Seijaku_Ishida
Yeaaah. If you're going to admonish me for not using all the acronyms, then you should keep up to date with them. Isn't it QUILTBAG now? I just tend to stick to LGBT because I get the blank stare for using all the acronyms outside certain circles.
And just because you anecdotally know someone who isn't offended doesn't mean it's not an offensive term used to dehumanize trans* people.
It doesn't make sense to 'keep up to date' with the acronyms when LGBTQ suffices. I'm only pointing out that by excluding the Q, you're leaving out all the people that don't fit the gender binary.
And you're assuming that I'm just drawing from casual observations when I have repeatedly stated that I have experience as a cross dresser. I just phrase it that way because I do it so often that it's become more of a style choice for me. Not everyone views it that way, but I do because when I go shopping, I buy stuff based on what I like and not what sections it's in. Also, every time I've encountered someone using the term 'trap', it was never out of malice but rather a way of expressing the fact that someone passes well. That, I think, is endearing and quite the compliment. So I don't take offense if someone calls me a trap, and it makes sense that the cross dressers I know like being called that. Given that, I don't think there's anything wrong with using that term so long as it's not being used against a trans person to try and invalidate their gender identity. I would never tolerate that because of
my personal experience. Essentially, I thought I was trans for a while because I wanted to undergo SRS (I still do, but to a certain extent), I told everyone what pronouns I preferred, I seriously considered HRT, and I was eager to change my name (I still intend to do this also). I loved passing and it made me really happy to use the facilities I felt most comfortable with, but despite that, the term transgender just doesn't quite fit me even though it still applies to me. While I don't identify as such, I still know how upsetting it can be when people argue that transgenderism isn't legitimate. If a woman says she's a woman, she's a woman regardless. Same goes with every other gender identity. With that said, don't assume that I'm trying to justify offensive behavior or base my statements on anecdotally knowing someone because
I am that someone.