changing sex: transsexual teens
by Lorna Russell
Sarah Green is 17 and she was born with the body of a boy. But since the age of six Sarah has felt that she is supposed to be a girl. She dresses like a woman and wants people to see her as female.
© stockbyte
'The first time I went out as a woman I felt really embarrassed but it was brilliant too. I wasn't hiding anymore,' says Sarah.
The official name for Sarah's condition is transsexual. It means that someone is born physically male or female but mentally they feel like the opposite gender. (This is different from being a transvestite, which means you just want to dress as the opposite gender.) It can be very upsetting and confusing if you feel the body you were born with is the wrong one. People can start to feel they have a problem with living in the wrong body from early childhood.
body talk
Sarah's friends have been very accepting of the way she is but her family, sadly, doesn't see her anymore. People on the street are often cruel too, calling Sarah rude names and shouting abuse. She appeard on Blunt, a teens' programme on Channel 4, explaining how she feels. She went on television because she wanted other people who feel the same way to know that 'they don't have to be ashamed of who they are'.
Doctors now believe that people like Sarah have a medical condition that they were probably born with. Although their body is physically, say, male, their brain is physically female, so they have the feelings and emotions of that gender instead. Transsexual people often want to do things that society says is strictly for the gender they don't belong to. For instance, a girl might want to join in the more physical, rough games played by boys, while a boy might want to play with toys that are usually for girls. Transsexual people don't feel they fit in with others of the same gender.
If you have any of these feelings, it doesn't necessarily mean you are transsexual. The main thing about transsexual people is that they feel they should have been born the other gender.
all change
There is no 'cure' to stop transsexual people feeling this way. Some people choose to put up with their body but will often live their life as if they are the opposite gender. But for others it is impossible to be happy with the 'wrong' body.
If the medical profession is certain that someone is transsexual there is treatment available to help. The first stage is to take medication to stop your body producing the male or female hormones you were born with, and after that you can have an operation to change your body to the opposite gender. Sarah has had lots of counselling to make sure that she really wants to go ahead with this surgery and at the moment she is taking pills to stop her body producing testosterone (male hormone). The medication stops her growing more facial hair and means her voice won't get any deeper. She also has to live 'as a woman' for two years before doctors will let her have the operation.
Being transsexual can make relationships difficult and Sarah says this part of her life is 'on hold' at the moment. The last person she went out with didn't want her to have the surgery and this made Sarah very upset, so she ended the relationship.
The operation Sarah hopes to have is sometimes available free through the National Health Service but it is painful and it cannot be reversed. For Sarah, it is worth the discomfort she will go through because it will mean her physical appearance will match the way she feels emotionally.
help and info
Channel 4 is not responsible for the content of third party sites.
organisations
Mermaids
BM Mermaids
London WC1N 3XX
Helpline: 07020 935066 (12-9pm)
E-mail: mermaids@freeuk.com
Website: www.mermaids.freeuk.com
Support and information for children and teenagers who have gender identity problems, and for their families, friends and carers.
Depend
BM Depend
London WC1N 3XX
E-mail: info@depend.org.uk
Website: www.depend.org.uk
Offering free, confidential and non-judgemental advice, information and support to all family members, spouses, partners and friends of transsexual people in the UK. A helpline and administration number are being planned.
websites
Boys will be girls
http://society.guardian.co.uk/health/story/0,7890,1022281,00.html
Guardian article from 2003 examining the rise of gender identity disorder.
The Crissy Wild Transgender Library
www.crissywild.com
This comprehensive site describes itself as a gateway to all and everything transgendered.
Gendys info
www.gendys.info
A site dealing with gender dysphoria, lesbianism, love, personal freedom and rebirth. Developed by male-to-female transsexuals who describe their experiences and offer a forum for support.
Gendys Network
www.gender.org.uk/gendys
A support network for all who have encountered gender identity problems: transsexuals, transgendered people, gender dysphoric people of either sex, and those who provide professional or lay care. A quarterly journal is published for members and biennial conferences are held.
Transgender UK
www.transgender.freeserve.co.uk
Website dedicated to helping people of diverse gender expression achieve their full potential within society, and offer information and support during that process.
Transsexual UK
www.transsexual.org.uk
Aims to connect trans people and their allies to clubs, groups, individuals, information, organisations, professionals and resources in the UK and beyond.
reading
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How Sex Changed: A History of Transsexuality in the United States by Joanne Meyerowitz (Harvard University Press, 2004) |
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Finding the Real Me: True Tales of Sex and Gender Diversity by Tracie O'Keefe (Ed) (Jossey Bass Wiley, 2003) |
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Read My Lips: Sexual Subversion and the End of Gender by Riki Anne Wilchins (Firebrand Books, 1997) |
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(resources updated October 2004)
