Kickin' Knowledge-Transsexualism 101

I've been writing this TransGriot blog for almost three years and it just occured to me that I haven't written a post breaking down the basics of what transsexuality is (or isn't).

So ring the bell, school is about to be in session.

There will be a pop quiz after I'm done ;)

In order to understand what a transperson goes through, I'll have to get four basic concepts across to you loyal TransGriot readers. Those concepts are: gender assignment, gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation.

To get this party started, I'm going to ask you TransGriot readers four questions.

1-What was the gender/sex you were assigned at birth?

2-Do you personally recognize yourself as a male or a female?

3-Do you express yourself in a predominately masculine or feminine gender role?

4-Do you find men or women sexually attractive?

The answer you gave to the first question is your gender assignment.

The answer you gave to the second question is your gender identity.

The answer you gave to the third question is your gender expression.

The answer you gave to the fourth question is your sexual orientation.

Gender assignment relates to the day you were born. The doctor took one look between your legs to see if you had the hole or the pole. You are declared male or female and checking M or F boxes on forms based on that cursory examination, your birthdate and other criteria to establish what becomes your legal identity.

Gender identity is simply your internal sense of which gender team you belong to, the boys or the girls. It starts developing as early as 2 to 3 years of age.

Gender expression is how we present ourselves to the world. It's how we use the culturally defined characteristics of male or female based on clothing, speech patterns, body decorations and body language. Sometimes male or female peeps will blend characteristics from the opposite gender androgynously.

Sexual orientation is simply whether you are gay, straight or bi.

One major point I want to get across is that your sexual orientation and your gender identity are two separate and distinct issues. I know some transwomen who are still attracted to women, some transmen who still like guys and vice versa. There are even some who like both or some who could give a rat's anus about sex period. (but that's a discussion I'll save for another post)

Gender identity is assumed to be consistent with our birth gender/sex assignment. In other words, if you're born with a penis, society expects you to develop a male gender identity. If you're born with a vagina, society expects you to develop a female gender identity.

However, there are some of us that don't fit that assumption. Some peeps born with male genitalia grow up developing a female gender identity. Conversely, there are peeps with female genitalia who grow up developing a male gender identity. There are also peeps with ambiguous genitalia called intersexed people. (and that deserves another separate stand alone post as well.)

That mismatch is what medical professionals calls "transsexualism". The peeps with this medically diagnosed issue are called transsexuals.

TRANSSEXUAL FEMALES
(male-to-female transsexuals, transsexual girls/women, transwomen)

born with a male body
assigned as male at birth
have a female gender identity

TRANSSEXUAL MALES
(female-to-male transsexuals, transsexual boys/men, transman)

born with a female body
assigned as female at birth
have a male gender identity

While no one knows the exact cause of transsexualism, current medical knowledge, the weight of scientific research and accumulated evidence leans towards a biological cause with many contributing factors.

One theory is that during a crucial stage of fetal development, the brain undergoes a hormone wash that masculinizes or feminizes the brain. If there's an abundance of testosterone you end up with a male brain. If there's minimal testosterone you develop a female brain.

Autopsies performed on deceased transwomen over the last decade have increasingly verified that their brains are equivalent in size to genetic female brains. The reverse is true for transmen.

Transsexuals have a deep and overwhelming desire to reject the gender to which they were assigned at birth. They wish to live their lives as members of their perceived gender identity, express it and be socially recognized as how they perceive themselves.

Gender transition is the journey we undertake to make that happen. The process can start at an early age or when people are older.

It includes taking on a name associated with the opposite gender, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to develop secondary sex characteristics, surgical procedures to further feminize or masculinize one's body and legally changing one's documents to reflect their gender identity on their identification papers, and dressing and presenting oneself in the manner associated with the opposite gender.


Some urban legends about transsexuality are:

*A transwoman is a male homosexual who wants to be a woman and a transman is a lesbian who wants to be a man.

A gay male has a masculine gender identity and a lesbian has a feminine gender identity. Gay males are attracted to other gay males and lesbians are attracted to other lesbians.

I repeat, gender identity and sexual orientation are two different issues. Don't get it twisted.

*A transwoman is a cross dresser.

While we both wear feminine clothing, we do it for different reasons. Crossdressers enjoy or maintain their masculinity and dress for fetishistic or other reasons. A transwoman rejects masculinity and is wearing feminine clothing to match her gender identity.

*A transsexual is just someone who has undergone sex reassgnment surgery.

Contrary to popular beliefs, transsexuals are not just people who have already had SRS. Some transsexuals for medical or financial reasons are unable to have surgery. A transmen's surgical options aren't as satisfying to them, are expensive and they often forgo them. SRS is just one option available to a transperson who wishes to have their physical body match their gender identity.

Class is dismissed. ;)