P.S.A. 'Tranny' is incredibly offensive to the LGBTIQ community.

[hlthe2b]

94. Respectfully...

xchrom, I defer on these matters. I would never ever ever intentionally use a derogatory term towards any group. And, even those terms that have been "reclaimed," like "Queer" are just not terms I will ever use because they were used as slurs when I was growing up. Of course that applies to any number of other terms.

Having said that, the poster to whom you are responding didn't say there was no difference between transvestites and transgendered. Please re-read it, as I think you may have misinterpreted. They were saying that in their experience the term "tranny" (which I absolutely agree is a derogatory term) was used to refer to transvestites in the past. That was my experience growing up too over past decades and in areas as diverse as the far West, Mid-West, Mid-Atlantic states and the deep South, since I moved around a great deal in my youth. Maybe it was only used to refer to transgendered people in your area, but that was not my experience. Admittedly, I am certainly no authority on the subject, yet I have no stake in defending the other poster (who may well have said something previously that left you concerned), but just want to be fair. In this post, at least, they did not appear to be saying what I think you were interpreting.

That said, i can certainly understand the sensitivity and appreciate this thread. When we had our marathon of threads with some here defending the use of the "C" word towards women (whose sting I certainly felt growing up), I was absolutely incensed. Yet some here refuse to accept why it is so inappropriate--even some women (generally those too young to have had it used like a cudgeon against them in the workplace and to demean and belittle women in other contexts.

Good discussion here.