13 Misconceptions About Trans Women

Well, at least 7 in this post.
Natalie Reed from the "Skepchick" site came up with the first seven and teased us with the other six which are coming tomorrow in another post.
To save you the time and effort of reading all the first seven, here are the highlights. Of course you can check the link for a complete look at basic trans women myths.
1. Trans women are just really, really, REALLY gay.
False, sex and gender are two radically different issues. (Agree!)
2. So you’re going to get your penis cut off and 3.- we all want a sex change operation.
False. (Agree! Although I understand why most uneducated people would think so. Some of us have already changed sex mentally!)
4. “It’s a trap” / Trans women are just gay guys trying to attract straight dudes.
False of course. (Very complex issue. I can be an egotist of sorts and say the men who are attracted to us need to decide their sexuality. In my case I'm just in the world being me. If either gender is attracted to me, it's their decision.)
5.  Aren’t you sort of reinforcing stereotypical gender roles? Aren’t you just going along with the idea that having a feminine personality means you must be female? Doesn’t that perpetuate the idea that there are certain ways women and men are “supposed” to be like?
Natalie has a long answer for this and no easy answer but I do. (I am reinforcing a feminine stereotype. She is me and I am her.Some of my genetic girlfriends sometimes say I'm such a girl and I am. Stereotype or not.)
6. If our culture didn’t have such strict gender roles, there would be no need for transition.
( Blah, blah, blah! So what?)
7. You’re so brave! (Good one! Natalie finishes on a high note!)
She writes:  "No. That’s a lovely idea, it is, and thank you. I do appreciate the sentiment and we often enjoy hearing that kind of thing. It’s an enormously tempting  idea, too, and hard to give up. It would be terrific to believe that I’m this wonderfully brave, courageous, strong woman who overcame unimaginable odds to assert her true self without compromise to a hostile, bigoted world. But it just isn’t true. We aren’t brave. We’re scared shitless and in tremendous pain and desperate for a way out, and don’t really have much of a choice."
(Agreed-totally! Her last line says it all!)

I'm interested in her last 6 reasons as she has covered quite a bit of ground so far. I will try to follow her and give you more information!

A Transgendered "Epic"

My first remembrances of "Nikki Araguz" go back a century or so (seems like it!) to a couple Jerry Springer Shows.
I believe the first time I saw her was when she appeared with a genetic blond female friend who said Nikki all of the sudden starting living as a woman and showed up as a party. She added that it was no real surprise but the way Nikki was acting as a female was.
A guy then appeared on the show and said he was "fooled" by her and the sexual activity that resulted.
Turns out this was just the beginning for Nikki's transgendered life in the spotlight.
Years later I read a story about the transsexual wife of a fallen Texas firefighter and it turned out to be the same Nikki.
Of course the fireman's family and seemingly the whole state of Texas came out against her receiving any benefits.

Nikki Araguz

On top of all of that Nikki is expected to spend time behind bars on a felony theft charge. 

To follow her story go to KTRK TV's site in Houston and see no less than ten stories.
I believe she would be a very compelling person to talk to about  her life.
She is appealing her insurance case, so we haven't heard the end from her yet!

Transgendered "Admirer" Survey

Thanks to Vallin, I'm passing this along to all of you. Not long ago I posted "Transgendered Admirers".
As he mentioned, only in our transgendered culture, a person who is attracted to us is labeled  an "admirer"-not always a positive!
Not only is there a site (TransOrientated.com) dedicated to men attracted to transgendered or transsexual women, there is also a survey:
The prestigious North Western University in Chicago, Illinois is conducting a detailed survey or transoriented men, or what they call men with gynandromorphophilia or men who have a sexual attraction to she-males or transwomen. .
If you are intrigued by men who are attracted to transwomen like us, this is a great site to check out!