Do you think transexualism is a mental illness?

The only thing that dictates your sex is your chromosones.
I can imagine I am a cat but sticking on pointy ears and a tail does not make me one.

07438991

Deleted User wrote: »

The only thing that dictates your sex is your chromosones.
I can imagine I am a cat but sticking on pointy ears and a tail does not make me one.

I thought it was whether you had a penis or vagina...? Where do you check your chromosone..., I am getting worried now... I thought I knew what I was! :eek:

horsemeat

NoHornJan wrote: »

Horsemeat?
What's your beef?

attack the post not the poster.

no beef, just interested in opinions.

07438991

07438991 wrote: »

I thought it was whether you had a penis or vagina...? Where do you check your chromosone..., I am getting worried now... I thought I knew what I was! :eek:

And what dictates what you grow between your legs? Yup, you guessed it, that'll be those pesky chromosomes...

Ellis Dee

Gender identity disorder (GID) is a recognised medical condition here in Ireland, in the UK and in several other countries. It is the formal diagnosis that psychologists and physicians use to categorise patients who suffer from significant gender dysphoria (which means they are unhappy with their biological sex and/or the gender they were assigned at birth). Diagnosis is not made lightly.:cool:

One case featured quite a lot in the Irish media early this year, when a male- to-female transgendered person sued her former employer and was awarded €35,000 for constructive dismissal and failure to observe reasonable accommodation. The judgement was not appealed to the Circuit Court and has acquired the force of law.:)

Here's an article about it:

http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/0418/equality.html

And the full case report, which makes very interesting reading, is here:

http://www.equalitytribunal.ie/Database-of-Decisions/2011/Employment-Equality-Decisions/DEC-E2011-066-Full-Caase-Report.html

RichieC

I have an opinion on this and would like to take the opportunity to take a mealy mouthed swipe at those I feel are beneath me.

deirdre_dub

Deleted User wrote: »

The only thing that dictates your sex is your chromosones.

Really?

Science lesson - women are usually XX, and men are usually XY.

However, there are some people who are XY who develop into fully-functioning women, even to the point of being able to give birth! Check out Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome if you are interested in learning more.

So, no, your sex isn't determined by your chromosomes.

I can imagine I am a cat but sticking on pointy ears and a tail does not make me one.

There is no known mechanism by which a human can be born with the brain of a cat. However, there are very credible theories as to how a man can be born with the brain of a woman, and vice-versa.

Killer Pigeon

As far as I'm aware:

Transvestism =/= Transsexualism =/= Transgenderism

Correct me if I'm wrong.

So this thread is about Transsexuals, specifically, am I write?

Right so, it's probably an extreme version of transgenderism. Say your gender identity is female but your sex isn't, therefore you want have female sex as well as female gender, this makes you a transsexual.

TBH, I don't what people have wrong with that. As long as we have medical procedures that can change you sex then I don't understand what people have wrong with it. If it makes a person happy, leave them alone.

deirdre_dub

Killer Pigeon wrote: »

As far as I'm aware:

Transvestism =/= Transsexualism =/= Transgenderism

Correct me if I'm wrong.

The word "transsexual" is much disliked, as there is nothing "sexual" about "transsexual". Because of that, there is a shift in terminology going on.

Transvestite - someone who occasionally expresses themselves as the other gender, but doesn't change their body that much.

Transgender - someone who goes through "transition"

Trans - umbrella term covering all people who have a non-binary experience of gender, including cross-dressers, gender queer, and others.

That's the quick-and-dirty answer. In reality, there is a whole load of grey.

Killer Pigeon

deirdre_dub wrote: »

The word "transsexual" is much disliked, as there is nothing "sexual" about "transsexual". Because of that, there is a shift in terminology going on.

Transvestite - someone who occasionally expresses themselves as the other gender, but doesn't change their body that much.

Transgender - someone who goes through "transition"

Trans - umbrella term covering all people who have a non-binary experience of gender, including cross-dressers, gender queer, and others.

That's the quick-and-dirty answer. In reality, there is a whole load of grey.

The public isn't subject to a huge amount of knowledge about transgenderism/transvestism, so I hope it's understandable how people tend to mix these terms up, unwittingly causing offense in the process.

So in your opinion, should LGBT be LGBTT instead (to include Transgenderism AND Transvestism)?

IcedOut

I dont like the whole idea of changing your gender, but I wouldn't make fun of a transexual because I'd imagine they would already get enough of that as it is

kylith

I believe that it is a 'mental disorder' insofar as the brain and the body are at odds with each other. I don't think that transexuals are ill, and if they want to have gender reassignment surgery then that's fine with me.

If schitzophrenics or depressives could have surgery to make them better then we'd all be delighted. Transexuals can have surgery to 'fix' their problem, and that's wonderful for them.

TheyKnowMyIP

Tonyandthewhale wrote: »

I haven't read the whole thread so sorry if this has been dealt with already but I just felt that I should point out that mental disorders and genetics aren't mutually exclusive.

Almost all of the classic mental disorders, schitzophrenia, anxiety, depression, autism, personality disorders etc etc have genetic aspects as part of their eitiology or neuropathology.

I'm sorry, but this is a lie. You are correct when you say emotions originate in the brain. Depression is rooted at the neural level, I understand this. What is not proven however, is the neuropathology of these disorders.

Even worse, the lay man on the street is led to believe the research is sufficiently advanced to allow statements like "it's a chemical imbalance" etc which is frankly, nothing short of nonsense.

To quote Marcia Angell, one of the 25 most influential medical researchers currently alive:

"Contrary to Friedman and Nierenberg, I do not “deny that depression has any biological basis at all.” I know very well that all thoughts, emotions, and behaviors have their origin in the brain. But it is a great leap from recognizing the obvious fact that mental states arise in the brain to knowing why and how they arise." source

“there is no definition of a mental disorder. It’s bull****. I mean, you just can’t define it.” - Allen Frances, Lead author of the DSM-IV - source

TheyKnowMyIP

Transsexualism as a mental illness is about as logically correct as saying somebody who likes blue is mentally ill. It's nonsense, and they know it.

deirdre_dub

Killer Pigeon wrote: »

So in your opinion, should LGBT be LGBTT instead (to include Transgenderism AND Transvestism)?

No - the "T" in "LGBT" stands for "Trans" - i.e. it encompasses transgenderism and transvestism.

deirdre_dub

IcedOut wrote: »

I dont like the whole idea of changing your gender

Trans people don't really change gender so much as become their gender.

Obviously the becoming of their gender involves change, but "changing" gender isn't really what it's about.