Why are people so freaked out by transsexuals?

Question

Is it that their effort to assimilate with the straight people is threatening, or something much deeper? I really need thorough answers for this one, so any info/opinions is much appreciated! :)

Answer 1

Depends on the person, but i feel it's ignorance.

Same thing with the gay community.

They are people too that just want to be happy. If changing their sex is what makes them happy, then why hate for that??

Do people hate straight people for doing things that will make them happy? Example, plastic surgery, changing appearance, see what i mean??

I dunno.. i just know I'm okay with it.

Answer 2

You've just asked a question that opposes transsexuals to straight people - a gender category to a sexual orientation category. They are unrelated. People can belong to both of those categories. If you need to know the answer to your question so you can write a paper or make a convincing point in a discussion, you need to get that much fixed at least. Now then, part of the reason is exactly what you did - people lump them in with gays and lesbians without thinking and since the dominant but false neo-con theory is that homosexuality is against the Bible (and therefore GLBT people should be attacked). Another reason is that the terminology is so complicated, as you are finding out, and it is very difficult to learn to understand the issues of transsexuals and transgender people. Part of that confusion leads to a belief that transfolk are going against nature (by which I refer to the dearly loved cultural construct that is the binary system of "the sexes") by changing their sex. This is a false belief because, though transfolk speak of 'gender identity' they are actually talking about a physical condition related to intersex disorders. Still another reason many people are uncomfortable around transfolk is that they are stereotyped as being men who can't be convincing women and who are sex-fiends. Not true, but still the dominant view and that influences prejudices. Another reason is actually true - on average, transfolk are more likely to be poor, more likely to be sex workers, and more likely to have physical health problems and emotional health problems than non-transgender (aka cis-gendered) people. This is not to say that every transsexual is a sex worker with HIV who lives in poverty (becuase that's definately not true - remember, I did say "on average" which basically means "a slightly higher percentage"), but it does affect perceptions. Part of this stereotype is a self-fulfilling prophecy - discrimination against transsexuals makes finding and keeping regular jobs difficult. I'm sure I'm leaving some things out but this is just off the top of my head here.

Answer 3

I think it's because people are just know starting to be exposed to transsexuals (btw, the correct term is transgendered) people in the mainstream media, the stigma is just now starting to wear off.

For the most part it's simply a matter of ignorance, not knowing what it is about. People are confused and aren't sure how to act so their natural reaction is to get freaked out.

Answer 4

It is almost like how people choose their friends. Maybe they dont see anything desirable in being around someone who is a man, trying to be a woman, wearing way too much makeup and talking over the top.

Everyone (or nearly) has a little shallow Hal in them in some sort of way.

Answer 5

Have you ever been around transsexuals? I'm pretty open minded but its still way weird for me. I hope that I don't show that on the outside and make them uncomfortable, but its weird. When you're looking at someone who used to be a man and its obvious that they were a man and they're wearing women's clothes and make up, its just............. weird. I don't find them threatening in any way. I think its a cop out to demonize any person who isn't comfortable with way out lifestyles or gender swapping, because it is way out of the ordinary. Just because you're creeped out by it doesn't mean you're a closed minded bigot.

Answer 6

because the idea that gender is mutable really freaks out people who are insecure in their gender roles. I have met people who are like some of your answerers above, that cling to ideas of what a man or a woman "should be" without questioning it, and it forms the basis for their identity. since it is a shaky basis, the threat of someone changing this "set order" is a threat to their own identity. I have also met people who are supposedly "progressive" that dont like them because these "progressive" people are still buying into the same line of gender and how it defines you.

I am secure in what i choose to do and the parts of my gender identity that i have chosen to live with. A good deal of my friends are transsexuals, and i love them the way they are and the way they want to be.

Answer 7

I think people are afraid of the unfamiliar! It does seem strange for someone to feel that they're not the right sex...for the person himself and the people around him.

I won't lie, I don't think I'd want to be with a transgendered male...but we could be friends.

As with everything more information helps.

Answer 8

Alot of people tend to get freaked out by what they dont understand to be "normal"
What people should look at is the big picture...the actual person. I have known transexuals and they have been such awesome people.

Answer 9

They don't freak me out. I wish that I new one, I think a transsexual would make a great friend.

I do feel sorry for them for being stuck in the wrong body but I don't fear them.

Answer 10

Transsexuals, perhaps, seem like a third sex. This is way outside of conventional thinking.