Transsexualism - Relation To Gender Roles

Relation To Gender Roles

Transsexual people may refer to themselves as trans men or trans women. Transsexual people often desire to establish a permanent gender role as a member of the gender with which they identify. Some transsexual people pursue medical interventions as part of the process of expressing their gender.

These medically based, physical alterations are collectively referred to as sex reassignment therapy, and may include female-to-male or male-to-female hormone replacement therapy, or various surgeries. Surgeries may include genital surgery such as orchiectomy or sex reassignment surgery; chest surgery such as top surgery or breast augmentation; or, in the case of trans women, facial surgery such as trachea shave or facial feminization surgery. The entire process of switching from one physical sex and social gender presentation to another is often referred to as transition, and usually takes several years.

Not all transsexual people undergo a physical transition. Some find reasons not to, for example, the expense of surgery, the risk of medical complications, medical conditions which make the use of hormones or surgery dangerous. Some may not identify strongly with another binary gender role. Others may find balance at a mid-point during the process, regardless of whether they are binary-identified. Many transsexual people, including binary-identified transsexual people, do not undergo genital surgery, because they are comfortable with their own genitals, or because they are concerned about nerve damage and the potential loss of sexual pleasure and orgasm. This is especially so in the case of trans men, many of whom are dissatisfied with the current state of phalloplasty, which is typically very expensive, not covered by health insurance, and which does not result in a fully erectile, sexually sensate penis.

Some transsexual people live heterosexual lifestyles and gender roles, while some identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual. Many trans people find that a shift occurs in their sexual orientation as they undergo transition. Many transsexual people choose the language of how they refer to their sexual orientation based on their gender identity, not their morphological sex, though some transsexual people still find identification with their community: many trans men, for instance, are involved with lesbian communities, and identify as lesbian despite their male identity. Some lesbians are willing to become sexually or romantically involved with trans men; some gay men are willing to do the same with trans women; where both groups typically would not date members of the opposite sex.