Please educate me on brain gender

Sure there could be a bit of a fad in this. But also it could be that you see a broader spectrum. If you think about it, maybe most people have a little of the other gender in them. Say "normal" women are 95 % female and 5 % male. So a transgender as you normally see them are to the biggest part the opposite of their biological gender. Those often will go very far reaching the goal getting another body.

But then there are other mixes, and I know it further upsets the gender binary people have. If someone in a female body feels they are 75 % male only, will he go through the pain and effort the treatment actually is? His gender dysphoria is probably less than the one feeling next to 100 % male. So then maybe the gender dysphoria is simply not bad enough to want to cut up your body.

Sure would be nice waking up in a body I could relate to and call my own. But since my gender identity is quite androgynous, first of all I doubt a doc would make me the way I see myself. Second, since I'm not a real extreme to one side, I'd rather continue being dysphoric than to go under the knife. I dissociate away from my body instead. Only time I feel really, really bad is in the shower, but I can manage I guess.

All I know is that I'm not a fake.

God I just hate when I try to write something while others are posting before me and saying things in a much better way!

Now can someone please tell me the difference between transgender and transsexual?

I had thought they were the same too.

Oh, and on rigid gender roles, I think Jean Auel's Earth's Children book series is where I got the notion that different brains meant different functions. In that series, it is explained that the Neanderthal men and women have very different brains from each other, especially the part that handles memories. It isn't quite "instinct," but it isn't far from it. Therefore, men cannot do women's work, and women cannot do men's work. Not that it is forbidden so much as it is impossible--men don't cook, not because they refuse to, but because they simply cannot learn to. They don't have the brains for it. But then some taboos do end up coming into play. For example, since only men are able to hunt, girls and women are not allowed to touch a weapon, or a tool that would be used to make a weapon. The Neanderthals don't understand why this Cro-Magnon girl even has the desire to hunt, since it wouldn't occur to a Neanderthal woman. I think the book does state that if by chance a girl is born with a memory for hunting, it dies out quickly due to lack of stimulation.

Among the more advanced Cro-Magnons, both sexes can learn all jobs. They'll have men and women hunting side by side, and then going home and cooking their kill together. Homosexuals and transgenders exist among the Cro-Magnons, but not among the Neanderthals.

So this must be where I formed the idea that if men and women have different brains, they'd be locked into rigid roles.

Transgender = someone who identifies as a different mental gender than their physical sex.

Transsexual = someone who is, has or wants to physically transition.

Not all transgender people are also transsexual

Just lightheartedness here:

Last night my daughter showed me a text from the physically male friend of hers who has impregnated several women, and told me, "Here's proof that (friend) is actually a woman." The text was talking about how a song by Adele made (friend) cry. I looked at her blankly and responded, "That's not proof. Men can cry too."

Yes, it turned out she was trying to make a sexist joke there. It fell flat because I often take things literally.

Daughter considers herself "genderqueer," the word she uses, and also prefers open, polygamous relationships with several partners of whatever gender. It's been said that polygamy is "the new gay." Does anyone here agree with that?

Would you be talking about polyamory? There's a big difference between polyamory (loving and having relationships with multiple people, and reciprocating with your partners) and polygamy (marrying multiple people, most frequently only permitting men to marry multiple women, but not the other way around - commonly associated with Mormonism, but is actually limited to a few fundamentalist sects not associated with the main Church).

Is polyamory the new gay? I'm not sure what you mean by that. If you mean as in 'trendy', I hardly think that's the case. Being gay isn't trendy, it's just a part of who you are, and for many, the coming out process can be downright scary. Polyamory may have an aspect of trendiness right now, I'm not sure.

I'm poly myself, and have had both monogamous and polyamorous relationships. Poly relationships aren't easy. They take a lot of openness, honesty, and directness in your communication, with all your partners. Many people can't handle poly. But if you work hard at it, you can make it work.

One other thing; I strongly believe the principles behind polyamory that make it work (like being open about your feelings, asking for support or reassurance when needed) can be easily applied to monogamous relationships as well - a strong monogamous relationship ought to be like a strong polyamorous relationship, without the extra partner(s).

You're right, polyamory is the appropriate word. Daughter feels that since it is no longer a social taboo to have a child without marriage, there is no real reason to get married.

By "the new gay," I think that person meant, it is far more socially acceptable now to be gay, but people who practice polyamory (especially with different genders) are now in the former place of the gay person on the fringes of society.