A Transgender person is an individual of any sex who from an early age manifests, thought’s characteristics, behaviours, or self-expression, which in their own or someone else’s perception, is typical of or commonly associated with persons of the opposite gender.
Yes. There is great diversity among transgender individuals. Various terms are used to describe segments of the transgender community. Some of these terms are transsexual, transvestite, Cross-dresser, Bi-gendered, Androgyne, drag queen, and male/female impersonator, etc. Each of these terms describes a distinct type of transgender person.
No definitive answer can be offered. Research suggests there is a biological basis for transgender behaviours but to what degree is unknown. Transgender people manifest their condition at different stages in their lives ranging from infancy to old age. This leads to the observation that biology (the brain) creates a capacity while nurture and individual choice may retard or accelerate the emergence or degree of transgender behaviour.
Most people including many TS’s feel that there were family problems whilst growing up, a parent wanted a girl, a lack of a father figure. Or they were dressed in clothing of the opposite gender. Some feel that TS’s are simply confused.
Only limited research has been carried out to determine the causes of gender and sexuality of the brain and genetics. Some of the findings are a starting block to a ‘real’ medical reasoning instead of a societal one.
The first and the most recent study was done by a Dr. Swaaab of the Netherlands bain bank . He took post-mortem brains and examined them slice by slice to define differences in males and females. Eventually, he encountered one.
He discovered a region of the brain called “the central subdivision of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis” or BSTc for short. It’s a tiny structure in the hypothalamus of the brain that seems to be linked to gender identity. This section is bigger in men than it is in women by about 44 percent. The amazing thing he discovered is that in male-to-female transsexuals, the BSTc has female size, and in female-to-male transsexuals, it has male size. The size of this structure in the brain doesn’t seem to be affected by hormonal changes, aside from perhaps during foetal development.
This research suggests that gender is determined in the brain prenatally. However, the sample of transsexual brains was small, limited to ten, mainly due to the difficulty of finding undamaged post-mortem brain tissue. Due to the sample size, most view this research as interesting, but highly inconclusive. This research would need to be repeated and carried out on a larger scale before it would be considered conclusive.
Recent research has been conducted at UCLA. Dr. Eric Vilain has been researching human genetics and how they affect prenatal development before hormones. He and his team have discovered 54 genes that link to gender. Before this discovery, it was believed that hormones did everything in distinguishing the body between males and females. However, these genes are activated before the SRY gene switches on. That’s the gene responsible for the testosterone hormone wash in the Y chromosome.
Of the 54 genes, 18 were produced at higher levels in the male, and 36 were produced at higher levels in the female. This research could help to determine where the transgender phenomenon comes from. It may have everything to do with why transsexuals report feeling that they were born in the wrong body. As of now, the research continues and I am sure that eventually, we will find that answer. It is just a matter of medical interest then the transgender community may have a solid base in society.
No one knows what the population of transgender people is because there is no means of identifying and counting them. The evidence suggests that many transgender people hide their condition to avoid discrimination and abuse by others. However, transgender people are found in every society and culture, and every country, from the most primitive to the most advanced. And, transgender people have been present throughout human history.
Literary references to transgender people abound. In the latter half of the twentieth century, the visible population of transgender people has increased into the millions worldwide. The evidence suggests that transgenderism is but another facet of the diverse human condition.
Under the provisions of the Americans for Disabilities Act (ADA), transgender people are not considered to be disabled solely based on their transgender status. Transgender people are not considered to be medically at risk by their status.
Transgender people may be diagnosed by the psychiatric profession under the provisions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV), American Psychiatric Association, 1994. However, the vast majority of transgender people do not require a psychiatric diagnosis or treatment and are not regarded as mentally ill or incompetent solely due to their transgendered status. The inclusion of transgender people in the DSM-IV is subject to periodic review. Just as homosexuality was removed from an earlier DSM, it is possible that transgender will also follow.
There is no known cure or course of treatment that reverses the transgender person’s manifestation of the characteristics and behaviours of another gender. Transgender people have, at times, been subjected to many types of therapy such as electric shock, aversion (applying physical pain to condition response), drug, and other procedures. None of these “cures” have succeeded. Many such “cures” have been painful and dehumanizing for the victims.
Are transgender people homosexual, bisexual or heterosexual
The sexual orientation of transgender people may be homosexual, bisexual, or heterosexual.
Are transgender people subject to discrimination and denial of their human rights? Are they subjected to hate crimes and bashing incidents
A: Transgender people face discrimination in the workplace, in housing, healthcare, military service, prison, and society at large. Many transgender people are unemployed or under-employed by their status. Except for a few jurisdictional jobs, transgender people are not protected by law. Because of their “visible” behaviour and choice of attire transgender people are frequently subjected to verbal and physical abuse by other citizens, leading in some cases to the loss of life. In the U.S.A. such hate crimes are currently not reported statistically as crimes perpetrated against transgender people.
First, simply offer a family member you are disclosing, your continued love and support. Secondly, educate yourself as much as possible about ‘being transgender’ and concerns. Thirdly, with the help and support of a another, try to “come out” to other family members and friends who will hopefully give their full supportive.
