Transsexuals the Concept of Transsexualism

Transsexuals

The concept of transsexualism emanates from the dichotomy of gender and sex- sex being the physical form whereas gender the component of identity and the dilemma of the transsexual revolves around the difference between the sex and gender which lies at the heart of the issue.

Transsexualism:

transsexual is an individual in which the sex-related structures of the brain which shape the gender identity are just opposite to the body's physical sex organs. In other words, a transsexual is a mind which is physically trapped in a body of the opposite sex. A transsexual person, born to every appearance within a given physical sex, is conscious of being a gender opposite to that physical sex. This variance, between gender identity and physical sex, is nearly all the time apparent from the earliest consciousness, and remains the main reason for immense suffering. It has been seen that transsexuals are fully conscious of their condition during their pre-school period. This mental agony can and sometimes does result in suicide unless properly treated. (What Transsexuality Is: Definition, cause and history)

Besides, the unbelievable problems that revolve around achieving treatment are also agonizing and the total effect can impact a great deal in the lives of the transsexual. Transsexuality is seen to happen approximately equally in physical males as well as physical females. The phenomenon is caused by factors like critically timed hormonal release as a result of stress in the mother, or because of the presence of chemicals that imitate like that of hormones present at the time of critical development that interfere with the development of fetus. Transsexuality occurs independent of sexual orientation, and is observed in primates, animals like dogs, cats, rats, and mice apart from humans. The usual treatment in case of diagnosis of transsexuality is to reassign the transsexual to a physical sex corresponding with their gender identity, a procedure entailing the prescription of suitable hormones and surgery. Advances in medical sciences have made the success of this treatment very high and a lot of transsexuals have led highly successful lives. (What Transsexuality Is: Definition, cause and history)

Thomas Laqueur in his book Making Sex: Body and Gender from the Greeks to Freud, looks for historical changes in the perception of sex from a single-sex model of the body which is an ancient and early modern interpretation to a two-sex model which is a post-Enlightenment notion, deliberating that political demands triggered this transformation in scientific perception instead of any particular discovery as regards the anatomy or physiology of sex. In his opinion sex either anatomical or physiological sexual difference is all the time an effect of a society's gender arrangements. (Hausman, 41)

The dilemma and the identity crisis:

The biggest dilemma faced by a transsexual is that of incongruity of their self. During their process of growth, they gradually discover that it hurts a great deal to have the wrong body. For example it they look like a boy in the outside, they act like a girl inside as that is who they really are. They receive brickbats because of this; they are hated, shunned and sometimes even killed. Everything seems to be wrong and their lives seem to be shrouded in misery and disillusionment. It is important to note that transsexuality is not about sexuality rather it is about one's identity, and about being one's self. Even in case a male-to-female transsexual carried out this, they would still go on suffering as their body was wrong. Deep inside the mind of the transsexual knows what they are, however by this period, even attempting to disclose anyone is so disturbing, so frightening, so filled with negative thoughts of being shunned, hurt or even killed, that they simply attempt to do their best, and anticipate dying soon. Some transsexuals are not as mentally tough and end up killing themselves and therefore they simply are not able to suffer any longer. One of the biggest dangers to any transsexual apart from depression is other people. This is particularly other people or a category of peoples who have no knowledge what transsexuality in reality is, or confuse it with other matters. Because of all these, transsexuals can hate their own self. (a Primer on Transsexuality)

One more problem in transsexuals is 'voice' problem. Voice therapy with the objective of raising a client's fundamental frequency is a normal practice in the reassignment of male to female transsexuals. On the other hand female-to-male transsexuals, voice therapy is normally not regarded as the intake of androgens is considered to alter the voice in the direction of the desired sex automatically. Outcomes from a sample survey in which 1 female-to-male transsexuals and longitudinal data from two clients indicate that the voice change in case of female-to-male transsexuals is not all the time completely free from problems. Assessment of voice and certain type of counseling prior to hormone therapy are suggested. (Van Borsel; De Cuypere; Rubens; Destaerke, 430)

Treatment Problems of Transsexuals:

It may appear strange to a lot of people to discover 'diagnoses as the first type for discussion under problems in treatment. Nevertheless, the incapability to establish the appropriate diagnosis in transsexualism as in a lot of other disorders prevents any possibility for sufficient treatment. The most usual diagnosis an individual faces in such instances is transvestism. This is really untoward as the theoretical basis on which the treatment agenda is based is therefore in majority of times in error. Transsexualism, as stated in the foregoing paragraphs, is a state typified by the sense that one belongs to the sex opposite that to which he or she has been born which. This fundamental attribute lie behind this distinctive entity and eventually forms the basis by which to segregate this disorder from other conditions. Three conditions exist with which transsexualism has common features and from which differentiation is needed. These are effeminate homosexuality, transvestism, and biological intersex. These entities consist of the complete spectrum of disorders of male psychosexual orientation if they are seen as a continuum. (Baker, 1414)

Societal acceptance of transsexuals:

Societal acceptance to transsexuality has transformed a great deal since the last thirty years. While a transsexual or a transvestite would be categorized as an eccentric, of late such people have been known to receive sympathetic treatment. Discrimination continues to be received, as it does for majority of the minorities, however, situation is changing. To cite an example, a latest BBC TV series Paddington Green carried a story of Jackie McAuliffe, a transsexual who was engaged in the flesh trade in order to earn the money to pay for her operation. A lot of transsexuals find jobs that were denied to them and as a result the sole route open to them for financing their transition is by means of operation. So was the interest in viewer levels that sequel programs were conducted and Jackie appeared in a two-page item in Radio Times. In one more latest instance which got extensive footage, a vicar who had a sex change operation done continued to perform her church duties taking the support of the majority of her worshippers. (Intersex, transsexuals and bullying)

The scientific viewpoint:

Keeping in mind the definitions of 'sex' and 'gender', majority of transsexuals are not comfortable with the accepted medical expression 'gender reassignment' to include what is known as 'sex change'. It is very important to know that whereas a lot of doctors would adopt the reductionist stand that sex is appropriately determined by chromosomes and not by genitals because of which there can thus be no genuine change of sex, it is therefore not really a change of gender either. It is rather an alteration of gender role, in order to arrive it into compliance with the gender identity of the person, with the help of hormonal and surgical reconstructions, with the extent possible, of the body's sexual characteristics. (Transsexualism: A Primer)