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Transsexual

Table of contents

1 Definitions 2 Terminology 3 Causes of transsexualism 3.1 Proposed psychological causes 3.2 Physical causes 4 Transsexual youth 4.3 Coming out 4.4 Ensuring the child's security 5 Gender reassignment therapy 6 Requirements for gender reassignment treatment 7 Hormone replacement therapy 8 Sex reassignment surgery 9 Legal and social aspects 10 Stealth 11 Retransitions 12 External links 13 See also

Definitions

Transsexuality (also known as transsexualism) is one of a number of behaviours or states collectively referred to as transgender, which is generally considered an umbrella term for people who do not conform to typical gender roles. However, many in the transsexual community do not identify as transgendered. Some see transgender as subsuming and erasing their identity, rejecting the term for themselves because to them it implies a breaking down of gender roles, when in fact they see themselves as fitting a gender role -- just not the one they were assigned at birth.

Transsexual people are often construed as belonging to the LGBT or the Queer community, and many identify with the community; others do not, or prefer not to use the term to describe it. It should be noted that transsexuality is not associated with or dependant on sexual orientation. Transsexual men and women exhibit a range of sexual orientations just as non-transsexuals (cissexuals) do. They almost always use terms for their sexual orientation that relate to their target gender; for example, someone assigned to the male gender at birth but who identifies as a woman, and who is attracted to men, will identify as heterosexual, not gay.

Transsexuality should not be confused with cross dressing or the behaviour of drag queens, who can be described as transgender, but usually not transsexual. Also, transvestic fetishism has usually little, if anything, to do with transsexuality.

Terminology

Among the transsexual community, the short form trans is more commonly used, e.g. trans guy, trans dyke, trans folk. Some also use the somewhat more controversial term tranny, e.g. tranny boy. Both abbreviated forms are also used by non-transsexual transgendered people.

Some people prefer to spell transexual with one s, in an attempt to divorce the word from the realm of psychiatry and medicine and place it in the realm of identity, but this trend is most common in the United States and, for example, is almost never used in the United Kingdom.

Some people prefer the term transsexed over transsexual, as they believe the term sexual found in transsexual is misleading. Another justification made for this preference is that they feel it is more in line with the term intersex, as more transsexual groups are welcoming them because they feel both groups have much in common. It is by some definitions also possible to be both intersexed and transsexed. Other attempts to avoid the misleading -sexual have been the increasing acceptance of transgender or trans* and in some areas, transidentity.

Causes of transsexualism

Proposed psychological causes

None of these theories however was able to be applied successfully to a majority of transsexual people, let alone to even a significant minority of transsexuals. Many theories also were developed in order to describe transsexual women, and when applied to transmen, they usually worked even less. Many of these theories had also previously been applied to homosexuals, where they did not work out, either. This led theories to consider physical reasons for transsexualism.

Physical causes

There has been preliminary evidence to suggest that the brains of transsexual people are gendered in alignment with their perceived gender identity, i.e. transsexual women have a female brain, and transsexual men have a male brain. This evidence concerns the central subdivision of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BSTc). Males have a larger BSTc than females; in a study of six male-to-female transsexuals' brains, it was found that all had a female-sized BSTc. [1] [1] Likewise, it has been found that a female-to-male transsexual had a male-sized BSTc region. [1] The high accuracy and applicability of the male-to-female results (despite the small size of the study) is discussed (see [1]).

The general structure (e.g. size and hemispheric differences) of transsexual peoples' brains is not significantly different from that of other members of their birth sex. It should be noted, however, that brain size correlates to body size.

However, extending the study is difficult, because currently, the only way to establish the size of the BST is through an autopsy, which limits the number of available subjects.

Transsexual youth

Coming out

Ensuring the child's security

Choosing to remain and live within an intolerant society where the local community has had previous experience of the child's assigned sex may raise many challenging issues. Gwen Araujo of Newark, California is such a young person who had attempted to cross-live in the gender opposite the sex to which she was assigned at birth (male). She became the victim of violent crimes that resulted in her death after she attended a party where her birth sex was revealed.

Ma Vie En Rose (1997), by Alain Berliner, depicts a similar scenario including a trans curious youth whose gender play brings about both family and community conflicts causing them to relocate to a new community.

Creature (1999), a documentary film directed by Parris Patton, tells the story of Stacey "Hollywood" Dean, a young transsexual woman who grew up in rural North Carolina. It follows her through four years and includes interviews with her conservative Christian parents.

The necessity to relocate, however, depends very much on the social environment. There are also several cases where this was not necessary, particularly in Western Europe.

Gender reassignment therapy

Mental health approaches, that is, attempts to change their gender identity to match their sex, have been proven to ineffective. It is generally accepted, therefore, that the only effective course of treatment for transsexuals is gender reassignment therapy.

The need for treatment is emphasised by the high rate of mental health problems, including depression, various addictions, and a suicide rate among untreated transsexual people many times the rate of the general population (with estimates ranging between thirty and seventy percent).

Requirements for gender reassignment treatment

The requirements for hormone replacement therapy vary greatly. Often a minimum time period of psychological counseling is required, along with a time of living in the desired gender role in order to assure they can psychologically function in that life-role. (If that is possible; transmen especially often cannot "pass" without hormones. ) This period is usually called the Real Life Test (RLT).

Generally speaking, physicians who perform sex-reassignment surgery require the patient to live as the opposite gender in all possible ways for at least a year ("cross-live") prior to the start of surgery. The RLT is usually part of a battery of requirements. Other frequent requirements are regular psychological counseling and letters of recommendation for this surgery.

Hormone replacement therapy

For both transsexual men and women hormone replacement therapy (HRT) causes the development of the secondary sexual characteristics of their desired gender. The already existing primary and secondary sexual characteristics are not undone by HRT; surgery is required to remove them or change their appearance; transwomen also require epilation to remove their unwanted facial and, if necessary, body hair.

Sex reassignment surgery

Sex reassignment surgery consists of processes transsexual women and men take in order to match their anatomical sex to their gender identity; however, this surgery to correct genitalia (SRS) is also very expensive and not everywhere covered by public or private health insurance.

Prior to surgery, trans men and women are often referred to as pre-operative (pre-op); those who have already had the surgery may be referred to as post-operative (post-op) or simply identified by the sex and sexual status to which they have ascribed. Not all transsexual people are able to or choose to have sexual reassignment surgery (for several reasons, for example financial reasons, due to the high cost of such surgery, or medical reasons, or simply not wanting it for other reasons), although they live constantly in their target gender role; these are often called non-operative.

A more modern idea suggests the notion that the focus on surgery status is misplaced, and therefore more and more people are refusing to define themselves in terms of operative status.

Legal and social aspects

A few persons undergoing sexual reassignment surgery will adopt or provide foster care for children in the corresponding sex role which they have assumed. Societies are in some instances challenged to assimilate these men and women into their social institutions such as marriage and the role of parenting. Also, often children exist from the time before SRS. Many of these children stay with their transgender parent. A recent report shows that this does not harm the development of these children in any way.

Style guides used to publish more accurate information about the public and private lives of individuals pursuing or having changed gender and/or undergone sexual reassignment surgery to assist journalists or news reporting agencies to use the appropriate pronouns. Family members often confused about pronoun usage or the definitions of sex are frequently corrected by either the transsexual or the professionals who assist them as they approach that point at which they begin to "pass" as a member of the sex they wish to adopt.

Stealth

This behaviour is known as stealth, and is somewhat a contentious issue. Some people, including some transsexual people, feel that they should be upfront about their past, and that stealth living is somehow dishonest; however, others claim that transsexual men and women should be able to live in their true gender role in a normal way and be in control of whom they reveal their past to.

Retransitions

External links

• The International Journal of Transgenderism - The Official Journal of the Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association (HBIGDA)
• Basic TG/TS/IS Information - including Successful Transwomen and Successful Transmen
• How to Respect a Transsexual Person
• What transsexuality is
• FTM International
• Press for Change - UK information about the trans rights campaign, and details about the legal, medical, political and social issues surrounding the people it represents.
• Mom, I need to be a girl - a book by the mother of a transsexual child

• list of transgender-related topics

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