What causes people to be transgender?

[Trixie]

Okay, so one thing I'm interested in is exactly why I feel the way I do. I know that there are no clear answers and that it varies from person to person, but what do you think are some of the causes?

I mean, is it hormonal imbalances? A birth defect? The way someone was raised?

I don't mean to suggest that there's anything wrong with being trans, as I am myself. I'm just curious about why it happens.

So yeah, what do you think?

[eli77]

There has been some evidence to suggest that our brains don't react properly to hormones during foetal development. Why exactly is still unclear.

This is the most recent study: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn20032-transsexual-differences-caught-on-brain-scan.html

Unfortunately there aren't a lot of people interested in identifying the 'cause - probably due partly to the low occurrence rate and partly to the stigma attached to the condition. So progress towards understanding it is slow.

Some trans folk would also rather not know, which is understandable.

[JenJen2011]

I have absolutely no idea why. What I do know is that my feelings are real.

[Annah]

Too much beta carotine

[spacial]

For myself, personally, I honestly don't care, any more that caring about why I dislike sport or like my computer.

I ask, expect and demand, for myself and others, that I not be misjudged because I don't like sport, because I do like my computer and because I am what I am.

Hope that is a suitable response. I've tried to be brief. But like others, I'd love to have a longer discussion on the matter in this thread, if you wish.

[eli77]

I have absolutely no idea why. What I do know is that my feelings are real.

^^ This is how I try to see it.

I know I'm saner, happier, and in the process of becoming a full-fledged human being, rather than the sorry creature I was before. That's enough for me.

It's my body, my life, and my choice.

[Joeyboo~ :3]

God made me too sexy for one gender to handle.
(:

[Bishounen]

The reasons are different from TG to TG. Some are transgendee because of a fully medical and biological reason, while others is it because of psychological reasons, and yet others "choose" it as a lifestyle.

As for the most recent research on those that are "Born Transsexuals", it is, atleast in MTF's genetic:

Gene linked to transsexualism

SYDNEY: The first genetic link to male-to-female transsexualism provides new evidence of its biological nature, say Australian researchers.

"There is a social stigma that transsexualism is simply a lifestyle choice, however our findings support a biological basis of how gender identity develops," said Vincent Harley a geneticist from Prince Henry's Institute in Melbourne and co-author of a new study detailing the find.

Gender identity

Gender identity, an inner feeling of being male or female, is usually identified at an early age. Transsexuals, however, identify with the sex that is opposite to their biological sex.

Early theories as to the cause of transsexuality suggested that it could stem from childhood trauma, but more recent research has pointed to family history and a possible genetic aspect. A study released earlier this year by researchers at the University of Vienna, Austria, hinted at a gene that may be involved in female-to-male transsexualism.

The new study, published today in the journal Biological Psychiatry, builds on previous research that highlighted some similarities in the brain structures of women and male-to-female transsexuals.

For the study, Harley and his team took DNA from 112 male-to-female transsexuals and 258 non-transsexual men. They looked at the sequence of three genes known to be involved in the action of sex hormones, and found that some male-to-female transsexuals carry a different form of a gene, called an androgen receptor, which modifies the body's response to testosterone.

Androgen receptor

The researchers found that, on average, the form of the gene found in the transsexual group had a larger number of repeats of a short, repetitive sequence of DNA - making the gene significantly longer than the form found in the control group of non-transsexual men.

Though the researchers admit that the average difference in the length of the gene between the two groups was small, they said that the size of the study population was limited by the rarity of transsexualism. Nevertheless, "we think that these genetic differences might reduce testosterone action and under-masculinise the brain during foetal development," said co-author Lauren Hare, a geneticist from Monash University in Melbourne.

http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/news/2275/gene-linked-transsexuality?page=0%2C0

[stldrmgrl]

What causes people to be transgender?

It's a secret.  I'd go with this...

God made me too sexy for one gender to handle.
(:

No seriously, this is a discussion that has many times sparked debate and argument within the community because there is no known cause; all claims of a cause are merely hypotheses or theories.  As said, it [the known cause] is not really something that affects how I feel.  It's an awesomeness that regardless of cause, cannot be described in words as to the way I feel in regards to becoming my true self.  It may be a bit of an overstatement, but perhaps I do not even care to know the cause...

[cocoon]

I'll pass on writing all the silly things that have instantly flooded my brain. 

It is a good question and probably deserves a sincere answer.  Unfortunately, I don't think there is a "one size fits all answer" for everyone.

I would suggest a question you could ask is why are YOU TG?  And the even tougher question we all face at some time, what are YOU going to do about it.  Even if you do nothing, that is a decision too which will have consequences.

[toxicblue]

I've also heard that a possible cause of transsexualism is before someone is born and their brain gets in contact with hormones, boys often have a high amount of testosterone and girls have a small amount. If a boy has a small amount or a girl has a large amount, they are more likely or act like the opposite gender, be gay, or become transgender. I read about this in a book called The Riddle of Gender.

[ngkhmynh]

I've also heard that a possible cause of transsexualism is before someone is born and their brain gets in contact with hormones, boys often have a high amount of testosterone and girls have a small amount. If a boy has a small amount or a girl has a large amount, they are more likely or act like the opposite gender, be gay, or become transgender. I read about this in a book called The Riddle of Gender.

So hormones affect how we feel about our gender identity, don't they? Then what about androgynes? Is there certain ratio between testosterone and estrogen that influence their feelings?

[supremecatoverlord]

Too much beta carotine

Agreed.

[justmeinoz]

It's problematic for us, as there appears to be no way to reverse it, all we can do is make the hanges to suit.

[4A-GZE]

I do know that my index fingers are very slightly longer than my ring fingers and that my hair spirals counterclockwise, both of which are indicative of a high exposure to estrogen in the womb. I think I got a Y chromosome but then my mom's body developed me as it would have a girl, though maybe to a lesser extent, and I suppose that could have played a key role.

[Trixie]

I do know that my index fingers are very slightly longer than my ring fingers and that my hair spirals counterclockwise, both of which are indicative of a high exposure to estrogen in the womb. I think I got a Y chromosome but then my mom's body developed me as it would have a girl, though maybe to a lesser extent, and I suppose that could have played a key role.

See, this is one of the reasons I've had doubts. That's not how I am. They're close, but my ring finger is longer.

[4A-GZE]

How close? If they're within like 3mm, that's still more feminine than masculine. Most girls' have them at almost even lengths.

[Trixie]

How close? If they're within like 3mm, that's still more feminine than masculine. Most girls' have them at almost even lengths.

My ring finger is quite obviously longer than my index finger. As I said, it's close-ish but plainly obvious.

[Sandy]

There is also evidence the exposure to Diethylstilbestrol (DES) can cause the inability of the male foetus to develop a masculine brain.  This was given to women from about 1945 to 1970 to reduce the incidence of miscarriage.  These have become known as DES sons.  It also increased the incidence of a rare vaginal cancer in mothers.  That is the primary reason that DES was discontinued.  The transsexual implication came later.

More here:
http://diethylstilbestrol.co.uk/

But the bottom line is, if you knew what caused it, what would you do about it?  Would having an explanation help your mental outlook?  Possibly not.  You are because you are.  It is what it is.  To search for a reason in the end is fruitless.

-Sandy

[kelly_aus]

But the bottom line is, if you knew what caused it, what would you do about it?  Would having an explanation help your mental outlook?  Possibly not.  You are because you are.  It is what it is.  To search for a reason in the end is fruitless.

-Sandy

Early on I searched for an explanation, and in not finding one, I realised that I didn't really care. I am who I am, might as well make the best of it.