If you don't like Obama, then you don't like Obama. You don't like all black people, or attribute various stereotypes and prejudices to them? Racist.

And yes, if you attribute stereotypes and prejudices against gays, then you're a homophobe. Like, that is what that word means.

I'm sorry if you feel like you're being pigeonholed. I'm sure you're a complex, beautiful person, and it probably hurts to be marginalized and described by only one of your attributes (hint). That attribute being, of course, how you feel trans people should be treated.

(Note that I'm not condemning you for thinking transgenderism is a mental illness. I think you're wrong about that, for reasons that I'll go into later. But what I'm criticizing is your reaction to this, and how you think trans people should be treated.)

This is the "Why can't you tolerate intolerance!" argument. It's nothing new, and it comes up any time this sort of conversation happens. If you are using similar arguments as the KKK, you might want to take a breath for some perspective.

And yes, you are definitely free to express your opinions. Note that no one is suggesting you be banned, or this thread deleted, or anything like that?

Stop being a martyr. Just because people disagree with you and tell you you're wrong, doesn't mean you're being oppressed.

...not at all? Again, you are free to say whatever you want. We're free to say why we think you're wrong.

Do you have a handy word for "The sex that you feel like you are, irrespective of your body?"

I get the impression that you haven't done any research in this area. You should. Long story short, there are fundamental characteristics of transgender brains that are different than cisgender* brains. I'll link to a Wikipedia summary, if you'd like.

So it comes down to that. If we can see that there are actual, physical brain differences in a transgender person, what do we do? Even if we had the technology (which we do not), do we "fix" them? Would you fix someone who is left handed instead of right handed? Maybe if they asked you to. Or maybe stores would just also sell some left-handed scissors and you would get on with your life.

*cisgender means, essentially, sex and gender match. Please do not pitch a fit about liberals making up words.

If I had written you off, I wouldn't be responding to you. I believe you're ignorant, not malicious.

There a few questions you're raising here, all of which are much more complex than you seem to think. For example, what is a mental illness? Is the answer, "someone who radically deviates from the "norm," or maybe "someone who can't perceive reality?"

But pretty much no one is the "norm." And human brains are notorious for constantly fooling themselves.

You say you see LGBT people as people. So that's good. A gay man is pretty radically different. And a lot of people would say that the "reality" is that men are attracted to women. How should we deal with that?

That's not a rhetorical question- how should we deal with gay men, TyrReborn?

So, skipping to the end of this line of thought, it seems to me that "mental illness" is only an issue when it affects the quality of life of the person or others.

Does a person with a penis thinking he's a woman somehow make him unfit to function in society? Does it make him unable to think, love, work? Does throwing on a dress make him likely to attack someone?

No, it does not. And therefore, is not a mental illness. At worst, it's like being gay, or left-handed.

(i.e. something that doesn't matter, yet conservatives over history have pitched a fit about. Yes, left-handedness is in that category).

So in the end, if it turns out the only impact to a transman's quality of life is how people like you treat him... which should we fix? Which CAN we fix? (Those gay-rehabilitation camps don't work so well)

No one is ignoring any points. People are saying Cannoli's points are WRONG. And they are providing reasoning why.

An opinion isn't a magical, untouchable thing. If you can't defend it, and it's not strong enough to stand on its own, it's not going to last.