subject: Gender Reassignment And Gender Identity Issues For Transgenders [print this page] Gender Identity is a huge issue for literally thousands of people the world over. The subject of Gender Identity, gender dysphoria and sex reassignment surgery is an area where there is great misconception and fear of the unknown. Trans-gender people face rejection and often ridicule as a daily occurrence in some cases.
So, what are the most pressing issues for those in the trans-gender world?
To get to the root cause of most gender identity issues which cause about 1 in 30,000 women and 1 in 11,000 men to feel that they are trapped in the wrong gender, it is necessary to take an in depth look at theories surrounding gender development in the womb and the development of gender identity issues in toddlers and teens. The history of the trans-gender world and the first medical procedures in the 1930's were very experimental in nature and quite rudimentary compared to techniques known today.
Gender Dysphoria is essentially is a term which describes those people whose birth sex does not match their gender identity. For people in those circumstances, there are choices from minor hormonal treatment and living in the 'correct' gender for the person, which is enough for some, right through to looking at the procedures behind sex reassignment surgery. There is no one 'right' answer and each situation needs to be judged on its merits based on the person's situation, affordability, availability of medical cover and so on.
Trans-gender people are often victimized physically and emotionally and many parts of the world have been slow to introduce legislation to protect the interests of this minority group. Then, there is the issue of 'coming out' to family, work colleagues and friends. Often if not always, there is hardly ever an 'ideal' time or place to deal with such issues.
Not all trans-gender people will undergo reassignment surgery but for those who do, there are now a vast number of potential surgical procedures which are available many of which are inherent with potential complications. For those who do elect to undertake such surgeries there is a stringent requirement for psychological assessment before hand as these surgeries are irreversible.
There are a lot of stereotypes and misinformation surrounding this subject and only time can break down those barriers. The support of family and close friends for a trans-gender person are invaluable as they steer through the minefield of reassignment surgery options to bring their gender characteristics into line with their inner sense of gender identity.
There are so many different terms in the gender identity world. There are a virtual myriad of terms one comes up against from Gender identity disorder, gender dysphoria, tans-gender, transsexual, gender roles, gender reassignment surgery and so on.
It is perhaps little known that the development of baby in the womb can be severely affected by hormonal factors which in turn can affect the development of the fetal brain. The contention is that gender identity is influenced heavily by hormonal factors in early pregnancy. Scientists maintain that there is inarguable evidence to back up this theory, meaning effectively that the 'nature v nurture' theory is knocked right out of the ballpark!
In the early stages of a pregnancy, research now shows that an over or under exposure to either testosterone, estrogen and Androgen levels can play a fundamental role in the development of the fetuses sexual and gender development and the development of the baby's gender identity. Development of a fetus in the womb was also affected in some people by the administration of a controversial 1970's drug, Diethylstilbestrol (DES) which was primarily designed to prevent miscarriages but which, it is now believed, may have been a primary cause of those children exposed to the drug having a high incidence of Gender Identity issues. The same drug was often prescribed to men with prostate issues.
One of the results was the birth of the occasional child which was born with 'uncharacterized genitalia' and this placed extreme pressure on parents and medical people alike, as there was a desire to accurately fill out a birth certificate and of primary importance was to label the child, a 'girl' or a 'boy'.
Where it was felt necessary there was a tendency to resort to surgery in some circumstances as it was felt that it was often better to act while the child was young and would not remember the procedures. Research has shown that many such children later express great dissatisfaction with their genitalia and the choices made for them by their parents.
Children affected by this drug have had to live with the choices made for them. In later life some have expressed great dissatisfaction with their genitalia and on occasions, the lack of sensation experienced during sex.
Today there is much less of a tendency for parents to take decisions like this which will affect their child throughout its entire lifetime and a push to allow the child to help determine the outcomes for itself later in life.
