# Are all transgendered people mentally ill?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-transgendered-people-mentally-ill/800378>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [November 1, 2017, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-transgendered-people-mentally-ill/800378 "2017-11-01T12:20:52Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 19

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**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\
**Post date:** [November 19, 2017, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-transgendered-people-mentally-ill/800378/362 "2017-11-19T12:25:26Z")

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> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#):
>
> Why do transgender women want to date so many strangers?

Why does anybody want to date strangers? Most of the guys I went on dates with were “strangers” before the day they asked me out. How the heck else was I supposed to get to know them, ask the FBI for their file?

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**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\
**Post date:** [November 19, 2017, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-transgendered-people-mentally-ill/800378/363 "2017-11-19T15:16:32Z")

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> [@puzzlegal](#):
>
> I don’t know that. It’s a term describing most of the population, so it would be odd for it to be derogatory.
> 
> But anyway, when Microsoft word told me “many people find ‘Jew’ a derogatory term, you should avoid using it”, I said, “screw you, Microsoft. I’m a Jew and I’m reclaiming that word.” I’m cis, too. I don’t know any other word to succinctly describe my condition. I’m gong to stick with this one, until I have evidence that some other word has replaced it.

Actually, in many past debates he’s never proven that “many” people somehow reach to find the term offensive, unless “many” equates to "an extremely tiny fraction of the population.

Stunning that I work in this area of social advocacy and no one, not even the hateful church people bused in from the sticks who threatened to hang me from a lamppost in a parking lot after my speech, has ever complained about being called “cisgender.” But hey, if you can Google and find 100 people out there, then it must be true, right? (I’ll wager I can probably find 100 people out there who find “Snuffleupagus” offensive as a word, too.)

A claim of offense over a word that is inoffensive in its roots and meaning is a tactic used to silence discussion and cast a chilling effect over a debate. Like when we as a society have had the “niggardly” discussions.

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**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\
**Post date:** [November 19, 2017, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-transgendered-people-mentally-ill/800378/364 "2017-11-19T15:25:47Z")

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> [@Nava](#):
>
> Why does anybody want to date strangers? Most of the guys I went on dates with were “strangers” before the day they asked me out. How the heck else was I supposed to get to know them, ask the FBI for their file?

There’s also the fact that **it’s not very easy for us to find dates in the first place,** so of course we use the common methods that other people do. The whole subtopic is both victim-blaming and moralizing. “You shouldn’t have been wearing that short skirt/those heels/using that dating site if you didn’t want to be beaten up.”

I don’t think I can do this discussion any more. I honestly think at least one person in the thread is just trolling at this point, and it’s clear that neither side is going to budge on this issue.

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**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\
**Post date:** [November 19, 2017, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-transgendered-people-mentally-ill/800378/365 "2017-11-19T17:24:18Z")

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> [@Una\_Persson](#):
>
> Actually, in many past debates he’s never proven that “many” people somehow reach to find the term offensive, unless “many” equates to "an extremely tiny fraction of the population.
> 
> Stunning that I work in this area of social advocacy and no one, not even the hateful church people bused in from the sticks who threatened to hang me from a lamppost in a parking lot after my speech, has ever complained about being called “cisgender.” But hey, if you can Google and find 100 people out there, then it must be true, right? (I’ll wager I can probably find 100 people out there who find “Snuffleupagus” offensive as a word, too.)
> 
> A claim of offense over a word that is inoffensive in its roots and meaning is a tactic used to silence discussion and cast a chilling effect over a debate. Like when we as a society have had the “niggardly” discussions.

Yeah, I wondered if he was just blowing smoke. I plan to keep using the word. The only problem with “cis”, imo, is that lots of people are unfamiliar with it. But if you define it once, you can use it after that. If you want to talk about gender at all, you need a word that means something like “cis”, and it’s the only one I know.

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**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\
**Post date:** [November 19, 2017, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-transgendered-people-mentally-ill/800378/366 "2017-11-19T23:53:42Z")

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I think it’s kind of a weird _sounding_ word, if you know what I mean. It’s kind of awkward to say. At least, that’s how I think of cisgender. Other than that, I really don’t give a rat’s ass.

(I loathe the whole “zhe/zhir” thing, though. If only because it sounds so pretentious. Or “female-bodied person”. That’s just weird.)

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**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 2017, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-transgendered-people-mentally-ill/800378/367 "2017-11-20T00:22:19Z")

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> [@Guinastasia](#):
>
> …  
> (I loathe the whole “zhe/zhir” thing, though. If only because it sounds so pretentious. Or “female-bodied person”. That’s just weird.)

I dunno. I know a lot of people who want a different set of pronouns. Most use “they”, but some use “ze” or “e” or “xe”. I kinda like “ze”. It is easy to pronounce and it doesn’t mess up my understanding of the sentence like the singular “they” does. “Sam went to the mall, and they found a neat new store.”

I almost never feel a need to say something like “female bodied person”. Sometimes it’s relevant to say “people with a uterus”, when, I dunno, talking about the facilities in a restroom. Sometimes you might want to warn someone “that person who looks like a girl is actually a guy”, but then it’s about one specific person, and you’d probably say, “by the way, Sam uses masculine pronouns” or something.

I suppose it’s all less weird when you find yourself in a social group that happens to include a lot of non-binary and trans people.

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**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 2017, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-transgendered-people-mentally-ill/800378/368 "2017-11-20T00:49:15Z")

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> [@puzzlegal](#):
>
> Yeah, I wondered if he was just blowing smoke. I plan to keep using the word. The only problem with “cis”, imo, is that lots of people are unfamiliar with it. But if you define it once, you can use it after that. If you want to talk about gender at all, you need a word that means something like “cis”, and it’s the only one I know.

Nope, not blowing smoke:

> **[The New 'C' Word](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-new-c-word_b_5617913)**
>
> "Cis" and "cisgender" certainly have a proper place in academia and are likely to be used there for a long time, given how their use has steadily increased. They are also increasingly used in non-LGBT progressive circles as part of policy and...

\*"There are some who really do not like the word, however, and especially when it is applied to them. For some it is just a dislike of having a label applied to them that they did not choose…The use of “cis” and “cisgender” should be carefully examined. There are people who strenuously object to these words being applied to them, even if the words come from an academic background. Just as my feelings on certain subjects should be respected, so should the feelings of people who dislike these labels…When these words are used in focus groups that look at messaging on transgender issues, the responses are nearly universally negative. The conclusion of many organizations is that you should not use either “cisgender” or “cis” in any sort of public narrative.

Even inside the LGBT community the words have a very negative connotation. …It isn’t logically or ethically consistent to tell one group of people that they need to get over a word they dislike being used to describe them while strenuously objecting to a word being applied to you, even if both words can be used in a contextually neutral way. The logic cuts both directions."\*

> **[I Am NOT Cisgendered](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/i-am-not-cisgendered_b_5598113)**
>
> I am NOT "cisgendered." I reject that label. Why? From what I've read, "cisgendered" is a label that began in academic discourse as a way of describing people who weren't trans. But the meaning of it was akin to what we might call "normatively...

"_By imposing the label “cisgendered” onto me, you do me psychological and intellectual violence. You are saying that I am the same as all the people who do accept and inhabit the normative roles attached to the social construct of “men,” “male,” or “masculine.” You are silencing my voice and rejecting my right to determine my own identity. You have put me into a binary that alienates me from gender discourse…If someone doesn’t understand why I find the term “cisgendered” offensive, why I refuse to allow someone else to define me or inscribe their ideas onto my body, then perhaps I’m not the ignorant one."_

> **[10 Best Magical Girl Anime, Ranked - The Escapist](https://www.escapistmagazine.com/best-magical-girl-anime-ranked/)**
>
> Looking for anime about girls with magical gifts? We've got you.

[http://www.nationalreview.com/article/378511/cis-ridiculous-christine-sisto](http://www.nationalreview.com/article/378511/cis-ridiculous-christine-sisto)

_"Do not call me cisgender. You have no right or authority to name me without my consent. . . . It does not come from us, as its origins are from a trans perspective. . . . Do not call me cisgender. That is offensive to me. I am offended that you consider that you have power over me, and can name me._"

So, it’s not just me, I am not blowing smoke. You may disagree and that’s fine, but in any case many people do find that term offensive.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 2017, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-transgendered-people-mentally-ill/800378/369 "2017-11-20T01:14:44Z")

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> [@Una\_Persson](#):
>
> Because the majority of the population has no significant risk by being forthright. Because the disclosure by the minority **does** carry significant, real, demonstrable risk to them

All other discussions aside, I believe you when you say that disclosure by transgender woman presents a significant, real, demonstrable risk to them. I absolutely believe you. What I don’t understand is why transgender woman wouldn’t make this disclosure BEFORE there is a risk?

Do you think being alone with a man and about to become intimate is the BEST time for a transgender woman to tell a man that she is a transgender woman? I would think that would be the WORST time, alone with a horny man who might hurt her or worse after she tells him.

> [@](#):
>
> This whole thing increasingly seems like heel-digging to avoid having to be forthright about bias

And here again is your opinion that there is bias. Do you mean bias in the “anti-trans” sense, or just bias against people who do not anatomically conform to a partner you are looking for?

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**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 2017, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-transgendered-people-mentally-ill/800378/370 "2017-11-20T01:16:33Z")

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I just love when the majority takes on the injured mantle of the oppressed minority, mostly in order to keep the oppressed minority from acting like there’s nothing “wrong” with them.

“YOU’RE the disordered ones! Don’t try to label MEEEE!”

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**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 2017, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-transgendered-people-mentally-ill/800378/371 "2017-11-20T01:54:02Z")

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DrDeth, your first quote is the only one that send relevant. The second appears to be a person saying he rejects the gender binary and he, personally, doesn’t identify with “cis”. That’s fine, there are lots of non-binary people and others who don’t fit nearly into buckets. The existence of bisexuals doesn’t make the word “straight” offensive, even if it might be offensive to call a bisexual straight.

As for the third, that’s just silly. I am cisgender. Indeed, the word does come from us, certainly in this list it does, and more and more cisgender people are learning the word and applying it to themselves all the time.

If you, personally, find it offensive, I will try not to apply it to you. I’m still going to apply it to me, and to people like me who haven’t stated an objection. I don’t feel any need to describe your gender (I don’t even know you) but if you have a deception you’d like me to use, I will try to remember that. Warning, it will sit, in my memory, right next to where I try to remember people’s preferred pronouns, so I may mess up. But I’ll try.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 2017, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-transgendered-people-mentally-ill/800378/372 "2017-11-20T02:00:33Z")

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> [@Slash1972](#):
>
> All other discussions aside, I believe you when you say that disclosure by transgender woman presents a significant, real, demonstrable risk to them. I absolutely believe you. What I don’t understand is why transgender woman wouldn’t make this disclosure BEFORE there is a risk?..

manson1972, I believe you are missing some of the risks of a trans person coming out. You do a good job of describing the risks of coming out to a potential sexual partner, but you miss the risks of coming out to an employer or neighbor. If you post “I’m trans” in a dating profile, you may be doing that.

I imagine the safest time to come out as trans is after connecting with a potential date, but before being alone with them. So, maybe during the texting setting stuff up, or maybe over coffee at the first date, in a public place, like a coffee shop. But I’m not going to dictate to people how to run their romantic affairs.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 2017, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-transgendered-people-mentally-ill/800378/373 "2017-11-20T02:04:52Z")

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> [@puzzlegal](#):
>
> manson1972, I believe you are missing some of the risks of a trans person coming out. You do a good job of describing the risks of coming out to a potential sexual partner, but you miss the risks of coming out to an employer or neighbor. If you post “I’m trans” in a dating profile, you may be doing that.
> 
> I imagine the safest time to come out as trans is after connecting with a potential date, but before being alone with them. So, maybe during the texting setting stuff up, or maybe over coffee at the first date, in a public place, like a coffee shop. But I’m not going to dictate to people how to run their romantic affairs.

I agree. I can see the risk. But your helpful suggestion of “after connecting with a potential date, but before being alone with them” seems to be a huge no-no and is grouped under the heading of “Why should she tell her date?” outrage. That is my question.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 2017, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-transgendered-people-mentally-ill/800378/374 "2017-11-20T03:04:49Z")

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> [@DrDeth](#):
>
> Nope, not blowing smoke:
> 
> [The New 'C' Word | HuffPost Voices](https://www.huffingtonpost.com/brynn-tannehill/the-new-c-word_b_5617913.html)
> 
> \*"There are some who really do not like the word, however, and especially when it is applied to them. For some it is just a dislike of having a label applied to them that they did not choose…The use of “cis” and “cisgender” should be carefully examined. There are people who strenuously object to these words being applied to them, even if the words come from an academic background. Just as my feelings on certain subjects should be respected, so should the feelings of people who dislike these labels…When these words are used in focus groups that look at messaging on transgender issues, the responses are nearly universally negative. The conclusion of many organizations is that you should not use either “cisgender” or “cis” in any sort of public narrative.
> 
> Even inside the LGBT community the words have a very negative connotation. …It isn’t logically or ethically consistent to tell one group of people that they need to get over a word they dislike being used to describe them while strenuously objecting to a word being applied to you, even if both words can be used in a contextually neutral way. The logic cuts both directions."\*
> 
> [I Am NOT Cisgendered | HuffPost Voices](https://www.huffingtonpost.com/j-nelson-aviance/i-am-not-cisgendered_b_5598113.html)
> 
> "_By imposing the label “cisgendered” onto me, you do me psychological and intellectual violence. You are saying that I am the same as all the people who do accept and inhabit the normative roles attached to the social construct of “men,” “male,” or “masculine.” You are silencing my voice and rejecting my right to determine my own identity. You have put me into a binary that alienates me from gender discourse…If someone doesn’t understand why I find the term “cisgendered” offensive, why I refuse to allow someone else to define me or inscribe their ideas onto my body, then perhaps I’m not the ignorant one."_
> 
> [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.875373-Poll-How-do-you-personally-feel-about-the-term-cisgender?page=2](http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.875373-Poll-How-do-you-personally-feel-about-the-term-cisgender?page=2)
> 
> [http://www.nationalreview.com/article/378511/cis-ridiculous-christine-sisto](http://www.nationalreview.com/article/378511/cis-ridiculous-christine-sisto)
> 
> _"Do not call me cisgender. You have no right or authority to name me without my consent. . . . It does not come from us, as its origins are from a trans perspective. . . . Do not call me cisgender. That is offensive to me. I am offended that you consider that you have power over me, and can name me._"
> 
> So, it’s not just me, I am not blowing smoke. You may disagree and that’s fine, but in any case many people do find that term offensive.

So I guess one who objects to being called “cisgendered” (including me) might appreciate why others also object to being called “faggot” or “dyke,” and for many of the same reasons. “I am offended that you consider you have power over me, and you can name me.” A bit of irony there.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![AI\_Proofreader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@AI\_Proofreader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AI_Proofreader)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 2017, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-transgendered-people-mentally-ill/800378/375 "2017-11-20T04:20:38Z")

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> [@Biffster](#):
>
> So I guess one who objects to being called “cisgendered” (including me) might appreciate why others also object to being called “faggot” or “dyke,” and for many of the same reasons. “I am offended that you consider you have power over me, and you can name me.” A bit of irony there.

Pretty ridiculous comparison. I never chose to be labelled transgender either, it just is what it is and doesn’t bother me. Doesn’t mean I can’t be offended if someone calls me a “tranny.” There’s a difference between a label meant to categorize, as in, “something is this but not that,” versus a label that is intended to be derogatory and insulting.

There’s no reason to use “faggot” or “dyke” when there are other neutral words for someone’s sexual orientation. As far as I know, there’s no derogatory or insulting version of “cisgender,” it’s just a description.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![DUCKofDEATH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6f9a4e/32.png) [@DUCKofDEATH](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DUCKofDEATH)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 2017, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-transgendered-people-mentally-ill/800378/376 "2017-11-20T04:33:57Z")

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> [@Icarus](#):
>
> Honestly, you are not going to make any headway with this person on any argument on any subject using any rhetorical or logical method. Best to just say, “Mmm, interesting” and change the subject. The whole MO of these political commentators is to make provocative unsupported statements, usually about some “other” that they consider beneath themselves. People who are fans of this type of discourse are to be avoided if possible.

Your provocative unsupported statements are quite chortle-worthy.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![DUCKofDEATH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6f9a4e/32.png) [@DUCKofDEATH](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DUCKofDEATH)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 2017, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-transgendered-people-mentally-ill/800378/377 "2017-11-20T06:52:28Z")

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> [@jayjay](#):
>
> I just love when the majority takes on the injured mantle of the oppressed minority, mostly in order to keep the oppressed minority from acting like there’s nothing “wrong” with them.

When an “oppressed minority” is trying to force the normal majority to adopt the minority’s disordered reality, that tends to make normal people skittish.

There are x and y chromosomes that determine gender. When everything is operating normally, that gives us men and women. Any other results are malfunctions that we should try to heal. Certainly society shouldn’t change as a result.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 2017, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-transgendered-people-mentally-ill/800378/378 "2017-11-20T08:01:25Z")

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> [@DUCKofDEATH](#):
>
> When an “oppressed minority” is trying to force the normal majority to adopt the minority’s disordered reality, that tends to make normal people skittish.
> 
> There are x and y chromosomes that determine gender. When everything is operating normally, that gives us men and women. Any other results are malfunctions that we should try to heal. Certainly society shouldn’t change as a result.

Do you actually have anything new to add? Just askin’.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 2017, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-transgendered-people-mentally-ill/800378/379 "2017-11-20T08:33:02Z")

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> [@DUCKofDEATH](#):
>
> There are x and y chromosomes that determine gender.

No there aren’t. They don’t even determine sex, much less gender. Your next sentence even shows that you know those chromosomes don’t even determine sex, which makes the whole post fallacious.

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**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 2017, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-transgendered-people-mentally-ill/800378/380 "2017-11-20T10:03:07Z")

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> [@DUCKofDEATH](#):
>
> There are x and y chromosomes that determine gender.

You’re conflating “gender” and “sex”. Psychology and medicine have considered these separate issues for quite some time now; if you won’t keep up with the cutting edge of medical science, you could at least keep up with the stuff that was cutting edge _before my parents met_.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 2017, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-transgendered-people-mentally-ill/800378/381 "2017-11-20T11:00:07Z")

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> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#):
>
> Absolutely, and I would think that would be an argument for vetting people BEFORE you date total strangers but if you are going to do that, do you think that the violence is more likely if you are upfront before you go on a date or after a few dates? I know some people will just go around gay bashing transgender folks. But I suspect that there is a population of people who would be repulsed if they knew before they started to get romantically (not necessarily sexually) involved but might be violent if they found out after they started to get romantically involved.

I know! And why don’t women weed out date rapists before they go on dates? I know some people will go around raping women anyway, but I suspect there is a population of people who would be put off if they knew in advance the woman didn’t want to have sex with them but might get all rapey if they found out after they started to get sexually aroused by how sexy their date looked.

> [@DrDeth](#):
>
> Just so you know, many people find “cis” a derogatory term.

> [@Guinastasia](#):
>
> I think it’s kind of a weird _sounding_ word, if you know what I mean. It’s kind of awkward to say. At least, that’s how I think of cisgender. Other than that, I really don’t give a rat’s ass.

Same here.

> [@Slash1972](#):
>
> I agree. I can see the risk. But your helpful suggestion of “after connecting with a potential date, but before being alone with them” seems to be a huge no-no and is grouped under the heading of “Why should she tell her date?” outrage. That is my question.

I’m not convinced this is correct; much of that apparent conflation has been driven by your initial omission of "“pre-op” in reference to reluctance to date transwomen.

> [@DUCKofDEATH](#):
>
> When an “oppressed minority” is trying to force the normal majority to adopt the minority’s disordered reality, that tends to make normal people skittish.

People are often surprised to learn that “normal” isn’t as normal as they think it is.

In related news - I know this was a month ago but I only just heard about it this morning: well-known bleeding-heart-liberal and UK Prime Minister Theresa May has proposed [amendments to the Gender Recognition Act](https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/oct/18/theresa-may-plans-to-let-people-change-gender-without-medical-checks) on the basis that “being trans is not an illness and it should not be treated as such”. Note that the current regulation requires a medical diagnosis of “gender dysphoria”, which is one of the elements proposed for removal from the act.

And the reason I just heard of it is that [Scotland is revising their Gender Recognition Act](https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/nov/09/legal-recognition-for-non-binary-people-planned-in-scotland) to include recognition of non-binary people (ahead of the UK review). [And then there’s Ireland…](https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/moninne-griffith-to-chair-gender-recognition-act-review-1.3279508)

As I said, “normal” ain’t so normal…

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