‘Trans‘ is a term used to describe a broad range of people who experience and/or express their gender somewhat differently from what most people expect. It is an umbrella term that includes those expressing gender characteristics that don’t correspond with characteristics traditionally attributed to a person’s sex or presumed sex. This can include Transsexuals (the medical term describing people whose gender and sex do not line up and who often seek medical treatment to bring their bodies and gender identities into alignment) and cross-dressers/Transvestites (those who identify with their biological gender but sometimes dress in the clothing of the opposite gender).
Some people use the term Transgender to identify themselves because they have strong feelings about both genders and aren’t comfortable identifying as exclusively male or female. Equally they can have sexual and emotion feelings about the same or opposite gender. Some Transgender people define themselves as female-to-male or male-to-female Transsexuals (MTF/FTM), and may take hormones prescribed by a doctor and/or undergo medical procedures, including sex reassignment surgery (SRS). Others prefer to simply be called male or female as the gender that they present to others, whether they have undergone medical changes or not.
Wherever one is on the Transgender spectrum, coming out can be frightening, challenging and sometimes dangerous. But it can also be rewarding, affirming and liberating. The important thing is to be honest with yourself, and when you are ready, to be honest with others about who you are. It is often surprising how supporting friends and family can be.
Young people who express a Transgender identity face some unique challenges. As minors, young Transgender people are likely to be at the will of their parents or primary caregivers/guardians, who do not always understand or appreciate their experiences. They may sometimes seek out professionals who turn out to be misinformed, judgemental and actively seek to ‘repair or reform’ the young person, forcing them to adhere to gender norms and often causing much harm in the process.
Because of this possibility, many young Transgender people choose not to risk coming out and instead conceal their gender issues as long as they can. For some, this revelation happens when the need to express their gender according to their internal sense of self grows too strong to suppress. For others, it occurs at puberty, when the natural onset of hormones results in even more noticeable reminders that the Transgender person’s body does not match his or her gender identity.
Intersex is another general term used for a variety of conditions in which a person is born with a reproductive or sexual anatomy that doesn’t seem to fit the typical definitions of female or male. For example, a person might be born appearing to be female on the outside, but having mostly male-typical anatomy on the inside. Or a person may be born with genitals that seem to be in-between the usual male and female types-for example, a girl may be born with a noticeably large clitoris, or lacking a vaginal opening, or a boy may be born with a notably small penis, or with a scrotum that is divided so that it has formed more like labia. Also, a person may be born with ‘mosaic genetics’, so that some of her cells have XX chromosomes and some of them have XY.
The term “hermaphrodite” had been used in the past to refer to intersex persons, but that term is now considered by many to be negative and inaccurate. Many intersex infants and children are subjected to genital surgeries and hormone treatments in order to conform their bodies to the standard of either “male” or “female.” There is a growing movement to prevent such surgeries in children to allow freedom of choice for intersex people regarding their bodies.
Below are some useful website links:
- http://www.transgenderzone.com/ (For UK based support)
- http://www.gender-matters.org.uk/ (Midlands & bordering regions)
- http://www.transgenderatoz.com/ (A to Z global portal)
- http://www.ftm.org.uk/ (For female-to-male transgender & transsexual people)
- http://www.gires.org.uk/ (The Gender Identity Research and Education Society)
- http://web.ukonline.co.uk/transsexual.org/ (UK gateway portal)
- http://www.transproud.org/ (Website for transgender youth)
