Medical condition or lifestyle choice?

[suzifrommd]

I've heard transgender referred to as a lifestyle. Especially with the increased awareness of non-binary genders, transgender is increasingly seen as a "movement" whose result would be greater freedom and acceptance for engaging in gender variant lifestyles. I've also heard people describe transgender as a medical condition. Something people are born with and that they may need to correct to live a satisfying life.

What do you think?

[Sarah Louise]

Why would someone "choose" this?

[eli77]

I am against one person making a decision for another, unless there is very good reason for it. I don't see that here. So I feel like how I define my own identity has nothing to do with how anyone else defines theirs.

So my response is "I think different people are different, and nobody is wrong."

[Sarah Louise]

No one said anyone was "wrong", its a either or question.  Do you think this is a medical condition, or do you think it is a lifestyle choice.

Sounds like the debate about being gay or lesbian.

[eli77]

No one said anyone was "wrong", its a either or question.  Do you think this is a medical condition, or do you think it is a lifestyle choice.

Yes, and I think maybe for some people it can be a medical condition and for some people it can be a choice and for some people it can be both and for some it can be neither. I can offer an opinion on how I see my own self, but I'm not going to offer an opinion on trans people as a whole.

[Anna++]

Your options are too binary

I think it's a combination of both.  I know I'm not an urgent need-to-transition-right-away case and that confronting identity issues now rather than X years from now was a choice.  The initial cause of my gender identity issues was probably something medical/genetic/unknown since I've spent a good portion of my life trying (unsuccessfully) to make it go away.

[Keira]

I've heard transgender referred to as a lifestyle. Especially with the increased awareness of non-binary genders...

Where have I heard this one before...oh right. I've heard this in reference to people who are bisexual. "Oh, honey everyone is bisexual!"...yeah right I'd love to see you go have a relationship with both girls AND guys and thoroughly enjoy it.

Rofl...I laugh at the extreme conservatives lifestyle choice...being ignorant, intolerant, and spreading outright lies. Being who you are shouldn't have to be a choice, ignoring and trying to take away other people's rights is a choice (this includes EVERYONE, not just extremist conservatives).

I don't mean to sound overly confident or rude...I just find a lot of this to be ridiculous, outdated, and recycled to the point of redundancy. (How everything that has been previously said about other groups is said about newer groups)

transgender is increasingly seen as a "movement" whose result would be greater freedom and acceptance for engaging in gender variant lifestyles.

Transgender people aren't the only ones trying to further acceptance, trans* allies are also doing their part. Again, this reminds me of the "issue" of gay marriage.

Oh noez, if gay people are allowed to marry that would destroy the definition of "one man and one woman". They're destroying society, what ever shall we do?

Sound similar to...

Oh noez, if transgender people are allowed to present as a gender different from their birth sex it will destroy gender roles. They're destroying society, what ever shall we do?

Grow up people...we live in the 21st century, not the 1300's...things change, get used to it.

I've also heard people describe transgender as a medical condition. Something people are born with and that they may need to correct to live a satisfying life.

As a community (sort of) we use stuff like this to fight discrimination, similar to how being gay was defended as being inherent and genetic.

I agree that being transgender is a biological variation that seems quite prevalent in nature. But to say that it is a "medical condition" is almost to ignore the people that do not wish to medically transition, but yet wish to live as their true innate self (aka, they have less dysphoria).

The term "medical condition" also implies that being transgender can be fixed or cured by transitioning, perhaps instead of clinical-izing everything we could just agree that certain things are within the realm of standard variation. I don't mean to say that transitioning is not the solution, I just don't want to feel like I'm being categorized and clinical-ized; the mentality of, "patient 142 treated, on to the next one".

I think the scientific community is starting to realize that it isn't "nature vs nurture" but more like biological nature is affected by social nurture: being transgender is inherently genetic, but has to be "discovered" by the person who has it (regardless of ones age).

I don't claim 100% absolute truth, this is just what I think...

[Ms. OBrien CVT]

Seeing that "Transgender" is an umbrella term, it can be both.  Being transsexual is a medical condition, where as Cross-dressing could be a life style choice.  Some people enjoy dressing as the opposite sex, which could be a life style choice, as I personally know of some people who are like that.

That being said it might be a medical condition.

JMPO

[Beth Andrea]

Seeing that "Transgender" is an umbrella term, it can be both.  Being transsexual is a medical condition, where as Cross-dressing could be a life style choice.  Some people enjoy dressing as the opposite sex, which could be a life style choice, as I personally know of some people who are like that.

That being said it might be a medical condition.

JMPO

+1

And there are TG people who are not TS, who think it "might be cool" to have their own set of tits...I've only met a couple of cis-guys who thought this, but if there are those who consider it, even hypothetically, there's bound to be those who will act on it, and who may (or may not) regret their choice.

[androgynoid]

Your options are too binary

Came here to say something like this, but less succinctly.

Much like my gender, I feel like it's not one, the other, or a combination, but something else entirely. I hear people going on about medical conditions and birth defects, and that doesn't sit quite right with me. Likewise, it's not a choice to be transgender, though transition is a choice a lot of people make (though it's not optional for everyone). It's kind of like sexual orientation in that it's just part of the natural variation within the human species.

[Natkat]

I can't vote cause I dont feel any of the options suits my opinion.

I wont say its a lifestyle choice, you can choose to live out whatever you are, but you cant choose your fellings behind it. and even if you say choose the choice isnt really much of a fair choice. to not be hidden or not to be harrasmed.
--
but neither I guess medical condition is suitable cause even when many transfolks gets better with threatment as homones and surgery theres also many who dont need it and it also depend on what kind of transperson you are and where you live.

I Personally belive transgenderism to be natural varientation and that sociaty is just struggle to accept it.

[janetcgtv]

I believe in medical condition. I believe that we all start out life as a gender neutral egg. Then the hormones in the womb kick in that 1st give us our identity in that we either become mentally feminine or masculine or somewhere in between. Also the sex center is affected the same way 

[Jill F]

Lifestyle choice? *le facepalm*  I have a girl brain and am working on the body to match.

Well, I guess it beats a deathstyle choice.

[AnneB]

It's a much a choice as... Wanting to get teeth pulled without novacaine, Or... Say... Slamming your hand in the car door.. Repeatedly... No?  It's like... oh... bending back several fingers til they touch your wrist.
WHO in any sense would want to be so conflicted that they would kill themselves??? Being transgendered is NOT a choice! It's a medical condition, a disability, it's like making a choice to being an epileptic, or diabetic!!!  You HAVE no choice.  The only choice is whether to live as you look, if that's even possible, or fix your body, because, the mind is the thing that's right.

I'm sorry, I didn't not mean to get so incensed over this..

[EmoAlice]

Being transgender is not a choice.  Transitioning is the choice (yes, even though sometimes its a death or transition choice, that is still technically a choice).  I'm not sure I would say it's a medical condition either though.  Maybe for some.  I'd say for some it's probably just a variant - something that makes them different from non-transgender people.

[Beth Andrea]

Even if it were a "lifestyle choice", no one has the right to hate on or oppress others for their choice.

One chooses their beliefs; one does not choose their Being.

[PoeticHeart]

Your options are too binary

Well put. I think that gender is a very huge, and even more complex, issue. Personally, I'm not going to click either of the answers. I get... anxious when even within our community we try to break something down and figure out the root. I worry that if we ever do discover the root, that the 'problem' for future generations may be preemptively fixed. I know no one wants to go through this struggle, but I also think individuals need to be free from other's oppressive choices.

Again -- big issue, very complex. I could write my dissertation on this and I still don't think I'd answer it thoroughly enough.

[TaoRaven]

Why would someone "choose" this?

Bingo. I know I never would. For me the choice was simple: Transition or die. I chose to live.

[imsuzi]

IMHO, regardless of its origin, I believe that a common denominator for most transgendered people is that we suffer from an obsession. The definition of an obsession is "an idea or thought that continually preoccupies or intrudes on a person's mind." When the obsession is gender-related and associated with mental anguish or depression, we call that "gender dysphoria."

Based on research by the medical and mental health community, it appears that what caused the obsession may vary. It may be hormonal in nature (medical), or related to an early childhood experience (environmental), or due to a combination of many factors. Regardless of the spectrum of factors that caused the obsession, the result is a restless desire or need to somehow resolve the obsession in a manner that brings a satisfactory degree of relief. And it seems that no form of counseling alone can bring about that relief. However, just as there is a spectrum of causes, there appear to be a spectrum of solutions that bring satisfactory relief. For some, the only satisfactory solution may be a complete anatomical gender transformation. For other, this will not be the case.

Is the relief we seek a lifestyle choice? I suppose if someone considered that a person was not suffering from an obsession but merely curious about what another lifestyle was like, or judged that a particular obsession was "minimal", that same person might consider the solution was a lifestyle choice. But for me and I believe most of us, the dysphoria is so significant and persistent that this cannot be considered a lifestyle choice.

[Umiko]

i cant give an accurate vote on this as i am a non binary androgynous.  for some people it is necessary because their dysphoria becomes to a deadly point were they literally wont wake up again. as for other's, its a life choice such as cross-dressing is a life choice, so i cant give my opinion unfortunately. the lines are blurred so much, i went through the phase of literally questioning my very existence until i figured since i dont fit either mold, i may as well find my mid point and go from there