Mummy, why is that man wearing a dress?
From Mod Mania
Mummy, why is that man wearing a dress?
An analysis on transgender society as a form of modification
I’ve never been clear on the difference between a Transgender, Transsexual, Cross-dresser, Transvestite, Androgyne, drag queen or king etc., so naturally one would use the subject as inspiration for a Mod Mania essay. I have never really had an opportunity to have a deeper understanding the transgender community and feel that it’s important to inform oneself of these topics, and others because transculture not only touches on physical modification but emotional and psychological that is much more profound then adding a spoiler to your Pulsar (not directed at you Boff). So, I will be researching the often controversial (perhaps not so much in current times?) and, to many, unacquainted issue of transculture in regards to modification through brief exploration of the mental and the physical.
Transgender as described quite aptly by Transgender Victoria Inc. is “an umbrella term used to describe all those whose gender identity is at odds with their biological sex. This includes Transsexuals and Crossdressers”. Transgenderism is largely manifest through sexual orientation and sexuality (which however is not necessarily related to gender identity which is experienced by Transgender individuals). I use sexuality as a means for describing the most cathartic point in a Transgender individual, and so the most prevalent in many anecdotes I have researched. Sexuality is a deeply private and personal aspect in itself, so one could imagine the changes, bewilderment and perhaps difficulty experienced by a Transgender individual when coming to terms with their sexuality during the sensitive and developmental stage of puberty. This difficulty is perpetuated by the common first world perception of sexual relationships experienced, rudimentarily, by the coupling of man and woman. Through reading anecdotes of Transgender individuals, be it Homosexuals or Transsexuals it is apparent that this time of learning about ones identity is the most impressive, and one of the most change, hence modification, but not necessarily in the physical sense.
DISCUSSION OF PSYCHOSOMATIC CHANGE OF TRANSGENDER INDIVIDUALS
One anecdote by a Transsexual by the name of Jay tells of their experience growing up to discover their identity and describes how these changes are evident through curiosities with practices of the opposite sex and notes that this doesn’t necessarily need to follow the stereotypical idea of a little boy playing with dolls rather than trucks : “During late high school I tried on some of mum's clothes and was busted with a bra of hers which I had been stuffing with socks in one of my drawers…”, and also through sexuality: “At that point, rather than simply being fixated on what it would be like to have sex with a girl, I fixated on what it would be like to have sex as a girl.” Puberty as an integral juncture in a Transgender individual is reinforced in a very informative and easy to understand article provided by PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) “Puberty can be a critical time for all teenagers, but most especially for trans youth. Young bodies rapidly mature into distinctly male and female forms. Clothing styles emphasize these changes and adolescents develop an awareness of their sexuality. Any discomfort trans youth feel with their gendered appearance will become very apparent to them”
Another story of a transvestite named Diedre interviewed by Douglas DuHamel describes her experience during teens, also very interested in female “inclinations”: “..for a period of two years before I left home I constantly wore female clothes when I was with my sister. I would make any excuse to go to her place and of course she would help me out with excuses. So this brought me and my sister closer together. I guess I expressed it by not playing with the guys, and playing with the girls a lot. I became very interested in girl activities such as sewing, knitting, became very studious. I would read anything that I could get my hands on that had anything to do with makeup and clothing.”
Many Transgender individuals describe their emotional journey as innate, that the way their body looked did not reflect their emotional state throughout their life, however the distress emanating from that is as prevailing as that initial innate feeling and is described in the article by PFLAG: “Everyone who is transgender experiences a certain amount of discomfort with their gender-identity. When this discomfort is obvious it is called gender dysphoria.” Gender dysphoria is the most familiar emotional change and can be depicted as literally being uncomfortable with one's assigned gender.
Another psychosomatic obstacle is coupled with the wanting to be of the opposite sex, and that is to hide it. Often Transgender individuals continue to try and conform to the societal blueprint and in effect become depressed. It is all too familiar the shame that follows the clearly instinctual feeling of Transgender individuals, and through research I have found studies that have shown consistently of a particular bed of nucleus of the “stria terminalis” (BSTc) (which is a brain area that is essential for sexual behavior) is larger in men than in women and that a female-sized BSTc was found in male-to-female transsexuals. The size of the BSTc was not influenced by sex hormones in adulthood and was independent of sexual orientation which consequently shows a female brain structure in genetically male transsexuals. This supports the theory that gender identity develops as a result of an interaction between the developing brain and sex hormones.
The above examples of speak of negative characteristics of experiencing and accepting transgender maturity, but there is also often a relief for those who have realised what is almost “missing”. Consistently through the narratives of Transgenders, it has been the final “coming-out” and knowledge of their identity that brings peace and reprieve. Current culture is far more embracing than in the past, especially with awareness programs and support groups as well as uninhibited Transgender communities to boot. Most transsexuals assert that their brain-based inner perception of their sexual self, their identity, is who they really are, and so change their physical sex in an effort to be on the outside as they feel they are on the inside, which leads me to baahm baah baaahm….
DISCUSSION OF PHYSICAL CHANGE OF TRANSGENDER INDIVIDUALS
The more familiar side to Transculture is that of sex reassignment surgery to harmonise their physical bodies with their internal reality. This is a surgical procedure in which, even though it is quite self explanatory, a “..physical appearance and function of their existing sexual characteristics are altered to resemble that of the other sex.” (Definition provided by Wikipedia, references below). The term to describe a Transgender individual having undergone this surgery is called a Transsexual. Not every Transgender individual chooses this surgery and has actually been categorized into three groups believe it or not! They are described as follows as provided by PFLAG:
Non-operative (“non -op”): People who either do not want, cannot afford, or forhealth reasons cannot risk SRS (Sex Reassignment Surgery) to change their primary sex characteristics. They may or may not take hormones of the opposite gender to alter their secondary sex characteristics.
Pre-operative (“pre -op”): People who are preparing for but have not had SRS.
This term covers people from the time they have begun the process of reassignment to the time just before the actual surgery.
Post-operative (“post -op”): People who have undergone SRS and continue to take hormones, often for the rest of their lives. These people may identify as male, female, female-to-male (FTM) transsexual or “transmen,” male-to-female
(MTF) transsexual or “transwomen,” etc.
There is also an availability of hormone therapy which affects such areas as voice and hair. From male-to-female Transsexuals, oestrogen is used to enlarge the breasts and change the distribution of body hair, but does not raise the voice pitch or keep facial hair from growing (this is achieved through electrolysis). Male sex hormones, called androgens, are given to female-to-male transsexuals and suppress menstruation, promote growth of body and facial hair and is also able to deepen the voice pitch.
Surgery is a major undertaking for any individual and can pose many risks, but plays a major role in completing the journey for many Transgender people. There are a lot of social and mental adjustments to make as their body shifts to what feels proper to them, and it can take years to truly begin to feel some normalcy out of this experience.
I would have to conclude that Transgender individuals and especially Sex Reassignment Surgery are probably the most awesome modifications ever because they require an immense amount of courage and respect for oneself to acquire. To know oneself is most sincere understanding.
By Lardlara
REFERENCES:
-http://www.transgendervictoria.com/ -http://antijen.org/jeri/ -http://www.bmezine.com/news/edit/A61009/arttrans.html -http://www.heartcorps.com/journeys/ -http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache:o_niTWbT6YAJ:www.pflagcanada.ca/pdfs/trans-myself.pdf+emotional+journey+transgender&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=9&gl=au&client=firefox-a -http://womensrights.suite101.com/article.cfm/transgenderism_in_teens -http://www.symposion.com/ijt/ijtc0106.htm -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_reassignment_surgery
