*stares*

[conuly]

I hope this doesn't come out the wrong way, but...

Dear god, how many of youse guys are transgendered/ambiguiously gendered/whatever????

I'm now up to four people on my friends list (that I know of). And I love you all dearly, and want everyone to be as happy as is reasonably possible. I just didn't know so many of my friends were... whatever the word is (I'm still not sure about that). Kinda like when I realized so many of my friends were religious, but different. (Actually, it's a tossup about which surprised me more.)

I mean, I understand why so many of my friends are autists, because I actively seek out autistic friends. And I understand why so many of my friends are bi, because most people are. But I'm a bit surprised at the number of people who identify as transgendered/whatever. I understand vaguely why various people are trans, but I'm not sure how chance led me to have more trans friends than I realized. Unless my view on statistics was completely effed up.

Yeah, this did come out wrong. I mean more along the lines of "wow, I'm surprised, I wasn't expecting that" not "OMG! UR ALL FREKES!!!!1111oneoneeleventyone!!!1". Once the surprise at the numbers wears off, I'll be back to my normal non-caring benevolence.

Incidentally, if you want to tell me anything revelatory, now would be a good time.

Comments

[ladyshrew.livejournal.com]

Um, I'm bi-asexual, but I think I've mentioned that before.

[lakidaa.livejournal.com]

pardon, but, um, what does that mean?

[ladyshrew.livejournal.com]

That means I don't want to have sex and am not sexually attracted to people, but I "fall in love," so to speak, with people of both genders.

It's also a load of bullshit, because *I'm* not quite sure exactly what it means yet. ;-)

[divabat.livejournal.com]

Ha, I call myself pan-asexual, for the same reasons. Except that I don't define my attractions by their gender. They're just themselves.

Genderwise - female bodywise, neutral in mind, would still call myself a woman.

[ladyshrew.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I mostly stuck w/ "bi" because that's the term more widely used as it is. Besides, when I have an icon like this, people may start worrying if I said "pan-asexual." ::snicker::

[conuly]

Yeah, bi doesn't surprise me. I already realized a year ago that virtually all my friends are bi or gay. I had this exact same reaction then, too.

[ladyshrew.livejournal.com]

LOL fun. I think a lot of mine are or are secretly too. But that has a lot to do with Classicists. ::snerk::

But I just wanted to emphasize that it was asexually bi, because that's... kinda different.

[demonkoala.livejournal.com]

I don't think humans can quite be a-sexual. You're more of an abstinate bi-sexual.

[ladyshrew.livejournal.com]

Asexual in the animal sense? No. But I didn't make this one up; there's an entire community for us.

And I'd point out (before you go telling all of them, because they get really huffy about it :-P) that it's not really the same as being "abstinate." We say "asexual" because, basically, the idea is we're not sexually attracted. It's not just a decision not to have sex; it's that we're not driven to either.

So like, if I wanted to become a nun, I wouldn't really be "suffering" by not having sex, I guess. I'd probably be "suffering" for having anything to do with organised religion, but that's another story. :-P

[demonkoala.livejournal.com]

I suppose abstinate wasn't the best word, but nothing else really comes to mind. But then again, asexual (http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=asexual&x=0&y=0) doesn't seem right at all to me. I'm too interested in biology for my own good.

[ladyshrew.livejournal.com]

::snicker:: No, I understand what you mean. I would never have thought to call it that. But apparently, there's precedent for it, according to the OED (or even definition 3 in your link).

It's apparently the official word for it anyway. And I forgot the mention AVEN. They're probably the ones that made it up.

[conuly]

Well, many people identify as asexual, meaning they have no interest in sex. Or possibly that they only have interest in masturbation. A few even stretch it to say "very little" interest in sex.

That's not the same as being abstinant, because that implies that you want to have sex, but abstain.