Transgenderism, transsexualism, & gender identity

Introduction: gender, gender identity, defining, & detecting transsexuality

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About gender:

The definition of the word "gender" in North American evolved during the 20^th century. It is now considered as involving at least three factors:

	One's genetic or biological gender: Every cell in a person's body contains sex chromosomes that determine a person's genetic sex. In almost all cases, genetic females have XX sex chromosomes; males have XY.
	Gender identity: This is what a person identifies as their gender. AllPsych Online defines it as: "The internal sense of being either male or female. Usually congruent with biological gender, but not always as in Gender Identity Disorder." 1 However, some people identify themselves as two spirited or of a third gender.
	One's physiological gender: The genitalia of the vast majority of newborns are clearly either male or female. However, there are individuals who are born with "anatomy or physiology which differ from cultural ideals of male and female." 2 They are often referred to as being intersexual.

About gender identity:

For the vast majority of adults, their gender identity matches their genetic gender.  For example, an individual may have female genitalia and perceive themselves to be female. A DNA analysis would reveal XX sex chromosomes. However, a small percentage of such individuals experience Gender Identity Disorder (a.k.a. Gender Dysphoria). Some are genetically female but identify themselves as male; others are the reverse. The part(s) of their brain that make them identify as a male or a female deliver a message that is opposite to their actual sex chromosomes and (usually) to their genitalia. They commonly look upon themselves as a male embedded in a female body, or as a female inside a male body. They are frequently called transgendered persons or transsexuals.

Defining and detecting transsexuality:

The American Psychiatric Association periodically publishes a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. It lists five symptoms of transsexualism:

1. A sense of discomfort and inappropriateness about one's anatomical sex.
2. A wish to be rid of one's own genitals and to live as a member of the other sex.
3. The disturbance had been continuous (not limited to periods of stress) for at least two years.
4. The absence of physical intersex or genetic abnormality.
5. The lack of cause due to another mental disorder, such as schizophrenia. ₃

According to the Renaissance Transgender Association, before hormone treatments or sex reassignment surgery:

"The transsexual appears to be a perfectly normal male or female with normal primary and secondary sexual characteristics. ... transsexualism cannot be detected visually or by any other means. Since other people can't see anything amiss, they conclude that transsexualism is not a physical defect, but more an emotional/psychological problem. It is a common but erroneous belief that with a little self-discipline, or with counseling, a transsexual person can act normally and accept their lot in life. ..."

After decades of trying, psychiatrists have had to admit defeat in conquering this dilemma. In all the years that psychiatry has tried to 'cure' transsexualism, not one case has responded positively and permanently." ₄

Detecting transsexuality in children:

There is no test for transsexuality. Transsexual infants cannot be detected. They generally become aware of their gender dysphoria early in life, long before reaching school age.

Stephanie A. Brill and Rachel Pepper, authors of "The Transgender Child: A Handbook for Families and Professionals" write:

"Dr. Norman Spack, an expert in this field and founder of the GeMS clinic at Children's Hospital Boston for children with disorders of sexual differentiation or who are transgender, notes that there are several important and clear ways young children typically reveal their transgender identity. He says to watch for:

	Bathroom behavior: does your little girl insist on peeing while standing up?
	Swimsuit aversion: most trans kids absolutely will not wear the bathing suit of their anatomical sex.
	What type and style of underpants kids select: does your son want the girl-cut panties with flowers on them?
	A strong desire to play with toys typically assigned to the opposite sex." 5

These are indications of gender-variance in children. However, Brill and Pepper write:

"... the vast majority of gender-variant children are not transgender; they are just gender-nonconforming." ₅

Also, playing with toys of the opposite sex can be a indicator of future homosexuality. Since adult homosexuals are perhaps 100 times more common than transsexuals, the toy symptom by itself is probably not an indicator of transexualism.ssembled a glossary of terms related to transsexuality.

This essay continues....

References used:

The following information sources were used to prepare and update the above essay. The hyperlinks are not necessarily still active today.

1. "Psychological Dictionary," AllPsych Online, at: http://allpsych.com/
2. The Intersex Society of North America maintains a home page at: http://www.isna.org/ They have a FAQ, which describes their newsletter and other materials on intersexuality.
3. As cited in "Straight Answers: The Morality of 'Sex Change' Operations," The Catholic Herald, 2005-OCT-19, at: http://www.catholicherald.com/
4. "Understanding Transsexualism," Renaissance Transgender Association, Inc., 1990-OCT, at: http://www.ren.org/
5. Stephanie A. Brill & Rachel Pepper, "The Transgender Child: A Handbook for Families and Professionals." Read reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com.

Copyright © 2007 to 2009 by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Original posting: 2007-JUN-08
Latest update: 2009-JAN-13
Author: B.A. Robinson

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