Hi! I'm Jamie and I'm a "male-to-female" transgendered person. For those of you who are not up on the lingo, that means that although I was born in a male body, I identify as a female... Well, it's actually a bit more complicated than that.

If you are interested in finding out more about what it means to be transgendered, please feel free to take a look at www.iamtransgendered.com. I started the website a while back when I first came out to my mom as a way to help explain things to her.

Occassionally, I get questions from people and often those questions are the same, so I'll offer a few answers to "frequently asked questions"

Q: Is being transgendered the same thing as being transsexual?

A: No. Although many people think that "transgendered" is just the politically correct way to say "transsexual," the two terms mean different, albeit similar, things.

Q: Is that a wig you are wearing in your pictures?

A: No. What you see is my own, real hair that has grown out of my own scalp.

Q: If you are transgendered, does that mean that you are gay?

A: No. Some people are gay/lesbian and some people are not and some people happen to be transgendered. The fact that someone is trans or not is independent of their sexual orientation.

Q: Have you had any surgeries?

A: No. I had tubes put in my ears when I was a kid and I had an operation to correct a sinus problem, but nothing connected to me being transgendered. I have had some "procedures" though... I did have hair transplants to correct a receding hairline and I have had electrolysis to remove my facial hair.

Q: Where do you get those gowns?

A: A variety of places. The "pink gown" (which is actually magenta in color) was custom made from Romatasy in S.F. Several of the other gowns came from eBay (do a search for "AngelBride")

Q: Do you live as a woman?

A: Only partly. Most of my time is spent in the role of a guy although my general appearance is somewhat effeminate so things are a bit blurred.

Q: Are you "out?"

A: Sort of. I don't make any great efforts to hide the fact that I am transgendered but I don't announce it to every stranger that I meet. If someone asks me if I am trans, I will answer honestly. Unless I was dressed as a woman, no one has ever asked me if I was transgendered. After people see my long hair, people usually ask me if I am in a band. :-)

Q: Are you in a band?

A: Does playing "Rock Band" on my XBox count?