Transexual

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Transexual: Who's that??

Transexuality describes a condition where a person's gender identity does not match the biological sex determined at birth; for example, a person born with male physical characteristics may feel like a woman, and vice versa. This mismatch is often accompanied by intense psychological discomfort known as gender dysphoria.

A transgender person's gender identity becomes a key part of their self-definition, which is why many seek transition - the process of changing their outward appearance and behavior in order to live in accordance with their internal sense of gender.

Gender identity: awareness and acceptance

Gender identity is a person's underlying sense of their gender. In most people, this sense is the same as the biological sex assigned at birth, but it is different for transgender people.

The realization of one's gender identity can begin at any age:

• Childhood: Many transgender people begin to feel “out of place” at an early age. For example, a child born a girl may prefer boyish clothing, games and role models, or vice versa.
• Adolescence: Puberty can increase internal conflict as the body begins to develop secondary sexual characteristics that may not match the internal sense of gender.
• Adulthood: For some people, the realization of transexuality comes later in life, sometimes after years of suppressing their feelings for fear of judgment or societal pressure.

The process of accepting one's identity can be difficult; it is often accompanied by feelings of guilt, fear and doubt, especially in cultural and social contexts where transexuality is stigmatized. The work of psychologists and psychotherapists plays a key role in this stage, helping the individual to cope with these emotions and come to self-acceptance.

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Gender dysphoria and its impact

Gender dysphoria is a state of deep dissatisfaction related to the discrepancy between the internal sense of gender and the physical characteristics of the body. Symptoms of gender dysphoria include:

• Dislike of one's own body, especially one's sexual characteristics.
• Psychological discomfort, anxiety, and depression.
• A desire to change one's body to match one's internal sense of gender.

Gender dysphoria is recognized as a medical condition and is included in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11). Despite this, it is important to realize that transexuality itself is not a pathology; but recognizing gender dysphoria as a condition helps people access the medical and psychological support they need.

Medical transition

For many transgender people, medical transition becomes an important part of their journey to self-actualization. This process may involve hormone therapy, surgery, and other procedures.

• Hormone therapy plays a key role in changing a person's physical appearance. For example, for people transitioning from male to female (MtF), estrogens and antiandrogens are used to suppress testosterone. These drugs promote the development of female secondary sex characteristics: breast enlargement, redistribution of adipose tissue, and decreased body hair growth. For people transitioning from female to male (FtM), testosterone is prescribed to cause muscle mass growth, facial and body hair, and a change in voice to a lower pitch.
• Surgical procedures include surgeries to alter the genitals, face, and other parts of the body. For example, vaginoplasty can create anatomically female genitalia and phalloplasty can create male genitalia. Additional surgeries may include breast removal or augmentation, correction of facial features to achieve a more pronounced masculinity or femininity.

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Social transition

Social transition involves changing your name, pronouns, sense of style, voice, and behavior to match your gender identity. For many transgender people, it is the first step to living in accordance with their authentic self; however it can be very challenging because it is often accompanied by stigma and discrimination. 

Social transition can include:

• Announcing their new name and gender identity in the environment.
• Wearing clothing that matches the gender identity.
• Using new pronouns.

Legal aspect

Legal recognition of transexuality includes changing one's name and gender on official documents such as passport, birth certificate, and driver's license. This process is regulated differently in different countries; some places require medical proof of gender transition, including surgery, while other countries have no such requirements.

Progressive laws, such as in Argentina, allow people to change documents without the need for medical confirmation, based on self-determination alone. However, in many countries, legal transition remains complex and bureaucratically burdensome.

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