TODAY I READ THIS in a medical journal:
"Transsexualism is the condition
in which a person with an apparently normal
somatic sexual differentiation has the
conviction that he or she is actually a
member of the opposite sex."
How many FTMs have any confusion about their
sex?
In fact I'm 100% sure that most FTMs know
exactly what sex they are and also know what
they are assumed to be every single moment of
their daily lives.
Most FTMs have no confusion over what their
gender is. Most FTMs have the conviction that
they have been subscribed to a gender they
didn't sign up for.
This definition of transsexualism
itself is not really about FTMs. This
unbelievably worded definition is doing a
splendid job at describing an impossibility. The
definition is making the unbelievable claim that
these people think they are something they're
not. And if that's not downright impossible,
they've gotta be completely insane.
The reality is, FTMs are in touch with who
they are, and they also know exactly the kind of
body they live in, and exactly what needs to be
done to be sure they are comfortable in that
body.
If my mind does not match my body - then it
stands to reason, that I would need to be
crucially aware of the
incongruence, but also precisely what body
parts need adjustment and what needs to
occur.
So, then who is this definition for? and who
has the "conviction that he or she is actually a
member of the opposite sex." ? I think that
insane definition is more about other people
than it is about the real state of things.
I know I don't want to "swap" my
gender ever. I know what my gender is. I also
know what my sex is.
Both of these will never change.
I think most FTMs are fully in touch with the
reality of what their bodies look like. Most are
only too aware of the flesh that they inhabit.
That's why they usually take the incredible step
of changing parts of their bodies in order to
feel more 'at home' in their bodies.
Every single day of my life, other people and
those closest to me, had 'the conviction that I
am actually a member of the opposite' sex. I
was under no such illusion.
I know who I am.
And yet, yes, I know my own body.
I have never "swapped genders". I don't care
how it looks to other people.
I might not be able to completely correct my
biological sex. But I am not fooled into
believing I have 'swapped gender'.
The reality is, I am not changing.
More than ever I am becoming a real person. I'm
coming to grips with the reality of my life and
taking responsible action to make my appearance
match who I really am.
I understand the chromosomal sex that my body
gives evidence to (XX) and I also understand I
am a male.
Many four year olds have the conviction they
can fly - at least until they jump off the
garage roof and gravity takes over. My sense of
my gender is not merely a 'conviction' or
'belief'. It's much much more than that.
The truth of what I am is grounded in far
more concrete substance and certainty than the
rudimentary language we limp along on.
