We can (or should, at least) all agree that those born with serious genetic defects should have full access to every tool medical science can provide so as to mitigate or eliminate the negative effects of related illnesses. I can only imagine how wonderful it would be when individuals will receive gene-therapy treatments to eliminate aberrant genes responsible for said defects, ensuring that none of us will ever again be carriers of genes that could devastate an unfortunate minority of future offspring. Humanity will be much stronger for it. In the short-term, other less-sophisticated treatments intended to reduce the impact of emergent genetic defects should still be seen as highly desirable, provided that they work.
In contrast, most rational people show skepticism towards wholly-superficial medical treatments. Plastic surgery - often used as a way to correct perceived physical flaws that are all intrinsically linked to DNA - has received more and more focus as an increasingly large number of people turn to it as a way to improve their own lives. Thanks to a recent early-morning news broadcast on ABC, however, it became clear to me that there are medical procedures taking place that should be cause for far greater concern than mundane plastic surgery. The news feature centered on what is estimated to be 400 families in the United States with "transgender children". Apparently these children, many of them prepubescent, have come to the conclusion that they are "born into the wrong body". It should be noted that none of the children featured in the news broadcast actually possessed any kind of known genetic aberration that could produce any sexual confusion in the children in question. They were simply individuals who had become dissatisfied with their own genetic expression and wished to change it for "personal reasons". At least one of the featured children - a girl wishing to become a boy - complained of depression before she began her change.
It has become fashionable, particularly in gay-rights circles, to tolerate and even promote the cause of transgender adults. One could assume that similar support would be shown for transgender children. However, I can not imagine why anyone would wish to coddle transgender individuals. It is one thing to seek to correct obvious genetic flaws that can lead to severe disfigurement, illness, or even death. Less obvious is the motivation to correct genetic conditions that have no obvious, genuine drawbacks. Those who use plastic surgery as a crutch to cope with an ugly nose are given the right to do so on their own dime, though such procedures are widely - and rightfully - seen as being rather superficial. Ultimately they are tolerated since such procedures do improve an individual's appearance when used in moderation. Sex-change operations, however, produce no demonstrable improvement in appearance or function of recipients of such procedures. In fact, sex-change operations do not address any known problem at all. The only observable problem is a psychological disorder causing the would-be transgender to become dissatisfied with a harmless and normal genetic condition. There entire idea of someone being "born into the wrong body", I'm sorry to say, is entirely farcical except in the rare instance of someone being born into a body showing sexual traits that can not be wholly identified as male or female.
Those wishing to satisfy their own bizarre need to alter a perfectly normal, functioning human body may wish to do so by way of surgery, but such a choice is even more superficial and shallow than your average case of plastic surgery. Part of being human is learning to accept one's personal flaws and, in so doing, learning to overcome them. Being male or female isn't even a flaw, so it is not clear why anyone would actually accept, much less tolerate, transgender inclinations. It is not to say that those who are or would like to be transgenders should be the subject of constant ridicule and violence as they often are now, but at the same time, they certainly should not be encouraged, especially not by their own parents when they are still minors. As medical science progresses, current procedures will be rendered obsolete by gene therapy that may allow an individual to transform their sex after birth, or they may even receive genetic triggers that will allow them to change sex under certain conditions (such as after taking a specific hormone pill), a capability currently possessed by some amphibians (remember Jurassic Park?). It's bad enough that transgenders are already lying to themselves when they see their body as "wrong", when in reality it is "right" (DNA doesn't lie). What happens when gene therapists begin altering transgenders so that they are able to change sexes so fundamentally that they retain their ability to reproduce and begin passing foreign DNA onto their offspring? Alterations to the human genome might be passed on to future generations and wind up changing the entire human race. And for what? To satisfy the needs of a few confused individuals who hate their own genetic code? Do you want a future in which you will need to ask for medical records and do DNA tests to make sure you aren't marrying and reproducing yourself with a human tainted by unnecessary genetic engineering? And if you think the transgenders are bad, take some time to do research on "furries", individuals who constantly fantasize about being anthropomorphic animals. Most wear suits to live out their fantasies, but a rare few have had major plastic surgery done to attach fur, claws, and pointed teeth to their bodies. Will we allow "furries" the opportunity to transform themselves into human-animal chimera, fully capable of reproducing themselves with other chimera? Will we create entire races of beings to satisfy the whim of individuals too warped to tolerate their own DNA?
Gene therapy will be a major part of medical science in the future. No matter how loudly people complain that we are "playing god", doctors will not hesitate to alter the genetic makeup of individuals, or even the entire human race, to stymie genetic diseases once and for all. However, the power to alter humanity could be misused. We seem ready to take a stand against eugenics, but are we ready to fight against frivolous genetic alterations that could have dire consequences for all of humanity? Given the fact that most critics of transgenders, "furries", voraphiles (individuals who fantasize about being swallowed whole or swallowing other voraphiles whole), and other misfits wield criticism no more sophisticated than that of a schoolyard prankster or a dim-witted thug, I do not believe that we are currently capable of making a well-reasoned and thorough defense against frivolous alteration of the human genome. The time is coming soon when gene therapy will be relatively cheap and effective, so we'd better get on the ball before it's too late.
12 comments:
"Sex-change operations, however, produce no demonstrable improvement in appearance or function of recipients of such procedures. In fact, sex-change operations do not address any known problem at all."
No, they simply allow the recipient alleviation of the agony of a well documented and studied mental disorder. Your dismissal of GID shows an obvious lack of knowledge about the subject. SRS has a 68-86 percent success rate.
Also, if you were the least bit educated on gender dysphoria you'd know about the BSTc differences in M2F transsexuals. Of course, most people who try and lambaste transsexuals are people that are trying to turn their bias into fact.
"Man is arrogant in proportion to his ignorance." - Edward Bulwer-Lytton
I believe you ignored this bit:
"The only observable problem is a psychological disorder causing the would-be transgender to become dissatisfied with a harmless and normal genetic condition."
I do not dismis GID. What I dismiss is the notion that a pyschological disorder, stemming either from trauma or congenitally atypical brain function/chemistry, is best treated by way of major plastic surgery and horomone therapy. Once we take the next step towards using gene therapy to treat the condition, I would think we'd want to use the gene therapy to treat GID directly rather than facilitate sex-change in an entirely new way.
The way things are right now, I fear that most would leave a GID-victim's brain chemistry alone and focus on changing their reproductive system instead. This could have terrible consequences once gene therapy becomes a part of the mix.
In the end, no matter what the cause for an individual's desire to change sexes, the two simple facts remain:
1). The condition of being male or female can not fundamentally be construed as a genetic flaw;
2). Humanity thrives most when we, as humans, learn to cope with the harmless conditions of our birth. Fleeing from them by way of surgery solves nothing.
And yes, the fact remains that I am biased against transgenders (or transsexuals or what have you). They live a persistent lie that they foist upon themselves and the rest of society. I will not conceal my opinion despite the fact that most of those who feel similarly about them can not form a calm, cogent, and logical argument against transsexuality. Attacking GID-sufferers mentally and physically will not solve the problem, but administering sensible treatments to those suffering from the condition will. SRS is a highly-undesirable and roundabout way of dealing with the illness.
mna99 wrote: "What I dismiss is the notion that a pyschological disorder, stemming either from trauma or congenitally atypical brain function/chemistry, is best treated by way of major plastic surgery and horomone therapy."
How can you say that hormone therapy isn't good treatment for a congenitally atypical brain? Our brains are "wired" to function optimally under the influence of the appropriate sex hormones. A transsexual's brain is "designed" for the opposite of the hormone balance his or her body produces, meaning, essentially, that prior to hormone treatment, we're operating on a severe hormone imbalance.
It sounds like what you are suggesting is reparative therapy for transgender individuals. If I remember correctly, that has about a 5% or less success rate, versus hormone therapy and SRS, the success rate of which as already been stated at 68-86%. You are certainly entitled to your opinions. It is only when you state opinion as fact, especially when you clearly have no real grasp of the issue at hand, that I become become upset. There are plenty of readily available sources of credible information on the transgender subject if you wish to become further educated.
MNA99 wrote: “It's bad enough that transgenders are already lying to themselves when they see their body as "wrong", when in reality it is "right" (DNA doesn't lie).”
Huh? Transsexuality is a congenital, not genetic, birth defect. DNA has nothing to do with it. It has nothing to do with sex either. Chromsomes carry DNA. They, and the SRY gene usually found on the Y chromosome, are responsible for sex determination.
Female is the default plan of the human body. Prior to 8 weeks of age, all fetues have identical genitals, arranged in a female pattern. Only when the ovo-testes in the XY fetus recieve the proper chemical instructions to begin producing testosterone, does that fetus begin developing male characteristics. Many types of birth defects produce XY female babies. If the SRY gene winds up on an X chromosome, an XX male results.
This is a simplification of course, but the only thing chromosomes do is determine whether the ovo-testes produce a male or female hormone mixture. Male= mostly testosterone and a little estrogen and progesterone. Female= mostly estrogen and a little testostone and progesterone. The hormones testosterone and estrogen cause all of the physical development, including that of the brain, in the fetus, and later, during puberty. They are responsible for maintaining secondary sex characteristics after puberty, which is why old ladies sometimes grow facial hair and old men lose mauscle mass with the loss of estrogen and testosterone respectively.
Sex determination a very complex process that still isn’t fully understood though, and all kinds of things can, and do, go wrong with it. There have been no large-scale studies of transsexuals. Few if any of us have had chromosme tests because they’re expensive and not covered by insurance unless there is an obvious external sign of intersex. Many or all of us could have undiscovered chromosomal anomalies. It is generally believed at this time that hormone imbalances in the mother, possibly caused by endocrine disrupting chemicals in the environment, are responsible. All manner of intersex conditions and cross-sex behavior have been observed in wildlife exposed to these chemicals.
Well written article. I believe you are educated about the topics in which you write. Some people might be taking stuff you write a bit too personal.
After seeing on television a special in which parents were letting their kids have sex changes, dress like the opposite sex, take hormone pills and everything else just made me sick to my stomach. I guess for the ones with sex changes their parents expect schools to let their kids play sports in which their kids and others change clothes and dress in front of each other. Heh not in a locker room with my child they won't. These things needs to really be thought about fully.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3JvXxXnB8I
view and learn
so many quotes, so little time:
wolfgang: To respond to your first post, all I can say is that if the brain does not match the hormone balance provided by the body, we must ascertain which which is "at fault" and correct the faulty system. The problem with addressing this genetic mismatch by applying hormones appropriate to the brain's structure is that it introduces hormones to the body which are not appropriate given the patient's sex. It would be more appropriate to somehow alter the congenitally atypical brain to function normally inside the body into which it was originally born, if possible.
anonymous: obviously more research and effort is required to make reparative therapy actually effective. If this is the same therapy to which I think you're referring (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reparative_therapy), it is no surprise that succcess rates are so low. Nevertheless, I question the validity of any claim that SRS + hormone therapy has high success rates given the extreme consequences of such measures. Recipients of SRS are rendered completely infertile, and those receiving hormone therapy without SRS may also suffer varying degrees of infertility. This does not take into account the extreme disruption SRS can have in the everyday life of the patient.
It is sad that you and other posters here think that I have "no real grasp of the issue at hand". What I do grasp, and what most transsexual-rights advocates ignore, is that altering someone's sex in order to treat a psychological condition is roundabout and fraught with ugly side-effects. You are treating a symptom rather than administering a cure.
wolfgang again: While it is nice that you've gone into some detail about how sexual differentiation occurs during gestation, if no one has gone to the trouble of ascertaining whether or not GID-sufferers exhibit chromosomal anomalies, then why would anyone assume that such anomalies are common or even existent in GID-sufferers? I have been presented with no evidence to suggest that GID-sufferers are XX males or XY females. I am aware that chromosomal anomalies do exist, and that they can create all manner of atypical sexual conditions, such as sequential and simultaneous hermaphroditism. I am also aware of the fact that, by my observation (and by all the evidence presented here in commentary) GID is a congential condition that is not necessarily linked to XX male/XY female chromosomal abnormalities. As you yourself said, "This is a simplification of course, but the only thing chromosomes do is determine whether the ovo-testes produce a male or female hormone mixture".
Furthermore, spontaneous sex-switching in lower-order animals not normally known for sexual polymorphism has been observed in several American rivers and streams which is a disturbing trend, especially considering the fact that such polymorphism has been linked to environmental estrogens and estrogen-like chemicals introduced by human industry and/or pharmacopeia. In ever reported instance of abnormal animal sexual polymorphism in the wild, environmentalists and zoologists alike have labeled such polymorphism as a negative transformation for the individual creatures in question (along with their species as a whole).
Never mind that the role of environmental estrogens and other environmental chemicals that closely resemble human hormones have not been linked to GID, but even if one were to establish a link between hormonal imbalance during gestation and GID, the question remains whether or not said hormonal imbalance caused abnormal development in the endocrine system or in the brain (or both). In short, given the data we have now, I must conclude that the apparent original sexual orientation of GID-sufferers is not the result of chromosomal or genetic damage. BSTc differences and other conditions within the brain seem to be the primary culprit of GID as well as the conditions that should be considered to be "abnormal" within the individual in question.
Of course, the whole point of my article was not merely to "lambaste" transsexuals but offer a warning of what may come down the road as new treatments for GID are offered. As thing stand now, surgeons are all too willing to inflict sterility upon those who suffer from GID as a treatment for the condition, never mind the societal backlash that results from those who violently oppose SRS and similar surgeries.
Current GID-treatment philosophy leads one to conclude that three possibly future replacements for SRS + hormone therapy will emerge:
1). Mechanical/cybernetic body replacement ala Ghost in the Shell, which is a whole can of worms in and of itself. Not really an improvement, but genital functionality would probably improve. Would probably be expensive as all get-out, and sex/gender issues would be the least of this treatment's troubles.
2). Vat-grown gentials, glands, and other parts, grown from DNA extracted from the patient's own tissue, may be used in updated versions of SRS to preclude the need for extended hormone therapy and increase the chance of sexual functionality. Actually not as objectionable to me (or to anyone) if the grafted-on parts actually work, as this would represent a significant improvement over existing SRS treatments. However, this would be highly invasive and very expensive, and I suspect that it would be shunned in favor of #3 . . .
3). Gene therapy intended to induce body-wide shifts in endocrine behavior combined with the introduction of genetic characteristics that would allow spontaneous sexual polymorphism will be used. This would be the "boutique" treatment that would entail one injection and some waiting. It would be cheaper and might even allow multiple sex-changes back and forth between masculinity and femininity. Sadly, any recipient of this therapy that produced offspring would probably pass sexual polymorphic traits onto his/her/its offspring. Did anyone ask those kids if they wanted to be sexually polymorphic? I think not. Did anyone ask if they wanted a small number of transsexuals to begin altering the human genome to cope with their own GID? Certainly not. Perhaps a variant of this therapy could be introduced that would not alter the gametes of the recipient, precluding them from passing on their sexual polymorphism, but I wouldn't count on it.
It would make more sense to use gene therapy to repair GID directly in the brain. Do I believe that transexual-advocacy groups will call for such treatments? No.
Those who have received or promote existing SRS treatments are largely harmless, objectionable though their attitude towards self and self-image may be. They may become very dangerous as we become more skilled bio-engineers.
In conclusion, let me simply state that we do not determine our own masculinity or femininity, nor do we determine the condition of our own humanity. We are subject to the whim of whatever force (be it evolution or some deity of your choice) is responsible for our genesis. The general assumption that we can simply change any part of our being that is intrinsically unsatisfactory to ourselves is rather shallow and potentially dangerous in light of probably future breakthroughs in bioengineering.
Sorry I must comment again after reading a few things and seeing some other stuff.
First off to Marti who in his blog said "Who decides if you are a man or a woman. Clearly many people will say, the doctor that brought you into this world."
You seriously need to wake up and get in touch with this world. Many people would say God, the man upstairs decided...not a doctor. I have no idea what planet you are my brother.
Then you agree with Tom Cruise on that whole Brooke Shields incident. Once again, wake up to this world my brother. You must not have any idea what giving birth is like...Oh I forgot you are a transgender...and you don't know what depression is like afterwards. Step into the shoes of a woman that just had a baby for a day. Since I don't have a login name and couldn't post on your blog I figured I would comment about your blog and this topic in which the author speaks on all in one blog.
Another quote of yours is "I am not mentally insane nor do I have a mental disorder."
Wake up my friend. You do have a mental disorder/mental illness. Anyone that wants to lop off their balls or sew their vagina shut definitely has something wrong with them. And anyone that thinks about it needs serious counseling because that is some sick stuff. A normal person does not think about that kind of stuff and does not do that kind of stuff.
Dear Lord...WHAT IS THIS WORLD COMING TO!!!!
"A normal person does not do that stuff..." The difficulty here with your logic is that you have apparently defined "normal" as "whatever the Uncolumnist likes" and "abnormal" as "whatever the Uncolumnist no like." With such a definition, you are, of course, right to say that transgender people are abnormal, but don't expect others to tow the line. Why have 125 of the largest, most successful corporations in our capitalist paradise adopted policies against discrimination based on "gender identity?" See more at my "Transgender Workplace Diversity" blog at http://transworkshop.blogspot.com
Pardon me for being cynical, but I suspect that corporate policies banning discrimination against transsexuals, transvestites, and others with "gender identity" issues exist for the sole purpose of avoiding lawsuits.
MNA99, I share your concerns about biotechnology. It has great potential for both medical wonders and utter disaster, but it's yet another inevitable attempt of ours to deal with birth defects that cost society in terms of lost potential and productivity and individuals in terms of life-long suffering. We've tried infanticide, eugenics, genocide, war, forced sterilization, chastity belts, arranged marriages and other cruel methods in the past, and none were truly successful. Before those, it was just "survival of the fittest." Biotech could be kind or cruel, but regardless, it can't be stopped. Our main concern should be with who or what will control that industry.
Today, individuals have a responsibily to make educated reproductive decisions, to weigh the costs and benefits, to their their potential children and society, of contributing to the gene pool. Freedom of choice is messy and inefficient, but it's the only right way.
No doctor inflicted sterility on me; I chose it of my own free will for many reasons. If given a choice of whether to change my brain or my body, I would certainly change my body. If I could grow a male clone of my female body and transfer my consciousness and memories into it, I would have it sterilized. That's my choice, and that's what this all boils down to.
Post a Comment