To Tranny or not to Tranny

In response to Kelly Osborne's "I'm Retiring the Word 'Tranny'... Will You Join Me?" on Huffington Post, Nov 20,'11. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kelly-osbourne/transgender-day-of-remembrance_b_1100542.html?show_comment_id=119355172#comment_119355172 )

…"tr*nny" is a derogatory and hurtful word."

Ackshully, insult is in the intention of the user. I take no umbrage when addressed as transsexual or tranny, or even ‘fucking fag’ come to think on it, regardless of the intention of my interlocutors. ‘Sticks and stones...’ And in terms of the n-word, one was coined originally as an insult, a derogatory, spiteful class marker, whereas transsexual was used to describe those going thru a medical process. Apples and oranges. Those who aim this innocuous barb at me are wasting their time. Might as well call me nancy.

I am a transsexual, a person who is changing my hormonal configuration and primary sexual characteristics from that of male to female, regardless of the question or validity of my gender identity considerations. An MTF. A 'tranny.' Not Mr. or Mz, Mrs, or Ze., but "T" Nanci Blu. Empirically, and in the context of the sex/gender binary world we live in, that works for me.

Am I against bigotry, ignorance and intolerance in these regards? Of course I am. But I see no reason to get hung up on a slang contraction of a word that was originally used (Hirschfeld, Cauldwell, Benjamin et al) to describe what I am going thru.

So thank you for your consideration, but as far as I am concerned, let’s not confuse the rest of the world debating arcane slang terminology and get to work on the attitudes and ignorance behind those words.

Happy "T" day.