Facebook updated their gender options with over 71 to choose from, this feature helps people express their personal identities. If your gender identity is not listed, Facebook has also included a free-form field that allows people to add up to 10 of their very own gender terms. The Facebook user can also choose the audience that their gender identity is shared with so that they can feel comfortable to genuinely express themselves.
With LGBTQIA communities, non for profit organisations and people spreading the awareness on these genders through news and social networking websites, the acknowledgement and support of diversity within the community has drastically increased. Likewise, people are now more open to asking questions about gender identities.
What Does It Mean To Be Trans?
“What does trans mean?” is probably one of the most asked questions. If we have a look at Facebook’s trans gender options we find that there are over 26 to choose from. Here are the definitions behind some of these identities.
Trans Man/Trans Male
A person who identifies as a man. Their assigned gender from birth is female.
Trans Woman/Trans Female
A person who identifies as a woman. Their assigned gender from birth is male.
Transgender
A person who identifies as a gender that is different from what they were assigned at birth.
Transsexual
A person who psychologically identifies as a gender that is different from what they were assigned at birth. In some cases, Transsexuals were not identified with their correct gender at birth which may have been caused due to an unclear diagnosis by a medical professional or on purpose by their parent or guardian. Some Transsexuals may act and change their appearance by wearing lingerie and clothing to look like the gender that they would like to transition to. This person wishes to make the permanent transition to the gender that they identify with. They may use hormones to develop secondary sex characteristics or have sex reassignment surgery to modify the appearance of their genitals.
Why Do People Get Diagnosed As Trans?
A person can be professionally diagnosed as a trans person by a therapist, psychologist or psychiatrist. Getting a professional diagnosis can help to improve a person’s mental health especially if they have gender dysphoria or gender identity disorder. These conditions are brought on by the feelings of anxiety that a person feels due to the identity that they were assigned at birth.
Gender Reassignment Surgery And Hormone Replacement Therapy
The professional diagnosis is given to a general practitioner or doctor who may give the person a written recommendation to receive medical treatment for Gender Reassignment Surgery or Hormone Replacement Therapy. For more information about what is involved in this process, it is recommended that you talk to a medical health professional.
Hormone therapy helps to change different features for men and women. For a man who is transitioning into a woman, this process can include the development of breasts with the loss of muscles and facial hair. For a woman who is transitioning into a man, this process can include the development of facial hair, bigger shoulders and a lower sounding voice. Hormone therapy can take many years for the changes to become fully noticeable but the time span changes from person to person. Not all transsexuals choose to have therapy or surgery.
Due to the development of safer techniques for Gender Reassignment Surgery and Hormone Replacement Therapy, more people have been willing to undergo the transformation which has caused the popularity of transsexualism in western countries to increase. There are negative attitudes and discrimination towards people who identify as trans in different religions and cultures, some may approve or have no objection towards transsexual people having Gender Reassignment Surgery or Hormone Replacement Therapy but there are other religions and cultures that do not approve of the transition.
What Causes People To Become Trans?
In some cases people believed that early traumas from childhood like sexual assault or a troubled family have caused a trans identity. The medical director of the Transgender Clinic at the Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles Dr. Johanna Olson said:
“That is absolutely not true at all. But I still get people in my clinic who are trying to unravel what the traumatic incident was, that caused their kid to be trans. Trying to identify causes, whether they be genetic, hormonal, or something else entirely, those studies are underway. The question is, what contributes to the formation of gender identity? It’s really complex. “
There has been an extensive amount of research that has linked a trans identity with different biological reasons. An Australian research report had found that trans women had longer testosterone receptors which caused a lack of uptake of male hormones which made the person to have a brain that was wired to be more feminine in nature. A Spanish imaging study had found that the brain of trans people looked different. Trans men that had not gone through the transition had brains that looked like biological males. Trans Women that had not gone through the transition had brains that were crossed between biological women and men. Research towards the causes of people having a trans identity are still ongoing.
Another Important Question
Another question that people ask is:
“What is it like to have sex with a transsexual?”
Meet Stephen, a bold and opinionated cis-gendered gay advocate for gender equality and sexual education. Join him on the Adultsmart blog for fearless insights.
Luckily we have really begun to let people know about this topic, there is still plenty of work to be done but we are certainly moving forward.