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 | 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 chromosomes; males have XY. |
| 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." 1 They are often referred to as being intersexual. |
| 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." 2
For the vast majority of adults, their gender identity matches their genetic gender. However, a small percentage of individuals experience Gender Identity Disorder (a.k.a. Gender Dysphoria). Some are genetically male but identify themselves as female; 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 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 often become aware of this conflict before school age.
The American Psychiatric Association considers such a mismatch between gender disorder and genetic gender to be a disorder, not a disease or mental sickness.
The distress caused by gender dysphoria can be overwhelming; it leads to an unusually high suicide rate. They are frequently called transgendered persons or transsexuals. Some suggest that about half of all transsexuals die by the age of 30, usually by their own hand." 3
The essays in this section will deal mainly with conflicts between genetic gender and gender identity, as well as the protection of transsexual people from discrimination.
About terminology:
The topics of gender identity, transsexual and transgender are a bit of a minefield. There are many conflicting definitions for each of these terms:
| Some define a transgendered person as one who experiences gender dysphoria but has not undergone gender reassignment surgery. |
| Others define transgender very broadly to include everyone who doesn't fit
into conventional gender norms: Included are:
transsexuals, cross dressers, drag queens, etc. |
| Some transsexuals are proud to be referred to as transsexuals. |
| Some transsexuals are offended by the term and wish to be called he or him/ she or her according to their perceived gender identity. |
We will try to use commonly used definitions. However, not everyone will agree with them.
Is transsexualism linked to homosexuality?
You might have to read this section more than once in order to understand it.
There is no real connection between transsexuality and homosexual. A transsexual can be heterosexual, homosexual or bisexual. There are two schools of thought on which transsexuals belong to each of the three sexual orientations.
| The vast majority of transsexuals, human sexuality researchers, therapists, counselors,
gays, lesbians, bisexuals, religious liberals, etc, who are not religious
conservatives but who are familiar with gender identity and transsexuality
would agree that:
|
Consider a person born male who becomes aware of their gender dysphoria as a child and later makes a male to female transition. Most consider themselves heterosexual, in that they are sexually attracted to men. A minority will see themselves as homosexual because they are attracted to other women. A smaller minority will be view themselves as bisexual because they are attracted to both men and women.
The same sequence holds for those born female who later transition to male.
| The response by religious and social conservatives to transsexuals is
generally negative. For example, the Evangelical Alliance in the UK,
who represents over one million adults, has sought a ban on gender
reassignment surgery, have condemned transsexual weddings and opposed
legislation allowing transsexuals to change their legal gender as listed on
on their birth certificates. The Alliance's inclination is to minimize the
importance of gender identity in favor of genetic gender.
4 In the U.S., the Traditional Values
Coalition and other social and religious conservative groups also refer to
transsexual people by their birth-assigned sex. 5 Thus a person born male who discoveres their gender dysphoria and transitions to become female will be regarded by many Evangelicals as still being male. If they engage in sexual behavior with a male, they will be regarded as a homosexual; if with a female, they will be viewed as a heterosexual. Most religious conservatives either do not recognize bisexuality or downplay its significance The same sequence holds for those born female. |
Some transsexuals prefer to be called transsexed. That is because the word "transsexual" sounds much like heterosexual and homosexual -- terms related to sexual orientation. By using "transsexed," they are emphasizing that being transsexed is not a sexual orientation.
There is one instance where religious conservatives would agree with other groups: Consider "Alice" who was born a genetic male, and transitioned to female. She might marry "Bill" who was born a genetic female, and then transitioned to a male.
| Most religious conservatives would regard this as a heterosexual relationship resulting in an opposite-sex marriage. That is because they would regard Alice as male and Bill as female. |
| Most who are not religious conservatives would also regard this as a heterosexual relationship resulting in an opposite-sex marriage. That is because they would regard Alice as female and Bill as male. |
Prevalence of transsexuality:
Wikipedia reports:
"There are no reliable statistics on the prevalence of transsexualism. The DSM-IV (1994) quotes prevalence of roughly 1 in 30,000 assigned males and 1 in 100,000 assigned females seek sex reassignment surgery in the USA.
The most reliable population based estimate of the incidence occurrence is from the Amsterdam Gender Dysphoria Clinic. The data, spanning more than four decades in which the clinic has treated roughly 95% of Dutch transsexuals, gives figures of 1:10,000 assigned males and 1:30,000 assigned females.
Other bodies report figures of between 1:1000 or even 1:500.
No consensus has been agreed upon. Interest groups maintain this is probably because of various governments' unwillingness to fund treatment accordingly. 5
References used:
The following information sources were used to prepare and update the above essay. The hyperlinks are not necessarily still active today.
- 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.
- "Psychological Dictionary," AllPsych Online, at: http://allpsych.com/
- Jennifer Reitz, "What transsexuality is," at: http://transsexual.org/
- The home page of the Evangelical Alliance in the UK is at: http://www.eauk.org/
- "Transsexualism," Wikipedia, at: http://en.wikipedia.org/
Copyright © 2007 by Ontario Consultants on
Religious Tolerance
Original posting: 2007-JUN-08
Latest update: 2007-JUN-08
Author: B.A. Robinson
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