Transsexualism is a permanent psychological discomfort resulting from having "inappropriate" sexual characteristics, accompanied by an overwhelming desire to transform into the opposite sex. Currently, the only way to treat people affected by transsexualism is surgical (operative) sex reassignment, supported by pharmacotherapy, mainly hormonal therapy.

Conceptstranssexual , transsexual and transsexual, andgender reassignment surgerythanks to MEP Anna Grodzka ceased to be taboo. However, that doesn't mean we all know what it's all about. Meanwhile, the discomfort that transsexualism causes in the affected person is a very euphemistic term. In the case of a transsexual, the desire to find oneself in the body having the right gender is so strong that the inability to do so may even lead to suicidal thoughts.

Transsexualism is a medical and psychological problem

Transsexualism is diagnosed as a persistent mental disorder belonging to the gender identification disorders with which transsexuals are usually born. The sex reassignment surgery itself is only the first step in a long-term treatment process. Transsexual people absolutely do not accept their gender and are doing their best to change it.

  • transsexual person - a person who does not accept their gender;
  • transsexual - biologically he is a man, but mentally he feels like a woman;
  • transsexual - a person with biological characteristics of a female gender, but feeling like a man.

How do I change my gender?

Before gender reassignment becomes a reality, a transgender person must go through a series of tests and legal procedures. All this so that both the patient and the doctors can be sure that the decision about the transition is correct and that no one will make a mistake by carrying out this irreversible surgery.

Sex change: psychological and sexological consultation

To confirm the diagnosis of transsexualism, the person seeking sex reassignment is under the observation of a psychologist and sexologist for at least two years. Their task is to make sure that the patient is actually transsexual and to exclude that the problem is caused by, for example, sexual dysfunction. When these specialists give a positive opinion, it is the endocrinologist's turn to select the appropriate set of hormones. The surgeon also comes into action - it's time for the firstmultiple operations. Only at this stage, a transsexual person may apply for the commencement of legal gender reassignment procedures, which ends with the court's decision to change the identity and issuing an ID card by the Civil Registry Office.

Worth knowing

Transsexualism and sport

There is a lot of controversy about the participation of transgender people in professional sports competitions. This is especially true for men after gender correction. One of them is Hannah Mouncey, an Australian athlete who plays handball. Before that, while still Callum Mouncey, she played 22 matches for the men's national team and also played for the rugby team.

Mouncey is 188 cm tall and weighs about 100 kg and is one of the best players on the Australian team. She believes that she gives an example to overweight girls and women who are "big", just like her, that they can also achieve a lot in their lives.

Transsexualism visible from childhood

Many (but not all) transgender people have problems accepting their gender in childhood. They prefer to play with children of the opposite sex, choose toys and clothes typical of the opposite sex, do not accept their appearance, even detest their genitals. They are not homosexual and fall in love with people of the same sex.

Transsexualism in Poland: more transgender women

In world statistics, transsexualism (desire to change sex) occurs in 1 in 30 thousand men and in 1 in 100 thousand women. It is different in Poland and other countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Here, the majority of people expressing disapproval of their gender are women. There are 4-7 times more of them than men. This is a phenomenon on a global scale - in other regions there are more transgender men than women (even in Arab countries!) - on average 3-4 times. In Poland, a pioneering procedure to change a biological woman into a man was performed in 1983.

Transsexualism in the world

The phenomenon of transsexualism did not appear suddenly - it has been present in many different cultures for a long time. Among Arabs, men who feel they are women are called xanith. There are berdache in the Indians of North America, secrata in Madagascar, and hijiras in India. But Western civilization is just learning to accept transsexualism, and hence the fact that a 100% biologically male can be a psychologically female and choke in his body. We begin to understand that man is a "being", a psychophysical whole, and not a set of cells and tissues with specific chromosomes. Not everyone wants to accept it yet, but the first steps have already been made.

World He alth Organization (WHO)she decided that transsexualism was not a disease, but a mental aberration that should be corrected according to the person's wishes. Perhaps the social acceptance of transsexualism is a step towards better gender understanding.

Category:

Psychology