We Are Unique!

Every time I think about how unique we are these lyrics come to mind by Judy Collins’ song "Both Sides Now"

I've looked at clouds from both sides now
From up and down and still somehow
It's cloud's illusions I recall
I really don't know clouds at all

And I would like to change the lyrics to…

I've looked at gender from both sides now
From male and gender and still somehow
It's gender's illusions I recall
I really don't know gender at all

We as trans people have looked at both genders and have seen male privilege, as trans women we have lost our male privilege while trans men have gained male privilege.

TRANSGENDER PEOPLE REVEAL HOW THEY'RE TREATED DIFFERENTLY AS A MAN OR WOMAN
“As a man, people actually listen to what I say and pay attention”
The Independent
By Rachel Hosie
Thursday 13 April 2017

Most cisgender people will never really be able to understand what it’s like to be the opposite gender - as a woman, you might assume a man feels a lot safer walking the streets at night, and a man might presume people are friendlier to women.

But is it true?

Transgender people are in the position of having experienced both, and some have been sharing in a Reddit forum the differences in how they’ve been treated as a man or a woman.
[...]
“When I presented as a girl, they might not talk much or know what to say - I certainly wasn't treated like a granddaughter - but they feel much more comfortable around me as a guy.”

He explained that he’s also asked to do more errands than before: “partly because girls are seen as weaker/more delicate and partly because it's ‘character building’ for a boy, I think.”

One transgender woman revealed an interesting difference she’d spotted - since becoming female, men give her much more eye contact when passing by but less in conversations: “They're more likely to be looking around the room or at their phones or something,” she explained. Eye contact from women has stayed the same though.

What’s more, she revealed that the most annoying difference in treatment for her is that since becoming a woman, men constantly  make her justify and prove her interest and knowledge of sports: “When guys find out I enjoy baseball and basketball, they try to test my knowledge of trivia and see if I’m a ‘real fan’.”

I have a trans man friend who says that now all of a sudden he is an expert on cars, he could say that “I think your muffler bearing is going” and would nod their heads in agreement. While a trans woman who is a project manager at a large international company says it is like getting lobotomy and no one listens to you, that it takes a man saying the same thing and everyone’s agrees with him.