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I am female. I have personal beliefs that say that "everything happens for a reason," and I believe in karma . . . so I would not view being born transgender as being a mistake of any kind, and that includes brain wiring. I would think in Buddhist countries acceptance would be a big principle that would be understood in a way Americans do not understand the issue.
Of course people are free to chop off their arms . . . and they can probably find a doctor to put their feet on the top of their heads . . . that doesn't mean it should be done just cuz it can be done.
And I think the DSMIV is a complete joke and believe me, I have studied it.
I think this "problem" is a spiritual problem and that if there is no acceptance then it manifests into an emotional and psychological problem . . .
When I was a kid, I had no concept of "what I was." When the family and culture treated me as a girl, I accepted that. If they had treated me as a boy, I might have accepted that as well. I don't know. When people say they "feel like a woman," does that mean they like having their hair done, wearing make-up and heels? Cuz those are all cultural preferences and have nothing to do with femaleness . . . femaleness is about the ability to bear children and lactate and no one is going to be able to give a genetic male enough hormones and surgery to make that possible.
Ok, then as you said above you believe that to be a woman is to be downgraded in the eyes of society. No argument there. But some may still want that choice. I, personally, wish I would have been born a male, but not to the extent I am going to dress like one or want a sex change operation, but it still doesn't change the fact I wish I'd been born one. Now, if my brain were a bit more wired that way, who knows what might happen?
I don't believe the DSM is a joke at all, as I don't believe mental illness is a joke at all. While psychiatry is in its infancy, and it's still hit or miss, thank God for the drugs that allow a schizophrenic to stop hearing voices or the mood stabilizers that prevent manic and depressive wild swings. Without some sort of "book" to document these brain disorders, it would be awfully hard to know which meds are most likely to result in the best outcomes. That is the whole idea in treating these brain disorders.
I think it's a shame that women would be viewed as baby making factories, but it is what it is. Someone has to perpetuate the human species but the men have a far easier job at getting the job done than women do.
What do you think denotes femaleness? I know for a fact that two features are the ability to become pregnant, give birth, and naturally lactate. What are other, strictly female markers or capabilities?
Neural structure for one- leading to a particular mental makeup which is more female (i.e. nurturing, more submissive, emotional.) Transsexuals display this btw- they think and act like the opposite sex much like gay people but to a far more extreme degree. Also genes obviously, but as i've explained previously that isn't black/white..
All humans have both male/female qualities as male is just a variation on female (all foetuses are female by default- the additional exposure of male androgenes in the womb makes the foetus male.) As a result gender is a spectrum with male at one end, female at the other and endless variation inbetween.
One more time: The only "emotional problem" I am talking about is that they are insisting on changing their core identities by chopping off their body parts." I DON'T THINK THERE IS ANYTHING WRONG WITH NOT FITTING IN ON THE TRADITIONAL GENDER IDENTIFICATION SCALE OF STRICTLY MALE OR FEMALE. YOU ARE WHAT YOU ARE AND IT IS FINE - JUST DON'T CUT ANYTHING OFF! THE WAY YOU CAME FROM THE FACTORY IS FINE.
The underlined is where you are wrong. They're not 'changing their core identity'. What they are doing is altering their bodies to fit that core identity. Sometimes "the way one came from the factory" is NOT 'fine'. Yes, some of them do feel fine with the body with which they were born, though it doesn't fit their core identity. Those are the ones who self describe as transgender. Such as an on-line friend of mine. She was born into a male body but has lived most of her life as a female, wearing dresses, make-up and jewelry. I've seen pictures of her and she's a beautiful woman. Unless you knew that she has a male body, you would never see it - you would see her as the female she considers herself.
But there are those who do feel the need to alter the body to fit that core identity and they should be free to do so. They are the ones that self identify as transsexual. And since that person's choice to have the surgeries has no effect at all on anyone's life but their own, I really cannot understand your objections to it.
Counseling is different than research studies. Counselors might just be looking for a paycheck or if they are transgender specialists, they might just be pro-surgery . . . I doubt many counselors would try to talk a person out of surgery, that wouldn't be their role . . . so they may not take the tactic that there is any pathologically based reason why the person wants the surgery. This is all hypothetical because I have no idea. Maybe some counselors will chime in or people who have had counseling will talk about whether or not trauma or psychological issues with the same sex parent were ruled out as unconscious motivations for the surgery.
Blah blah blah. Doctors, counselors, pharmacists all looking for their paychecks. There you go, you nailed the whole transgender issue right there. The whole thing is all about the benjamins. Good for you!
Sarcasm aside, the level of stupidity on this thread is immense. If someone makes the decision to have SRS then it is THEIR decision. It isn't right or wrong in general, it is right for them. It ultimately concerns no one but them and their families. If you don't like it then fine, make an effort to stay away from TG people, but FFS first open your damn mind and try and learn something. Approach anything with an open mind and some knowledge. Sitting back and chortling then saying they need to be locked up just demonstrates how stupid YOU are.
What a weirdo you are. Who said anything about anyone being locked up. I am done with this conversation. I only shared my viewpoint because I think there is some confusion about the issue of "acceptance" and body mutilation.
The climate now says it is fine to mutilate and some people will choose that route and of course, that does ultimately not affect me. I just wanted to make the case that if gay, lesbian, and transsexual, transgendered people want acceptance, it would seem to me to start in their own minds, with their own bodies, but whatever . . . and don't think greedy doctors aren't happy to slice and dice.
What a weirdo you are. Who said anything about anyone being locked up. I am done with this conversation. I only shared my viewpoint because I think there is some confusion about the issue of "acceptance" and body mutilation.
The climate now says it is fine to mutilate and some people will choose that route and of course, that does ultimately not affect me. I just wanted to make the case that if gay, lesbian, and transsexual, transgendered people want acceptance, it would seem to me to start in their own minds, with their own bodies, but whatever . . . and don't think greedy doctors aren't happy to slice and dice.
I'm a weirdo because I support the rights of TG people? Ok, I'll claim the word with pride.
And someone did say that TG people should be locked up, go back and read the whole thread.
People who have surgery do so for the express purpose of being able to accept their own bodies. If they were able to do so without surgery by singing kumbaya then I imagine they would.
Greedy doctors and pharmaceutical companies...I hope you don't need them for your care at some point in time. Be sure to ask them if they do their work out of altruism or a desire for money.
These trans-gender thingies are so weird and belong in a padded room with no windows.
You're born as a male or a female. There's no need to parade around in woman's clothes if you're a man and such.
Really, you work at a very professional corporate office building where the dress code is dress shirt and tie. Should you be expected to tolerate a man that has mental problems and wears a dress? How can that be taken seriously?
But that's defined by which society you live in. Shirt and tie isn't required at all office buildings. 200 years ago, make-up and wigs were common for Westernized men. What's defined as male and female isn't set in stone. If someone wants to live a certain way, isn't breaking the law and hurting anyone, then I don't really care.
Blah blah blah. Doctors, counselors, pharmacists all looking for their paychecks. There you go, you nailed the whole transgender issue right there. The whole thing is all about the benjamins. Good for you!
Sarcasm aside, the level of stupidity on this thread is immense. If someone makes the decision to have SRS then it is THEIR decision. It isn't right or wrong in general, it is right for them. It ultimately concerns no one but them and their families. If you don't like it then fine, make an effort to stay away from TG people, but FFS first open your damn mind and try and learn something. Approach anything with an open mind and some knowledge. Sitting back and chortling then saying they need to be locked up just demonstrates how stupid YOU are.
You quoted me above your retort and then you made the comment that indicated I said transgendered people need to be locked up and that is a blatant lie. I never said such a thing and I resent you sullying my remarks with your confusion about who said what. Next time be more careful when you quote someone and then make your remarks in the same post because it gives the impression I said something I did not say.
You quoted me above your retort and then you made the comment that indicated I said transgendered people need to be locked up and that is a blatant lie. I never said such a thing and I resent you sullying my remarks with your confusion about who said what. Next time be more careful when you quote someone and then make your remarks in the same post because it gives the impression I said something I did not say.
I said the level of stupidity ON THIS THREAD, speaking in generalities, and that does include your comments. It just happened to be your post that I quoted in my scree against the moronic statements being made here.
The problem is that you were born into a world where gender was just a black or white issue. It was a totally digital affair. However, these days we've become more educated and more aware of just what the word "gender" really means. It doesn't just mean your sexual gentalia. It also is associated with a certain set of behavioral and emotional standards which are usually established by the culture in which one lives.
Therefore, a woman is a woman not only because she has a vagina, a uterus, phallopian tubes, and ovaries, but she also has the universal feelings that most women get. She will exhibit behaviors that effeminate women are most likely to display within that culture and feel validated for doing so.
A man is man not just because he has a penis and testicles, but because he has certain feelings and emotions that are typified by the masculine man. He will feel more territorial when it comes to his woman, his children, and his possessions. He might feel more aggressive towards you if you accidently brush him in the supermarket or cut him off while driving. He may very well like to fight and meet physical challenges.
However Dockside, sometimes people have their physical sexual genitalia but they don't have the stereo-typical behaviors that usually come with the sex genitalia. They have the feelings and emotions of those members of the opposite sexual genitalia.
Actually Dockside, most people have a healthy mixture of feelings and emotions from both the stereo-typical male and female sides. It's just that for most part, the stereo-typical behaviors tend to gravitate towards the gender usually associated with that particular gender.
Some people behave totally like the opposite sex, yet they are heterosexual and dress in a manner that is well within the social realm of society's expectations. They don't know why they behave in the manner in which they do, but they just get criticized for it.
Life is complex Dockside. It takes a little more time to understand the little nuances that people exhibit without placing the "crazy" stamp upon their foreheads. We don't want to go around slashing peoples throats or bashing them in their heads just because they're different.
So yes, Dockside! We consider these types of behaviors to be grave encroachments upon the sanctity of human life. They are therefore, human rights violations!
Have A Nice Day!
Are you saying that certain types of feelings/emotions/behaviors are dependant on the gender of the person? That only "a man" or "a woman" acts a certain way, that certain emotions or actions are "masculine" or "feminine"? Are you saying aggressive behavior is limited to men? That passivity is a female trait? Sorry, but I don't buy that all men are fighting machines and women are nurturing and paternalistic.
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