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Lots of T folk, even post op ones, seem to feel the need to rat themselves out, even the ones who pass impeccably.
I have just been through a couple very tough and bruising weeks dealing with the Bathroom thing. It's very difficult to establish a balance between forgiving those who hurt us, and being very mad, incensed even at their ignorant and stupid position. In my case, having come from one of those groups, I feel quite qualified to beat them about the ears with their own clubs.
I'm feeling quite knackered now so will try to stand down for a while.
One of the statistics I saw bandied about is that only 4% of all Transgender folk get the surgery. Does anyone have any idea if that is even close to the truth?
Gwen
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Well...I don't know if that's accurate, but....
Considering that most trans people either can't afford it or have other limitations of access to health care, I wouldn't be surprised.
It depends
on how you want to define "transgendered." I'd think a much better question, at least for the bathroom issue, is how many who can actually pass as their desired gender get surgery. Given the requirement to live in the desired gender for a year or so before surgery, I'd suspect that it's a fair proportion who decide, once they can pass, that surgery isn't all that necessary. The 2 F2M transsexuals who gave a Transsexual 101 presentation at my church a couple of years ago said they hadn't had surgery and didn't see the necessity. I couldn't clock them.
Xaltatun
4%??
Maybe. If you include those of us who are still very confused, and don't know which side of the fence we belong on. It really sucks.
Waterdog
Well there's part of the problem
There is no fence. Gender identity is a super complicated landscape that you cannot map out and say "here there is water" and "here there is land" ... there are mountains and valleys, salt water oceans and freshwater lakes. There are rivers amidst vast plains and islands jutting up in ridges along deepwater trenches. For some of us, simply living without the macho infested beer-swilling competitive sports environments of the corner pub is enough 'femme' to get by. Others cannot be happy without going about their daily lives acknowledged by clothing choices and body contours matching those of the women whose social networks they are part of. Still others need their bodies to perfectly match those of other women... and others cannot be happy because medical science does not give us the ability to menstruate or give birth.
And that is true of more than just those women born with male parts. There are women born with all the 'right parts' who cannot themselves have children. There are women born who develop in ways that make them struggle to fit in... too tall, too fat, too muscular.
But not ALL of those people, whose body fails to match their mind's psychological image of what "I" should be... have to act on it. And that's the other part of the problem... how desperately we need to make the two align. This is the dangerous part... because while the disconnect between body and body image might make us confused and lead to difficulties in connecting with our social surroundings... it is the need to bring them closer together that leads to depression and suicides.
Amen, Kristen
Amen, Kristen, I couldn't have said anything better or different than what you just did. You hit every nail on the head, and did it in surprisingly few words.
I'm one of those women who'll probably never really be totally happy because of the lack of menstruation and not being able to get pregnant. Unless we have some amazing fast progress on making that possible soon, which actually wouldn't surprise me too much if that did happen. Even if it doesn't though, I'll take things as far as currently possible if and when I can ever get medical access. That's another problem that while you didn't mention, someone else already did. Many of us who do feel a strong need to try to match as closely as possible can not get access to the care we need. I'm able to distract myself enough right now to keep the suicidal thoughts from becoming overpowering again, but who knows how long that can last?
Abigail Drew.
HEY!
I like beer!
Well Said!
Yep, yep and yep!
How do you count those who have not stood up to be counted. Meanwhile, "Transgender" being an umbrella term means it includes those who do not need and may not even want surgery. It sort of depends on what you are measuring.
>i< ..:::
Ironic, isn't it ...
... that the terms "transgender" and "transgendered" weren't originally "umbrella terms". Some 40+ years ago, they were coined specifically to differentiate no-ops from transsexuals - TG vs TS. Like so many terms in our language today, they were co-opted by a vocal minority and changed to mean something else - essentially "TS lite".
In Sweden
Here we learn that the rate is about 10 %. That is of those that get in contact with the authorities/specialists about 10 percent finally have the GRS. It always a difficulty to measure the original "possible" candidates for the operation, but this is how it is defined here.
Ginnie
GinnieG
The number is probably correct
Yes, that number is probably true for MTFs. Although what my therapist told me was that US stats are around ten percent. But then again, she told me that almost ten years ago. And I doubt she based it on official statistics.
The reasons for this low number, which you are asking about, aren't complicated, though there are several -
* many can't afford the cost or the time (usually the most common reason)
* many, many, many more keep it secret so there are no stats on them
* many are scared - that post-op would not be as they hope it would be, whether it would look natural or feel like they hope it would
* many are scared that the sex act wouldn't be pleasurable, or as pleasurable anymore afterwards
* many are scared of the surgery itself or the pain
* and many, many, many are scared of the fact that there is no way to reverse it - that it's a one-way street, that if they made a mistake, they can't reverse it.
As for FTM TGs, the percentage will probably be even lower - extremely lower - as the FTM surgery is so much more imperfect due to the need to replicate a penis artificially. Most just settle for mastectomies.
The truth of the matter is that surgically transitioning is nothing we are after. It is only a means to an end, and indeed something we'd rather not acknowledge, much less advertise or celebrate.
Most who surgically transition (as many here who have real GTS or are really TG feel) do so because of a need to be as physically close to the gender they identify with - not to make a statement to society, not to defend her rights (or others' rights for that matter), nor to grab attention one way or the other. In fact, most just want to live life like any "normal".
I suspect that most would rather sweep the entire thing under the rug, and continue on with the more important matter of living life.
For those who want to argue my points, please know that I am basing this mostly on my POV and experiences. All I can say is that I am emminently qualified to have an opinion about this because of who I am. Bu t I am not necessarily arguing against anyone with a different view: everyone has the right to their opinion. But if you aren't TG yourself, I would hazard an opinion that my POV might be more accurate than yours.
Again, these are all just opinions. Hope that's okay.
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Thank you all for the comments
Life for T folk has gotten much better since 2004 when I came out, and since I had my own surgery in 2007. I chose the bargain route and spent $12,000 American on it. Many years later, being off the psych meds since 2008, I can see the wisdom in simply being a crossdresser who had an Orchiectomy. Actually, much of the time I wish I had done exactly that. Dwelling on the "Path Not Taken" does no good at all. It is clear that I will not have a male mate, or even a companion, and with no desire whatsoever simply search for things to occupy my time. Hiking and road trips are fun. I don't seem to write much anymore and suspect that my very moderate use of Opioid painkillers somehow unleashed my muse. Can't get them anymore here in America as they have gone completely starkers bonkers over the drugs, so am trying to get my muse off her lazy butt without them.
I've had exceptional acceptance from females at church and now understand that I am neither female nor male.
2004?
2004 was already pretty good imho. I transitioned to full-time in 1990 and there are some of us here who are even earlier. Back in the day it was a mine field of early surgery (remember Brussels people?), basic SRS (sorry Dr Biber's results sucked) and no way to easily get legal identification that reflected your correct gender as states were only just beginning to even contemplate such a thing. In NY State where I grew up in, at that time, changing gender markers were at the discretion of the supervisor of the DMV you happen to go to. There were no set procedures. Changing birth certificates? Forget about it. I changed my copy of it though as I had an androgynous enough name ;-). Quite 'illegal' but compared to not being able to get a job or getting hassled? I took the chance.
Now a days, not going full surgical is an option, even if you want to get your gender marker changed. Back then if you want legal ID you had to do it else the powers that be would never ever do it, unless you meet a very sympathetic person behind the DMV/MVA window.
Ohio is still really awful.
Where I live and was born and grew up they still won't change birth certificates and the official stance of the BMV is no gender marker change unless the birth certificate is changed... which doesn't happen if you were born in the state.
Abigail Drew.