Personally I believe it's an illness. What is your opinion on these people?

I have been involved with the West Australian LGBT community since I was 19. I don't have an issue with it, don't consider it a mental illness, and I certainly don't agree that transgenders have no respect for themselves. You would know that if you knew a transgender other than Caitlyn Jenner. In fact, the transgenders I know have more respect for themselves than most women.

I have a niece who was born my nephew. I helped raise her and can tell you first hand that her gender identity had nothing to do with the environment she was raised in. From the time she was a baby, she wanted to play with barbies and dress up in princess clothes. I remember her at 5 years old wanting to wear a pretty dress to school, and when my sister said she couldn't because she was a boy, the child fell to pieces. She was crying and yelling that she was NOT a boy and her mom needed to take her to a doctor and get her some "girl parts" so everyone else would know she was a girl too. She is now 21 years old and has been living as a female and going through the gender reassignment process for several years now. She is a beautiful, woman, she has always been more feminine than my daughters ever were. She certainly has a ton of self respect and won't tolerate anyone else disrespecting her either. Mental illness? I don't know about that, all I know is my niece was born in a male body but has ALWAYS known exactly who she is, and she is a much happier person now that "everyone else" knows too.

Personally I believe it's an illness. What is your opinion on these people?

Personally I believe it's an illness. What is your opinion on these people?

Personally, you sound like one of those people that thing homosexuality is a disease. If a person can be born gay and be respected for their outlook, then why can a person not be born the wrong gender? You do realize that a ton of defects can happen during the creation of a fetus, right down to the chromosome. Now, would I interact with a transexual? Most likely not. (Feel like it'd be creepy.) But try to understand their view before judging them. It's bigots that keep the world from achieving equality and peace, because something is always wrong in your eyes.