the word "shemale"

[Alaska Guy]

I don't know why, but everytime I hear somebody refer to a trans girl as "shemale" pisses me off. It smacks of ignorance, and while I'm not the most enlightened, at least people should have some clue before they find a board like this and post on it.

[hereorthere]

Ohhhhh, wahhh, wahhhhh

That's a precise description

And I don't like people calling me "white" ... I'm caucasian

[Jericho]

at least people should have some clue before they find a board like this and post on it.

Raise your eyes to the top of your screen:


HungAngels TS Trannys Shemales Transsexuals and Ladyboys

:lol:

[yosi]

I don't know why, but everytime I hear somebody refer to a trans girl as "shemale" pisses me off. It smacks of ignorance, and while I'm not the most enlightened, at least people should have some clue before they find a board like this and post on it.

in other words , you are pissed off because you are in a site the has the word "shemale" in it , damn !! :wink:

[Teydyn]

That's a precise description
No, its not precise.
And insulting to many M2F TS.

[tommymageeshemales2]

I think it smacks of ignorance.

Tommymageeshem...... oh.

[phobun]

I don't know why, but everytime I hear somebody refer to a trans girl as "shemale" pisses me off. It smacks of ignorance, and while I'm not the most enlightened, at least people should have some clue before they find a board like this and post on it.

"Girls" who call themselves shemales are actually gay guys in skirts.

[Jericho]

I think it smacks of ignorance.

Tommymageeshem...... oh.


:lol:

[MacShreach]

"Girls" who call themselves shemales are actually gay guys in skirts.

Ah, but how the truth hurts....
8)

[LTR_Seeker]

i dont likethe term also it put down word to all the smart ladies here

[tsluva]

it's always going to be labelled and in association with porn.
(see shemale yum) we won't hear that term when transexuals make
documentaries, interviews, or guest talk show appearances.

[werwt22]

shemale. she is male. ? Am I missing anything here?

[MacShreach]

shemale. she is male. ? Am I missing anything here?

Nope, that is exactly the point. And of course it is one reason why the term offends so many MtF transsexuals, since they do not consider themselves to be male, but female. There are others, such as the word's association with the porn industry, but that is a pretty major one. :shrug

[meghanchavalier]

I wrote an article on this recently for the Stopping The Hate website. Read it if you get a chance.

http://stoppingthehate.com/News-Article962_Transgender_Discrimination_The_Mirror_H as_Two_Faces.htm

Have a good weekend

Meg C.

[MacShreach]

I wrote an article on this recently for the Stopping The Hate website. Read it if you get a chance.

http://stoppingthehate.com/News-Article962_Transgender_Discrimination_The_Mirror_H as_Two_Faces.htm

Have a good weekend

Meg C.


Seconded. Nice piece, Meghan.

[ezed]

FUCK, CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? I was about to go to bed but said to myself, "Let's see what's happening in HA!" So I started rummaging around the threads looking for a place to take a leak. So I stopped into a discussion on the term shemale. PC has invaded HA. Back to labels again. Who really gives a shit. I call a beautiful woman with a cock by her first name. I call a beautiful woman with out a cock by her first name. I love them all. Why do I need to box them. Why are they concerned about being boxed.

You can can call me a shemale chaser, a tranny chaser, a woman chaser or .... dare I say, it gay!!!! I'm not. No I'm kidding, not really I'm not kidding I am gay but not into guys unless they look like beautiful women and then only if they define themselves as shemale and not CD's or TV's. Then again there are some really nice looking CD's and TV's. Jesus, I'm conflicted!

We have evolved into a bar code society. Do you like the person in front of you? Would you like to make love to them ? Go with your desire.

BUT BEWARE OF THE FUCKING GUY WITH THE BAR CODE LABELS TRYING TO SLAP ONE ON YOUR ASS WHILE YOUR MAKING PASSIONATE LOVE!



:wink:

[MacShreach]

?

And your point is?

[Larry_Toronto]

I have met many ladies of all types... cd, tv, ts, post op. From most, I have heard that they find the term "shemale" to be derogatory. After listening to everyone, I finally came up with a definition of "shemale" which is suitable to me, and to most people who hear it. I am NOT trying to force this definition on everyone, I just present it for those who may wish to consider it.

In my view a shemale is someone who meets the following three criteria...

a) a transsexual (definied to be someone who has modified their body in some manner to take on the appearance of the opposite sex),

b) a person who uses their transsexual nature to make money in some manner, and

c) self-identifies as a "shemale"

[MacShreach]

In my view a shemale is someone who meets the following three criteria...

a) a transsexual (definied to be someone who has modified their body in some manner to take on the appearance of the opposite sex),

b) a person who uses their transsexual nature to make money in some manner, and

c) self-identifies as a "shemale"

I think you mean well, but, taking these in reverse order,

c) is fine-- people have the right to be known as what they wish to be known as, within reason.

b) I think might upset quite a few women who work in the sex business, though not all; many transsexual women work in this business because they have no other way of funding their transition. Just because she makes money with her body doesn't make a woman any less a woman , even if you do have moral issues with prostitution. Since the term "shemale" contains the very strong suggestion that the subject is actually male, transsexual women working in the sex business have every right to be miffed by people calling them it--even Bible-thumping moral ayatollahs don't consider GG prostitutes to be less female because they fuck for money, after all.

a)Your definition of "transsexual" looks to me like a confusion between the notions of "transgender" and "transsexual." "Transgender" is a very broad church and includes everyone from cross-dressers and drag queens right through to transvestites, who may live full-time as women. Although it is also often used to include transsexual women too, many dislike this. As far as these women are concerned, they are exactly the gender they are supposed to be and there's nothing "trans" about it-- it is their birth sex, ie their genitalia, that is trans, or was trans for a post-op, since they were born with the wrong equipment.These women are not modifying their bodies in order to take on the appearance of the opposite sex, they are correcting physical anomalies that already make them appear to be of the wrong gender (male in this case.)

However, there are also many, many examples of transgender people who have had surgeries to make them appear more feminine, but who are most emphatically not transsexual.The distinction may be subtle but it is real and the point is that the two terms are not interchangeable; transsexual women were born women and always have been women, but they suffer from a condition that slapped them with an "outie" instead of an "innie;" they are not men who want to look like women.

In the end, since you require all three to be satisfied anyway, your criterion c) is the only important one--the self-identification. If she calls herself a shemale, that's fine; if she don't, it ain't. That seems to me a pretty safe guide and it's the one I use.

[Tara Emory]

I personally identify myself as transgender (or transsexual), but I don't care for the term "tranny" because it always seems to imply "transvestite", which is just a guy in a dress.

To me, all the "trans" terms imply that you're travelling from A to B, and since I was never fully "A" how can I have travelled (saying that even as a "boy" everybody mistook me for a girl). It's sort of like the idea that some of us who pose nude can't be labelled as "crossdressers" - if we're not dressed!

"Shemale" is really a marketing term, but I've come to be comfortable with it as sort of a mythical creature label, like a "unicorn" or a "mermaid". "Shemale" also just flows better off the tongue and works better in movie titles. But call me a "shemale" to my face and I won't be happy.

Case in point. I'm making a sci-fi porn called "Uranus Needs Shemales". Since I don't like "trannies", I can't really go and call it "Uranus Needs Transgender People". That's really way, way too many words.

-Tara

[LibertyHarkness]

my self i dont mind be called shemale , i prefer it to tranny....hell i even got called a ladyboy before lol..

Though its just nicer to be called a girl.....I do find tranny abit insultive at times....

I know some people dont like the term shemale as its so used in porn, but then its catchier that saying Pre Opertative Transsexual or Non Operative Transsexual..

But i think its just life you have to deal that some will call yiou a tranny/CD/Shemale/ and sheboy i have heard a couple of times bounced around.l

[trish]

To my community I am a woman. To my dearest friends, who are in the know, I’m a transgender woman. To myself, I’m a woman. It’s a strange, strange and mysterious world.

As far as names go, I’ve heard them all. I’ve been called far worse than shemale. In all my short life so far, I never met a he-man nor a she-girl. I believe our identities, I mean everyone’s identities, are far, far more complex than we imagine. Our minds are wonderfully intricate machines that churn and tick behind a translucent screen. We squint to see ourselves more clearly. Our conscious selves are only barely privy to all the fears and all the desires that figure into to our emotional and intellectual lives. No one is completely one thing. We are all superpositions and we are all on journeys of becoming.

“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”

“A rose is a rose is a rose is a rose.”

[Tara Emory]

my self i dont mind be called shemale , i prefer it to tranny....hell i even got called a ladyboy before lol..

Though its just nicer to be called a girl.....I do find tranny abit insultive at times....

I know some people dont like the term shemale as its so used in porn, but then its catchier that saying Pre Opertative Transsexual or Non Operative Transsexual..

But i think its just life you have to deal that some will call yiou a tranny/CD/Shemale/ and sheboy i have heard a couple of times bounced around.l

Nailed it- I'd much rather just be called a girl too! And mostly that's what I get from people who are much more in the know.

And not a "gurl". For the record, I hate, hate, hate, HATE, "girl" with a "U".

Hate it, hate it.. Rhymes with/looks like "hurl" or "burl" (as in "burly"). Hate it. hate it.

Sometimes if you catch me in the wrong mood, and I'm approving people for my yahoo group (or my myspace "friends"), I deny people who have usernames that have any permuation of the word "gurl"

-Tara

[LibertyHarkness]

yep you got it Tara x

[fred41]

To my community I am a woman. To my dearest friends, who are in the know, I’m a transgender woman. To myself, I’m a woman. It’s a strange, strange and mysterious world.

As far as names go, I’ve heard them all. I’ve been called far worse than shemale. In all my short life so far, I never met a he-man nor a she-girl. I believe our identities, I mean everyone’s identities, are far, far more complex than we imagine. Our minds are wonderfully intricate machines that churn and tick behind a translucent screen. We squint to see ourselves more clearly. Our conscious selves are only barely privy to all the fears and all the desires that figure into to our emotional and intellectual lives. No one is completely one thing. We are all superpositions and we are all on journeys of becoming.

“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”

“A rose is a rose is a rose is a rose.”

This is an excellent answer...but people will just go right by it dismissively and continue to slap their own labels on everyone because they've read an article or know "someone"..or maybe took a psychology course in college and feel that gives them enough information to become "experts" on the material and be able to dictate about generalizations. Lots of people on this site sometimes play the game of "I am this..so if you don't do this ..then you must be that"..and how many people stick the "gay" label on people because-"gay people like this..you like this..so you must be that". I feel people are far more complex than that. Labeling people serves a purpose of sometimes being able to narrow down the subject matter of what you are talking about.but they don't always accurately decribe the individual. How can they when an individual can't always accurately describe themselves?

This doesn't necessarily have anything to do with the word "Shemale"..but Trish's answer goes a long way in answering threads like "am I gay"...or "differences between TS, TV..et."




....(that's if I actually understand her correctly.. :D ..funny what a little weed will do.)

[tommymageeshemales2]

my self i dont mind be called shemale , i prefer it to tranny....hell i even got called a ladyboy before lol..

Though its just nicer to be called a girl.....I do find tranny abit insultive at times....

I know some people dont like the term shemale as its so used in porn, but then its catchier that saying Pre Opertative Transsexual or Non Operative Transsexual..

But i think its just life you have to deal that some will call yiou a tranny/CD/Shemale/ and sheboy i have heard a couple of times bounced around.l


What about Harajiki Tgurl..... :lol:
Nailed it- I'd much rather just be called a girl too! And mostly that's what I get from people who are much more in the know.

And not a "gurl". For the record, I hate, hate, hate, HATE, "girl" with a "U".

Hate it, hate it.. Rhymes with/looks like "hurl" or "burl" (as in "burly"). Hate it. hate it.

Sometimes if you catch me in the wrong mood, and I'm approving people for my yahoo group (or my myspace "friends"), I deny people who have usernames that have any permuation of the word "gurl"

-Tara

[Danielle Foxx]

I identify myself as a transgender so anything aside from that is pretty much a bit offensive but I am still ok with transsexual, however tranny or shemale he-she, those are all pretty degrading terms.

[Justawannabe]

Part of the problem is the answer on what is offensive is different for everyone. I knew a girl who liked tranny because it didn't sound medical. I didn't get it, but that was her thing. Shemale does seem to be fairly universally disliked but who knows... might meet someone who prefers it down the road.

The one thing that is sometimes tough is the just girl... when your trying to say something specifically about girls who were born with male bodies. It's very very hard to talk to someone over any length of time and never refer to their childhood at all and feels fake to imply that the person never had any experience dealing with issues male bodied folks deal with. Not saying anyone should bring that up a persons T in mixed company... just saying that finding the easy, non-offensive term is tough where it is important.

[werwt22]

WTF. This convo is so retarded. Theres a million ways to call anyone anything. So the fuck what the term isn't politically correct. Its not like someone means harm in calling "you" shemale. Buff, Diesel, Strong, Ripped, Cut. Gay Fag Punk Bitch. Man, Guy, Sir, "Hebitch" LOL. Its all the same.

[GinX]

As far as I'm concerned, it's not the word...it's the context in which it is used. A person may be using a term that he or she believes to be polite or correct or technical, etc. etc. What needs to be considered is the context...is the word being used so as to cause harm, offense or degradation?

This goes hand in hand with the recipient of the term. All things being equal, let's assume that someone refers to one of our Angels as a "shemale", but does so without any malice attached to it. If that girl finds the term distasteful, all she has to do is make it known. From that point on, anyone who would call him or herself polite would know better than to use that term in reference to that person.

A little bit of honest dialogue and politeness can really go a long way.

[Hara_Juku Tgirl]

And here i thought the word shemale was so yesterday! The current term these days is Sheman (short for she is/was a man)! lol

;)

~Kisses.

HTG

[Willie Escalade]

I honestly don't use the word "shemale" or "tranny"; I prefer to say T-girl, trans-gendered, or transsexual. Personal choice.

And even though I'm actually a shade of brown, I don't mind being called "black".

[BLKGSXR]

Ok let me now break off and ask the patrons of HA what they would like to be called,patrons defined as HHA's that is what we shall call them............

[mischelle]

..

[tommymageeshemales2]

As far as I'm concerned, it's not the word...it's the context in which it is used. A person may be using a term that he or she believes to be polite or correct or technical, etc. etc. What needs to be considered is the context...is the word being used so as to cause harm, offense or degradation?

This goes hand in hand with the recipient of the term. All things being equal, let's assume that someone refers to one of our Angels as a "shemale", but does so without any malice attached to it. If that girl finds the term distasteful, all she has to do is make it known. From that point on, anyone who would call him or herself polite would know better than to use that term in reference to that person.

A little bit of honest dialogue and politeness can really go a long way.

Honest dialogue is for ga...but moving on. I'm calling you a twit. And I am intending it to cause - let me see, not harm or degradation, heck I'll just go with offense - offense.

I kid of course. Your point is a very good one, ANYthing can cause ANYone offense. That's their choice. You just need to trust your judgement.

[Alaska Guy]

I also can't stand the word "shemale" because of the people that typically use it. Usually they are guys that are only into it for lust and they don't usually come with respect or know the first thing about etiquette. And those types will often think that a "shemale" is indeed just a man in a wig.

I'm not sticking up for the girls, it's just that it offends me because I respect the women that I like, and those are transgender women. When I have a transgender gf, she is just that, my gf, or my woman. Now if I need to be more specific, then I will say transsexual or transgender. The word "shemale" belongs on Springer or Maury, and I discourage girls I know from going on there to be exploited so that ppl can shout "THAT"S A MAN! THAT'S A MAN!!!!" Which is, as we know, NOT CORRECT.

[JamesHunt]

I think shedude sounds pretty cool :lol:

[werwt22]

I also can't stand the word "shemale" because of the people that typically use it. Usually they are guys that are only into it for lust and they don't usually come with respect or know the first thing about etiquette. And those types will often think that a "shemale" is indeed just a man in a wig.

I'm not sticking up for the girls, it's just that it offends me because I respect the women that I like, and those are transgender women. When I have a transgender gf, she is just that, my gf, or my woman. Now if I need to be more specific, then I will say transsexual or transgender. The word "shemale" belongs on Springer or Maury, and I discourage girls I know from going on there to be exploited so that ppl can shout "THAT"S A MAN! THAT'S A MAN!!!!" Which is, as we know, NOT CORRECT.

Shit, I call them women also, but there are too many of them that still consider themselves men no matter how far they go (Transcend), and that's one of the main reasons, other than porn, that the term will never leave. Not just the guys that think that way.

[JonnyT]

interesting. the ts ladies here don't even know what to call each other. to be honest I would imagine that a woman would be offended by a ts calling herself a "woman" just on principle alone. as for drivers licenses and the like the designation "T" would work just fine. you are not male and you are not fully female, you are T. obviously this is not a black and white issue. there is plenty of room for a third gender and perhaps that is the answer. gays and lesbians in general don't like being grouped together with the TS population and typically do not support TS. in fact gay men in many cases despise TS. a stand alone gender may be your answer to gaining equality.

[Helvis2012]

What about sheboy?

[werwt22]

What about sheutthefuckup. This shit is dead.

[Helvis2012]

werwt22 wrote:

Shit, I call them women also, but there are too many of them that still consider themselves men no matter how far they go (Transcend), and that's one of the main reasons, other than porn, that the term will never leave. Not just the guys that think that way.

I agree.

[MacShreach]

interesting. the ts ladies here don't even know what to call each other. to be honest I would imagine that a woman would be offended by a ts calling herself a "woman" just on principle alone. as for drivers licenses and the like the designation "T" would work just fine. you are not male and you are not fully female, you are T. obviously this is not a black and white issue. there is plenty of room for a third gender and perhaps that is the answer. gays and lesbians in general don't like being grouped together with the TS population and typically do not support TS. in fact gay men in many cases despise TS. a stand alone gender may be your answer to gaining equality.

Partly because there is considerable vagueness. The term "transsexual" is quite well defined, despite the routine attempts found here to blur the issue, and transsexual women are only a small percentage of transgender people who present as women. Many others legitimately define their gender differently. There is a problem because many men on sites like this, some out of lack of knowledge and some because they have ulterior motives, confuse the terms.

I have never heard a transsexual woman argue for a status of "third gender." That does not mean that many transgender people would not accept the idea, and perhaps welcome it.

But in the end, transsexual women are women, and that is how they prefer to be treated and referred to.

[MacShreach]

What about sheutthefuckup. This shit is dead.

You know, if you don't like it, you could always go away. :shrug

[MacShreach]

Shit, I call them women also, but there are too many of them that still consider themselves men no matter how far they go (Transcend), and that's one of the main reasons, other than porn, that the term will never leave. Not just the guys that think that way.

If they consider themselves men, they're not women, and they're not transsexual, though they may be transgendered. QED. If men who dress as women want to call themselves shemales, that's fine by me anyway.

[Nicole Dupre]

..

How much does that ear weigh, punchy?

http://www.hungdevils.com/uploads/av-8441.jpg[/img]

[yodajazz]

...
I have never heard a transsexual woman argue for a status of "third gender." That does not mean that many transgender people would not accept the idea, and perhaps welcome it.

But in the end, transsexual women are women, and that is how they prefer to be treated and referred to.

I distinctly remember Allanah Starr here arguing for the the status of a third gender.

I certainly agree that ts women are women. Sometimes people here forget that of the situation would be pretty much the same with a gg; for example, the family's reaction to bringing home an exotic dancer.

[tsmandy]

I believe that people have the right to reclaim words that were used as insults and use them in a way that feels empowering.

For instance the word queer was used as an insult for quite some time. Over the past several decades a large number of GLBT have used the word as an positive term (myself included) to describe sexuality and gender expression. To me the term shemale is no different. When used by strangers to disrespect me, it sucks. But when I use it (sort of like Tara does in a mythical, magical, and fiercely pervy sort of way) as a moniker of pride, it can be quite empowering. I have other TS friends, who are in the sex industry, who use the term, especially when we are around our dyke friends and lovers as a way of putting our cards on the table and refusing to diminish our trans-ness.

It may be non-sensical, after all what is different etymologically speaking in the word shemale than the word female? Don't both sort of imply a derivative of male (since those ancient crafters of language believed women to be created from Adams rib?)

Anyways I agree with Tara that the word Shemale is preferable to gurl, yuck I hate that word. I also agree that "Uranus needs transsexuals" just doesn't have the same ring to it.

[Nicole Dupre]

I believe that people have the right to reclaim words that were used as insults and use them in a way that feels empowering.

For instance the word queer was used as an insult for quite some time. Over the past several decades a large number of GLBT have used the word as an positive term (myself included) to describe sexuality and gender expression. To me the term shemale is no different. When used by strangers to disrespect me, it sucks. But when I use it (sort of like Tara does in a mythical, magical, and fiercely pervy sort of way) as a moniker of pride, it can be quite empowering. I have other TS friends, who are in the sex industry, who use the term, especially when we are around our dyke friends and lovers as a way of putting our cards on the table and refusing to diminish our trans-ness.

It may be non-sensical, after all what is different etymologically speaking in the word shemale than the word female? Don't both sort of imply a derivative of male (since those ancient crafters of language believed women to be created from Adams rib?)

Anyways I agree with Tara that the word Shemale is preferable to gurl, yuck I hate that word. I also agree that "Uranus needs transsexuals" just doesn't have the same ring to it.Yeah, incorrectly spelling the gender that I identify as is definitely tres lame. And shemale is far better than "he-she".

[tsmandy]

Your new photos are looking hot Nicole. Love them.

[Nicole Dupre]

Thank you, girl. You're looking quite lovely yourself. :)