Melanie Shubitowski:  

You knew me in school as Shubi orTom. I'm a transsexual woman and completed my transition on Dec 6, 2011. This is something that has plagued me every single day of my life as long as I can remember. Note that this is gender identity, not sexual preference. Many people automatically "assume" all transgenders are gay because that the incorrect information they've had preached to them read somewhere, or saw on TV. The fact is, while some are gay or lesbian, the majority are heterosexual. Being transsexual myself, it gets a little confusing, even for me, but I guess technically I'm lesbian since I'm not attracted to guys and see myself as female, as others now do also. Having said that, I do support the gay community for a few reasons. First, discrimination is wrong, no matter how you paint it. Second, The public perception is that all transgenders are gay. In fact, transgenders, gay or not, are often easier targets for this type of bigotry than the gay community itself. A cross dresser that doesn't really look like a female is judged to be gay, and the person walking behind her on the street may be gay, but never identified as such unless they're wearing a rainbow flag shirt or something. I'm currently the president of the Erie Sisters Transgender Support Group, with about 1500 on our site as of this writing. I very nearly ...Expand for more