Transexualism, Sexual Perversion Or A Real Medical Condition?

reply to post by andy1033


No luv, I want to deal with it, accept it... Lets face it.. Its a freakin shock huh?? Especially after all those years.. Its a period of reajustment of a mind that NEEDS to change... That is painfull luv... Like all of those holidays we took in the lake district and Barbados... Throughout the army and my divorce; my big brother looking after me, now i have to alter my mind, and my mom and dad too... A TOTAL mind f$$$..... Just tying to make sense of it... Its just as tough on me...

Does he mind you going on net talking about it all?

Did he actually goto doctor yet, as i would assume the process to change sexes is done over a long time. Do they give him hormone treatment first?


[edit on 1/1/2010 by andy1033]

[edit on 1-1-2010 by dzonatas]

[edit on 1-1-2010 by dzonatas]

reply to post by dzonatas


At the moment Avatar is just a movie and we do not have the tech to replicate it.... So trans men and women are stuck.... Surgery is their only option to create a normality in what their minds percieve...

[edit on 1-1-2010 by dzonatas]

reply to post by Selahobed


Wow. That is a very brave thing for your brother to do. I just hope it's exactly what he truly wants, though I'm sure he hasn't come to this decision overnight.

We have a colleague at work who is a transexual - man to woman. And she underwent the full operation one year at work.

At one point there's Mr. X, the chap we all know. Then one spring he was off for several months, none of us knew why, apart from HR saying it was personal issues, etc. Fair enough.

A few weeks before "he" is to come back, all the staff are "briefed" on the now "Mrs X". I must say, it was "very" strange at first - this was the first real transexual I had ever met. And probably most of the people at work too.

But in the end, "she" was the same person, just more true to herself.

The thing is, all of us at work were the real idiots - worrying how we'd deal with it, how we'd act, etc. The truth is, the hardest thing was for her to come back and just 'jump' back into work. I can't imagine how nerve wracking that was and how she must have felt getting the stares and quiet whispers.

Of course this was years ago and now she's just... Mrs. X. Nothing new.

But back to your brother. All I can suggest for you is to be as supportive as you can and also, be honest with your brother. It sounds like, given your religious background, this is going to be even more difficult (if that's possible!). Tell him your concerns and fears and why it bothers you (if it really does). But speak to him as his loving sister. He will appreciate your honesty more than false smiles and disingenuous nods.

Again, I cannot imagine how difficult this sort of thing is for people, but i fully believe some people are born with the mind/brain makeup of one gender while living in the body of the opposite. And it has got to be one of the worse things in the world.

Best of luck to you and your brother!

[edit on 1-1-2010 by noonebutme]

Originally posted by dzonatas
Virtual reality, avatars, immersive worlds, on-line relationships, etc... all exist now:
secondlife.com...

The movie did not invent the word avatar at all. If you really were that desperate, you would try it for awhile.

It's not only how we perceive ourselves, it is also how others perceive you.

Can he now imagine giving childbirth? Hmmm.

Are you insane?

Are actually suggesting that individuals who feel themselves to be transgender should in fact play "Second Life" as a means of experiencing the opposite sex first?? As if to say a video game is a genuine representation of "the next best thing" ?

[edit on 1-1-2010 by dzonatas]

reply to post by noonebutme


Thank you xxx

You have an amazing heart and i will take your advice on board... mannn.. It never ceases to amaze me how good in heart people are.. Individually... It really does my heart good knowing that there are people like you about...

Thanks...........

Originally posted by noonebutme
Are you insane?

No, silly.

link

It is not a game. There is nothing I said in this thread intended to be a game.

But then, I guess your right. I can't find anybody to have a serious discussion with about this topic.

[edit on 1-1-2010 by dzonatas]

When I was younger I firmly believed I had a male brain in my female
body since I absolutely could NOT (and still can't! ) fathom girl's interest in dolls, hair, clothes, and children though I love my female body and definitely prefer sex with men!!
So I can somewhat empathize with the transgender psyche....
But the most telling and heartbreaking thing I've ever seen was in a recent
documentary where a mother caught her 5 year old son trying to
cut his penis off with scissors "because it's not supposed to be there" !!
Just love and support your brother as you've been doing!

Also see this movie if you haven't yet... Boys Don't Cry ... a truly heartbreaking true story
(and TOTALLY awesome performance by Hilary Swank! )
THIS type of response by society is the MOST worrisome thing for your
brother...

[edit on 1/1/2010 by SmokeyDawn]

reply to post by SmokeyDawn


Thanks for the link!! I will watch it now as I cant sleep lol... You are very kind xxxx

Originally posted by Selahobed
reply to post by UmbraSumus

 

I dont know if its a fetish or a real psycological disorder. I have read that these people feel imprisoned in their own bodies and consequently a lot have commited suicide. I guess i would rather have a live sister than a dead brother. But im still unconvinced. My bro is such a macho guy, he followed me into the army! His girlfriends are many, but that may have been a overcompensation on his part i dont know.

How does him following you in the army make him macho? By that definition, wouldn't that make you an even more macho woman? Gender is a very non-black-and-white thing, and particularly in this day and age, with all the chemicals being added to the water, food and air. There are some strong suggestions that these chemicals are having effects on human gender.

Chemicals in Everyday Products...

BBC News: Plastics feminise boys

Chemicals turn boys into girls

Not saying this is what has happened to your brother though. If I were you, I would first realize that a person is NOT the physical body. The person is inside and is eternal. Heavenly beings are gender-less, and God has both male and female characteristics... according to the Bible itself.

Once you realize that your brother/sister is not the outside shell of a body, but is really the person contained inside that body, I would sit down and ask your sibling to tell her story. Ask her to tell what she has always felt about gender. Tell her you want to know so you can better understand who she is, and what she has been through all those years.

I know many people who have played a role in life that was not truly who they were. I knew a woman who was a flight surgeon in the U.S. military. She had a strong female side, but she also had a well-hidden secret male side. Secretly, she always wished that she had a male private part and that she could use it. She secretly fantasized about that, but never told anyone... except me.

Perhaps if you are truthful with yourself, you might find some thoughts buried in your own mind that you may not want others to ever know about.

Also, remember this... and this is to help you with your religious conflicts. The Bible never says that a person who has changed genders cannot enter Heaven, but it certainly says that liars will not... so it is far better for your brother to become a truthful girl, as opposed to remaining a lying boy.

Welcome to the "true world"... compliments of the RED pill.

reply to post by Selahobed


I am not posting my opinions on what I think about transsexualism. I may seem to be very pro-transsexualism. The truth is that I am not a transsexual but I have known one personally. This post is some advice to the original poster who sounds like they have questions and confusing thoughts about the issue of their sibling's proclamation of transsexualism. I have had my own struggles with my view of transsexualism. Anyone who is dealing with this issue needs strength and good counsel.

You have a very long way to go when it comes to dealing with this issue. You also have your own issues about transsexualism which I don't think is unusual. Does it really matter whether or not this is a mental or physical issue? It might be to you so you can begin to manage your own reactions and feelings towards your sibling and the events that are to come.
The best thing to do is search for personal accounts of transsexuals on line there are a few. These may help you discuss this with your sibling. And you should talk to your sister even if you still consider her your brother still, out of respect for their feelings. If you start to feel overwhelmed or angry, back off. Most likely your sister is going to go through what seems a very selfish period that may make you and other family members not only anxious but angry and hurt. It may not happen but in your family's case I think that is how it's going to be, difficult. Hold on. One thing you can do for your sibling is make sure they see doctors and don't encourage them to treat themselves. Hormones, surgery and therapy should be done with the aid of professionals. I know that seems obvious but this type of change involves many different types of professional as well as personal support. And it is COSTLY. She may want to take shortcuts. There are so many things to do to go fully through with the change of M to F
identity as well. It is more work than moving from one country to another. And your sister may decide she only wants to do some of the changes not others.
Any way it goes, make sure that you take care of yourself mentally. Your now sister needs to go to a therapist to not only deal with her own thoughts and feelings but to also healthily start a very long and arduous process.
Good luck.

reply to post by UmbraSumus


Cross-dressing is more of a fetish.

Transsexualism involves a member of one sex wanting to become who they feel they really are. Transsexuals usually feel like they're trapped in the wrong body and with the help of hormones and surgery, can become what they feel they should have been born as, etc.

reply to post by Selahobed


Transsexualism has been shown, by multiple researches, all peer reviewed, to be a prenatal dysgenesis of the central nervous system and occurs 10 to 12 weeks post conception. The genitalia of an individual sexually differentiate between weeks 8 and 10, post conception. Like a lot of things concerned with prenatal development, sexual modification can only occur while stem cells, capable of being hormonal modified, are present. If something blocks the proper hormones, then the default sexual characteristics (in the case of mammals, female) will develop as far as they can. In effect, a transsexual is an otherwise "normal" individual who just happens to have been born with the brain of the opposite sex. A study, released in Switzerland has demonstrated that a sample of 126 transsexuals exhibited a complex of 5 genes, that were not found in any of the sexually average individuals of congruent sexual identity. This is further supported that the ratio of male-to-female transsexuals to female-to-male transsexuals is 4:1, which is consistent with genetic variation in other conditions like color blindness, hemophilia and diabetes, indicating that this is very likely a genetic condition as well.

Despite claims by the religious that God made only man and woman, we all know that there is a wide range of biological deviation for just about every aspect of the human being - and the genitalia and brain are no more exempt from unusual development than any other part of the human organism.

To quote a Christian therapist I know, "Transsexualism is not a fetish, a sexual addiction, homosexuality nor a perversion. It is not a conscious choice, it is a reality for the affected individual. There are no known psychological therapies that have been shown to be in any way effective in dealing with this condition. To the contrary, every therapy that I have examined has been shown, long term, to be more detrimental to the patient than beneficial. The only way that these individuals are helped are through the appropriate hormonal therapies and gender permissions, up to and including genital reconstruction surgery. The protocols for such treatments are clearly defined and have been demonstrated to have appropriate efficacy. Long term follow up studies have demonstrated a close to 99% long-term success rate, being tantamount to curative."

The American Psychological has gone on record as stating that ..."repairative therapies are harmful to the vast majority of patients"... and the American Medical Association has stated that transitional medicine is neither a choice or elective, but medically necessary and appropriate when indicated. See AMA Resolution AMA 121-2008.

The long and short of the situation is that your sister is what she claims to be and most likely has been suppressing this from the family from her earliest recollections both by indications of parental reactions and behavioral conditioning, both subliminal and directed through both parenting and societal referents. In fact, she has undoubtedly tried very hard to live up to everyone else's expectations to her detriment - only to finally admit who and what she is and what she is dealing with. She has suffered enough and needs love, community and support to get through this.

Give your sister the benefit of the doubt. God does not bestow His gifts equally, and the sin of mankind has induced many things into humanity that are not convenient for those who take scripture too literally. However, if one must take scripture literally, take the two commandments that Jesus gave us, as being the most important, to heart; ... "The first is to love the Lord, your God, with all of you heart, body, mind and strength. The second is like unto the first. Love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments rest the law and the prophets."...

Originally posted by Selahobed
So i need information. Do any of you guys know anyone who has gone through this? Is it a real disorder or a sexual perversion like a one step up from transvestitism?

I can answer from different angles. When I was in college, I signed up for every Sex Ed class the university offered. I took the Psychology SexEd courses, the Sociology SexEd courses, the Family Studies SexEd courses and I even found an Anthropology SexEd course. So on that angle I can answer from the Bachelor's degree perspective. From another angle, the first TS I met were when I was 16, since there was this one gay bar that used to let me and my underage girlfriends in (I'm hetero-we just wanted a place to party). And after college, I've met a lost of transvestites. Maybe not so many TS's but definitely a lot of crossdressers.

First off, transvestism isn't really a "perversion" unless that term has no negative connotation. If it's meant in a friendly way to call someone friendly-like a pervert, then it's an OK term to use. Most transvestite men have no desire to be women. They just like to dress up in women's lingerie/clothing. For them it's more of a mood. Many are hetero, many are bi. The only gay transvestites are the DragQueens. And they identify themselves as gay Queens, not really transvestites. Hetero/Bi transvestites are usually some of the most level headed individuals. Some in top-notch jobs of power and control, like CEOs, sports team coaches, high level gov't jobs, and so forth. For them....it's when the mood strikes to have the gender roles reversed. Not all are bi and the hetero transvestites usually like to dress up in women's clothing (as men) to pretend to be lesbians with a woman. Some are also really burley men that get tired of the burley-man-man stereotype (like harley bikers). Transvestites are for the most part VERY SANE men. They don't really have any psychology type mental problems.

As for transsexuals, there are different types. So I'll define some of them for you.

XY Females

These are men that were genetically males (XY) but something happened in their mother's womb before birth. When they were born their testes were embedded in their abdomen and their penises never fused, but looks more like a labia and clitoris. When they were born the doctor made a mistake and said "It's a girl." when genetically they were male (XY). Many things can cause this. If the mother had/has ovarian cancer it can occur. There was a drug on the market given to pregnant women in the 1970s that caused it.

They are usually discovered in their late teens because they never start menstruation. At which point, they are given a choice. They can choose to go through an operation to change their external genitalia back to men OR they can decide to stay female. If they decide to stay female, they still have to go through an operation because their testes are embedded in their abdomens. They have to remove their testes from the abdomen or they will get testicular cancer.

XX Males

Same thing occurs the other way around. Only the child with XX female chromosomes has something happen in the mother's womb and their clitoris and labia fuses into a penis. Doctor makes a mistake and says "It's a boy". They are usually discovered younger because they never really develop testes so externally they look different from other boys. At which point they are given the option to be surgically altered back into a female OR they can choose to live life as a male. Either way, corrective external genitalia surgery is done.

Gender Dysphoria

This is where one is born genetically male (XY) and they identify their gender as female. (or the other way around for XX women identifying their gender as men). I think another poster mentioned there could also be a situation of XXY males or a 47-chromosome human identifying themself as female. A genetic test is needed to determine. Gender Dysphoria is a real disorder, not a perversion. Some men feel so strongly that they should be female that they will attempt to castrate themselves just to force surgery to turn themselves into women. Most start off by taking female hormones, dressing up like women and trying to live like women. A professional psychiatrist can determine if a person is suffering from gender dysphoria. (as opposed to a mere identity crisis) It takes years of therapy before an official operation (costly) is given and they have to qualify on certain psychological criteria.

If you want to really help your brother-- then ask if you can go along to a therapy session with him/her to learn more about it and what a psychologist says might help him/her the most. And a therapist might also help you with ways you never thought of to deal with the transition.