But again, I wanted to respond:
Physically no, you're right. But the point is to help a transsexual person live with their dysphoria, and while the knowledge of one's history and biology really, REALLY sucks, assuming the correct gender-role and appearance does help alot since humans form a large part of their identity through a phenomenon known as "reflection", which is basically just where other people perceive you the way you perceive yourself.GreyWolf wrote:I don't know... Having a sex change op makes about as much sense (and is about as natural to me) as an op to change your skin pigment. You are born the way you are born, and no amount of surgery will be able to make you into a genuine female, and completely hide your true identity.
Just for interest, there are actually many women out there who are chromosomally male - XY, but are born and develop female. They have an intersex condition called Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (AIS), which makes their bodies totally unreceptive to testosterone. Since all foetuses start out female, they simply never differentiate and stay female. Usually they'll only find out they have AIS when they hit puberty and fail to menstruate. (since most don't have a womb) Even that is not universal. All AIS women are sterile though, and that's usually where they find out - when they go for fertility treatments.
As a final note, apart from XX-female and XY-male, there are about 17 other chromosomal intersex types - XXY, XO, XXX and variations that occur fairly commonly aside from purely physical or endocrine intersex conditions - those push the number of distinct "sexes" as such up into the 50's. One in about 100 people is born intersex, and incidences are rising due to endocrine disrupting chemicals like DDT, Diethyl Stilbetrol, Bisphenol A and various others
Gender Identity and sexuality have little if anything to do with one another, though they are both seated in the hypothalamus and seem to be impacted by the same endocrine disruptors and stresses, but based on other factors such as genetics and stuff, a foetus develops either homosexual, or transgender, or both.Whats even more confusing to me are transexuals who insist they are not gay. I am sorry but that is just a set up for mysery, because I do not know of any single male heteroselxual (apart from Jamin) who would chose a transexual over a real female.
Most trans people actually end up alone, and while they're as prone to loneliness as anybody else, it's a sacrifice they make willingly, because at the end of the day the old maxim of "You have to love yourself before you can really love other people" is very true. Gender Identity has todo with with your sense of yourself, of having that sense of self in line with your biology and how others perceive you. It has nothing to do with who you're attracted to.
Mina.