It is though they are one step outside of what everyone else is feeling. Gender identity has come to the media in recent years with the advent of corrective surgery and psychology designed to help people correct these feelings of inadequacy in their sexual identification.
It is not an easy road for those with gender identity issues. They must face not only their family and friends but the public as well. It can have lasting repercussions on their psychological well-being.
But there is help. With corrective surgery, hormonal replacement or therapy these people can live happy lives that are fulfilling and everything they wish them to be. In this article we will cover the basics of gender identity, what it is and how it corresponds to our sexuality.
How is gender identity used to determine someone's sex?
Gender identity is used to determine one's sex by their genitalia and how they act. Having the "right" equipment does not guarantee that a person will identify with certain traits that are earmarked for that gender. Many people automatically identify pink with being a girl's color.
They feel that dresses and dolls make up the gender identity of characteristics that are typically female. The same thing applies to boys, the color blue and playing with action figures versus Barbie dolls. We have a tendency to assume that certain characteristics are belonging to a certain sex.
How is the term gender identity used in determining sexual proclivity?
Sexual proclivity is the process that causes us to decide what gender to pursue. Gender identity often makes this process complicated. The person affected by gender identity disorders feels that they should be the opposite sex and prefers others based on that feeling. It is more than a woman deciding to be a lesbian and searching for same sex relationships.
It is more than a man deciding to be homosexual and searching for another man. In many people's eyes a person of one gender should only have relationships with people of the opposite gender. This can cause great confusion for those with gender identity problems.
What do hormones have to do with gender identity?
Gender identity was once based on the appearance of male or female genitalia but since then more has come to light as we are able to examine people on a genetic level. Females traditionally have higher amounts of estrogen and are have two X genes. Males, on the other hand, traditionally have higher amounts of testosterone and are XY on the genetic level.
Estrogen is the hormone responsible for breasts and ovulation whereas testosterone is responsible for more muscle mass, more hair and the development of sperm. Both can be found in either sex but one is in the lesser amount depending on the chromosome pair.
If a person truly believed they were meant to be the opposite sex, how do they correct this problem?
The first step in correcting a problem with gender identity is to identify if the person truly wants to become the opposite sex. It may be a case where the individual is happy just "dressing" the part and have no wish to undergo the intensive treatment program needed for sexual reassignment surgery and hormonal replacement. The treatment program also requires intensive psychoanalysis and therapy in order to help the person learn to adjust as the opposite sex.
Normally, such a person would feel depressed and confused because they want to be like the opposite sex in every way, which in turn would be frowned upon by all those surrounding them. If you think this description matches you, then take a gender identity test which will confirm whether or not you are suffering from this condition.
What if a gender identity test says that you are indeed feeling and behaving like the opposite gender? What if you find that you are unable to live as you are since you exhibit all the characteristics of the opposite gender?
Fortunately, modern science has some answers for transgenders, besides the groups that support transgender adaptation to normal life: you can have a sex change by means of surgery. The surgery is long, painstaking and often irreversible, so such measures are only taken after years of assessments and when the medical practitioner is fully convinced that you need this intervention to improve the quality of your life.
There are choices today for transgenders that could make their life easier, i.e. transgender surgery which could change them over to the opposite sex. This is a very complex surgical procedure, not to mention very expensive. For this reason, doctors are not very keen on taking immediate action on such requests.
The fact that the anatomical changes are intensive and often irreversible, it makes the medical fraternity very cautious about granting this wish. A gender identity test is usually carried out to ensure that such a request is based on facts.
Simply stated, sometimes a man or a woman finds they are trapped in the wrong body. They feel that they are a man trapped in the body of a woman or vice-versa. This is not the same as being gay or lesbian, but a totally different and very intense feeling and conviction.
Some transgenders manage to compromise their feelings and create a satisfactory environment for themselves, with the help of transgender therapy and transgender groups for support. Others, who are not able to adapt will look for transgender surgery, which is usually only done when the answers to a gender identity test confirms the disorder exists. Once this is done and you are accepted for the gender change surgery, you may be one of the many who enjoy a fairy tale ending, and "live happily ever after."
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