Tell someone you've been involved in online trans dating with transgender people, and they might give you a look that makes you think they're considering which letter is best for you in scarlet. But as a matter of fact, with the advent of Transdr, a transgender dating site, and the advent of countless cloned trans dating sites almost every day, meeting someone on the Internet is as common as meeting a stranger in a bar. So for those of us who are single and haven't yet embraced this new Internet trend (or just stepped into it), here are some ways to try out online transgender dating while remaining gentlemanly.

So, maybe you were a soccer star or track star in high school, but now you're years away from them and you've gained about 20 pounds. Please put the pictures of the varsity team where they should be and upload some recent pictures. While dating and dating transgender people shouldn't be all about vanity, you don't want people to see you and think, "wow, he doesn't look like his picture at all." Not only is this a maddening distraction, but it also opens up a potential relationship where dishonesty, not trust, is the key. This is also true when it comes to your job, education, or anything you find yourself wanting to talk about in person. I promise if they find out that you lied to them, they will think everything you said is a lie.

That's not to say if you're overweight or ugly, don't bother. LGBT dating apps or dating sites have a huge user base, so you'll find every skin tone and color imaginable, and if you misrepresent yourself, you might miss out on people who really like you. But at this point, not everyone on the other end is going to be honest with themselves, so you need to be careful.

While this may seem like a common assumption when it comes to meeting someone online, it's not that common when you're confused by people who lie about everything (or even use someone else's photo). But it did happen. That's why you should try using the Internet as a way to meet people and then use face-to-face dating to get to know them. If all goes well, you won't meet anyone who wants to buy a ring.

While there are many attractive and highly successful people on transgender dating sites, not everyone looks exactly like their photos. While I'm not saying you should expect a man in a wig to show up, you should automatically assume that their photos are old or edited, or at least the most flattering. Not always, but remember, you never really know someone you've never talked to in person.