Research Paper On Gender Reassignment Surgery

In her article A Boy’s Life, Hanna Rosin gives us a glimpse at what some of these transgender children go through. As she follows the life of Brandon (later called Bridget), she unveils a range of hurdles that kids like him and his parents must overcome. Problems like social rejection, gender identification, and the anxiety that all of this creates becomes the usual for a family like Brandon’s. But even so, all of this is minimal in comparison to the huge decision that the parents must make in behalf of the child. In the article, Rosin reveals to us that scientists have come up with a way to prevent a kid’s development into

Only 5% of these females experienced gender dysphoria- which shows that other factors are important in gender development and that hormones weren’t a key factor of determining gender in this study. This criticism of the biological approach shows that it is too reductionist, in that it ignores other factors. As well it is deterministic, as it reduces human behaviour down to simply biology and the act of hormones on gender development, ignoring social and cultural influence.

Discussion of issues related to non-normative sexual and gender identities as related to mental health began in the 19th century (Drescher, 2010). Initially medical and psychiatric providers viewed issues related to gender identity as resulting from delusional thought processes (Drescher, 2010). As a result the concept of surgery as a solution to gender identity differences was viewed as unnecessary and ultimately an incorrect form of treatment (Drescher, 2010). In 1952 the first gender reassignment surgery was performed in Denmark on an American citizen (Drescher, 2010). The publicity in the American media that followed this surgery brought the concept of gender identity to the public eye. During the 1960s research about gender identity started to develop and it was the work of Money, Stoller, Benjamin, and Green that ultimately change professional and public concept of Gender Identity (Drescher, 2010). These four individuals were among the first to conduct clinical and academic research on gender identity and gender roles (Drescher, 2010). As a result of their research beliefs about non-normative gender identity shifted from a problem of the mind to a biological disorder that was fixed and should be treated with

Not all transgendered individuals desire a sex change. However, if a client wanted a sex change, a psychologist must verify if the change will have a positive effect on the patient’s psychological well-being. In an interview I had with a trans-gendered companion, she stated that she would not go for a sex change until the time was right. Her reason was that if she was to have the sex change now, she would endanger her friendships with many people. While this reasoning didn’t come from a psychologist, the resultant sex change must be beneficial to the client or else the operation is useless and will cause more detriment to the individual’s psyche. After medical treatment, hormone therapy is used to get rid of secondary sexual characteristics. In addition to hormone replacement therapy, clients may get surgery for breasts, genitals or other sexual characteristics; clients can also just use hormone therapy alone so that they can alter their bodies to appear more like their self-identified gender.

To truly understand why there is even a fight over sex-reassignment surgery, one must first comprehend what the surgery is and why it is an option. Sex-reassignment surgery is the final step in a three-part treatment for gender dysphoria. Gender Dysphoria, previously known as Gender Identity Disorder (GID), is considered a mental disorder described as a severe disconnect between one’s biological sex and gender identity. Generally, mental disorders are treated with psychotherapy or medications but, when it comes to trans inmates, the genitals serve as a mental block that constantly reminds the trans person of their gender dysphoria; which brings on the need for SRS. In “Medical Transgressions in America’s Prisons: Defending Transgender Prisoners’ Access to Transition-Related Care”, Esinam Agbemenu states that the treatment for gender dysphoria comes in three parts. The first step is for transgender patients to participate in psychotherapy or psychiatric counseling, which allows the patient to express their distress and permit the medical professional to properly diagnose and create a proper treatment plan. In step two, the trans person must openly live as their identified gender

Gender is one of the most socially ingrained social constructs. The rigid enforcement of gender is harshly controlled by the medicalization and what I will refer to as the construction of the illness of gender transgression. I postulate that there are two forms of gender transgression: a general rejection of gender norms and a rejection of these boundaries in manners that do not fit into the dominant script of gender (i.e. deciding to transition). When someone “transgresses” the boundaries of gender in this latter way, I postulate, they are inculcated both by society and by the medical community to conform to a normative trajectory of transition. This relationship between a socially constructed identity to a molecularized body – a body

Bradley et al., also mention a similar case in which a 2-month year old male was injured during an electrocautery circumcision and his entire penile shaft was burned and the penis eventually sloughed off. At 7-months the rest of the penis and testes were removed and the parents made the decision to reassign their son to a female and to raise him as a girl. The patient was interviewed at two separate times. The first time was at age 16 and the patient stated that she had been living a female life and had no uncertainty about being a woman. The patient mentioned that during her childhood she viewed herself as a “tomboy” but she still maintained her circle of friends to mainly girls. She wanted to have sexual intercourse with males so she arranged a vaginoplasty. She was interviewed once more at age 26 and reported that she had been attracted to women in fantasy, and enjoyed experiences with both women and men. She now

This is also highlighted in Between the Sexes, when Debbie Hartman makes the hasty choice to change her son, Kyle into a girl. Both parents and intersexed individuals show a great deal of confusion within the standard, two-gender system of the modern world. The seven people from "Gender Identity and Coping...", were asked if they were happy with their gender reassignment surgery. Six replied that they were not (Schweizer, 196). All of these case studies may take from a small sample, but they also all point to similar results. Although, all six described their dissatisfaction with the surgery differently, implying a deeper level of consideration than Gorman and Cole display. One wanted to be left as they were. Another wished their parents chose the other sex. Generally, though, Between the Sexes's assertion that gender reassignment is psychologically harmful is well supported. In order for this to be truly acceptable, researchers would need a sampling of a group of intersexuals who were left unaltered. Unfortunately, no such study exists.

Through examining the ways intersex individuals are treated in a medical setting, one can see how science only allows binary bodies to be created. Crawley et al. (2007) discusses intersex individuals and the standard treatment of intersex children, being to alter their ‘abnormal’ genitalia to resemble one of the two genders. This has become the normal treatment as if this is necessary, but the only threat the child is in danger of is not fitting perfectly into the heteronormative standard of correct genitalia. Because surgical intervention proves we alter and change one’s sex, it becomes difficult to claim that sex and gender are solely biological, when clearly one’s gender and sex becomes largely altered the moment they are born into society. Anne Fausto Sterling, outlines her concept of the five sexes, explaining that intersex is a term used to describe any individual that doesn’t fit into the narrow categories of male and female. She explains that the same process that was in play in the Middle Ages is

“The Five Sexes Revisited” focused on the importance of therapy over surgery. Medical ethicist Laurence B. McCullough of the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy at Baylor Collefe of Medicine in Houston, Texas “contend[ed] that in the process of assigning gender, physicians should minimize what he calls irreversible assignments: taking steps such as the surgical removal

Gender identity, as defined in Webster’s Dictionary is, “the totality of physical and behavioral traits that are designated by a culture as masculine or feminine” (Webster, 2014). The first words said in the delivery room are often “it’s a boy!” or “it’s a girl!” Intersex children, who fall in between the scientific gender spectrum for male or female, are put through genital mutilation surgery and hormone treatment to abide by one of the two categories. Children who are born with an intersex condition where reproductive or sexual anatomy that do not fit typical females or a typical male’s norms should not have sex assignment surgery performed. This should be decided by the child when they are mature enough to make that decision for themselves. This is morally wrong because the social and cultural need to place intersex individual’s into the category of one sex or the other can have negative impact on their mental and physical health and many of the surgeries done on intersexed infants were done more for the benefit of parents, healthcare practitioners, and society, than for the infant. In the long run, this surgery done at such a young age can cause an unstable quality of life filled with shame and a feeling of exclusion from society along with the possibility of losing sexual functions. I will be mentioning evidence of cases that demonstrate that it’s impossible for intersex individuals who have had sex reassignment surgery that it did not help them identify with the rest

As a parent, I only want what is best for my child. At first, surgery seemed like it would fix everything and give my baby a normal life. After a great deal of research, I learned that surgery did not simply entail removing extra tissue without any consequences. My child could either grow up to be physically and psychologically affected by this one clinical decision, or the surgery could prove to be completely beneficial. Too much uncertainty lies in performing this surgery. No one, not even our doctor, knows which gender he or she will grow up to identify with. I could never forgive myself if I forced my child into conforming to certain gender norms, only for him or her to feel trapped in his or her body later

Money had not been completely successful in trying to prove his theory of gender neutrality due to biased reports and outcome of David Reimer. Dr. Money obsessed over the possibility to show gender neutrality a possibility to test his theory. This study took place long before anyone can fully understand the outcome of changing a child's gender at a young age and with new transgender surgeries and being uncomfortable for the lack of gender appendages, the ignorance of the outcome of the child's botched circumcision and forced gender reassignment without knowledge of the long term effect lead to unknown affects to the child. Looking at the time period that this events had occurred the many ethical violations had been seen from the parents and the Psychologist seeing that the innocent child had been forced to have a sex change and later reinforced gender traits without letting the child know was a complete violation to his rights.

My research is all about the Gender Reassignment Surgery. Who are the people involved, the procedures, the risks and complications, aftercare for the patients? These are the questions we answered in this synthesis paper. In these modern days, people are aware of third sex. But are people aware of its adverse effects? No. They are not. Have they heard the increasing mortality about this type of surgery? Have they found out how many lives are ruined because of the mistakes of the operation? How many people are deeply depressed because of failed surgeries? As in my introduction says, I want this research to serve as a precaution to everyone. Well, we can say that there are plenty of transsexuals who are now happy with the results of their operation

Introduction: Believe it or not, hermaphrodites are more common than you would think. But at birth, their parents think they’re doing their child a favour by having them undergo surgery to being just one gender rather than both. Is this justified? Are parents and doctors right to do this to the life of a child? What about the child’s say? Should they be able to choose whether or not if they want to be one gender when they’re an adult? Or should they be forced to live a life as a gender that they may not want to be?