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[GlyphGryph]

Anyways, Truean, I agree there's flaws with each of the "three camps", to be honest. It is, in my mind, a damaging oversimplification and major diversion a lot of gay people get caught up in. It's like asking if the amount of muscle a person has is a choice, or biological, or a social construct. Are they bulky because of biology? Skinny because of choice? It's just an absurd sort of stance to take, on the face of it. It's a possible (and not exhaustive!) list of factors that influence the outcome, and some of them might even be necessary factors, but its certainly not a complete view, especially since we are using such fuzzy and poorly defined categories.

I do know, as someone for whom it IS a choice, in a way, that the "it's innate and unchangeable" camp has done some damage of its own. If I date a guy (or a girl), I'm clearly "faking" it, because I can't "choose" and I'm just going against my natural inclination for... the reasons are always vague, but eh. Suffice to say, I've never been comfortable with a lot of the rhetoric that came out of LGBT groups I've been involved with for exactly that reason - despite the B in the name, I spent a lot of time feeling like an outsider. (Though that might ultimately be more my own fault, never been a very social person or one who gives a damn what others think about me)

So ultimately, I think we agree - discussions on camps and causes are all beside the point. The why isn't important, its how people react. Is there any cause the excuses treating people like shit for no good reason? No, I don't think so.

[Urist Imiknorris]

I want to know what causes homosexuality. Just for the sake of knowing.

The human brain in all its eldritch, incomprehensible glory.

[The Doctor]

I want to know what causes homosexuality. Just for the sake of knowing.

The human brain in all its eldritch, incomprehensible glory.

... Basically. Yep.

[Euld]

However, I know they won't let me take Hormone Replacement Therapy or undergo Sexual Reassignment Surgery unless I tell them what they want to hear. So as far as they are concerned and to obtain those results, "I believe this entirely...."

If I may ask, because I'm curious, why do you want to be a woman?  I've personally considered a sex-change myself, but could never really get used to the idea.  I rather enjoy being attracted to my own body    There's also the fact that, well, yes this will sound weird, I don't want to lose my penis    I'm strangely attached to it (ba-dum-tish  )  Men's penises are not all alike, each one is unique to each man.  To me, it's something that represents a lot.  How a man uses it shows a lot about who he is.  It's also something that he owns that no one else can have, other people get to share it on occasion at the best.

It seems strange to me that you want to give that up for a vagina constructed by a surgeon and non-squishy breasts mass-produced in a factory.  I'm not saying what you want is wrong, I'm just curious about the reasons.

[ChairmanPoo]

Men's penises are not all alike, each one is unique to each man

[The Doctor]

Forgive me if I'm wrong.

But I think it's because she feels like a woman, in her mind. And her body not matching that, makes her uncomfortable. (From what I gathered, -very- uncomfortable.) So she's trying to do the best she can, as it is currently.

[Euld]

Men's penises are not all alike, each one is unique to each man

Yeah, you heard me 

Oh right, had another question:

I want to know what causes homosexuality. Just for the sake of knowing.

The human brain in all its eldritch, incomprehensible glory.

... Basically. Yep.

Mind if I call bullcrap?  (in a nice way, hear me out)  One thing I didn't like about being Christian was the fact that so many theological questions had one answer: "God is mysterious, his ways are not his own."  Homosexuality is caused by SOMETHING, we just don't know what yet because we haven't found it.  I see no point in hiding behind answers like "the human brain is mysterious, its ways are not our own."

[Bauglir]

I do not know the answer, but I do know that it is almost certainly more than one thing.

[The Doctor]

Wait, what? No. Nonononono. Never that, we misunderstood each other. I thought you meant "So you want to understand the brain in all it's eldritch, incomprehensible glory?"

Because, yeah. Even it's nearly impossible, damn it I'm gonna try. And from what I can tell, it's not impossible. Difficult, yes. Impossible, no.

I hate mysterious answers, which is things like "He works in mysterious ways," (in regards to the Christian god "doing" something reprehensible or just plain confusing) or "The brain works through emergent complexity." Yeah, fine sure. Whatever. Can you predict anything new from "emergent complexity,"? No. You can't.

As for the first quote in there, if he created us you'd think he would have created us with the same morality as him. But according to hardliner Christians (and some... not so hardliner), he finds it okay to smash a hurricane/earthquake/volcano against us because of a few bad eggs, while we (mostly...) find it reprehensible.

Mysterious questions, fine, sure, I'm fine with those. We don't know everything yet. That doesn't mean we won't know them in the future. It just means we have to try harder.

[Willfor]

As for the first quote in there, if he created us you'd think he would have created us with the same morality as him. But according to hardliner Christians (and some... not so hardliner), he finds it okay to smash a hurricane/earthquake/volcano against us because of a few bad eggs, while we (mostly...) find it reprehensible.

Please quote actual denominations, because not all hardliners even remotely believe this. There are a hundred other ways you could not like what these people believe, so you don't have to strawman, and perpetuate a bad understanding of their theologies to do it.

[Vector]

I am soooo envious of vector, I used to have a good memory, but it became fuzzy and now I'm all scatter brained. I'll never be anywhere near that accomplished because I'm lazy as fuck. Then there's a third point why she's better than me somewhere.

Pnx, we all (well, most of us) have to live with the knowledge that Vector is better than us. It is simply our burden, and it probably rests lighter than Vector's burden of continuing to be awesome in all the ways.

Well... okay, then!  Hehhehheheeh >_<

It seems strange to me that you want to give that up for a vagina constructed by a surgeon and non-squishy breasts mass-produced in a factory.  I'm not saying what you want is wrong, I'm just curious about the reasons.

Trans women generally grow their own breasts.  HRT does that for you.

Also, why do you want to eat or drink?  Forget the explanations everyone gives you... "you need to eat or drink to maintain life, because your body works in x or y manner."  Just... the instinct.  Why?  And furthermore, how would you feel if everyone kept asking you "so bro, why are you so thirsty all the time?  Can't you be like the rest of us and just not drink anything?"

[MonkeyHead]

Anyone read "The Fat Years" yet? might be worth getting hold of a copy (as I intend to do) before it gets tricky to do so or ends up getting very expensive.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-14326050

[Truean]

The most impressive thing I've heard on topic, from a straight guy no less, "Who gives a shit? I don't care and it's not like it's wrong...."

While thinking exactly that, I don't think I could get myself to actually say it. Saying you don't care that someone's gay feels like you're copping out while that person is probably in need of psychological support. It just doesn't sit well with me to leave someone dangling like that...

I agree, but I also said it was impressive. I never said it was perfect--neither is he nor are we. It was impressive because it was honest, and decent without bias. What more can you hope for from the average member of the general public? If only they were all like him, the country would be very different, and I selfishly imagine better.... Hopefully we wouldn't need psychological support if this were so....

Frankly, your concern isn't lost on me and I appreciate that you give a damn .

If I may ask, because I'm curious, why do you want to be a woman?

It isn't the slightest exaggeration to say this could fill multiple volume books, especially given that I love to write. Simply, the only time I have ever felt alive was when I was around accepting people and did not have to perpetrate a perpetual, pervasive fraud: my life. Whatever being a boy is, I can't be it, not really, not without faking it every exhausting second. They let me be the somewhat overly considerate, self depreciating, demure, shy, witty, and yes, happy girl I am: Allison. My best friend, her boyfriend (Her mom and I like him; he is good for her), and her mother just spent 2 days helping her and her son move into her new boyfriend's home.  You have no idea how lovely it was for me to actually be accepted as a woman by my best friend's family for two days and how utterly crushing it was to know that it was only for two days.... I about cried when I realized I couldn't wear what my friend was wearing to clean anymore because that was done and I would have to go back to lying. Why yes, yes I will help you move for 2 days straight when non of your other "friends" show up because they don't feel like being sober for any length of time? I can wear a cute outfit as I help you clean? Perfect.

Also props to Vector's explanation. Thank you very much hon.

[Stuff about penises] 

You know all that stuff about how you like yours, I hate mine. you know how you said you'd miss it if it was gone, I feel that way about being female. It's one of the most intensely personal things....

[ahem] A woman could say the exact same thing about her genitals.... I'm pretty sure that's at least part of what the Vagina Monologues is about... . I hate that damn thing down there and one day I'll have it surgically removed; I have felt this way most if not all of my life. Unfortunately, because the world has a lovely way of condemning things that are non of its god damn business, that's not currently possible for me.

As for transitioning techniques, I agree that what they can currently do is limited in terms of SRS vaginoplasty, which if you sound it out is exactly what you think it is. Unfortunately I cannot have children, but will be just as prone to bladder infections as any other girl. Also I'll have to keep taking hormones my entire life. Ideally, I would've just been born a girl. Failing that, I'd much rather have something from this: http://hplusmagazine.com/2010/03/23/print-your-own-designer-organs/ or this http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/health/your_health&id=8161045 . Yes the techniques are far from perfect but I will gladly take them over what I have without a thought or a sound and I would've rather had this done years ago, decades ago if possible....

[Criptfeind]

I don't think it's such a big leap to think that black people have a better idea what being black is like than white people do, or that transgendered authors have a better idea of what being trans is like.  Or that lesbian authors, should they happen to write a sex scene between women, would have a better idea of the mechanics thereof.

I don't, in a general way, disagree with that. But that response is so very far away from what it was responding too I have to wonder if you meant that for someone else. I mean, that had nothing at all to do with it. At all. I am actually just really confused here.

[Vector]

I don't, in a general way, disagree with that. But that response is so very far away from what it was responding too I have to wonder if you meant that for someone else. I mean, that had nothing at all to do with it. At all. I am actually just really confused here.

Wait--were you responding to something I'd written, or not?  Since you had written directly below me without a quote, I assumed it was a response.  Sorry if I got you wrong on that one.