Transsexualism and Sex Change Operation
Gender identify is very important in dealing with life. This is the feeling of belonging to a particular gender, not only biologically, but also mentally and socially. Gender identity is very different from biological sex, which is basically decided on the basis of the sex organs. When a child is born, the doctors or nurses proclaim that it is a boy or a girl. This proclamation is based on the sex organs that are physical. From then on the childs destiny is decided either to live as a male or a female. The toys and other play things are acquired based on the sex. A boy receives toys like cars and guns, while girls get toys like dolls and kitchen set. The society has also decided what colors should be worn by boys and which ones are for girls. The boys will start wearing blue and the girls pink (Hausman, p 28). The gender-based differences continue to adulthood, and any person who fails to conform is labeled weirdo. Where the sex of a child is based on the sex organs that are visible between the legs, gender identity depends upon other complicated factors that have not been fully understood even by medical professionals. Researches carried out in this topic have not been able to convincingly discover the factors behind having different gender identity from the sex, the concept that is referred to as transsexualism. The fact is that the transsexuals are different from what their sex demands. They are not comfortable with being either male or females, and given the opportunity, they will change the way they are. This is the reason why they go for sex change operation to gain the identity that they are comfortable with and the one that they feel it is rightfully theirs (Davenport, p 123).
There is a strong feeling in transsexuals that they are physically different than they are emotionally and psychologically. They have a feeling that they are male or female trapped in the body of the opposite sex. They tend to have the feeling that they are condemned with the wrong sex. They also have the feeling that they are trapped in the wrong body. This feeling is sometimes so strong that a person feels that he or she has to do something to correct the injustice, or rather the mistake committed to them (Gurney, p 21). They undergo the operation to gain the gender they feel is rightfully theirs. Where a person is presented with the opportunity and the means to correct an injustice committed to him or her. There is no way that the person will let the opportunity pass. Medical advancements have made it possible to give these kinds of people their gender identity back. The innate feeling that something needs to be done for their lives to be the way they are meant to be is what drives them to seek sex change operation. It comes as a blessing to them after having had to contend with the gender that does not belong to them (Hausman, p 29).
Even from the time when they are young, transsexuals view themselves as being of the opposite sex. Children will tend to play with toys and other playthings that are from the opposite sex. If it is a boy, he will tend to play with dolls, teddies and other toys that are used by girls. Girls who are transsexual will prefer playing with toy cars, guns and toys that are usually for boys. They also tend to cross dress, that is, boys will prefer clothes for girls and vise versa. Cross dressing is one of the common indications of transsexuality (Denny, p 123). While playing and socializing, they will always tend to be comfortable with the members of the opposite sex. This is because they see themselves as having the same likes, dislikes and desires. This means that the feeling is nurtured from when they are young and goes on to maturity. Having had grown up viewing themselves as members of the opposite sex, they tend to be uncomfortable when they are mature and understands everything. They view the operation to change their gender as the only way out of their problem. The operation is seen as the only way to put them back to where they belong or rather to give them back their right gender role (Gurney, p 12).
Transsexuals always want to adapt the gender role of the gender that they identify themselves with. By being reassigned the gender that their sex determines, they feel that the community is unfair to them (Currah, Juang, and Minter, p 23). The society assigns these roles depending on the physical sex of an individual. A boy will be assigned gender roles for males and girl female gender roles. Transsexuals feel that this is unfair because things are supposed to be the opposite. They view the society as being unfair and insensitive to their needs. They will therefore undertake the operation to obtain the gender role that they feel is rightfully theirs (Rathus, p. 32).
Transsexuals tend to have sex preferences for members of the same sex. Despite the fact that this happens, they are not the same as homosexuals. A homosexual is an individual who has sexual desires with a member of his or her own sex. The homosexual is comfortable with the way he or she is and has no desire for any changes. The transsexual sees herself as a male or the opposite. Therefore when having a relationship with a female, she views her female persona as having a proper relationship, that is, with a female (Rosario, p 22). Despite his own feelings, this is not what the society views the relationship. People do not understand that the person is a transsexual and not a homosexual. As a result, the society tends to put them in the same category. They receive the same kind of stigma and detestation in societies that do not condone homosexuality. As a result transsexuals ends up taking the only easy way out, that is, changing their gender through sex change operation. In changing their sex, they have the moral authority to have relationships from the opposite sex (Davenport, p 93).
There is an argument that some individuals who go for sex change operation are not actually transsexuals. This means that they do not suffer gender identity disorder. These are mostly homosexuals who cannot cope with the fact that they are homosexual. The other category is that of cross-dressers. They are those who feel comfortable dressed like opposite sex, and with time get confused. However, it is worth noting that there are transsexual people who are comfortable with dressing like members of the opposite sex. Medical reports have also claimed that there are people with other psychological conditions who will want to undergo sex change operation despite the fact that sex change operation is a successful surgery, medical experts have argued that people who have the feeling that they need they gender transformed and are not transsexuals should not be allowed to do so (Johnson, para 3). This is because the operation to such people is expected to have negative repercussions. This argument supports the fact that people have mixed or rather confused feelings about their gender and can end up basing their decisions for surgery to such feelings. Nevertheless, supporters of sex change operation claim that, due to the fact that transsexualism is an emotional as well as a psychological condition, and also due to the fact that there is successful way of diagnosing transsexuality, it is possible that these feelings are related to transsexualism. From this argument, as long as a person is mentally stable, claims of transsexualism should be handled as so (Brown and Rounsley, p. 31).
Transsexuals have the innate desire to get rid of the genitalia that they are born with, not only to gain gender identity, but also self-esteem and confidence. People, who are not comfortable with the way they are, fail to have confidence in relationships and while socializing. Even as young children, they are not comfortable with socializing with the children with the same sex, but the opposite. This is not what is expected by the society. The society expects boys to act as boys and girls as girls. Due to this, they are left confused, because they cannot comfortably suit in any group (Johnson, para 2). If it is a boy, he will not be fully accommodated by girls because they will view him as a weirdo, and in the other group he has restricted himself for feeling that he does not belong. As a result, the transsexual person lacks confidence and losses his or her self-esteem. They feel that to regain this and be able to comfortably fit in the social group that they deserve, they need to correct their sexuality. After the correction of their sexuality through sex change operation, they are able to identify themselves with a group that they believe they belong to. As a result, they regain self-esteem, identity and confidence (Rathus, p. 34).
There are some transsexual people who have argued that gender identity disorder should be removed from Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) (Johnson, para 6). By being on this document, this is problem is treated as a disease like any other psychological disease. This is because transsexualism is not a disease as many of the mental experts have labeled it. Before considering sex change operation, transsexuals are taken through a series of psychological tests. Transsexual people claim that this should not be the case as they do not view themselves as being sick. They simply present themselves to the experts expecting a simple mistake that led them to have the wrong gender, corrected. The issue should not be treated as a disease, but simply as a natural trait, that should be corrected without a fuss. Transsexuals feel that the gender identity being treated as a disorder, has led the experts to coming up with a variety of models of transsexualism, for example Ray Blanchards model, that they have the feeling that it excludes some of them. Due to this some of them can fail to go through the much needed operation, hence compounding the injustice (Seton, p 93).
As already seen, a transsexual will start behaving differently from norm at a very early age in life. The society labels them weirdoes because they are different from what the mainstream society expects the society basis the description of sex or gender on the sex organs. It is as a result of this that the society, stigmatizes transsexualism. Stigma and discrimination in transsexualism is mostly related to cultural beliefs and religion. This is because of the cultures will find it hard to accept people who changes gender roles. In religion, it is related with the religion plan of the creator or the giver of life. It is with a purpose that he makes one either a man or a woman and therefore everyone should be comfortable with it. There have been campaigns not to have sex change operation legalized as the society believes it is not right and morally correct. The transsexuals believe that it is unfair that they are trapped in a wrong body, and thus correcting this injustice is their right (Seton, p 78).
People who apply for sex change are people who are convinced that this is what they want and that it is what is good for them. Medical experts have required that these people prove that this is really what they want. Sex change is a personal issue and every person has a right over his free-will decisions concerning his life. This is in line with the argument that sex change operation should not be made such a difficult procedure. In many countries this procedure is being carried out successfully and these people have always felt that they should be allowed to do it. This is the rationale behind the campaigns to authorize sex change operation and making it a simple procedure for people who wants it (Brown and Rounsley, p. 34).
Conclusion
The paper is a discussion of the reasons why transsexuals desire sex change operations. It is evident from research that the main causes of gender identity disorder are not apparent. Medical professionals have not been able to come up with the clear causes of the issue. However, whatever the causes, it is clear that this is a major problem as to warrant sex change operation. Many people undergo this operation for various reasons. The reasons are social, emotional, or psychological. Transsexuals are troubled with the fact that they are trapped with a gender that does not belong to them. They detest the gender that they are trapped with, and feel uncomfortable for not being the way they feel that they should be. It is for this reason that they choose to undertake the surgery.
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