@TheMiddleWay Let's start here:

Studies of individuals who experienced prenatal hormone abnormality, because of genetic problems or because their mothers were treated with hormones during pregnancy, as well as studies relating normal variability in the early hormonal environment with normal variability in behavior, are reviewed. These studies provide substantial evidence that prenatal androgen exposure influences childhood play behavior, including toy, playmate and activity preferences, as well as sexual orientation (i.e., direction of erotic interest). Evidence also suggests influences of androgen during early development on core gender identity (the sense of self as male or female), aggressive behavior, empathy, and hand preferences. Current research activity focuses on expanding information as to the range of behaviors and psychological conditions, including psychological disorders, that are influenced by the early hormonal environment, and on identifying the mechanisms, including changes in neural structure, that underlie hormone-related behavioral changes. These findings have implications for the fundamental understanding of mechanisms of sexual differentiation of brain and behavior and of human gender development, as well as implications for clinical management of individuals with disorders of sex development.
Hormones, Brain and Behavior (Second Edition)
Part IV, 2009, Pages 1869-1910

@TheMiddleWay While I support protections for sexual preference, and such is self identified, such preference does not cross the gender divide that absolutely exists (despite some effort by activists to deny it). That crossing puts someone into areas in which we as a society have established as same-sex only areas (bathrooms/showers/lockerrooms) but also separated activities (sports/medicine/protections). It is important for these areas to ensure the spaces are not encroached upon by those that don't belong there due to physical differences. Self identification by a male as female to enter those areas should be supported by tangible evidence: active transition - medically supervised; completion of transition (hormonally and in my preference surgically). And yes, this is more important for the male to female than the female to male transsexual.

I've been part of the community for 30 years. I've seen MANY transsexuals and MANY more that claim to be but are not - suffering from other issues in which cross-sex behavior plays either a palliative or gratification function.

@TheMiddleWay I would like you to clarify something before I assume: do you equate sexual preference differences (male/female homosexuality) and gender identity dysphoria? Or better asked - do you think gender identity is expressed via sexual preferences?

@TheMiddleWay Do you believe it is possible for a person to have the internal identity of female yet physically be male - and two such persons could have same sex and opposite sex preferences?

@TheMiddleWay So, gender and sex are not necessarily congruent or equivalent? ie: a gender can be different from biological sex

@TheMiddleWay So, a person can have a gender identity of female, yet be male biologically (chromosomal and secondary characteristics like genitalia).

@TheMiddleWay You are correct that proper language IS important to understanding. And while I agree in general with your m/f = sex, w/m = gender....except :

In the trans community there is an effort to change the term, or stop using the term, transsexual because it is assumed to be out of date. The problem is this: I can change my secondary sex characteristics easier than I can change the foundations of my brain - I can change the outward sexual characteristics because I can't change the internal gender. It is hardwired. And it was not congruent with my body.

My GENDER has always been "female". The desire to use 'woman' is understood, but difficult to apply to a 5 yr olds understanding of the world around her/him. The gender is most consistent with the self awareness of female - yet the body is not correct. This is not a construct of society's or parental development efforts towards the child. The child expresses it in contradiction to the surrounding environment's response to the child..

I haven't a clue about growing up 'a boy' or 'male' or 'manly' - I understand what was happening around me. I recognized I was not internally relating to the boys/men around me. I related better, but not totally, towards the girls/women around me. In part because I was considered an outsider - not part of that circle.

You can't tell me what it feels like to be a man without relating it to your own experiences (internally and externally) in a way that I can understand because we don't share the same internal response to them. We don't have a common context. Realistically, the same problem exists with regard to women. We can only approximate based on the internal dialogue as it relates to our experience and how we see others act/speak/relate.

The issue becomes problematic because a 'woman' by gender, not female by birth, has a body built by male puberty - it is physically different than a female body. In sports, that difference can NOT be overcome after puberty regardless of the length of time on hormones. I've been on them for 30+ years and I can still physically exceed the abilities of women 1/2 my age.

We don't change gender. We change sexual characteristics. The biological foundations can't change. We are forever a hybrid that gives us some/most of the relief needed to deal with our dysphoria.

So, we change 'sex' not gender. We transition from one to the other.

Given the size of our population (less than 1/10th of a percent), I don't see the need to change all of society to conform to our needs - we can work around our issues. I DO believe acceptance is better than mandates/demands.

I ran into problems with bathrooms when I was transitioning - 1987 - 1993 (not so much the later half but definitely the first 2-3 yrs). I was told to leave the MENS restroom at a theatre.... I was flagged by a couple women to a passing security guard at a school venue. I've not had a problem since - but I avoid public restrooms if possible to this day. I don't want people arrested during their transition when using the restroom that conforms to their presentation - but I want to be confident that the person IS transitioning, not just presenting for non-gender dysphoria reasons.