transgender persons and transsexuals

Introduction (Part 1):  A brief
overview of gender identity, etc.

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The term "LGBT" is an acronym for "Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals,
transgender persons/Transsexuals. Sometimes, additional letters
are added, like "Q" for Queer or questioning, "I" for Intersexual.

Two conflicting quotations:

• "As long as the promise of equality for all remains unfulfilled, all Americans are affected. If we can work together to advance the principles upon which our Nation was founded, every American will benefit. During LGBT Pride Month, I call upon the LGBT community, the Congress, and the American people to work together to promote equal rights for all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity." Barack Obama, 2010-JUN-01. ₁
  
  
• "This is a man -- and by the way he is a man; he's not a woman -- who is one of the leaders in crusading for so-called 'civil rights' based on gender-confused behavior. ... Obama is supporting ENDA -- the Employment Non-Discrimination Act -- with a transsexual provision, meaning that if that version of the bill gets through and Obama signs it, we will have businesses being forced to accommodate gender-confused individuals in the name of civil rights." Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth About Homosexuality, discussing the appointment of Amanda Simpson to a post in the Commerce Department. ₂

Gender identity and transsexuality, etc:

This section discusses gender identity -- what a person perceives their gender to be.

For the vast majority of individuals are "cisgendered." Their:

• Genetic gender, as defined by the XX and XY sex chromosomes found in every cell of their body, matches
• Gender identity, as determined by the section of their brain that supply their gender awareness, and matches
• Assigned gender at birth as determined by their external and internal sexual organs.

That is, most people are either:

	Males. Their cells contain both an X and Y sex chromosomes, they are mentally and emotionally certain that they are males, and they posess a penis, testicles, etc. or
	Females. Their cells contain two X sex chromosomes, they are firmly aware that they are female, and they possess ovaries, fallopian tubes, a uterus, vagina, etc.

Peoplle are quite unable to change their gender perception, even if they wanted to. They know that they are of a particular gender. They also know that it is quite impossible to change.

However, in rare cases, a mismatch happens.

One type of mismatch happens when a newborn's external genitalia and/or internal sex organs match neither the standard female or male design. They are referred to as intersexual.

A second type of mismatch is called gender dysphoria in the medical, transgender, and liberal religious communities. It is often called "gender confusion" in the conservative religious communities. The latter term implies the common conservative Christian belief that individuals experiencing it can be cured.

transgender persons will often describe themselves as having a unshakable feeling of being a woman trapped in a man's body, or vice versa. Sometimes, the phrase having a "female soul in a male body" or "female brain in a male body," or vice-versa. They can become profoundly depressed. Their suicide rate is enormous when compared to the general population. It appears that all attempts at therapy, counseling, and/or prayer have a zero success rate at resolving their internal conflict. There is a widely held belief among transgender people that no transgender individual has ever been "cured" and become cisgendered.

It is a story of two kinds of conflicts:

An internal, personal, body/mind conflict between a transgender person's appearance and what they emotionally and mentally know their gender to be.

Among transsexuals, medical researchers, social and religious conservatives, religious liberals, secularists, and others about: What determines a person's actual gender: their sex chromosomes, the appearance of their genitals, their own perception of their gender, or some combination of the three? The cause(s) of transsexuality. Whether transsexuality can be "cured." How transsexuals should be treated in society in terms of guaranteed job security, protection from physical abuse, etc.

There is no universally accepted terminology. However, the term "transgender" is often used to refer to individuals who experience Gender Identity Disorder (a.k.a. GID, Gender Dysphoria, Disorder of Sexual Differentiation, or DSD). The term "transsexual" is often used to refer to transgender individuals who attempt to resolve their internal conflicts by undergoing hormone therapy and sometimes sexual reassignment surgery (SRS). These medications and procedures change their appearance so that they much more closely resemble the gender that they sense themselves as being. Success rates of this path are very high, as long as proper treatment protocols are followed.

Jennifer Reitz of www.transsexual.org comments that gender dysphoria:

"... occurs in humans and in other animals, such as apes, monkeys, dogs, cats, rats, and mice, among those studied." ₃

Unfortunately, much of the public is not well informed about gender identity and gender dysphoria. Many people tend to fear and reject those that they do not understand.

This topic continues in Part 2

References used:

The following information source was used to prepare and update the above essay. The hyperlink is not necessarily still active today.

1. Barack Obama, "A Proclamation..." White House, 2009-JUN-01, at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/
2. Charlie Butts and Jody Brown, "Obama appoints transgender LGBT activist," OneNewsNow.com. 2010-JAN-07, at: http://www.onenewsnow.com/
3. Jennifer Reitz, "What transsexuality is," at: http://transsexual.org/

A movie:

Tom Murray produced and directed a video concerning transsexuality. It is titled: "Almost Myself: Reflections on mending and transcending gender." See: http://www.almostmyself.com/

Copyright © 2007 to 2011 by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Original posting: 2007-JUN-08
Latest update and review: 2011-DEC-26
Author: B.A. Robinson

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