Survey: Are transgender people intersex?

[Jenntrans]

Well I have a few very specific reasons for wanting to know.. in particular an organ males do not possessed identified on an ultrasound, and constant aches in that area. 

Other than that, of course, I think you are ultimately how you identify, for better or worse.   Mine has more to do with specific medical ailments than matters of theology or philosophy.   However, thats fun to get into to at times    Even if they found out I was completely trans (though I still am not buying it, too many medical mysteries and mishaps in development)... I'd accept it and live life.

In particular if you have constant ache and an abnormality where there should not be one then you need to talk with a doctor.

Hun. Most trans women do not ache in certain areas constantly. If you are hurting then go see a doctor. Even constant aches in a specific area may be of health concerns. Look I grew small boobs during puberty and something else never grew. Hell I can be hotter than hell and it never gets "stiff". It has been the same way throughout my sexual life. Gay guys I have been with asked me if I was not turned on and women that I have been with asked me the same thing. They seemed to feel offended even though I am so turned on and hot and ready. My "junk" don't work. When I orgasm it only come out clear. I have seen multiple doctors about it and got told sometimes it is natural. Yeah it may be on HRT but I am not on HRT. I got told that it just sometimes happens and then went to an endo.

But I have been through all the test and the scans up to MRIs and so on. No anomalies and just trans and different. There is nothing there that should not be there and I am somewhat healthy but just get turned on differently and it don't show. If I do get a "stiffy" it lasts for a few seconds and less than a minute but I am still turned on and hot for whoever. I am a trans woman so if someone wanted a gay man then I am not their match. If a woman wanted a man that is feminine then I ain't the match either. Oh I do orgasm but not like everyone else. It just leaks a little and feels so good and feels like an orgasm but just more comes out and don't shoot and it is all clear.

So with that last part said, I have never done HRT so what is wrong with me? I have seen different doctors and I am all normal so what is wrong with me? A lot of guys turn me on and some girls but nothing gets hard. I just get hot. And yes I masturbate like everyone else but it never gets hard and what comes out is just clear. It feels good though but not normal. It is so hard to tell a total stranger that you masturbate.

But any abnormalities or anomalies in an ultra sound needs to be looked into further.

As long as you are OK we can get into all kinds of debates, arguments, trouble or whatever else. But always get a second opinion. An ultra sound will not show what an MRI will.

[Miss Clara]

I choose to embrace my intersex identity, because it's the only label that fit me over the course of my life.  To me intersex is a congenital condition that exists from birth on.  I didn't need to know I was intersex.  I just was.

I prefer not to identify as transgender.  It's a broadly defined term to describe anyone whose gender behavior or appearance doesn't conform to the social conventions associated with a person's sex for whatever reason. It doesn't distinguish my circumstances from others who identify as transgender.  For me, the issue wasn't gender identity as much as it was sexual identity (not sexual attraction).  My sexual identity is a mixture of both male and female physical characteristics -- that is, intersex.

In my view sexual identity is multi-dimensional.  It has six key attributes:

1)   Genetic sex (XX or XY chromosomes)
2)   Gonadal sex (ovaries or testes)
3)   Genital sex (vagina or penis)
4)   Somatic sex (feminine or masculine features)
5)   Hormonal sex (testosterone/estrogen ratio)
6)   Brain sex (masculinized or unmasculinized)

If one or more of these attributes are misaligned, you're intersex.  Traditionally, only the first five attributes were considered in diagnosing an intersex condition.  The inability to easily diagnose misaligned brain sex is what excludes it from consideration in diagnosing an intersex condition.  I think that's a mistake.

There is a reliable diagnostic test for the presence of an intersex brain: cross-sex hormones.  Testosterone was toxic to my female brain.  Correcting my sex hormone concentrations had an immediate ameliorative effect on reducing my gender dysphoria, a clear indication that my brain was never completely masculinized.   HRT was followed by surgical alternation of my body to correct my somatic, gonadal, and genital sex characteristics to physically complete my sexual identity to be as female as possible. 

At this point my gender dysphoria is gone.  I identify as a woman.  Still, biologically I'm intersex.  Physically I will always be part male and part female, even if what's left of my maleness is invisible.  My chromosomes are still XY, and I'll always have a prostate gland.  But these remnants of masculinity are insignificant compared to the female attributes that now define me.  Medically I'm intersex; I always was, and always will be, but socially and legally I am female.  I've done as much as I can to correct nature's mistake.

[Lady Love]

A good rule of thumb regarding labels is that they are best used as "descriptive," rather than "prescriptive,"  That is, one ought not determine "oh, I am transgender, and therefore I ought to do..."  Rather, find a label that seems to describe you as you are, and to find others identifying similarly.   

Erin

Yeah, I am a trans woman definitely. Like, it would be incorrect to say that that is not the basis of why i want to transition and my motivation for changing my presentation. At the same time, i have never had dysphoria with my male self. I did have a bit of a disconnect with my sexuality in that it was never as fulfilling as my female sexuality is. But there are bits of me like my beard that I don't hate.

As i get more comfortable being a woman, my masculine side will fade into the background i think. I feel like a gradient. Starting a boy and slowly coming to terms with the woman I am now. I feel the best way to describe this is bigender. The psychological definition of trans was something like an umbrella term for people "having experiences outside of ones assigned gender," or the like. So I know I fall into that.

I think the need to rigidly define a transperson was what kept me from realizing that I am trans for a long time. Thats why it felt like coming home, because it was something I wanted for awhile but didnt have the words to understand. I think it's an inherent thing to being trans, since our experiences are so varied and diverse. Science will always grapple with defining what it essentially an question of the spirit.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[Doreen]

In particular if you have constant ache and an abnormality where there should not be one then you need to talk with a doctor.

Hun. Most trans women do not ache in certain areas constantly. If you are hurting then go see a doctor. Even constant aches in a specific area may be of health concerns. Look I grew small boobs during puberty and something else never grew. Hell I can be hotter than hell and it never gets "stiff". It has been the same way throughout my sexual life. Gay guys I have been with asked me if I was not turned on and women that I have been with asked me the same thing. They seemed to feel offended even though I am so turned on and hot and ready. My "junk" don't work. When I orgasm it only come out clear. I have seen multiple doctors about it and got told sometimes it is natural. Yeah it may be on HRT but I am not on HRT. I got told that it just sometimes happens and then went to an endo.

But I have been through all the test and the scans up to MRIs and so on. No anomalies and just trans and different. There is nothing there that should not be there and I am somewhat healthy but just get turned on differently and it don't show. If I do get a "stiffy" it lasts for a few seconds and less than a minute but I am still turned on and hot for whoever. I am a trans woman so if someone wanted a gay man then I am not their match. If a woman wanted a man that is feminine then I ain't the match either. Oh I do orgasm but not like everyone else. It just leaks a little and feels so good and feels like an orgasm but just more comes out and don't shoot and it is all clear.

So with that last part said, I have never done HRT so what is wrong with me? I have seen different doctors and I am all normal so what is wrong with me? A lot of guys turn me on and some girls but nothing gets hard. I just get hot. And yes I masturbate like everyone else but it never gets hard and what comes out is just clear. It feels good though but not normal. It is so hard to tell a total stranger that you masturbate.

But any abnormalities or anomalies in an ultra sound needs to be looked into further.

As long as you are OK we can get into all kinds of debates, arguments, trouble or whatever else. But always get a second opinion. An ultra sound will not show what an MRI will.

Oh I've spoken to doctors a plenty.  ANd I finally just noticed your response lol.  The ultrasound, MRI, Pelvic Laparoscopy, Abdominal CT scan, blood work... and now an exhaustive karotype search by a geneticist.  Ya they all know something is unusual.. and noone can agree what it is apparently. 

The geneticist seems pretty convinced I have xx / xy mosaichism... he might have something to it as my blood type has changed throughout the years.  We'll see in about 2-3 months. 

But yes, to answer your response... if you have pains of unknown origins see a doc... you are 100% correct.

[Doreen]

I choose to embrace my intersex identity, because it's the only label that fit me over the course of my life.  To me intersex is a congenital condition that exists from birth on.  I didn't need to know I was intersex.  I just was.

I prefer not to identify as transgender.  It's a broadly defined term to describe anyone whose gender behavior or appearance doesn't conform to the social conventions associated with a person's sex for whatever reason. It doesn't distinguish my circumstances from others who identify as transgender.  For me, the issue wasn't gender identity as much as it was sexual identity (not sexual attraction).  My sexual identity is a mixture of both male and female physical characteristics -- that is, intersex.

In my view sexual identity is multi-dimensional.  It has six key attributes:

1)   Genetic sex (XX or XY chromosomes)
2)   Gonadal sex (ovaries or testes)
3)   Genital sex (vagina or penis)
4)   Somatic sex (feminine or masculine features)
5)   Hormonal sex (testosterone/estrogen ratio)
6)   Brain sex (masculinized or unmasculinized)

If one or more of these attributes are misaligned, you're intersex.  Traditionally, only the first five attributes were considered in diagnosing an intersex condition.  The inability to easily diagnose misaligned brain sex is what excludes it from consideration in diagnosing an intersex condition.  I think that's a mistake.

There is a reliable diagnostic test for the presence of an intersex brain: cross-sex hormones.  Testosterone was toxic to my female brain.  Correcting my sex hormone concentrations had an immediate ameliorative effect on reducing my gender dysphoria, a clear indication that my brain was never completely masculinized.   HRT was followed by surgical alternation of my body to correct my somatic, gonadal, and genital sex characteristics to physically complete my sexual identity to be as female as possible. 

At this point my gender dysphoria is gone.  I identify as a woman.  Still, biologically I'm intersex.  Physically I will always be part male and part female, even if what's left of my maleness is invisible.  My chromosomes are still XY, and I'll always have a prostate gland.  But these remnants of masculinity are insignificant compared to the female attributes that now define me.  Medically I'm intersex; I always was, and always will be, but socially and legally I am female.  I've done as much as I can to correct nature's mistake.

Thank you for your response in this too... I agree that intersexed isn't always (same with trans) readily identified well.  The thing you say about the prostate really strikes a core.  Multiple examinations stated no prostate... except the MRI in which case it was in the wrong part of the body, too large, BPH -, and a pediatric radiologist is who thought I had one... nevermind the fact no urethra passed through it.   GAH!  Didn't these people take basic anatomy & physiology? IT was grilled into us in nursing class.  The pelvic laparoscopy would have been the most accurate assessment except the ob/gyn doing it saw nothing..nothing at all.   They have a word for that.. wolffian/mullerian agenesis.  Except I have both kidneys.  Its all so frustrating.

Anyways.. fun times.

[Miss Clara]

This recent study adds credence to the notion that transsexuality is a type of intersex (between the sexes) condition.  It is possible using brain imaging methods to diagnose the sexual misalignment of body and brain as the underlying cause of gender dysphoria as experienced by transsexual people.

https://www.inverse.com/article/45115-transgender-youth-brain-activity