The main talk was about what should be incorporated in documents, and below is a simple example:

Please Circle ONE Gender That Pertains To You:
1. Male
2. Female.
3. Both.
4. Mixed.
5. None etc

It may look quite simple but it can be very frustrating for others in ways that most people may not even understand.

Anyway, as a person who is in the healthcare industry, I know how tricky it gets with people who may have had a sex change or prefer to be referred to as one gender (say a woman) when physically they are percieved as the opposite gender (say a man).

In response to the note on facebook (posted Wednesday, June 25, 2008 at 2:48pm), here is what I said:

I took this multi-cultural class last semester and I thought I knew everything about everything. Until a student explained something on being a TRANSSEXUAL (NOT TRANSGENDER, there is a big difference.)

Note: I am not an expert in that field but thats how I understood the explanation, I am hoping I have that accurate, if I have it all wrong I apologize sincerely and its absolutely not intentional. I am just trying to share this experience about a person who goes through this that was actually quite profound to me.

TRANSGENDER being that its what the person perceives in their mind as to whether they are MALE or FEMALE regardless of what their physical body is perceived by the rest of us (feeling like a female, when the physical body is male vice versa). They then like to be referred to as THE THIRD GENDER, BI- GENDER.

A TRANSSEXUAL is then a person who is TRANS- GENDER and undergoes a series of surgical changes (I think) Known as SEX RE- ASSIGNMENT THERAPY. They are usually asked to live life as the gender they FEEL/THINK they are (male as a woman or woman as a man for 1 year) first, then if they can handle it, thats when the surgery is done. Lord have mercy on their troubled souls, I cant even begin to imagine what they go through.

(As a WOMAN here, I feel like a damn raging retarded alien sometimes KEYWORD: SOMETIMES), all the changing hormonal balances, makes me all confused and un- human (as in not normal like most humans are) just sometimes,  but am sure its nothing close to what a TRANSGENDERED person goes through on a daily, my heart goes out to them in love and respect)

I respect everyone though, there is always a collective ignorant thinking where most people instantly perceives themselves to be the righteous people, who understand 'what GOD wants.' So people treat other humanbeings like transsexuals or trans-gendered individuals  as though they are sub- human. It does get on my gadamn nerves when people use the Bible and God's name to condemn other people talking about about its unnatural and its not normal to be a trans-person... GTFOH with that BS!!

My opinion to such blatant ignorance is:

if you think youre so perfect, that youre the full definition of what humans should be, that you should be accepted the way you are because youre nothing but PERFECT... then what are you doing on earth with us mere mortals? You should be in residing in some perfect location with GOD based on that ignorant mindset. I always strongly believe that if a person doesn't like what they see or hear, then they are not obligated to deal with it or put up with a circumstance that does not suit them. People are so quick to judge each other based on trivial excuses justifying violence and insults using the Lord's name and the Bible! Do not even get me startedon that...

Ask Miriam Rivera (a model) who was in that reality show called 'There Is Something About Miriam'

Just so you know: Miriam is 100%  MALE and the only surgery that she has gone through is for the breast implants, everything else is 100% intact - especially where her fingers are at.

For the record:  I didnt watch the (above) show, but saw something about it one time on VH1, when the men were in complete shock @ the end of the show... goodness me.

But anyway, just to continue saying what I was talkng about when it comes to people who disrespect  others over what they cannot help. You see I always, always stick to one main principle in my life GOD IS LOVE,  period! Meaning the same Source  who took his time to create YOU (As special as you are) is actually the same Source who also took his time to create transpersons, and we are all different as different can be but we are also unified by one loving CREATOR.

Its like someone telling me that its UNNATURAL to be AFRICAN or its UNNATURAL to be A WOMAN ummm... wouldnt that be the most ridiculous absolute stupidity that anyone could possible ever say? I try and imagine my reaction to that and its quite hilarious. I know that I used a super simple analogy, but its really that simple. They are who they are and choose to live their lives based on whatever suits and makes them happy, so why should I care or lose sleep over people who have nothing to do with me.

Actually that was not even my point here,  my point as you can read from my 1st sentence is that I thought I knew but I didnt. This student explained to us that TRANSGENDER/TRANS- SEXUAL people are considered STRAIGHT.

(Now at this point my entire jaw hit the floor because I was too confused)

Meaning if a person perceived themselves as a FEMALE and believe it in their minds that are truly FEMALE even though they have a "wrong" physical body of a man, well then they actually get attracted to a MALE. So if I a person feels like a woman inside then they will be attracted to MEN right?? (even though all you will see physically is a male body). So in that case it makes a person STRAIGHT, the TRANSGENDERED person who has a male body will be attracted to a male body because the person feels and believes that they are a female. They are not GAY (homosexual, If you refer the person as a homosexual then they do get extremely offended!

This class really opened my eyes to something that I never even thought could turn out to be so complicated in a way. So as a health care provider we have to take all of the whole gender sensitivity into consideration.

Meaning, if a person walks into the hospital and my eye sight percieve a person who is physically male, but this person tells me that "HE" is a "SHE" WOMAN, then how can I decide what room to admit them in?

We always have females and males paired in rooms by the same sex- to provide privacy and psychological comfort. As a woman, you don't wanna be bending @ the hospital to wash you face in the morning, and imagine a dude scanning and zooming in upon your very bare behind through the open ended hospital gowns- RIGHT??

So who will you pair a patient who physically is a MALE but believes themselves to be FEMALE?? You cannot force them to sleep in the same room as a dude, because they will be traumatized! They need a FEMALE companion and FEMALE-ISH room to place their powder, perfume, make- up brush, make- up set, toner, Cceanser, bras, panties, thongs, nail polish, chocolate, face massage, lipstick, wig, eye-brow tweezer etc. I still cannot figure out how Id handle that particular situation.

How confusing is that?

In conclusion, people should understand that GENDER DIFFERENCE is NOT the same as SEXUAL ORIENTATION.

My other super principle in life RESPECT! RESPECT! RESPECT! I might not necessarily agree with a person's point of view, opinion, thought process, but I never DISRESPECT people for what they stand for and believe in thats what makes life what it is-  its LIFE!

____________________________________________

Update: On February 27 Miriam Rivera with multiple broken bones and internal bleeding after she was attacked and thrown from the 4th floor window of her New York apartment.

Seriously? How sad are we as humans? Attacking another person and gaining nothing from it?

If someone does not like something about other people, especially people they do not know, people who are not causing anyone any harm or affecting other people's life (your life). Please, just let them be, sad sad stuff.

By Lo (Enigmaress)