|
What is Gender Dysphoria / Transsexualism?
|
"Gender", in common usage,
refers to the differences between
men and women. Encyclopaedia
Britannica notes that gender
identity is "an individual's
self-conception as being male or
female, as distinguished from actual
biological sex." Although "gender" is
commonly used interchangeably with
"sex," within the academic fields of
cultural studies, gender studies and
the social sciences in general, the
term "gender" often refers to purely
social rather than biological
differences. Some view gender as a
social construction rather than a
biological phenomenon. People whose
gender identity feels incongruent
with their physical bodies may
identify themselves as intersex,
transsexual.
Dysphoria is generally
characterised as an unpleasant or
uncomfortable mood, such as sadness
(depressed mood), anxiety,
irritability, or restlessness.
Etymologically, it is the opposite
of euphoria. |
Gender Dysphoria (GD) / Transsexualism (TS) is a biological condition characterised by a
strong and persistent desire to acquire the primary and
secondary sex characteristics of the opposite sex.
Medical research has not yet determined the exact causes of
GD /TS, but it appears to be triggered by genetics
setting off a series of hormonal events while the foetus is
in the womb.
 Evidence is accumulating that the brains of GD/TS
people are physically similar or the same as the brains of
people of the sex that the GD/TS person knows
themselves to be, in contradiction to the sex of their body
at birth. (more
info )
Some medical researchers define GD/TS as a
condition where one has a brain of one sex, and a body of
the opposite sex.
Others state that the true sex of a person born with
GD/TS is their brain sex, their innate sex, their
affirmed sex, and not the sex of their body at birth.
Yet other researchers state that GD/TS is a form of
intersex, where an individual is born with the
characteristics of both sexes. People born with
GD/TS do not choose to be GD/TS.
GD/TS ceases when the person undergoes surgery for
the condition (SAT). They then become an ordinary woman or man.
What Gender Dysphoria / Transsexualism is Not:
GD/TS is completely unrelated to transgenderism or
transvestism (aka crossdressing). People with GD/TS
are not transgender. GD/TS is a biological
condition. Transgenderism and transvestism are psychological
conditions.
What is The Prevalence of Gender Dysphoria /
Transsexualism?
According to Professor Lynn Conway, the prevalence of
GD/TS is at least between 1 in 250 and 1 in 500.
Lynn writes: “Consider the prevalence of other conditions
having profound impacts on people’s lives.
Rachael Wallbank, a Sydney Family Court lawyer specialising
in representing people born with GD/TS, writes:
“Although debate exists as to the number of people with
GD/TS in any cultural group, it is reasonable to
assume that there are about 5,000 to 10,000 people with
GD/TS in Australia (or about 2.5% of the
population). The effect of shame upon reportage may well
make any such estimates conservative.”
-----------------------------------------
Gender Dysphoria Explained
Brochure
Suffering Gender Dysphoria
/ Transsexualism is one thing, explaining the real cause
and treatment to family, friends and people you come
into contact can be difficult, letting them know the
real facts about the condition can be very important for
their understanding and acceptance.
 So with the help of a
friend who also suffered Gender Dysphoria /
Transsexualism, we put together a 3 fold brochure
(prints back to back) that
explains the condition in detail, but in an easy to
understand language.. not too technical, but using some
of the latest terminology and correct facts about the
condition.
 This brochure is
freely available for download, you can distribute the
brochure to friends, family, medical centres etc..
anywhere where you think people need educating on the
condition.
Click to download:
 GD_Explained_Web.pdf
(191kb size - PDF Reader Required)
--------------------------------------------
Harry Benjamin Standards of Care
Guide
Dramatic modern medical
and surgical advances have made it possible for the
gender-identity conflicts of intense transsexuals to be
fully corrected. By undertaking female hormone therapy
and undergoing sex reassignment surgery (SRS) to change
the genital sex, the body-sex can be altered to match
the neurological sex, thus solving the MtF transsexual's
gender incongruity.
 These
treatments are usually conducted under the guidelines
defined in the "HBIGDA Standards of Care, Version Six -
2001*" of the Harry Benjamin International Gender
Dysphoria Association.
Click to download:
Harry_Benjamin_SOC_v6.pdf
(185kb size - PDF Reader Required)
* The document can be be
ordered in print form from the following website http://www.hbigda.org/
|
