What's with the word

What's with the word trans and add your own suffix, such as transgender, transsexual, etc.? I don't get why people want to use the term to describe themselves. I guess I can understand using gender identity condition, since it's not a disease or disorder, much against the American Psychiatrist Association (and the other American Psychological Association), but even then, that's just a medical description.

Gender Identity is not a personal one and not one I would use to describe myself, albeit I'm not far from it by some measures, but then we all have gender identity issues about ourselves. Well, most of us do, and those who don't, don't know they have issues about their identity. Sometimes blindness or ignorance is helpful if you don't want to challenge yourself.

But trans-anything when it comes to sex or gender baffles me. I read these blogs and the vast majority of the individuals call themselves transgender or transsexual. Like it's a button you're required to wear? They don't go through life wearing it, so why do it on their blog? So the reader won't find out and feel betrayed or worse?

Yes, I understand it to some degree. It gives someone identity to establish who they are by standards set by the medical community, society, media, etal, and to show people it's who they are, maybe different but still normal among all of us. And truthfully, there really isn't a good word to describe the places on the spectrum or myriad of humans.

Our language isn't like others which have different words for nuances of definitions, like the Inuits have for snow or the Japanese for rain. We're a lumping language instead of a splitting language. It simpliifies things with a word for a broad stroke but then requires either adjectives or supporting phrases to provide the details or finese.

But it's hard when you want to describe something so clear and subtle, but then find you need a sentence or a paragraph to explain something which could be said in a word. Simplicity has value, but not at the expense of the lack for it. We cherish great literary writers, for the great prose and use of words. But if they didn't need so many?

I find it somewhat sad our language is so difficult to describe the human heart and mind. And trans-sex/gender isn't a bad word, only often a misused, an abused or a derogatory word used to demean or condenmn people for being themselves, but different from others. And the truth is we're all trans to some degree. We're not immune from our own language. Only some people more so than others.

But what baffles me even more is when people use it to describe themselves even after their transistion to become legally recognized, or post-transtion, men and women. It's your past and not your present or future. It, however, gives the media something to key a story about you. But it's why I wouldn't use it and would hate someone describing me with it.

I write this after I read the public announcement of Amanda Simpson appointment to the Department of Commerce by President Obama. After the details of her career, it ended with an afterthought that she was a transgender person. LIke it mattered about her skills, intelligence, professional experience for the job? It didn't but it mattered to the LGBT community for one of their own.

Except she isn't having transistioned years earlier while working for Raytheon. I doubt she recognizes or identifies herself as a transwomen, only a woman. So why make it important? For one, they pushed her as a "transgender" woman to show they're supportive of the LGBT community and people. And for another, the LGBT community pushed her as "one of them."

Except she's not. Maybe was, but only if she wanted to use the word. Otherwise, it's irrelevant. And it does, would, and will, for me too.