Transgender in the media

There's been a monumental amount of stuff in the media lately about transgender, but particularly since one state's Family Court made the decision to allow a young f2m transsexual to begin hormonal transition to their desired gender. Most responses I have seen to this case have expressed concern at the decision. Thinking of Alex's distress (Alex is a pseudonym) I can only laud their decision. I made a response to an article that appeared in The Sun Herald and on-line in the Sydney Morning Herald at the following address:
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/04/17/1082140123051.html

I respond to what I perceive as underlying misconceptions in the stance of the author, who while sincere, appears unabashedly hetero in some of her viewpoints. Have a look at my response below:

Dear Miranda,
I read your article 'Little boy lost' with interest. The experience of being 'gender different' is a difficult situation for all people, but especially when you are young. As a young person, often your views of life and self are deemed immature, confused and not entitled to full consideration. You are subject to the judgments and decisions of the adult world. The pressure to conform is immense: at school and also in the family environment where everyone has a 'role'; to opt for a contrary path -- contrary to that perceived to be 'right' by adult relatives, teachers, churchfolk (if you're religious) and peers is a brave choice. This is true also for young gays and lesbians. Not everyone in our culture turns out to be straight, married, with 2.4 kids. Likewise, not everyone in our culture completely identifies with being 'boy' or 'girl' based on a decision that was made without our consultation in the moment of arrival on this planet in a hospital ward. Judgments are constantly made from this point on, based purely on genitals.

All children exhibit differences, but differences in the area of gender (that is, a boy who doesn't act or feel like a boy, a girl who seems more interested in being a boy or doing boy things) are deemed a major cause for concern. It so happens that a certain number of young people feel quite firmly that they belong to a gender contrary to that assigned to them. Why should this be beyond the realm of possibility? We all know kids who from a very early age exhibit a strong gender identity e.g. my nephew Luke from age 3 wanted everyone to know he was a 'big boy' and should be treated as such. Similarly, the case of Alex demonstrates that the strong sense of gender identity starts early. The difference here being that his is a gender identity unexpected by those around him, but it is an expression that likewise is honest and true to himself.It's society's expectations and dictates that make life hard for people who are gender different. In the same way that not everyone is straight in this world (or will grow up to be straight), gender identity shows a lot more diversity than 'biology' would suggest. Miranda, I want you to know that sexuality and gender do not necessarily emerge in the individual following predictable lines. The Family Court has shown wisdom and understanding in Alex's case and should be applauded.

One section in your article troubles me, and as such I must address it: 'Later I heard she had been to Belgium and had the operation but was not happy. After her penis and testicles were removed and a sort of female genitalia fashioned, she found herself inexplicably attracted to women.' A vast majority of people who transition to another gender and have this surgery report being happy. We don't hear these cases because many people choose to 'blend in' to society as far as possible. Did you also know that about a third of all male-to-female transsexuals end up identifying as lesbian? About half express a bisexual attraction. The motivation to change sex is not necessarily guided by a heterosexual imperative. Your friend P was probably surprised to discover this in herself because many doctors in gender clinics expect that in conforming to the new gender role, the individual who seeks a sex change will be heterosexual in that new role. WRONG! As I said above, sexuality and gender show more diversity than the biology model would suggest. The biology model is, in fact, not 100% scientific 'truth'; it is socially-determined, i.e. what we interpret and make of biology. The oppressive argument against gays and lesbians used to be that we do things contrary to nature, an idea which naturalises heterosexuality and heterosexual sex. But sex and sexual identity are more than simply about the need to reproduce, right? Humans have desires and gender dispositions that go further than either/or, Miranda. I recommend that you continue investigating the issue. There's a lot of myths in culture about being transgendered. Perhaps have a look at Finding the Real Me: True Tales of Sex and Gender Diversity by Tracie O'Keefe (Editor), Katrina Fox (Editor) One of the biggest myths is that transgendered people are perpetually unhappy, self-destructive and confused people. But many find happiness and fulfilment post-transition. Have a look at Lynn Conway's webpages and I guarantee you'll be surprised.

http://ai.eecs.umich.edu/people/conway/TSsuccesses/TSsuccesses.html

Sincerely, Vek Lewis.