# Can YOU tell? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 6, 2003, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell/217289 "2003-12-06T01:24:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Saint\_Zero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@Saint\_Zero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Zero)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2003, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell/217289/21 "2003-12-06T05:20:30Z")
12/16, or 75% on each side. ---
**Author:** ![CaptBushido](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e4f/32.png) [@CaptBushido](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptBushido)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2003, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell/217289/22 "2003-12-06T05:25:16Z")
> [@](#): > > The term “shemale” is offensive Huh, I did not know that. Why? ---
**Author:** ![CaptBushido](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e4f/32.png) [@CaptBushido](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptBushido)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2003, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell/217289/23 "2003-12-06T05:28:38Z")
To clarify: Why is that offensive? I know good and well why I didn’t know it. Because I grew up in rural West Texas and have never met any transsexuals. ---
**Author:** ![liirogue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dbc845/32.png) [@liirogue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/liirogue)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2003, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell/217289/24 "2003-12-06T05:32:46Z")
**Homebrew** , I also did not know the term was considered offensive. Why is it considered so? ---
**Author:** ![Gadfly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/aeb1de/32.png) [@Gadfly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadfly)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2003, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell/217289/25 "2003-12-06T05:39:25Z")
16/16. ---
**Author:** ![MonkeyMule](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc348/32.png) [@MonkeyMule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeyMule)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2003, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell/217289/26 "2003-12-06T05:52:46Z")
11/16. 86.5 of shemales, but only 50% of the women BUT I only got one shemale was a woman. Its better to err on the side of casution ---
**Author:** ![SanguineSpider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SanguineSpider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanguineSpider)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2003, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell/217289/27 "2003-12-06T06:06:05Z")
I didn’t put it up to offend. I wanted to see how well people could perceive an illusion. I made no comments or judgements that would offend or insult. Sorry if you felt I did. ---
**Author:** ![Caesar\_Disgustus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e4f/32.png) [@Caesar\_Disgustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caesar_Disgustus)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2003, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell/217289/28 "2003-12-06T08:54:05Z")
I got 13 out of 16 right. But at least my computer didn’t say, “You’ve got shemale”. ---
**Author:** ![DrlHn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@DrlHn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrlHn)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2003, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell/217289/29 "2003-12-06T09:15:51Z")
13/16 63% of the females 100% of the transsexuals ---
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2003, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell/217289/30 "2003-12-06T11:22:18Z")
12/16 but I wasn’t really trying by the end ---
**Author:** ![AngelicGemma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/439d5e/32.png) [@AngelicGemma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelicGemma)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2003, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell/217289/31 "2003-12-06T12:41:31Z")
1. I lose ---
**Author:** ![Sylkyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/da6949/32.png) [@Sylkyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylkyn)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2003, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell/217289/32 "2003-12-06T13:02:25Z")
Granted, I didn’t read the quiz so I may be wrong, but I was under the assumption these were drag queens, not necessarily transsexuals. Hence the term “shemales”, which I’ve heard used by drag queens themselves. If the quiz does state they are indeed transgendered people, then I can see where offense may be taken. Oh and I got 14 out of 16 correct. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2003, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell/217289/33 "2003-12-06T13:08:22Z")
14/16 some of these i might have gotten wrong if i didn’t know it was a test. ---
**Author:** ![Avenger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de0a6/32.png) [@Avenger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avenger)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2003, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell/217289/34 "2003-12-06T14:19:01Z")
8/16 Eeek, I suck! ---
**Author:** ![KellyM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/57b2e6/32.png) [@KellyM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KellyM)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2003, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell/217289/35 "2003-12-06T17:19:12Z")
This is as offensive now as it was the [last time](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&postid=1951084) it came up. As I said before, the term shemale is derogatory and refers to a preoperative transsexual who participates in either prostitution or pornography. The term is on a par with “whore” and is, standing along, very offensive. Using the term “shemale” to refer generically to transgenders is extremely offensive and is akin to calling all women “bitches”. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2003, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell/217289/36 "2003-12-06T17:42:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SanguineSpider \* > \*\*I didn’t put it up to offend. I wanted to see how well people could perceive an illusion. I made no comments or judgements that would offend or insult. Sorry if you felt I did. \*\* . . . Which is why I said “fuck you” to the link and not to you. I didn’t think you meant to be offensive, and were just posting a link you thought to be pleasantly amusing. But it (and the term “shemale”) are offensive. There I was, late last night, doodling around on the Dope, having a good time chatting with friends–and all of a sudden, “Oh, right, I nearly forgot that I am a Barnum & Bailey circus freak, and that I should charge money for people to look at me and guess ‘what I am.’” I don’t think for a minute you _meant_ to do that, **Spider** , so I am not cross with you . . . ---
**Author:** ![SanguineSpider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SanguineSpider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanguineSpider)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2003, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell/217289/37 "2003-12-06T17:52:03Z")
Labels… just labels people. Be who you are and enjoy it! Names are just words and words can be ignored. ---
**Author:** ![SanguineSpider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SanguineSpider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanguineSpider)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2003, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell/217289/38 "2003-12-06T17:54:14Z")
The link wasn’t “amusing” to me, just interesting. Some of the men look amazing as females. ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2003, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell/217289/39 "2003-12-06T18:04:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SanguineSpider \* > \*\*Labels… just labels people. Be who you are and enjoy it! Names are just words and words can be ignored. \*\* Really? And you wouldn’t mind your co-workers call you a “cunt”? ---
**Author:** ![KellyM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/57b2e6/32.png) [@KellyM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KellyM)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2003, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell/217289/40 "2003-12-06T18:10:04Z")
**SanguineSpider** : they’re not men. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell/217289.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell/217289.md?page=3)