Quote:
there was an overenthusiastic transwoman who probably does motivational speaking for a living. Every few minutes she would talk about (something to to the affect of) how much easier it was to be a transman than a transwoman, because 'women are allowed by our society to wear pants, while men can't wear skirts,' or something.
Well that depends on what society you live in I guess, there are a lot of them where women are not allowed to wear pants and are expected to marry a man and have lots of babies, and if you happen to be a FTM you are pretty much screwed, probably at least as much as when you are a MTF.
As it is, in my country (and family) I could wear pants and I did not have to marry, but looking a bit manly as a female can have it's drawbacks as well. Wearing pants isn't the end all be all of things (and the same can be said for wearing a dress), if that was all it took to feel good I would never have gone through that whole medical circus.
So I am not convinced that is easier being a FTM than a MTF while someone is living in their assigned gender role. In general most MTFs and FTMs are attracted to women. So if you have not transitioned then most MTFs would be regarded by society as heterosexual men and most FTMs as gay women. Eh, it might be 'easier' living in the first more privileged role, on the other hand it might also be much harder to give up that role to become a gay woman. Oi, I am giving myself a headache now.
Anyway, just thinking about it makes me realize how complex this can be for an individual facing these problems. I don't think you can just say one is easier than the other. I think that generally speaking, emotionally it is equally hard. I can't prove it myself, but I would need some research results to be convinced otherwise.
Maybe what she meant was that it is easier being a FTM than a MTF if you have gone through actual 'gender reassignment'. I can believe that this is the case for a different reason than Gatito stated. I don't know the deal with the violence ratio, I can imagine it is true that MTFs are more often a victim of hate crimes than FTMs (though what happened to Brandon Teena shows that FTMs aren't 'immune' to it either). I think the reason for the difference and the reason why it probably is more difficult being a MTF is "passability". Once a FTM starts on hormones the voice drops, you can grow some face fur and people who don't know you will just assume you are just a regular guy. For many MTFs it is much harder. If you are tall, have masculine features, a deep voice then people will always know. I am sure are more likely to encounter violence, ridicule and 'unacceptance'. I can't prove this either, but I am sure a very big reason for that is homophobia. A man in a dress must be gay and that is reason enough for some to beat them up, it's ironic considering that most MTFs are not interested in men sexually.
Lastly, about the reason there appear to be more MTFs than FTMs seeking medical treatment, I am not sure that it is because of the difficulties that surgeries may hold. The latest numbers I encounter is that there are 12000 FTMs and 30000 MTFs living in the Netherlands. The difference cannot be explained by medical costs and surgical techniques alone. Hormones and surgery are covered by medical insurance in my country. I've only had to pay for the legal costs of changing my name and gender legally. When you are a MTF, things like the removal of facial hair (and I think speech lessons) are not covered, or at least only partially, and most of the time people really need them, yet there are more (known) MTFs.
It's interesting why there is such a difference in numbers. I'll try and find out if the number of FTMs are rising, lack awareness could be an explanation for the difference.
Pfff, I hope I did not mix up my FTMs and MTFs too much.
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She's so anally retentive she wouldn't sit down for fear of sucking up the furniture.
--Patsy Stone
Edited by: DrG at: 8/31/03 10:10 am
which everyone at the Kitten must realize I can do at drop of a hat (on just about any subject)! 
No, I mean the Real Work of actually opening yourself up, and digging into the secret, painful places of your own life: the confusion, the shame (past or present). 
It can be so damn *hard*, sometimes. But, for everybody out there who feels like you don't meet the definitions of a "Real Girl" or a "Real Boy", I just wanna say Congratulations: you made it this far. Give yourselves a hand! 
Out 
at: 8/30/03 3:52 am
Out
).
Out