ChapterZero

Gender dysphoria, more commonly known as transsexualism, is the condition where a man (woman) believes that he (she) has the wrong physical gender. Transvetitism is distinguished from transsexualism, in that folk having the former want to play dress-up only part of the time; transsexuals identify with the opposite physical gender all the time. Gender dysphoria is an interesting topic, since it highlights the question of how gender identification and sexual identity interact.

Having read Middlesex, and seen La Mala Educacion, I thought I had a picture of what a transsexual is like, both of the male and female type. But— sympathetic as those have been— I’ve never read a non-fictional, non-dramatic account of what is like to be a transsexual. This is a great site (a collection of narratives) written by a transsexual that transitioned. Here’s an excerpt:

There is some logic to this, however extreme it may seem: a typical transsexual response to the hypothetical question “would you be happier if we could change your mind so that you are happy with the sex of your birth?” is “no”, because however much it may pain the transsexual, the notion of changing one’s personality to be ‘normal’ seems like giving up an essential part of one’s soul. All transsexuals ask themselves this at some stage, and all I have corresponded with have come to a similar response. Transsexuals see the condition not so much as a mental illness but as an unusual and inappropriate assignation - there exists in them a belief that at heart they are the opposite sex, and it seems that all would rather change the body than the soul.

Possibly relevant posts:

• TransAmerica (9/10/2006)
• Gender Issues (9/4/2003)
• Distress (2/9/2007)