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Transgenderism, transsexualism,
and gender identity

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Overview:

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

In the vast majority of individuals:

matches

Genetically most people are males and are certain that they are males; or they are females and firmly aware that they are females. They are quite unable to change, even if they wanted to.

However, in rare cases, a mismatch happens. The individual will experience gender dysphoria. They will often describe having a permanent feeling of being a woman trapped in a man's body, or vice versa. They can become profoundly depressed. Some commit suicide. Therapy, counseling, and prayer have a zero -- or near zero -- success rate at resolving their conflict.

Transsexuals are often defined as people experiencing gender dysphoria who attempt to resolve their problem by undergoing hormone therapy and/or sexual reassignment surgery (SRS) in order to more closely appear to be of the sex that they believe themselves to be. Success rates of this path are very high.

The specific cause of gender dysphoria is unknown. However, there is a near consensus among researchers that it is caused by biological factors before birth. It is definitely not a choice. It is a state that most transsexuals discover in childhood, and it remains with them throughout their life.

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.

Topics covered in this section:

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