Are you male or female? A boy or a girl? This may be a question that has never caused you a problem when answering. However, for some people, their gender can be a real issue.

Transgender people feel that the gender to which they were born, or assigned at birth, does not fit them. Transgender people include people born female who identify as male (female-to-male) and people born male who identify as female (male-to-female).

Transgender people also include people who identify as "genderqueer", gender neutral, and/or gender-free-people who may not identify as either male or female. Transsexual people are those who choose to medically transition to the gender that is right for them. Cross-dressers are people who like to wear the clothes of another gender but who don't identify as another gender.

You may find yourself identifying with one or more of these definitions pretty strongly or with none of them at all. No one has to rush to self-label, now or ever, and some people choose different labels that express more clearly how they see themselves.

Being transgender has to do with your gender identity: how you feel about who you are. It has nothing to do with your sexual orientation, which is about who attracts you.

Some transgender people are attracted to men, some to women, some to other transgender people, and some to people regardless of their gender. People may define themselves with different labels, depending on who attracts them. For example, some transgender women who are attracted to men define themselves as straight, because they are attracted to the opposite gender. Other transgender women may feel attracted to men and define themselves as queer, to challenge the notion of "opposite" genders.

Regardless of who attracts you, rest assured that many transgender people have happy, healthy relationships with people whom they love. Remember, you deserve to date people who respect you for who you are.

To talk to someone in confidence about your gender identity contact:

In Penrith & the Eden Valley:
Helen Hamilton
edenlgbt@connexionscumbria.co.uk
07795 977526

PiNC (Pride in North Cumbria)
pinc-carlisle@hotmail.co.uk
07743 266317