well, that explains a lot. thank you for your insight which kind of aligns with my own experiences, coming from the other direction, but ending up on a similar train. do you reckon the repulsion for male-males might be not only about the physical appearance, but also about attitude, the classic machismo?

@walklightly I agree with Rugglesby but it is not the machismo that puts us off. More like we know how disgusting we are. Farts, hair and smells.

@walklightly hadnt thought re the machismo myself, I can;t get past the eeewie body bit. But my daughter and some of my young gay female friends have mentioned the attitude of guys, all guys are A'holes etc.Personally I have a huge problem with male attitude, is why I only have close female friends. Then again, my son and I are always told we are not "blokey blokes".

@273kelvin, i can fart; & don't look too closely at my nose hair

I find a man's body very attractive. I am with an older man and am enjoying the "perks" of it.... It's also helping me explore and enjoy my own body.

LMFAO!

Very handsome

shux thanx

thank you for taking the poll. yes, i agree, with age comes a kind of easing into an overall acceptance; the mind & heart (clarity & compassion) becoming more important probably.

@walklightly I do not believe who one is fundamentally changed if their gender would. If you were male I don't believe you'd be different at your very core. Though, I'm only stating my beliefs and they are not based in science, because there is no way to measure who one is at their foundation. I like to believe this, though, because I know many who have changed genders but their body and voice may change but they are still the same person underneath, maybe just happier

@LadyAlyxandrea, you're totally right; i don't think a gender change will incur a radical change of personality; i am just wondering whether the trait of being hetero or the tendency of being attracted to men will have the greater chance to survive in case of a different gender.

physically i consider myself far from the female ideal, but am, as you call it, "boringly traditional".
thank you for engaging in the topic, but my question would be: can you imagine to still be attracted to men if you were born a man yourself?

@walklightly Hmmm I struggle imagining what I'd look like as a brunette

@Amisja, LOL! ok, i got it

I say that I am a lesbian trap in a mans body. Of course that allows me to enjoy what both of us can do with the women we are with.

ha, that's a mind-opener! i like that

@jlynn37 Before seeing your response, I was going to say that my fiance who died in 2012 was a lesbian trapped in a man's body. Great combination!

thanks for your thoughtful response. i like to think that social pressure couldn't ever have an affect on my decisions - but then, i'm acceptably hetero, so who am i to know?

@walklightly I can only imagine the social pressure that being gay causes, other than my second hand information. I have seen it, heard about it, supported people through it, but haven't had to have it directed at me...so I can only hope I wouldn't either.

i suggest to understand my question as more personally inquisitive, if you will, as i don't fit into general categories myself, being less than a "typical" woman: i do not have the maternal streak, am taller than many men, have worked physically demanding jobs in my life, all without loosing a sensitivity that allows me to handle injured birds & paint or knit intricate works of art. for me it is less about genes & more about making use of the freedom of our individuality.

@walklightly My understanding of women is, at best, incomplete. That I do not understand a "typical" woman does not mean I understand one better who is "less than typical." I would like you to consider, are you a typical woman but an "atypical" person, rather than an atypical woman? I've known a few women who didn't have strong maternal feelings, but did not consider them "less woman." Many women become addicted to exercise, especially jogging. I think liking a physical job (farm or ranch work?) is perhaps unusual, but not IMO atypical. Being taller than many men does make you a little more than "typical." I suppose it reduces the pool of men who will ask you out, which is unfortunate if true. However, IMO it cannot make you less of a woman. As far as I can tell, you are a "typical woman, but my knowledge of you is terribly incomplete. Based on what I know, I cannot agree that you are "less than a 'typical' woman." Perhaps you are, but not for the reasons you claim. Although, I understand how those things can concern an introspective person.

if you would only switch your body, you'd still be able to keep your own perceptions & sensations - if at all bearable.

@walklightly My body isn't much without my brain and the person I'm switching with has the same condition.

It's true that sexual orientation and gender identity are separate, but my sexual orientation changed roughly 6 months after starting hormone replacement therapy. Prior to that, my sexual preference had been strictly women. The thought of being with a man would give me the heebie jeebies. Now, I am undoubtably bisexual, and very much into men. It is not terribly uncommon for trans people to switch their sexual preferences, in either direction.

@MollyBell I will be going ot a group on Sat. which is made up of mostly trans persons. As I am gay, not trans, myself, my education of trans persons is mostly book learning and education. I ws taught that hormone treatments don't change sexual orientation, but I'll brign the topic up this Saturday as trans persons are mor ein tune with their own realities and are more aware of what actually happens.

My book learning and education would say what I stated before, but your experience makes me wan to query to see if your perceptions are uniue, or if there are others that dont' fit wha tI have been taught.

One of my friends is intersex XXY and was first on male hormones for severl years and now is on female hormones, but she has always been attracted to women only. That seemed to confiim what I had been taught, which is ht egender(s) you are attracted should not change.

However, beign open minded, I'll inquire in the group about it. Such issues are difficult, because the person(s) going through it don't always have perspective to understand what is going on, so I often when studying human behavior science can get it wrong.

yes, in my case (being a hetero woman) option 2 would mean that i'd be homosexual. for me the question was mainly whether i'd change my sexual orientation as a man, so as to become more attracted to women, or whether i'd keep my sexual orientation & become homosexual. the former applies to me

@walklightly Myself likewise, I would think.

no, we can't be sure, which is the beauty of the game - just an exercise in imagination thanks for contemplating it.

of course, everything you are pointing out is perfectly valid. for me this is just an idle game, imagining to be born a different biological gender. i didn't mean to touch the precarious issue of surgical gender change - on that i only have an opinion, nothing i would want to imagine.

i feel very much the same - & appreciate that you could overrule all the pc-crap in favour of your own honest answer