Here Are Top 30 Interesting Facts About Gender Identity & Transgender People:
#1 Gender identity disorder, also known as transsexualism or gender dysphoria, is a persistent and strong desire to identify with the opposite gender rather than the given anatomical or biological gender.
#2 People who have transsexualism feel strongly that their gender does not match their biology. It can change the way individuals want to express their gender. Some alter their physical appearance hormonally and cosmetically, as well as they may undergo a sex-change operation.
#3 These people are called transsexual or trans people. Occasionally, the terms ”gender variant” or ”gender nonconforming” are used.
#4 In Indonesia transgender people are known as waria, in Thailand kathoey, in Pakistan and Bangladesh hijra, and in Mexico muxe.
#5 It manifests at an early age and it can lead to the development of transsexuality and homosexuality.
#6 This disorder is different from transvestic fetishism or transvestitism, in which cross-dressing happens for sexual pleasure.
#7 Starting 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) officially no longer considers gender dysphoria a mental illness, but a sexual health condition. The revision is made in the latest International Classification of Diseases.
Transgender Rights
#8 In 2015, Malta’s government adopted the Gender Identity, Gender Expression, and Sex Characteristics Act.
#9 The Gender Recognition Act of 2004 in the United Kingdom allows transsexual people to change their legal gender.
#10 Ireland passed its Gender Recognition Act in 2015, that allows adults to determine their own legal gender.
#11 Kuwait, Malaysia, and Nigeria enforce laws which prohibit “posing” as the opposite sex. In 2012, Argentina’s Senate approved the Gender Identity Law, making sex-change surgery a legal right.
#12 In 2016, Governor Pat McCrory of North Carolina signed into law the Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act, banning people from public restrooms which do not correspond to their assigned biological sex.
Statistics
#13 In the United States, about 400 adults per 100 000 have the condition. Approximately 24 percent of the affected children live with their mothers only, with the absence of a father at home.
#14 About 45 percent of fathers and 80 percent of mothers of patients with the condition had psychiatric treatment or had a psychiatric problem.
#15 An estimated 1 percent of the British population are gender non-conforming to some degree, according to the Gender Identity Research & Education Society.
#16 Amnesty International estimates that about 1.5 million people across Europe are transgender.
Symptoms
#17 Common symptoms in children include:
- a strong desire for the primary or secondary sex characteristics of the other gender;
- an insistence that he or she is of the other sex;
- repeatedly-stated desire to be of the other sex;
- a strong dislike of one’s sexual anatomy;
- strong preference for playmates of the other sex;
- intense desire to participate in the stereotypical games of the other sex;
- a strong rejection of typical games usually played by one’s sex;
- persistent fantasies of being the other sex;
- persistent and strong preferences for cross-sex roles in make-believe play;
- in girls, insistence on wearing only stereotypical masculine clothing; also, girls prefer short hair and are frequently misidentified by strangers as boys;
- in boys, simulating female attire or preference for cross-dressing.
#18 Common symptoms in teenagers or adults include:
- a strong desire to change or be rid of the genitalia of his/her biological sex;
- a strong desire to hide the physical signs of his/her sex, like – body hair, breasts, or muscle definition;
- comfortable only when in the gender role of his/her preferred gender identity;
- without a doubt that his/her gender identity is at odds with his/her biological sex.
Complications
#19 Children with the condition may have co-existing:
- depression;
- generalized anxiety;
- separation anxiety.
#20 Substance abuse and suicide attempts are also common.
Causes
#21 The specific causes of this condition are not yet known, however, they are thought to be connected to genetics, hormones, and a few environmental aspects as well as how a child is raised.
#22 There is some evidence which shows that females or males exposed to estrogenic medication (like – diethylstilbestrol) may have a raised risk of the condition.
#23 More importantly, recent research established that there is an increased rate of autism traits and autism spectrum disorders among people with gender dysphoria.
Diagnosis
#24 The onset of this condition may be as early as 4 years of age, however, a precise diagnosis cannot be made until adulthood.
#25 According to a 2018 study that was presented at the European Society of Endocrinology annual meeting in Barcelona, individuals questioning their gender identity may have a brain scan to determine whether they are transgender.
Treatment
#26 Treatment for the condition aims to help remove or reduce the distressing feelings of an individual with the condition. Treatment options include:
- group therapy;
- behavior therapy;
- eclectic psychotherapy (a therapeutic approach which incorporates numerous therapeutic philosophies and principles);
- psychotherapy.
#27 The hormones may also be used. For a trans man, some of the changes which he will observe from hormone therapy include:
- an increased sex drive (libido);
- periods may stop;
- clitoris may get bigger;
- more muscle;
- more body and facial hair.
#28 In addition, this therapy can cause:
- a slightly deeper voice, however, it will not be as deep as other men’s voices;
- acne and baldness.
#29 For a trans woman, some of the changes which she will observe from hormone therapy include:
- less facial and body hair;
- may become lumpy and may increase in size slightly;
- more fat on the hips;
- less muscle;
- penis and testicles may get smaller.
#30 In addition, this therapy can:
- make it harder to get an erection and have an orgasm;
- make the voice higher.
References https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042810023335 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/19419899.2013.830640 http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2016/gender-lines-science-transgender-identity/