Transgenderism: Identity or medical condition?

Contributor: needapacker needapacker
Do you think being transgender/transsexua l is a medical condition or do you see it as part of your "identity"?
(not meaning like mentally ill or crazy, like a physical medical condition?
I personally think it's a medical condition
Answers (private voting - your screen name will NOT appear in the results):
Medical Condition
18  (28%)
Identity
14  (22%)
Unsure
12  (18%)
Other (explain in comments)
21  (32%)
Total votes: 65
Poll is closed
12/13/2012
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Contributor: Mwar Mwar
I don't know. It does have a physiological basis, that much I know.
12/13/2012
Contributor: hanjonatan hanjonatan
it's kind of a pointless distinction to make, i think, or at least one that's not relevant in most discussions or even necessarily to most people's lives. like, i understand why some people are adamant that it's just a medical condition and nothing more, and i also understand why it's a big part of some people's identities, and i don't think the two are or have to be mutually exclusive.

like, i don't doubt for a second that there is a physiological basis, that it's something you're born with (or born predisposed to, maybe, at a push), but i think whether someone chooses to view it strictly as a medical condition or to embrace it as a part of their identity has more to do with their own ways of coping and living with it than anything else.
12/13/2012
Contributor: Mediumsizedman Mediumsizedman
I view it as solely a medical condition. I disassociate from anyone who views it as an identity.
12/14/2012
Contributor: hanjonatan hanjonatan
Quote:
Originally posted by Mediumsizedman
I view it as solely a medical condition. I disassociate from anyone who views it as an identity.
even people who also consider their transsexuality to be a medical condition, but who choose to embrace it as part of their identity because that's their way of dealing with being trans and making sense of who they are?
12/14/2012
Contributor: Mediumsizedman Mediumsizedman
Quote:
Originally posted by hanjonatan
even people who also consider their transsexuality to be a medical condition, but who choose to embrace it as part of their identity because that's their way of dealing with being trans and making sense of who they are?
It depends. If they were just chill about it sure, but if they are one of those who are out about it, no. I find that most from the ~identity~ crowd are very loud and proud.
12/14/2012
Contributor: Raymaker Raymaker
For cisgendered people, being a Man or a Woman is their identity. Same with Trans* people. Trans* people identify as what their gender has always been. Not necessarily always their status. They might identify with the trans* community but that's optional to the status of being trans*. I hope that makes sense.
12/14/2012
Contributor: Mediumsizedman Mediumsizedman
Quote:
Originally posted by Raymaker
For cisgendered people, being a Man or a Woman is their identity. Same with Trans* people. Trans* people identify as what their gender has always been. Not necessarily always their status. They might identify with the trans* community but that's ... more
I don't identify as a man, I am a man. It's not about "identifying as something", it's about what I've always been.
12/14/2012
Contributor: Ryuson Ryuson
I think that most people view it as being both, like being deaf. Yes, being deaf is a condition, but it's also a lifestyle and invites you into a huge, thriving community.

I don't think that most people make a differentiation in their mind, they see it as their state of being, so their condition is part of their identity.
12/14/2012
Contributor: needapacker needapacker
Quote:
Originally posted by Mediumsizedman
I don't identify as a man, I am a man. It's not about "identifying as something", it's about what I've always been.
My feelings exactly
12/14/2012
Contributor: needapacker needapacker
Why did the title of my poll get changed?
12/14/2012
Contributor: kdlt kdlt
Quote:
Originally posted by needapacker
Why did the title of my poll get changed?
That happens to my posts a lot-- and sometimes it's only just barely. I think the moderators edit it for marketability. No idea.
12/14/2012
Contributor: Genderfree Genderfree
For me it is an identity because I see medical conditions as something that does not really impact you until you decide to make some sort of action about. For example, depression becomes part of your identity if you are working every single day to eliminate your depression. Being transgendered is an identity to me because most people that are transgendered decide to make a change because of it. So, I guess in a way it would be both. But I don't like it being a "medical condition" because if it were recognized as such, we would likely tried to get "fixed" and "fixed" as not the same as "transitioning" which is becoming more comfortable with yourself through medical and social methods. I hope that makes sense.
12/14/2012
Contributor: kdlt kdlt
Quote:
Originally posted by Genderfree
For me it is an identity because I see medical conditions as something that does not really impact you until you decide to make some sort of action about. For example, depression becomes part of your identity if you are working every single day to ... more
Very well articulated response!
12/14/2012
Contributor: Mediumsizedman Mediumsizedman
Quote:
Originally posted by Genderfree
For me it is an identity because I see medical conditions as something that does not really impact you until you decide to make some sort of action about. For example, depression becomes part of your identity if you are working every single day to ... more
Transitioning is "fixing" the problem. If it wasn't then no one would transition. If it wasn't medical then one would not take medical steps to transition (surgery and HRT).
12/15/2012
Contributor: Mediumsizedman Mediumsizedman
Quote:
Originally posted by needapacker
Why did the title of my poll get changed?
What was the original name?
12/15/2012
Contributor: Lildrummrgurl7 Lildrummrgurl7
Quote:
Originally posted by Mediumsizedman
I don't identify as a man, I am a man. It's not about "identifying as something", it's about what I've always been.
I understand what you're saying. However, I feel that gender identity is just that, an identity, regardless of your biological sex. Gender and sex are two different things. I wouldn't say my female identity is a medical condition anymore than your male identity is. I'm not saying that ONLY transgender individuals have a gender identity.
12/15/2012
Contributor: Mediumsizedman Mediumsizedman
Quote:
Originally posted by Lildrummrgurl7
I understand what you're saying. However, I feel that gender identity is just that, an identity, regardless of your biological sex. Gender and sex are two different things. I wouldn't say my female identity is a medical condition anymore than ... more
I don't identify as a man, I am a man. It's not an identity for me. To imply that I "identify" as a man is to imply that I once "identified" as a woman, when I never did. I've always known I was a man.
12/15/2012
Contributor: Ly-Ra Ly-Ra
I guess it depends on the person? For some people it's one, for some it's the other, and for others like me, it's kinda both.
12/15/2012
Contributor: Lildrummrgurl7 Lildrummrgurl7
Quote:
Originally posted by Mediumsizedman
I don't identify as a man, I am a man. It's not an identity for me. To imply that I "identify" as a man is to imply that I once "identified" as a woman, when I never did. I've always known I was a man.
Oh I am not trying to say you aren't a man and were once a woman. I'd never trivialize a person's gender identity in that way. I've always identified as a woman, but I DO identify as a woman. Calling transgenderism a medical condition implies that it's pathologized and there's something wrong with the person.
12/15/2012
Contributor: butts butts
I'd say it's a medical condition dealing with identity! So, kinda both, but I voted medical condition since I do believe that's the larger part of it.
12/15/2012
Contributor: Mediumsizedman Mediumsizedman
Quote:
Originally posted by Lildrummrgurl7
Oh I am not trying to say you aren't a man and were once a woman. I'd never trivialize a person's gender identity in that way. I've always identified as a woman, but I DO identify as a woman. Calling transgenderism a medical condition ... more
If there's nothing wrong then no one needs medical treatment such as surgery or HRT.
12/15/2012
Contributor: Robespierrethecat Robespierrethecat
I'm not trans*, so I feel like I don't have a place to talk.
12/20/2012
Contributor: GONE! GONE!
Quote:
Originally posted by Ryuson
I think that most people view it as being both, like being deaf. Yes, being deaf is a condition, but it's also a lifestyle and invites you into a huge, thriving community.

I don't think that most people make a differentiation in their ... more
This is how I feel.
12/20/2012
Contributor: Roz W Roz W
I also agree with the statement above about deafness. Though it's going to be different for some people.

A different example of "identity" is race or ethnicity -- some people are very much into talking about their racial/ethnic identity in a political context. Some people aren't. Either way, it doesn't mean they weren't born that way. Even if you want to talk about race as a social construct, that doesn't negate individual lived experiences in a shared, socially-constructed reality.
12/22/2012
Contributor: Alex Apple Alex Apple
I find it dangerous to go ahead and define something that is extremely personal for everyone. I always go with "when in doubt, ask the person". I really believe it depends, and for most it's a mixture of both. Also gets into the idea that people experience dysphoria differently - for some, it's about how they are perceived, for many more it's about their bodies, and there are probably yet more people who would disagree with just two categories. How can anyone jump from a personal experience to a generalization about everyone in a group?
12/24/2012
Contributor: emiliaa emiliaa
I'd say other...neither of those describe it accurately. Bleh. Also it could be different for each person!
12/24/2012
Contributor: Boyqueen Boyqueen
I tend to say medical condition.
01/04/2013
Contributor: Mediumsizedman Mediumsizedman
Quote:
Originally posted by Alex Apple
I find it dangerous to go ahead and define something that is extremely personal for everyone. I always go with "when in doubt, ask the person". I really believe it depends, and for most it's a mixture of both. Also gets into the idea ... more
Well being a transsexual is a medical condition. If you want to be under some other "genderqueer" umbrella, go ahead but don't call yourself trans (which is historically short for transsexual.
01/04/2013
Contributor: hyacinthgirl hyacinthgirl
As someone who isn't trans, I view it as a medical condition that can become an intrinsic part of a person's identity, or it may not. My closest trans friend is FtM, and being a transman is part of his identity. He refers to the female identity his parents tried to force on him as his deceased conjoined twin. He is mentally male, but the journey towards finding himself was a big thing, and he does take a lot of pride in not just being a man, but in being a transman. It comes off more like the example of being deaf - a medical condition that is also part of a large, vibrant community.

I have met transgendered people who do not view it as part of their identity. It's a medical condition that they want corrected - it's an inconvenience that exists. Instead of being deaf, I guess it would be more like being born with polydactyly (not trying to be insulting in any way, just the best analogy I could come up with). It doesn't change who they are in any way, and there isn't really a polydactyl community. It's just something you have, and you either get it fixed surgically or you don't.

So I guess the answer from someone on the outside looking in is Either or Both?
01/04/2013