Transgenderism: Identity or medical condition?

Contributor: IvyFayette IvyFayette
I see it as a medical condition, though it's also a part of a person's identity in my eyes. My tranwoman friend considers it part of her identity not as a medical condition. I think it varies per person and can't be decided.
01/04/2013
Contributor: fizzygato fizzygato
The way your say it like "transgenderism" (with the -ism at the end) makes it seem like a medical condition, yes

But I think that you questioning, changing, proudly being who you are, etc. with your gender is not inherently a medical issue. I think that's more of an identity issue.

I also acknowledge, though, that there's some out there who take consolation from "knowing it's a medical condition." Soo, if they want to identify as it being their medical thing that's their thang. But that also creates the problem of gatekeeping in terms of access to means of transitioning, i.e. requiring medical proof that you "deserve" to transition, etc..
01/05/2013
Contributor: Mediumsizedman Mediumsizedman
Quote:
Originally posted by fizzygato
The way your say it like "transgenderism" (with the -ism at the end) makes it seem like a medical condition, yes

But I think that you questioning, changing, proudly being who you are, etc. with your gender is not inherently a medical ... more
I don't "identify as is being a medical thing". It's fact that it is a medical thing. You don't have to prove you "deserve" to transition. All you have to do is prove that you need medical treatment for what is classified as a medical condition.
01/05/2013
Contributor: TransGuy14 TransGuy14
For me personally, it's definitely part of my identity. It is still medical through the use of hormones/surgery/etc. in the process of physical transition. It's so complicated. While I certainly don't agree that it should be in the DSM, I also see the benefits of (potential) insurance coverage. But, it being characterized as a disorder has had hugely negative consequences, particularly in the court system. So, it's definitely part of my identity, but it also has physiological and psychological (also social) bases and "treatments" that can't be ignored.
01/05/2013
Contributor: Mediumsizedman Mediumsizedman
Quote:
Originally posted by TransGuy14
For me personally, it's definitely part of my identity. It is still medical through the use of hormones/surgery/etc. in the process of physical transition. It's so complicated. While I certainly don't agree that it should be in the ... more
Can you expand more on the impact of troubles in the court system having to do with transsexualism being classed as a disorder?
01/05/2013
Contributor: socceras socceras
I think it depends on the person. Some medical and some identity.
03/06/2013
Contributor: smlove smlove
Quote:
Originally posted by 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
this is a hard one. there may be markers in the brain for body dysphoria, but the science is so new and inconclusive, it's hard to tell.
I don't believe it's a choice. I don't think it's just an identity thing. it's really hard to say.
I don't think it's as easy as one thing or the other.
03/11/2013
Contributor: MistressDandelion MistressDandelion
Neurobiology link
03/11/2013
Contributor: Rivers Rivers
I think it depends on the person, personally. I 'identify' as a transman, but I am a man, through-and-through, regardless of how I choose to identify. The thing is, my 'identity' can change- I can drop the 'trans' later. I will never, however, stop being a man, regardless of whether or not I continue to be open about my history as having had stereotypically 'female' organs in the past or not.

I say, live and let live, though- I don't judge people who view it strictly as a medical condition, or those who view it strictly as an identity. Everyone's going to have little variations on how they deal with it. Personally, I'm not part of the 'community', whatever or wherever that may be, so I don't go around talking about my transness with a lot of people?

But hey. I pretty much live on the tenet, 'you don't judge me and I won't judge you', so.
03/12/2013
Contributor: violets violets
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 rather in line with how I feel. There's a physiological basis, I just don't know how I feel calling it a 'medical condition'. I just don't like that everything that falls outside of what is considered the norm gets pathologized.

And I do like your analogy to the deaf community, because I had a friend growing up who was deaf. And yeah, she didn't think there was anything wrong with her because she'd always been that way and it just became so ingrained in her identity. She just viewed herself as different than most people, she didn't need fixing, she just had a different way of living.

Which I guess is how I feel, I mean it's just so much a part of my identity, whatever the cause of it it's who I am now. I just felt kind of gross when I had to get a letter for chest surgery talking about my diagnosis (which is no longer a disorder in the new DSM, and hasn't been in certain countries for a few years now thankfully). I think I just had a crappy psychologist for that though, cuz the doc who I get hormones from and my surgeon never made me feel that way... For me it's just who I am and who I have always been, and I don't think I need to be 'fixed' or 'cured' because there was never anything wrong with me.
03/14/2013
Contributor: damnbul12 damnbul12
Quote:
Originally posted by 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
Identity
03/14/2013
Contributor: jesseftm jesseftm
Quote:
Originally posted by Mediumsizedman
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.
I just wanted to say I agree with everything you've posted on this thread. I feel the exact same way.
04/11/2013
Contributor: AriBoi AriBoi
I personally view it as a medical condition. My identity is "male" not "transmale" or something. And the issue for me is a purely physical one - I have/had a physical problem which I am fixing - but will never be able to fix 100% unfortunately. Similar to other medical conditions. I.e. if I were deaf, I wouldn't probably view it as just a difference and my identity, I'd view it as a medical problem that I would fix if I could. IMO, the more we can experience with our senses, the better, so this is why I would feel the need not to be deaf if possible. Likewise, since I'm a man I feel the closer I physically get to what a man typically has/is/looks like, the better. This is why I'm on hormones and have had surgery - to come closer to curing my medical condition.
04/12/2013
Contributor: TransMarc TransMarc
I don't think it should matter, but sadly it does matter in how trans* are treated relatively to how other people think about us..
04/14/2013
Contributor: alextge alextge
Quote:
Originally posted by 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
It's a medical condition as far as it's out of your control and somehow related to the way your brain works. As with all things though, nurture must have something to do with how much you embrace or deny that part of you
05/11/2013
Contributor: LoganAshlee. LoganAshlee.
I would say it's a medical condition and I want it to remain that way - if it's listed as a medical condition then here in the UK that means it qualifies us for free treatment
05/22/2013