I view butch and mincing stereotypes in the same way as the old trope of Western men who wear brown sandals with socks in winter, without socks in summer, crimplene shorts in summer trouser in winter pulled up around their floating ribs, a shirt two sizes too small for them, tucked and a cardigan over the top in winter and five strands of hair plastered from a few centimeters above their left ear to a few above their right ear with Asian women young enough to be their daughters. A stereotype. There are young Western men who are quite well-dressed with Asian women their own age who you'll see and young Asian men with Western partners their own age.

To give another example of the inaccuracies of stereotypes with gay men, I remember reading a story about a gay man who worked as a tow-truck driver. He did not get out of his truck with manicured nails, sequined boots and minced up to a driver and say, "Oh, how are you, Ducky? Would you like me to tow your car, Sweetie?" He was of a solid build, with longish hair and had some facial stubble, and he complained about harassment from colleagues but I would say, most likely, he didn't disclose his sexuality and when his colleagues discovered it, things changed.

A misconception, and I know this from watching a TV show, is that a homosexual becomes a heterosexual through gender transition. YES, in this particular case, as a man, the transwoman had been married to two different women, and genuinely loved them, HOWEVER, after transitioning, she entered into a relationship with a man she'd known for many years, who had muscular dystrophy. BUT, that is NOT always the case. A transwoman may become a transgender lesbian, or, they may be a heterosexual woman, but a transgender does not transition to be socially accepted.

Both the heterosexual and the LGB Communities need to remember something important. If a transwoman marries a heterosexual man, she cannot have children. If a transman marries a heterosexual woman, they cannot have children.

I do believe, however, that whether or not a heterosexual or LGB person wishes to date a transgender is in the same category as to whether or not a vegetarian wishes to date an omnivore or a non-smoker is happy to date a smoker; personal preference. In some cases, a vegetarian (if ovo or lactovegetarian, or both, or pescatarian, probably unlikely if strict vegan) might say, "I don't want to eat meat, but I don't mind if you do, so long as you use your own frypans," just the same as a non-smoker might say, "If the person wakes up and reaches for their cigarette packet and lights their first one before their feet hit the floor, no, but if they have two cigarettes on a Friday night and nothing else for the rest of the week, maybe."

Do transgender people fit gender stereotypes? Well, does anybody? You might meet one woman who is extremely maternal and has six children, and another who is single, career-driven and not the slightest bit broody. Similarly, you might meet a man who loves getting his hands dirty and another who can't stand to.

Transgender people MUST be protected and let's not forget, some are also asexual.