San Antonio Gender Association
Defining Gender
What is Transgender?
Transgender is a condition much more complex than being gay. If this is your first exposure to the
subject, this five-minute summary may seem overwhelming. However, if you will allow yourself to be
open to hearing the facts about transgender people, and to talk to some of them about their lives, you
will find that they are nothing to be feared or to feel sorry for. When not burdened with discrimination,
many transgender people, especially transsexuals, consider their condition a gift. In many cultures,
such people are revered as shamans or tribal leaders for their keen insight into the minds and roles of
both genders. Many transgender people are also blessed with scholastic aptitude or special talents
which help them to survive in our hostile society. Many transsexuals are highly regarded in their
chosen professions.
Transgender has several meanings depending upon who you talk to; the most common being an
umbrella term to describe anyone who doesn’t choose to adhere to the strict attributes society
imposes on gender. Not to be confused with sex which is concerned with biological reproduction,
gender places men and women into separate and distinct male and female categories, each with its
own attributes, such as dress, mannerisms, interests, feelings, etc, which can be most simply
described as one’s way of social interaction. Some people don’t fit into this dichotomy and prefer to
blend gender or, in the case of transsexuals, transform their bodies to match their internal gender
identity. Many written works confuse the terms transgender and transsexual. The most prevalent
definitions make the distinction that a transgender person doesn’t want to have sex reassignment
surgery while a transsexual does.
Crossdressers are typically heterosexual males who express their feminine side, and sometimes get
sexual satisfaction, by dressing in women’s clothes. Crossdressing is not a disorder or a crime and
cannot be “cured.” Crossdressers don’t take female hormones, nor do they ever want sex
reassignment surgery.
Drag queens are men, often gay, though not always, who impersonate women and usually perform in
night clubs. Most employ exaggerated mannerisms and garish makeup. Some take hormones and
some get plastic surgery. There are also women who perform in a similar fashion as drag kings.
Gender-variants are people who exhibit attributes, in varying degrees, of both genders and choose not
to follow society’s stereotypical gender expectations. They are also called gender-queer or
androgynous.
Intersexed people, or hermaphrodites (an older term), are born with ambiguous genitals or sometimes
with both male and female sexual organs. Some minor sort of intersexed condition occurs in as many
as 1 in 2000 births. Many children have received corrective surgery immediately following birth without
ever notifying the parents. We have no way of knowing how many times, or to whom, this was done.
The often disastrous results when an intersexed baby is surgically assigned to a gender shortly after
birth, but then exhibits the opposite gender identity later in life, has helped us to understand that
gender identity is hardwired before birth. A disastrous experiment on twin boys in Canada by
psychologist Dr. John Money is often cited as example.
Transsexuality goes much deeper than other forms of transgender. The traits can express themselves
very early in life, as young as three or four. A transsexual has a deep, core identity of the gender
opposite to their born sex. Though the exact cause is unknown, evidence indicates it happens
prenatally and is caused by a mix-up in fetal hormone balance at critical times in the fetus’s
development and/or could have genetic causes. A fetus’s brain is female by default (we all begin as
female). If testosterone is introduced the brain develops male; if estrogen is introduced it remains
female. If hormone introduction to the fetus takes an unusual timing or course, the result can be a
transsexual birth. Just as in homosexuality, transsexuality is not a choice. Since attempts to change
the mind always fail, a transsexual changes his/her body to align him/herself to their internal gender
identity through hormones and surgery. This has been proven to allow the individual to live a happier
life.
Before sex reassignment surgery can be approved an individual has to successfully live and work full-
time for at least one year cross-gender. Most surgeons require letters of referral from two MD, Ph.D.,
or other masters’ level professionals verifying that this has been done before they will perform the
corrective surgery which can never be reversed.
Transgender is not a new concept and has been demonstrated in various cultures throughout history.
Many cultures respect the transgender. For example, the Iroquois Indians revered the transgender, or
third sex, as a shaman or shawoman and mediator. The Lakota tribes called them winkte. In Thailand,
they are called kathoey. In India they are hijra. The Zapotec in Mexico call them muxe, and in Hawaiian
culture the mahu are well-accepted in society.
Society has many misconceptions about transgender people. Fundamentalist Christian groups are
particularly misguided, claiming that there’s a homosexual/transgender “agenda” while nothing could
be further from the truth. TV shows like Jerry Springer and transsexual, or “shemale”, pornography
sensationalize and contribute to the misconceptions. Then there are Michael Bailey supporters who’ve
bought into Ray Blanchard’s debunked “autogynephilia” and “homosexual- transsexual” theories that
further cloud the subject.
Gender identity and sexual orientation, often confused with each other, are separate and distinct. A
transsexual woman isn’t necessarily going to be attracted to men after her operation.
If you have a child who is transgender, or exhibiting signs of being transgender, the best thing to do is
accept who they are and don’t punish or try to change them. When the child is old enough you should
arrange for treatment from a therapist experienced in gender identity. Please be cautioned that taking
the child to a psychiatrist, or psychologist, who has no gender identity experience what-so-ever often
does more harm than good. Attempts to “de-program” the child from “gender confusion” will only
serve to isolate the child from society.
Transgender people are getting more mainstream coverage in the media, but are still often
discriminated against, fired from their jobs, rejected by family and friends, subjected to violence, and
even murder. Many states, cities, and employers have added gender identity to anti-discrimination laws
and policies, but in most states it’s still legal to discriminate against a person, deny them services,
refuse to rent an apartment, deny access to public facilities, or even fire an otherwise stellar employee
just for having discovered that they are transgender.
Further information can be obtained from gender-awareness educator and speaker, Mrs. Julia
DeGrace, juliadegrace@hotmail.com , from the San Antonio Gender Association (SAGA) website
SAgender.org, or from Julia’s personal website SAgender.info.
SAGA can arrange for you to meet, and discuss this subject, with spokespersons from the San Antonio
transgender community.
Transgender is a condition much more complex than being gay. If this is your first exposure to the
subject, this five-minute summary may seem overwhelming. However, if you will allow yourself to be
open to hearing the facts about transgender people, and to talk to some of them about their lives, you
will find that they are nothing to be feared or to feel sorry for. When not burdened with discrimination,
many transgender people, especially transsexuals, consider their condition a gift. In many cultures,
such people are revered as shamans or tribal leaders for their keen insight into the minds and roles of
both genders. Many transgender people are also blessed with scholastic aptitude or special talents
which help them to survive in our hostile society. Many transsexuals are highly regarded in their
chosen professions.
Transgender has several meanings depending upon who you talk to; the most common being an
umbrella term to describe anyone who doesn’t choose to adhere to the strict attributes society
imposes on gender. Not to be confused with sex which is concerned with biological reproduction,
gender places men and women into separate and distinct male and female categories, each with its
own attributes, such as dress, mannerisms, interests, feelings, etc, which can be most simply
described as one’s way of social interaction. Some people don’t fit into this dichotomy and prefer to
blend gender or, in the case of transsexuals, transform their bodies to match their internal gender
identity. Many written works confuse the terms transgender and transsexual. The most prevalent
definitions make the distinction that a transgender person doesn’t want to have sex reassignment
surgery while a transsexual does.
Crossdressers are typically heterosexual males who express their feminine side, and sometimes get
sexual satisfaction, by dressing in women’s clothes. Crossdressing is not a disorder or a crime and
cannot be “cured.” Crossdressers don’t take female hormones, nor do they ever want sex
reassignment surgery.
Drag queens are men, often gay, though not always, who impersonate women and usually perform in
night clubs. Most employ exaggerated mannerisms and garish makeup. Some take hormones and
some get plastic surgery. There are also women who perform in a similar fashion as drag kings.
Gender-variants are people who exhibit attributes, in varying degrees, of both genders and choose not
to follow society’s stereotypical gender expectations. They are also called gender-queer or
androgynous.
Intersexed people, or hermaphrodites (an older term), are born with ambiguous genitals or sometimes
with both male and female sexual organs. Some minor sort of intersexed condition occurs in as many
as 1 in 2000 births. Many children have received corrective surgery immediately following birth without
ever notifying the parents. We have no way of knowing how many times, or to whom, this was done.
The often disastrous results when an intersexed baby is surgically assigned to a gender shortly after
birth, but then exhibits the opposite gender identity later in life, has helped us to understand that
gender identity is hardwired before birth. A disastrous experiment on twin boys in Canada by
psychologist Dr. John Money is often cited as example.
Transsexuality goes much deeper than other forms of transgender. The traits can express themselves
very early in life, as young as three or four. A transsexual has a deep, core identity of the gender
opposite to their born sex. Though the exact cause is unknown, evidence indicates it happens
prenatally and is caused by a mix-up in fetal hormone balance at critical times in the fetus’s
development and/or could have genetic causes. A fetus’s brain is female by default (we all begin as
female). If testosterone is introduced the brain develops male; if estrogen is introduced it remains
female. If hormone introduction to the fetus takes an unusual timing or course, the result can be a
transsexual birth. Just as in homosexuality, transsexuality is not a choice. Since attempts to change
the mind always fail, a transsexual changes his/her body to align him/herself to their internal gender
identity through hormones and surgery. This has been proven to allow the individual to live a happier
life.
Before sex reassignment surgery can be approved an individual has to successfully live and work full-
time for at least one year cross-gender. Most surgeons require letters of referral from two MD, Ph.D.,
or other masters’ level professionals verifying that this has been done before they will perform the
corrective surgery which can never be reversed.
Transgender is not a new concept and has been demonstrated in various cultures throughout history.
Many cultures respect the transgender. For example, the Iroquois Indians revered the transgender, or
third sex, as a shaman or shawoman and mediator. The Lakota tribes called them winkte. In Thailand,
they are called kathoey. In India they are hijra. The Zapotec in Mexico call them muxe, and in Hawaiian
culture the mahu are well-accepted in society.
Society has many misconceptions about transgender people. Fundamentalist Christian groups are
particularly misguided, claiming that there’s a homosexual/transgender “agenda” while nothing could
be further from the truth. TV shows like Jerry Springer and transsexual, or “shemale”, pornography
sensationalize and contribute to the misconceptions. Then there are Michael Bailey supporters who’ve
bought into Ray Blanchard’s debunked “autogynephilia” and “homosexual- transsexual” theories that
further cloud the subject.
Gender identity and sexual orientation, often confused with each other, are separate and distinct. A
transsexual woman isn’t necessarily going to be attracted to men after her operation.
If you have a child who is transgender, or exhibiting signs of being transgender, the best thing to do is
accept who they are and don’t punish or try to change them. When the child is old enough you should
arrange for treatment from a therapist experienced in gender identity. Please be cautioned that taking
the child to a psychiatrist, or psychologist, who has no gender identity experience what-so-ever often
does more harm than good. Attempts to “de-program” the child from “gender confusion” will only
serve to isolate the child from society.
Transgender people are getting more mainstream coverage in the media, but are still often
discriminated against, fired from their jobs, rejected by family and friends, subjected to violence, and
even murder. Many states, cities, and employers have added gender identity to anti-discrimination laws
and policies, but in most states it’s still legal to discriminate against a person, deny them services,
refuse to rent an apartment, deny access to public facilities, or even fire an otherwise stellar employee
just for having discovered that they are transgender.
Further information can be obtained from gender-awareness educator and speaker, Mrs. Julia
DeGrace, juliadegrace@hotmail.com , from the San Antonio Gender Association (SAGA) website
SAgender.org, or from Julia’s personal website SAgender.info.
SAGA can arrange for you to meet, and discuss this subject, with spokespersons from the San Antonio
transgender community.