A Layman's Guide to Gender Dysphoria – © Emma Michelle Martin (18th edition June 2007)
This guide is aimed primarily at people who are not themselves transgendered, but have an interest in the area of gender incongruence. This may be because they are a partner, friend, parent or child of a transgendered person, a caring professional or just interested or curious. It may also be of interest if you are yourself unsure of your own gender feelings. It does not attempt to be the 'be all and end all' of explanations, and although much of the following is generally agreed among professionals concerned with gender confusion, all opinions expressed are my own and should be treated as such. You may find some of my theories controversial. If they make you think twice, then they have served their purpose. I have tried to avoid technical language, terms and abbreviations wherever possible, but if there is anything you don't understand please contact me. I will also be happy to answer any questions that you may have, be they general or specific, to the best of my ability. Most of this paper concerns male to female transgendered people, but remember that this is not just a one-way condition.
Why would any man in his right mind want to dress in women's clothes?
Why do I hate the person I see in the mirror?
Why would any woman need to BE a man?
Why does my body seem wrong?
Lots of questions, but is there an answer? Oh dear, there's another question.
Well the answer is quite simple, as all answers ultimately are. The only problem is that no one knows for sure just what it is. There are many theories and even a couple of very likely explanations, but no guaranteed answers. Before tackling these, let's just add one more question that I can answer.
What's the difference between a cross-dresser, a transsexual person and an intersex person or is there no difference?
Index
Transvestism: A transvestite (TV or cross-dresser) is someone who gets enjoyment from dressing in the clothes normally associated with the opposite sex. It may be merely underwear, full clothing, or include makeup, wigs, jewellery and perfume. It is virtually entirely restricted to men. It does affect women but this is extremely rare. It is possible that this disparity is due to the far greater freedom that women have in dress and fashion. In the days before it was socially acceptable for women to wear trousers, although still rare, it was more common. Let's just try to explain male to female (MtF) transvestism.
What do they get from it? If you ask a hundred men the prime reason for their cross-dressing, the vast majority would say that it enables them to relax and get away from the stresses of everyday life. Many might also admit that they get sexual satisfaction from cross-dressing, and for some it is a combination of the two. The problem with the use of cross-dressing to obtain sexual satisfaction is that it can cause further problems. Why? As a man climaxes, whether self-induced by masturbation or in a gay or male-female relationship, the male hormones take over the mind. This produces a strong ‘maleness’, which in turn can produce a huge feeling of guilt and distaste to the transvestite about the female clothes that he is now wearing. This might be seen as an indication that they are actually transsexual or merely a guilt-induced feeling that they are gaining pleasure from doing something they feel is wrong. In the right circumstances however, cross-dressing can be a remarkable stress reliever.
Many cross-dressers go for ‘fantasy’ images in their dressing; nurses, French maids, skirts way too short, clothes far too young; and that is what cross-dressing really is, an escape from reality into a fantasy world for whatever reason
How many men does it affect? It is now commonly believed that as many as one in fifteen men have transvestic tendencies.
When does it start? It is generally recognised by the sufferer between the ages of 7 and 12 although this can be earlier or much later, even into adult life.
Can a cross-dresser be cured? Many cross-dressers will deny their feelings and go through periods of rejection where they throw away their clothes. This won’t get rid of the problem. The feelings, however far repressed, will return. I'm sorry, but transvestism is for life. There is actually nothing to ‘cure’.
Is it Illegal? In the UK, no. There is no law that forces a person to wear particular clothes. The only offence that a cross-dressed person can be arrested for is ‘Behaving in a manner likely to cause or incite a breach of the peace’.
Transsexualism: A transsexual person (TS) is someone who wishes to change the physical sex into which they were born. Note the fact that although the word transvestite is a noun, transsexual is an adjective. A person can be transsexual, but not A transsexual. That is like calling a black person A black. Transsexualism is a recognised clinical condition, legally now classed in the UK as a serious illness. It is more properly called Gender Dysphoria (or unease with, and dislike of your own physical sex) or Gender Identity Disorder (GID). More correctly perhaps it should be called Gender Incongruence, because it is in reality, incongruence between the physical sex and gender of a person. Transsexualism affects both sexes, but is again more common amongst men by a ratio of around 3:1. If not tackled, it causes deep depressions and is a frighteningly common cause of suicide. It could with some considerable justification be said that if ignored it is a fatal condition. It is quite possible for transsexual people to conceal the truth, even from themselves, for many years. It will, however, come out eventually.
How many people does it affect? It is thought that there are around 5,000 postoperative transsexual people in the UK as at year 2000, of which around 3,750 are MtF (Male to Female) and some 1,250 FtM (Female to Male). If you add to that an estimated 5,000 transsexual people who have not yet completed transition and the probable 10,000 to 15,000 who are still fighting and denying their true status then the figures become more realistic, 1 in 2000 for MtF and 1 in 6000 for FtM. Most transsexual people consider themselves; quite correctly; to have been born transgendered and therefore the commonly used terms of MtF and FtM are perhaps nowadays a little ‘politically incorrect’, and should be replaced by TtF (transgender to female) and TtM. I personally know 6 MtF people living in Cambridgeshire who had sex correction operations in the year 2000. Out of a population of around 300,000 males, and given that most people transition between the ages of 25 and 55, that equates to 300,000 / (6 x 30) = 1 in 1666. There are no official figures, but ‘research’ estimates vary dramatically by country, as do the percentages that are MtF and FtM.
When does it start? Probably around the third month of pregnancy. It is a condition that people are born with. It will normally be recognised by the person between 4 and 7 years old, but then be repressed due to shame, confusion, and often self-disgust. MtF transsexual people will often overcompensate for their feelings by trying to live macho lives, joining the police, the army or even the SAS.
What options are there? A transsexual person does not want to become female/male; a transsexual person needs to become female/male. It is not possible to change the brain, but it is very possible to alter the body. No TS can, at present, ever be a complete woman/man, but the physical appearance can be altered enough to allow them to live happily, including an active sex life, in the role which their minds see as natural. Perhaps with the recent success of ovary transplants and other medical advances, it may be possible for born men to conceive children and for born females to father children. This may sound horrific to an outsider, but to many transsexual people this would be the ultimate reality. A transsexual person has no choice. I have often been told that I am very courageous to go through transition. I am not brave and neither is anyone else who is truly transsexual. Is it brave to run from a burning building?
How do they fight the condition? As I’ve said previously, transsexual people, particularly MtF, will usually fight the condition, often for many years, before finally admitting it to themselves. The standard approach is to ‘prove’ to themselves that they are ‘men’. Many enter the services, frequently the most macho units such as the paras. They will often marry and have children. Sometimes they will allow themselves to believe that they are transvestites, after all, that’s controllable, but they will tend to give themselves away. They will be extremely depressed the day after dressing, whereas cross-dressers will often retain some of the ‘release’ they gained the previous day and will be happy to be back in their normal male selves. Or perhaps they will call themselves transgendered, refusing to use the terms transvestite or cross-dresser, because subconsciously they know it to be untrue. Many FtM transsexual people are able to accept the condition earlier in life. Perhaps the fact that it is more acceptable in our society to be a ‘tomboy’ than to be a feminine boy plays an important part in this difference.
Can a transsexual person get treatment on the NHS in the UK? Only a short while age I would have answered NO in most cases. It was entirely dependent upon the area in which you lived. I believe that this came from a total lack of understanding by the medical profession of the implications of transsexualism and the effect it can have upon both the sufferer and those close to them. It is one of the most likely conditions to prompt suicide. Surely this should have some bearing on whether it warrants NHS treatment; it is after all potentially life threatening.
However since the success in the courts against the NorthWest Lancashire health authority, transsexualism has been officially recognised as a serious illness. Illness is not in my opinion truly accurate. It is actually a condition that we are born with. Serious it most definitely is.
On the negative side, NHS treatment is still very slow. One girl was told, only a few years ago, that she would have to wait 15 years for surgery on the NHS. Fortunately the immense negative publicity against the authority that this attracted caused them to alter their minds about the timescale. Help given by GP’s is variable to say the least, even in the same practice. I personally was told by my GP “We don’t fund transsexuals” (note the use of transsexual as a noun!). He also admitted that he knew nothing about the condition … he clearly didn’t want to know anything either. Needless to say I changed my GP. My next GP readily gave me referrals for speech therapy and psychotherapy yet refused to allow me NHS prescriptions for seven months. I then moved to a GP in the same practice who is younger and much more open minded. Initially he knew little about transsexualism, but he was keen to learn. I hope that he is an example of a ‘new breed’ of GP’s. The NHS does not have a good track record with transsexual people. In the 60s they were using aversion therapy and producing a 0% success rate and apparently a 30% suicide rate! I myself was treated in the early 70s to two years of totally useless and very strange experimental group therapy that was suddenly stopped without warning or any offer of further help. I contend that it cost me 25 years of reality.
What about private treatment? That is more readily available and is a faster path to transition, but at a cost.
What treatment is required for MtF transsexual people? There are a number of areas where treatment is necessary, although not every case is the same.
Hormone therapy: The introduction of the hormones Oestrogen and Progesterone, and normally three months later the introduction of Anti-Androgens which stop the body producing Testosterone (chemical castration).
Electrolysis/Laser Treatment: Obviously this is a vital part of transition. The permanent removal of facial hair is essential. Body hair; on the other hand can be controlled by waxing, shaving. For FtM transsexual people, the introduction of male hormones will produce facial hair.
Psychotherapy/Counselling: As I’ve said previously this is a time of huge stresses and counselling or psychotherapy is an essential constituent of the treatment for most people. Counselling is also essential for partners and family of transsexual people but is rarely given.
Speech Therapy: Some people are satisfied with a self-modified voice, but if they wish to live successfully as women, it is vital that their voice is modified quite dramatically. Only supervised speech therapy and lots of practice can achieve this. I had some 25 hours of speech therapy before achieving a voice that I felt was acceptable. Few people get as much as this. FtM people will find that the voice ‘breaks’ with hormone therapy although they often end up sounding like stereotypical ‘gay’ males.
Deportment: Despite their feelings, some people have great difficulty producing believable female body language. This should be included in most cases. I was lucky as this came naturally.
Facial Reconstruction: The main area where this is important is in the shaving of the Adams Apple although other surgery such as nose and chin reshaping are common. This is however a high cost option and many people undergoing this surgery are disappointed by the results.
Breast surgery: The use of female hormones promotes breast growth, but in some cases this is very minimal. For these people breast implants may be important. For FtM transsexual people mastectomy early in treatment is a normal procedure.
Real Life Test (rlt): This is essential prior to surgery. It entails the person living in their chosen gender role for a period of time. Frequently 2 years under the NHS or more likely 1 year if treatment is private. The person has to prove that they can function in their new role, hold down a job (paid or voluntary work) and have a ‘normal’ social life. The idea is to weed out anyone who just can’t cope with the stresses. The hardest part here is holding down a job. Prejudices in the workplace often result in transsexual people being fired for no other reason than that they suffer from gender dysphoria although this is theoretically illegal.
What is the cost? Obviously these vary dramatically and not every MtF transsexual person will require such items as breast implants or wigs, but the figures below give you some idea of the cost. It’s not perhaps a huge amount for the NHS when compared to a lifetime of psychiatric treatment, but it’s a lot of money for an individual. Being somewhat cynical, I sometimes think that the NHS works on the basis that the ‘lifetime’ psychiatric treatment is very likely to be ‘short term’.
Electrolysis 100 to 400 hours at £25 = £2,500 - £10,000
Hormones £500 - £2000 dependant on time before GRS.
2 Wigs £100 - £500 per year
Speech Therapy 20 hours at £60 hour = £1,200
Trachial Shave (shaving of the Adams Apple) £1,500
Facial Feminisation £12,000 - £25,000
Breast Implants £3,000 - £7,000
Sex Correction Surgery MtF £8,000 - £10,000
FtM is far more expensive (around £35,000 - £50,000), is far more difficult and involves multiple operations.
New Wardrobe of clothes £?????
A total minimum cost of around £15,000+
Having surgery abroad used to make considerable savings although prices are now evening out. Sex correction surgery and a trachial shave with one of the best surgeons in the world cost me £4000 in Belgium (Aug 2000).
How successful is Gender Reassignment Surgery? Current estimates are that the long-term success rate is up to 95%. Higher than virtually any other form of surgical intervention.
Intersex: What on earth is that? It is a condition whereby a child is born neither completely physically male nor completely physically female. At its extreme it is hermaphrodism, but more commonly involves some male and some female physical characteristics and confusion of the genitalia (enlarged clitoris or micro-penis for example), or an abnormality of the chromosomes. Intersex children used to be rare, perhaps one in a hundred thousand diagnosed, but in the UK today the birth rate is according to some sources down to a frightening one in fifty! Why this dramatic increase? Two of the possible causes are environmental, and the fact that children survive today who years ago would have died, or even been put to death because of their abnormalities. Intersex is not limited to Humans. It is on the increase among Reptiles and has even been found recently in Polar Bears and Beavers. Intersex is usually tackled early in life and although every case is different, the normal route and that which is most easily achieved is toward the natural sex, female. This is not necessarily the best way. When asked by a BBC interviewer what I would do if I had an intersex child, I said that I would bring them up androgynously and see which way they veered naturally. This is gradually becoming the recognised ‘best method’ although Great Ormond Street Hospital still follow the now discredited idea of ‘early intervention’. It should be obvious to both the child and the parent what the correct route was by the age of 7 or 8. This would obviously be very difficult, but surely better than a surgeon deciding that the child was male or female? Imagine the life of an intersex child who had been categorised as female knowing in their mind that they were male or vice versa, and that that had been stolen from them! Current research is tending towards the likelihood that transsexualism is in fact an intersex condition.
Partners, Family and Friends: Perhaps the only thing that is worse than discovering that you are transgendered is discovering that your partner is transgendered. Suddenly you are presented with the fact that the man or woman you love and perhaps married likes to wear your undies, or even worse, has discovered his need to be a woman or her need to be a man.
Let's discuss the cross-dresser first. Your partner is still the same man you first met; in fact it's quite probable that it was his more gentle and understanding nature that drew you to him in the first place. You clearly have a number of fears. You now realise that he has been lying or at least hiding the truth from you. The man you love and trust hasn't told you the truth! Just think for a minute why this might be? Nine times out of ten it's the same reason - He is scared of you. And why is he afraid? Because he loves you as much as you love him. It is not right to mislead a partner, but this is one area where it frequently happens. It's a reason, but it's no excuse. Remember that he still needs the stress relief that he gets from cross-dressing and if he can’t carry on with your acceptance, he will either carry on without it or will become more and more depressed.
You are unlikely to discover that your partner is transsexual by accident. This is something that cannot be concealed for long. Once transsexual people have admitted the fact to themselves (and it is quite possible that it will have been concealed even from themselves for years) they are likely to feel compelled to tell you. This will either be because they wish to be out of the relationship, or because they desperately wish it to continue. Either way, concealing it from you will make them depressed to an extent that, if not acted upon, can easily lead to suicide. The shock of this revelation is likely to cause you great pain. You will almost certainly display all the signs of bereavement. But it is worse than that. For the man or woman you love is not just dying, they are deliberately destroying them self. The fact that a loving female or male companion may replace them is no consolation to you. After all, you are heterosexual. Had you wanted a partner of the same sex, you would not be with them in the first place. It may seem like an unsolvable problem. If they truly love you then it is certainly a 'no win' situation. They are likely to fight their need which will only make them more depressed, which will in turn make you more depressed, which will make them more depressed. And so it goes on. There is only one answer as far as I'm aware, and that is to accept the inevitable. If your love is greater than sex, then there is a chance that your relationship will, although drastically altered, survive. Most partnerships where one member discovers their transsexualism do, however, break up. Is your love deep enough to last through such an Earth shattering change? The older you are when the admission is made, the more chance you have of survival, but it is still pretty unlikely. Children in the marriage make survival much harder. About 95% of couples do split up.
Family and friends go through a similar bereavement process. The transsexual person will certainly loose some of the people who are the most important to them. They will basically just not be able to accept the change even though it is the only thing that will allow the transsexual person to survive. Transsexualism destroys families and friendships. You do, however discover who your real friends are.
Some men do continue to conceal their transsexualism from their partners and will even embark on hormone treatment without their knowledge. Personally, I cannot understand the logic here. Do they think that their partners are stupid and won't notice their developing breasts, altering shapes etc?
Non-Transsexuals: I had difficulty in thinking up a heading for this section. It attempts to answer the question, Would a man or woman wish to change sex for any reason other than transsexualism? What follows is purely my own opinion. I believe that there are a number of reasons why a person might want to take this path and these are some of the primary reasons why the ‘real life experience’ is of such importance.
Multiple Personality Disorder: If a dominant personality is male a woman may be tempted down this path. She would be unlikely to tolerate the adverse effects of hormone therapy and the difficulties of transition for long.
Failed Male: A man who feels that he has failed miserably as a man may seek to find an easier life as a female. He will soon discover that there is nothing easy about transition or being female, and is unlikely to complete the course.
Unaccepting Gay: A man, whose sexuality is homosexual, but through upbringing or other factors refuses to accept this fact. He is quite likely to take this all the way through to Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS) when his inherent homosexuality will suddenly become heterosexuality and therefore acceptable. The problem then is that he may feel he has been tricked into transition and with to revert.
Economic Transsexualism: This is rather controversial, but I believe that some of the dramatic differences from country to country in the percentages of MtF and FtM are accounted for by economic or socio-political reasons. For example why else would the rate be around 3:1 in favour of MtF in the UK, yet apparently 9:1 in favour of FtM in China?
Summary: I hope that I have been able to explain the basic differences between transvestism, transsexualism and Intersex. There are, of course, many similarities and it is not always easy to know for sure which category a person falls into. After all, Intersex is gender confusion on a physical level, but then surely so is transsexualism. Just because the brain can't be seen from the outside, doesn't mean that the differences are not physical.
Having explained these three major types of transgenderism; and I have deliberately limited myself to these three as they are the ones I know most about; perhaps I should expel a couple of myths and then go on to try and answer the questions at the head of this article.
He wears women's clothes, so he must be gay! This is very far from the truth. Cross-dressers are no more likely to be gay than are non-cross-dressers. Remember; cross-dressers and transsexual people are as they are partly because of their dislike of their own sex. It is true that many MtoF transsexual people will wish to develop a relationship with men after, or even before, undergoing surgery, but this is often due to the massive doses of female hormones received and is hardly the same thing as homosexuality as they now see themselves as women. Having said this, a large percentage of TV's and TS's, particularly those who gain sexual satisfaction from their cross-dressing, will indulge in fantasies which involve relationships with people of their own sex. Given the opportunity to turn these fantasies to reality, most would back out.
He is a pervert! Again not true. As previously explained transgenderism is a recognised clinical condition. You might just as well say that deaf people are perverts, or red haired people are perverts. They are in the minority for sure, but they are just another of the many differences that makes the human race so exciting and amazing. A transgendered person is no more likely to abuse your children or go off with another woman/man, than anybody else.
How much does the general public know of transgenderism? Well, perhaps a little more than they did a few years ago. The documentaries on the intersexual girl, Joella and ‘Paddington Green’ have presented accurate images of Intersex and transsexualism. I hope I have added a little to the general public’s understanding with my own TV and Radio appearances, and articles I have either written or been featured in. But … ask a hundred members of the general public to name a transvestite or transsexual person. How many will still reply Lilly Savage! The states above must never be confused with drag queens, which are invariably gay, and do not have the same feelings as any of the transgendered groups. There is still very little knowledge available. It is a sad reflection on the medical profession, but I have yet to meet a GP who knows anything about the condition.
Theories: Oh well that’s the easy bit done. Now for some of the theories and my personal opinion as to why people are transgendered.
Environmental:
Theory: Changes in the atmosphere due to pollution, global warming etc., have upset the balance and caused an inherent condition to become more common.
Argument for: The incidence of Intersex is on a mind-blowing increase that coincides with changes in the atmosphere in the last fifty years. Intersex conditions have been found in animals. Transgendered conditions are also on a sharp increase. Female hormones are used widely in food production and this increases both the amount that we take into our bodies through food and drink, and the amount in the atmosphere which we breath in.
Argument against: It's hard to argue against this theory, as there is physical proof, particularly in cases of Intersex. As far as transgender conditions are concerned, is it on the increase? Is it not just a case of it coming out of the closet and becoming acceptable, like homosexuality has done over the last twenty or so years?
Decline in Moral Standards:
Theory: The decline in moral standards has allowed 'perversions and fetishes' to become more acceptable.
Argument for: Things that were totally taboo 50 years ago are now standard front-page fodder for the tabloid press. There is far too much sex and violence on television, in films and in the media, and this makes the unacceptable, acceptable.
Argument against: There have always been transgendered people, and it is often more acceptable in countries where moral standards are high than it is in countries where they are low. One of Queen Victoria’s ambassadors to the USA was transvestite and often appeared in public wearing female attire. It’s not new.
Modern Stress Levels:
Theory: Stress in today's society is at an all-time high and people need an escape.
Argument for: The stereotype male role is to be a provider. To achieve this he must be aggressive and dominant. A way of escaping this stress, be it only temporarily, is to adopt the stereotype female role of subservience and gentleness. One of the countries where transvestism is most common is the ‘macho’ land of Australia. A country where it is relatively rare is the ‘anything-goes’ country Sweden.
Argument against: What about FtoM transsexual people? Are they looking for more stress? Wasn't the hunter/gatherer life style of our distant ancestors just as stressful, if not more so? What 'male type' stresses does a five-year-old have? (The age when most TS's realise that they are different from the 'normal').
Brain Differences:
Theory: The brains of TV's and TS's are different from non-transgendered people.
Argument for: The brains of men and women are actually very different in the way they work. It is now thought that transsexual brains are also different in makeup to those of 'normal' men. They are not the same as those of females, but do have many similarities. They are in effect somewhere between the two. To say that FtM transsexual people have the brain of men in the body of women would be wrong, but it is not a million miles from the truth. Research in recent years shows a marked difference between areas of the hypothalamus of MtF transsexual people and other males. They are much more like the hypothalamus of women. Those of gay, heterosexual and transvestite men are identical. It has also been shown that MtF transsexual people possess the same number of neurones in a part of the brain concerned with emotions as women, half of the number found in ‘normal’ men. The one FtM person in the research fell into the male range.
Argument against: There is very little argument against this theory, as it is based on post mortems. There have, however, only been a few such post-mortems. The ‘neurone’ research has excluded the effect transition.
Brain Wiring:
Theory: The brains of transsexual people are ‘wired up’ differently to ‘normal’ people. This may be connected with the theory above but is subtly different.
Argument for: It is quite amazing how many transsexual people work in the computer industry, particularly on the creative side. At least 15 of the world’s top computer games designers are MtF transsexual people. Is there something about the brain that makes these particularly visualistic people also transsexual? Is it the female element of their brain that allows their visualisation and creativity? Many cross-dressers also work in the computer industry. I formulated this theory in 1996 purely from people I knew. A few years ago, in discussions with Prof. Milton Diamond of the University of Hawaii he confirmed that the TS/Computer professional connection is occurring regularly in conversations that he is having around the world.
Argument against: This is my theory and it is therefore up to you to put up arguments against it.
Female is the Natural State:
Theory: The male sex was a mistake by nature that it is now beginning to correct. An evolutionary step is under way which will mean that the male sex in humans will be a thing of the past before 2200. I believe that evolution happens in sudden jumps (over a couple of hundred years) rather than gradual changes over millennia. OK, it’s ‘off the wall’ and I don’t really expect anyone to agree with me.
Argument for: There is really no need for human males in the world today. Science can maintain the human race without the need for males. The 'default' sex is always female but the sex of a child is not determined until a few of weeks after conception. The likely sex is dependant upon many factors such as hormonal balance in the mother, ambient temperature (a two degree temperature rise would mean that all alligators born in the Everglades would be female), and many others. Nature has a way of performing corrections to ensure that the Earth survives despite what we do to try and destroy it. Is it working towards eliminating the aggressive, destructive male (or perhaps just the maleness) from the human race?
Argument against: How do I explain Female to Male Transsexual people?
Unborn Twin:
Theory: It is now well known that many pregnancies start off as twins, but that one twin survives only for a very brief time.
Argument for: If a 'twin' fails to survive, would not the 'soul' or ‘mind’ seek refuge? Perhaps it is easy to find refuge in the other twin's brain?
Argument against: This is another of my theories so it is up to you to put up arguments against it.
Nurture:
Theory: The way a child is brought up can affect their gender identity.
Argument for: This is a theory proposed by Dr. Money in the USA many years ago. Bring a boy up as a girl and he will live happily as a girl.
Argument against: The cases used by Dr. Money to back his theory are now totally discredited. Nurture plays little or no part in forming transgendered feelings. My own belief is that nurture is actually likely to cause an opposite affect and delay acceptance of the condition.
Gender / Sex difference:
Theory: The sex of an unborn child and the gender are finalised at different times during the pregnancy.
Argument for: This is perhaps the most likely cause of the transgender condition. All children start off in the womb as female. It is only after a number of weeks that the physical sex is decided dependant upon hormone levels etc. The gender is not decided until about 6 weeks later. What if the hormone levels have altered which they are almost certain to have done? Imagine a race where all men are totally male (e.g. Rambo) and all women are totally female (e.g. Stepford Wives). Would that race survive for long? I don’t think so. See also ‘Recent Research’ at the end of this paper.
Argument against: This is currently a popular theory, which I have expanded with my ‘Imagine’ addition. I can’t think of an argument against it.
What do I believe? I'm sure that it is a combination of a number of the above theories together with others as yet unformulated. I do believe that the natural state is Female. It has been thought so for millennia, Mother nature, the Earth Mother etc., but I also feel that changes in climate, pollution, the ability to keep children alive who would have died in the past and many other factors come into play. The crux of the matter is that it exists. When it occurs, it is always a severe problem or even disability for both the sufferers, their families and their loved ones, but it can also be something that brings joy, gentleness and calmness to a frightening world.
I hope that what I have written here has been both informative and perhaps provoked some deeper thoughts; I'm sure that you will have found some of it a bit controversial. I have written it honestly to the best of my ability and will be happy to enter into any discussions or answer any questions that you may have.
The Gender Recognition Act received royal assent on 1st July 2004. This allows transsexual people to have birth certificate information re-issued to reflect their gender identity. People who have been transitioned for 6 years or more were able to apply from April 2005 and those who have transitioned for 2 years or more from October 2005. A strict procedure involves providing detailed information and the approval of a GRA panel before a Gender Recognition Certificate can be issued. This will give transsexual people full rights in their acquired sex including pension and marriage rights. It will, however, mean that currently married transsexual people will have to get their marriages annulled before a full GRC can be issued. This, to many transsexual people and their partners is unacceptable and the group ‘Sanctity’ (www.sanctity.org.uk) was formed to campaign against this decision. Two cases were put before the European Court of Human Rights. Unfortunately, both cases failed, ‘The government of each member state has the right to determine the rules for marriage’. In Britain marriage must be between a man and a woman. The introduction of Civil Partnerships was meant to be the answer, but has merely reinforced a society where gay couples are thought of as second class citizens.
About the author
Emma Martin is a qualified clinical psychotherapist, counsellor and hypnotherapist. She specialised in support for transgendered people and their families until her retirement in 2006. She is the spokesperson for Gender Identity Issues for the National Association of Counsellors, Hypnotherapists and Psychotherapists (NACHP). Emma has also been an advisory member of the committee for the Royal College of Psychiatrists Intercollegiate Working Group on Standards of Care for adult male and female patients with Gender Identity Disorder in the UK’, a past chair of GIRES (The Gender Identity Research and Education Society), regional contact for the Gender Trust and a local activist for Press for Change. She is also a member of the ‘Cambridgeshire Police Independent Advisory Group’ and a founder member of ‘Encompass’. Emma is also a researcher and recently worked with Cambridge University on the ‘Cambridge Sex and Gender project’. She is chair and founder of ‘Sanctity’, the group campaigning for rights for couples who married pre-transition to remain married.
Emma main occupation nowadays is as an author. Her first novel ‘The Box of Stolen Lives’, which traces ‘fear of difference’ through three time periods, is in preparation. She has been asked by a leading TV Producer to write a screenplay version for a possible 6 part TV series. Three other novels including a fictionalised version of her own life story are being researched. She also teaches Creative Writing.
Emma has appeared on numerous Television and Radio programmes including Central TV’s ‘30 Minutes’, Granada’s ‘This Morning’, Channel 4’s ‘My Millennium’ and ‘Without Prejudice?’, Radio 4’s ‘Home Truths’, Discovery Health’s ‘Sex Change’ and BBC’s ‘Esther’, ‘Weakest Link’ and ‘Horizon’. She has been featured in newspapers & magazines including Woman’s Own, Closer, Candis, Sunday Mirror, Cambridge Evening News and London Evening Standard. Emma has written articles for various magazines, including CPJ (Counselling and Psychotherapy Journal) and given interviews for local and national radio programmes including news broadcasts.
As CEO of the Lima House Group, Emma has provided training and workshops for public and private organisations and voluntary groups. She can be contacted by phone on 01353-698397 or by e-mail emma@limahouse.org.uk and is happy to provide talks, training and workshops to interested groups.
This guide can be freely copied on condition that copyright is acknowledged, and that this restriction is included.
18th edition June 2007
© Emma Michelle Martin 1999/2007 All rights reserved
Some other resources: Note: In an attempt to avoid spam . (dot) is replaced by * and @ is replaced by $ in the following addresses
Gender Trust Support for transgendered people. Mainly transsexual. gendertrust*org*uk
Beaumont Society Support for transgendered people. Mainly transvestites. enquiries$beaumontsociety*org*uk
WOBS Support for wives and partners of transgendered males. WOBSmatters$aol*com
Press For Change Campaigning group for transgendered peoples equality. pressforchange*org*uk
GIRES Research and Education group dealing with transsexual issues. admin$gires*org*uk
Depend Support group for families and partners of transsexual people. info$depend*org*uk
Mermaids Support group for young (up to 16) people with gender identity issues. mermaids$freeuk*com
FTM Network Support for F to M transsexual people. 0161 432 1915 (Weds 22.00 to 22.30 only)
Sanctity Support and campaigning for pre-married transsexual people and partners. sanctity*org*uk
There are also numerous local groups around the country, mainly support and social.
Please let us know if any of these links are incorrect