad sterotypes. That is also true for places like Cleveland, OH, or Colfax at Denver

I'm not even sure that any part of that is a bad stereotypes, (hell, it's a major tourist draw) it's just the wrong neighborhood, and where Colfax is bad, and has been bad, the Castro is nice.  You should be so lucky as to live there.  One of the warmest parts of SF, 10 minutes on a bike to downtown, awesome theater, killer views, best places to eat - what more do you want out of life?

(I think I was introduced to Colfax in HS because Kerouac talks about it in On The Road.  The Cassidy character - Dean - lived out that way, it was ->-bleeped-<-ty then, and that was BEFORE the interstate really drug it down.)

i like to say that when christopher columbus "discovered" america, he screwed everything up.