Transgenderism, Part One

Approximately 1/1000 people identify as transgendered (Conway). These people, other then cisgendered people who identify with the sex they were born as, “ fall between genders,” not identifying as their physical sex (Moelker). Intersexuals (see Intersexuals Part One and two) are generally not included in this label, unless they have been surgically altered to a gender they do not identify with (Moelker). The majority of transgendered people are transsexuals, who intend to, are in the process of, or already have transitioned through the use of sexual reassignment surgery and hormone treatment because their physical sex does not match their mental gender.

While it is often believed that transsexuality is caused by a person's physical appearance, upbringing, sexual orientation, or is a synonym for transvestite, none of these are true. A person's physical appearance holds sway in gender identity only in that a very phenotypic male or female will have more trouble transitioning to the opposite sex. Upbringing holds no sway over gender identity, no matter how a child is raised, “there is no evidence that nurturing... in contradiction to the phenotype (physical sex and appearance) can cause transsexuality” (Causes). As for sexuality, “sexual orientations among transgender people vary just as much as they do among cisgender people,” despite the person's original sex, and the gender they identify as (Moelker). Transvestites (which will be the focus of an upcoming part) simply enjoy dressing as the opposite sex, and do not have a desire to live as it full time.

With these misconceptions eliminated, the problem still remains, what causes transsexuality? Limited research has been done, due to a lack of funding and interest. Transsexuality remains a low profile issue, mostly due to the small numbers in which it occurs. It was originally filed, along with homosexuality, as a metal disorder called Gender Identity Disorder. However, transsexuality has been linked to hormone washes in the womb brought on by various factors in the environment of the womb, the androgen receptor gene, and the hypothalamus gland (Causes).

Hormones

It has been hypothesized that transsexuality could be caused by hormone washes the fetus is exposed to during the first trimester of pregnancy (Not a Choice?). A medication called Diethylstilbestrol (DES), also a cause of intersexuality (see Intersexuality, part One), used to prevent miscarriages, has been shown to cause increased transsexuality in children born to mothers who took the drug (Causes). This is because the drug tampers with hormones in the womb, exposing the fetus to abnormally high levels of estrogen, which can affect development.

Androgen Receptor Gene

On a related note, male to female transsexuals are more likely to have a longer androgen receptor gene, which causes weaker testosterone signals. This means that in the womb, when hormones wash over the fetus, a female to male transsexual will not properly absorb testosterone (Transsexual gene link identified). This is a genetic defect, but is related to hormonal causes, as it is the lack of testosterone that causes transsexuality, not the gene itself.

Hypothalamus

(Picture: reference man (a), reference woman (b), homosexual man (c), and male-to-female transsexual (d))

The strongest case for transsexuality as a physical abnormality lies the research of Dr. J. N. Zhou In his study “A sex Difference in the Human brain and its Relation to Transsexuality made an illuminating discovery when dissecting the brains of several transsexuals, as well as typical males and females (Not a Choice?). What he found was that some nuclei in the hypothalamus glad differ in number based on sex. The Limbic Nucleus is one of these, Males have 62% more then a normal female (Not a Choice?). This remained constant despite the sexual orientation of the individual. In Transsexuals, the size reflects that of the opposite sex (Causes). This was a huge contribution to the side of thinking that held that transsexuality was not a choice, and remains the most certain evidence of this.

Transgendered people remain one of the minorities least researched, both medically and socially. However, with the discoveries made by Zhou, doctors are much closer to discovering the causes. While there is no 'cure,' transsexuals can undergo a variety of treatments, which will be talked about in 'Transgenderism, Part Two'.

Works Cited

"Causes of transsexualism: current findings and hypotheses." TSRoadmap. 18 Jan 2010. Transexual Roadmap, Web. 10 Feb 2010. .

Conway, Lynn. "On the Calculation of the Prevalence of Transsexualism." WPATH 20th International Symposium (2007): 2. Web. 10 Feb 2010.

Kruijver, Frank. "Male-to-Female Transsexuals Have Female Neuron Numbers in a Limbic Nucleus ." Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 85.5 (2000): n. pag. Web. 10 Feb 2010. .

Moelker, Wendy. "Transgender, Transsexual, Gender Identity Disorder ." Web4Health. 22 July 2008. Web4Health, Web. 9 Feb 2010. .

"Not A Choice? What Causes it?." Transgender London. 26 Jan 2009. Transgender London, Web. 10 Feb 2010. .

"Transsexual gene link identified ." BBC News. 26 October 2008. BBC, Web. 10 Feb 2010. .

Pictures

http://www.soc.ucsb.edu/sexinfo/images/09-07-orientations.jpg

http://jcem.endojournals.org/content/vol85/issue5/images/medium/eg0406564002.gif