Got Labels?

By Susan King

This is the first of what I hope are many guest blog posts by my friend Susan, who is the author of her own blog, Transitioning Into Tomorrow.

Growing up in 1960's, I was secretly wearing my mother's girdle, stockings and heels. I love the look and feel of them. I remember feeling bad about it but could not stop. Nor did I want to. Eventually the word crossdresser became my label and my father thought I might be gay.

We did not have many labels back then. Slowly through the 1980's, different labels appeared, thanks to talk shows like Phil Donahue..

Now with the Internet and gender becoming front and center, there seems to be so many labels, I can not keep up. Below is a video that attempts to make some logical sense of these gender variant labels.

There are 21 different labels discussed in this video. I think there is a little overkill and that some are redundant. But the video did help me.

 

Wearing Ted Baker London.

6 Pack Band, India's first transgender band

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If You Don't Have Anything Nice To Say

How do you respond to a compliment? With a gracious thank-you or with a self-deprecating remark?

I am so guilty of the latter, whereas I know I should just smile and accept the kind words.

Image consultant Ginger Burr addresses this very matter in her recent blog post "Watch Your Language."

I read it, I get it and from now on, you will hear nothing but thank-you's from me.

Words Can Never Hurt Me

It is acceptable for a tranny to use the word "tranny" in reference to another tranny, but it is not acceptable for a civilian to use the word "tranny." Isn't that a little hypocritical? (Actually, I think it is very hypocrital.)

Gender theorist Kate Bornstein had this to say about the word “tranny.”

"That’s the most politically problematic self-definition. I get hit for using it. A vocal contingent of trans people insist that the word 'tranny' is a slur on the order of the 'N' word applied to black Americans. It gets used as a hate term. People will yell 'f**kin’ tranny' and throw a beer can at you from a passing car. My people get spat on, and accompanying that spit is the word 'tranny.' But I own that word. I’m trying to give it a good name."

Does it make it any better if people yell "f**kin’ transgender" and throw a beer can at you from a passing car?

It is not the word, but how it is used that is important.

And speaking of the word "transgender," the whole debate about using "transgender" vs. "transgendered" seems to be much ado about not much. I use the two words interchangeably when I speak, although I have been careful about not using "transgendered" when writing this blog because I don't want to give the Trans-Nazis and Trans-Harpies more ammo to shoot in my direction.

I think I will be less careful in the future,

So, you can call me "tranny," you can call me "transgendered," you can call me "anything you want," but just don't call me late for the shoe sale.

It's Alive!

"Femulate" is this week's "Word of the Week" over at the always informative and entertaining Jessica Who? blog. (Thank you, Jessica!)

Coincidentally, I was Googling something trans-related yesterday and I ended up on a forum where some girls were discussing something or other that was trans-related, and one of the girls used the word "femulate" in her forum posting. She was not referring to this blog, but was using femulate as a verb.

And that was not the first time I have seen the word used in that way.

What have I done?

As Henry Frankenstein once remarked, "It's alive!"

a modicum of decency

Maybe I’m just “old school,” maybe it’s my upbringing, maybe it has something to do with being born and raised in old Puritanical New England, maybe I’m a “prude;” whatever the reason, there are certain words that are not part of my vocabulary. Whether I am en femme or en homme, I just try not to use them

I admit that on occasion, those words have slipped out of my mouth, but they are “slips” and I always regret saying them.

On the other hand, when I write, I have time to reflect on what I am doing and correct any “slips,” so I never use those words in my writings. Moreover, I don’t want those words used in association with my writings; by that, I am referring to reader comments in this blog.

I just rejected a reader’s comment because he/she used one of those words and I will continue to reject any future comments that use those words.

By the way, the words are the seven that George Carlin referred to in his "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television" routine back in 1972. Believe it or not, you still cannot say those seven words on American television today (and I won’t use them here).

coming to terms

Yesterday, I mentioned that I had to look up the meaning of the word "pintuck."

Although I am a fashionista, I admit that I do not knowing the meaning of every fashion term. Google usually comes to my rescue when I a fashion term stumps me, as it did yesterday when I looked up "pintuck."

Yesterday, Google's first choice was Kohls.com Glossary of Fabric & Fashion Terms, which is where I found the definition for "pintuck."

Kohl's glossary is comprehensive and I recommend it highly.