Transgender - Sexual Desire or Social Gender?

After reading parts of Julia Serano's book Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity I understand the point she is trying to make is being trangender has nothing to do with sexual desire or social gender.  Julia never “felt like a woman” before her transition.  Her gender identity always felt more like a puzzle that she had to put together on her own, and she was unsure of the final picture.  For her, being trans had little to do with sexual desire or social gender.  It was mainly about the physical experience of being in her own body.  As she transitioned Julia completely avoided the word “woman” because it seemed too associated with other people’s expectations.  Julia identified as female.  There was a dramatic point during her transition, when suddenly everyone spoke, and interacted, with her as female.  This transition challenged everything she used to believe about gender.  Julia realized how small differences in one’s physical gender resulted in a large difference in the way she was perceived and treated by others.  Julia felt that she was being herself, but others were relating to her in ways that were foreign to her.  She felt less like a woman or a man, than as a stranger.  This eventually subsided, and she identified as a woman.  Her decision to transition was driven by choosing to trust her body feelings, in this case her subconscious sex, over her conscious understanding of gender.  Julia felt for the first time in her life that she was comfortable in her own skin.  “My identity evolved out of a million tiny social exchanges where others made it very clear to me that my status in the world – my class, if you will – was that of a woman and not a man.”

I agree with the point that being trangender has nothing to do with sexual desire or social gender. There is more to it then that. It's about how you feel and at the end of the day it's always about what makes you happy and content with yourself.