Every country has different cultures, this is pretty obvious, but often we tend to forget what this really means until we are dating and suddenly find ourselves trying to navigate subtle differences in language, values and identity. Being transgender can involve a huge culture shock when you start dating, and the level of acceptance of trans-men and women varies dramatically from country to country, and even within areas of each country. So, how do you navigate this, and how do you find the right person to date?
Obviously, we are incredibly lucky to be living in a world with access to the internet. It lets us find love (and lust) without geographical barriers, and although dating sites still come with their share of problems if you’re transgender, there are far fewer opportunities for serious issues when you’ve established an online dialogue than if you’re hitting on someone cute in a club.
One of the biggest problems with online dating is trying to find someone who is actually near you, although if you’re not in a fixed position in life, then maybe you could take the chance to change your situation! Most sites will let you sign up for a free membership or a trial membership, although generally, the functionality is limited. However, this does give you a good indication of whether there is likely to be a suitable match to be found on that particular site. However, if you want to get the most from the Best Transgender Dating Sites for a ladyboy having an understanding of the cultural differences can help you find a great match.
Asian Transgender Dating
Getting into a whole lot of stereotypes and generalisms, but being transgender, particularly a transgender woman, and Asian is different from being trans in any other culture, particularly in Thailand.
Unfortunately, even with gender reassignment surgery, few countries allow for a transsexual person to change their gender on their birth certificate, which does nothing to help with the bigotry or prejudice that transgender people experience. Which is why you may find transgender people can be a little more hesitant about dating, particularly when looking at developing a long-term romantic connection rather than just a short-term sexual hookup.
Being a kathoey or Ladyboy is far more tolerated in Thai culture (see here). Although the term can sometimes be used to refer to gay men it is more commonly used throughout Southeast Asia to refer to a transgender woman who is undergoing gender reassignment procedures.
Long Distance Dating
If you find that you are not finding anyone suitable in your area, you can either keep trying different sites, or you can start looking further afield. Most online dating sites will offer some form of secure online chat system that allows video or at least audio communication. Of course, a relationship via the internet is a very different thing than when you meet physically, but it can be a really great way to get to know each other personally. You must wear matching shoes with your dress to look good while on a date.
When you do finally meet you can also consider a neutral holiday location somewhere between your locations and spend the time to develop the relationship to a different level while you don’t have the distractions of everyday life, work and friends to get in the way. Bearing in mind that standard safety procedures should still apply, even more so if you are going to a foreign location that you are unfamiliar! Make sure you know enough of the location language to ask for help, that you know where your embassy is, and that your friends or family know your itinerary and how to get in touch with you.
Unfortunately, many transgender people do not have loving accepting families, even in Thai culture you may find fathers are bitterly disappointed in their sons for making the ‘choice’ to become a woman. Which can make meeting the family a fraught and complicated experience, so don’t expect that this is something likely to occur early in the relationship, even if you are traveling a great distance to meet your potential partner.
Must Haves In Online Dating Sites
Although people often think that having a huge number of members signed up makes a dating site so much better, if you’re in a niche area like being a transgender woman looking for a straight male relationship, then a mainstream site with thousands of members just means that you’re going to have to spend time sorting out the dicks from the genuine possibilities. So, you ideally either want to look for a dating site that is exclusively catering for transgender people, or a site with really excellent search functionality.
Often sites will have online chatrooms or forums, which can be a really amazing space to just talk about things with people who know where you’re coming from, however, you also want to make sure that these facilities are managed well. There is nothing exciting about being the victim of a pile on or finding yourself in the middle of a flame war – and you really don’t want to find yourself on a site where people get doxed and the perpetrators are still active members.
When you sign up, you will generally find that the majority of dating sites have some form of community guidelines about what behavior is acceptable, and what will get your account suspended or deleted. It is always a good idea to go through this, and if the FAQ doesn’t include help on what to do if you are receiving unsolicited sexual pictures or harassment then perhaps the site isn’t the best to use. Although psychologists do try to understand, why some men like sending dick pics is a strange thing, but no woman, trans, cis or other, in the history of the internet has been moved to offer a blowjob by receiving a dick pic in their inbox, just don’t do it. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/women-who-stray/201602/why-men-send-pics-their-junk
Although you should expect to have to pay a membership fee for accessing premium features such as video chats, it should be possible at any level to at least have a text-based communication with potential matches.
