Different Causes of Transsexualism

[Nero]

Good morning guys and dolls.

We've had the 'Different degrees of transsexualism' debate. So is it possible there are different causes of transsexualism - causes that may explain why:
some feel it and know it from birth and some don't
some seem to be nearly untouched by their birth gender socialization and others seem to never recover from it

and other such things possibly.

Could there be different causes of transsexualism?

*Not intended to be a Primary/Secondary debate but why some have always known and acted like the target gender and others have not - if different causes of transsexualism may be a factor?*

[annajasmine]

I tried blaming this on several things and tried to pass it off as something else. Could have been my abusive father. Could been that I was raised with 2 sister and my mother at early age.  Could it have been that I was molested by 2 boys as a child. I started questioning the clothes that I was dress in why don't I wear a dress at 4 years. My mom said it was wrong for boys to wear girls clothes and read something out the bible. That when it all started for me which eliminates last 2 reasons base on time. I don't think it be would abusive father because it got worse over time and he was limited to every other weekend and he did improve. I think it something your born with or happens within 2 or 3 years of birth because most of my first time reactions to new things were not right for genetic gender. People can learn to react a certain way but the first time your exposed to something it is unpredictable get your true reaction.


Later,
Anna

[Seshatneferw]

We've had the 'Different degrees of transsexualism' debate. So is it possible there are different causes of transsexualism - causes that may explain why:
some feel it and know it from birth and some don't
some seem to be nearly untouched by their birth gender socialization and others seem to never recover from it

That's a good question, and -- obviously -- one which it is very hard to answer, since there's so much we don't know about the cause(s). So, I'm going to keep my options open, but at the moment I see no compelling reason to postulate more than one cause.

Yes, some are certain of it right from the birth, but some are not. On the other hand, there are also reports of people who claim it at a very young age but get over it. It looks like this kind of self-awareness develops roughly about the time puberty starts, so that a teen-ager's idea of eir gender should be correct. Even then, eir ability to talk about it, or even to conceptualise it to emself, is another matter. There's a lot of variation here, and I'm willing to accept that the differences in just when one 'knows' it can be explained by the combination of these two.

There's a lot of difference in how transsexuals get socialised, too. However, also cisgendered people have a very large variance in how far they get socialised with respect to gender roles and expression. I'm quite willing to guess that the variance in transsexuals may be larger than that in the general population, giving the effect you describe: people who attempt to fit in and find their birth-sex socialisation hard to shed, and on the other hand people who act stereotypically like their internal gender right at the start. Still, this can be explained without resorting to different causes for transsexuality, by just accepting that the underlying condition makes people pay more attention to gender expression, which in turn makes them more likely to drift towards either extreme.

Isn't that a long way of saying 'I don't know'? 

  Nfr

[cjennyb]

There has been a good many books written on this subject, and there has been numerous medical and psychological research studies in this area.  At least over the last 85 years to my knowledge. Some of these researchers are famous in the transgender world of course.  Most, if not all of these studies, have disagreed on the cause of 'gender variance' in the transgender community.  There does seem to be a lot of recent work and study on the proliferation of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC's)  in our environment.  I read that proof exists of how extremely small amounts of EDC's cause mice and chickens to 'switch' gender, but that proof of effects on humans is only anecdotal.
Embryonic affects of EDC's, i.e. estrogen/testosterone baths during the first trimester are considered to be the most powerful factors.

A lot more research is needed.

Probably no answer in my lifetime, but wouldn't it be great to be the one who finds the answer.

Always learning.
Jenny

[Nero]

GID is not a recent phenomenon.  In fact, there are numerous accounts of cross-gender behavior in mythology, Western and Asian classical history, the Renaissance, and in the study of pre-literate cultures.  This consistent record across hemispheric, societal and cultural lines indicates that GID may very well be of biological origin.  Indeed, there is no single known causal factor of GID. 

A human's developmental process begins by using a base female plan.   A Y chromosome, inherited from the father, must be added for a male to develop.   This Y chromosome must contain a gene known as the Testes Determining Factor (TDF), which instructs the embryo to begin to develop male genitalia. During the third month of pregnancy, the male testes flood the fetal brain with masculinizing hormones.  This occurs again between the second and twelfth week after birth.   There is no corresponding feminizing hormonal surge observed in females.  These masculinizing hormonal floods must occur in sufficient amounts during a narrow period of time, should either fail, the person may only be partially imprinted as a male.  There are numerous possible reasons for a disruption of hormonal floods, such as a disorder in the mother's endocrine system, stress, or medication.

   Recent autopsies of male-to-female transsexuals indicate a significant differentiation in the area of the hypothalamus that manages sexual identity.  This also seems to indicate that a gender identity is physically determined.  A study was conducted measuring the number of somatostatin -expressing neurons for 42 people in relation to sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, and past or present hormonal status. Regardless of sexual orientation, men had almost twice as many somatostatin neurons as women. The number of neurons in male-to-female transsexuals was similar to that of the females, and the neuron number of female-to-male transsexuals was found to be in the male range.  Included in this study were males who had undergone orchiectomy (surgical removal of the testes); as well as gay males.  Both groups tested in the male range.  Males who did not identify as transsexual, but for medical reasons were receiving female hormonal treatments also tested in the male range.    Researchers are convinced that apart from such well known irreversible "organizing" effects of sex hormones on the developing brain, the possibility of a direct action of genetic factors on sexual differentiation of the brain should not be ruled out.

   Genetics are also genderizing a natal brain long before a developing embryo begins to generate its own hormones. Researchers from University of California at Los Angeles studying mice embryos have identified 54 genes in which activity levels vary according to gender.  Eric Vilain, an assistant professor of genetics at UCLA, compared the activity levels of genes in male and female brains in 10-day-old embryonic mice before they developed sex organs. He found 18 genes that were more strongly active in male brains, and 36 that were dynamic in female brains. 

   This indicates that genes have an important function in early development of sexual identity, and might also have a significant role in embryonic gender-shaping. While scientists are still uncertain how large a role genetics plays in making the brain male or female, hormones and environmental factors are undoubtedly a vital part of development.  This may also explain why transsexual people have normal hormonal levels, yet still feel they are in the wrong body.

   California psychologist Dr. Anne Vitale writes that people are mistaken in their assumption that one's sense of being male and female is absolutely defined by one's anatomical gender.  Transsexuals, she states, begin life outside the standard "binary gendering system," and are more accurately described as "gender variant."  Transsexualism, Dr. Vitale continues, is usually treated by a combination of psychological, hormonal and surgical therapies, and even though treatment has a surprisingly high success rate, being gender variant is a permanent condition and affects every aspect of a transsexual's life.   The exact rate of transsexualism is unknown.  Statistical data has typically only been preserved from those who have received SRS, and not those who have been treated and chosen, for whatever reason, not to have surgery.  Studies have shown an incidence rate of anywhere from 1:2500 to 1:30,000.

   GID is not a "lifestyle choice," but a real and serious condition.  Scientists and physicians are certain that an individual's sense of gender is fixed and unchangeable over a person's lifetime, and most transsexuals report being aware of their state from a very young age.   The only variable is the individual's ability to manage the stress and anxiety of the condition.  With minor distress, occasional cross-gender activities (such as cross-dressing) may be all that is needed, but if the GID is severe, these measures may be insufficient.  In that case, gender expression is no longer merely a congruence issue but a life-threatening concern.  Some studies indicate that anywhere between 25% and 50% of self- admitted transsexuals attempt suicide in their lifetime,  while most studies reported a suicide attempt rate of 20% or more. 



draft excerpt from She's Not the Man I Hired:  The Failure of the ADA to Adequately Protect GID Patients Undergoing a Medically Recognized and Necessary Course of Treatment, hopefully which will be published sometime this year



edit:  sorry, footnotes wont translate for posting

Really? Wow. Mom says it was a curse from the devil.

[lady amarant]

Just opinion really, but I think this is overall a much more serious problem than humankind realises, or perhaps wants to admit. From what I've read, male fertility has consistantly been declining over the last few decades, even as the number of self-identifying transgender, intersexed and homosexual people skyrocket. Meanwhile, whole species are threatened with extinction because of increased gender variance.

Some articles on the subject, if you're interested:

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines02/1002-03.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/906832.stm
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,973771,00.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/05/AR2006090501384.html
http://www.livescience.com/animals/060906_ap_intersex_fish.html

[Sarah]

Wow, What a great subject!

Well, I was definetely born this way.

I don't know about others but this for me manifested at a very early age without the help of outside influences.

I have heard the hypothesis that some people may display certain aspects ot Transgender and transexual behavior.

This may have been Freuds hypothesis.

For me this is definitely false. For others I think it could be possible for severe truama regarding gender in the early childhood to result in similar behaviors.

I would not realy consider that Transgender though (and certainly not transexual)  althogh a person like that may certainly have the symtoms of that and depending on the severity would certainly be entitled to some rights and protections as far as I am concerned.

Interestingly enough, there is a Buddhist cause for transexualism that I will post in the religion and spirituality section if anyone is interested.

Sara

[Nero]

Wow, What a great subject!

Well, I was definetely born this way.

I don't know about others but this for me manifested at a very early age without the help of outside influences.

I have heard the hypothesis that some people may display certain aspects ot Transgender and transexual behavior.

This may have been Freuds hypothesis.

For me this is definitely false. For others I think it could be possible for severe truama regarding gender in the early childhood to result in similar behaviors.

I would not realy consider that Transgender though (and certainly not transexual)  althogh a person like that may certainly have the symtoms of that and depending on the severity would certainly be entitled to some rights and protections as far as I am concerned.

Interestingly enough, there is a Buddhist cause for transexualism that I will post in the religion and spirituality section if anyone is interested.

Sara

Good point, Sarah. I know there are females who were the victims of repeated sexual abuse in childhood who desire to be men because they think they'll be safer that way.

[lady amarant]

Interestingly enough, there is a Buddhist cause for transexualism that I will post in the religion and spirituality section if anyone is interested.

Please do. I for one am very interested in the reincarnationist view on transsexuality. It whould be interesting also to compare how views differ between Hindu and Buddhist thought and, say Wiccan or New Age beliefs.

[Kate]

Really? Wow. Mom says it was a curse from the devil.

Mine thinks you're all "coercing" me... you nasty people!

My parents tended to constantly mention how they had hoped for a girl. AND how people thought I WAS a girl when I was younger. AND my parents are extremely distant emotionally, impossible to please and make proud, soooooooooo...

If I was the only TS in the world, my TSism would seem to be an attempt to finally, SOMEHOW please my parents and "make them proud" by being the daughter they've always wanted.

No, I don't actually believe that, but it works as an isolated psychological model. In the end, they've stayed true to form and basically don't CARE that I transitioned. They're not proud, they don't hate me, they just find it... inconvenient.

~Kate~

[Sarah]

Interestingly enough, there is a Buddhist cause for transexualism that I will post in the religion and spirituality section if anyone is interested.

Please do. I for one am very interested in the reincarnationist view on transsexuality. It whould be interesting also to compare how views differ between Hindu and Buddhist thought and, say Wiccan or New Age beliefs.

Rebirth.
Not reincarnation.

I will clarify in the post I make in the Buddhist section.

[zombiesarepeaceful]

I know I've been TS since birth (well I couldn't form memories since birth, but since I can remember I knew I wasn't a girl), and I believe that it's caused by hormonal imbalances in the womb.

In some cases though, I believe it can be caused by other things, and may not be true transsexualism then, for example a woman being sexually abused all her life, etc, who finds comfort in being seen as a man. Someone in that suitation might begin the RLT then find out the root of their gender dysphoria.

[NicholeW.]

Personally, I think 'transsexualism' was a condition that developed first as a plot to sow discord in the world. I think it was a plot twist in a plan by the Bavarian illuminati and the Tri-lateral Commission and the Bank of England with the backing of the British East India Company that was first distilled by Francis Dashwood and the Hellfire Club in London in the late 1700s.

The germs were loosed in the East End of that time with the thought that such psychological pain would make subjugation of enemies easier in warfare and in a plot to rule the world.

The plot went awry and those organizations never quite achieved the dominion they looked for. But, trannsexualism was turned loose on the world when the germs spread far, far away from London, borne in the fur of wharf rats on clipper ships.

And now ya know the rest of the story!

Nichole

[Wing Walker]

Personally, I think 'transsexualism' was a condition that developed first as a plot to sow discord in the world. I think it was a plot twist in a plan by the Bavarian illuminati and the Tri-lateral Commission and the Bank of England with the backing of the British East India Company that was first distilled by Francis Dashwood and the Hellfire Club in London in the late 1700s.

The germs were loosed in the East End of that time with the thought that such psychological pain would make subjugation of enemies easier in warfare and in a plot to rule the world.

The plot went awry and those organizations never quite achieved the dominion they looked for. But, trannsexualism was turned loose on the world when the germs spread far, far away from London, borne in the fur of wharf rats on clipper ships.

And now ya know the rest of the story!

Nichole

LMAO, Nichole!  And here I was thinking it was in the water!

I believe with all of my being that I was born this way.  I realized around age 5 that there was some profound discomfort within me and at age 9 I found that I was to have been born a girl.  The cause of this was within the mystery of gestation. 

I suspect that when my brain was in its formative stages in utero it was exposed to lots of estrogen, progesterone, and whatever other gender-related chemicals were present, and that testosterone was not prominent in this process.  For me this is proven by the phenomenal changes in my perceptions, responses to my environment and the actions of others, and the way in which I live day-to-day.  I believe that Grandmother Estrogen has re-connected almost all of my neural pathways so my physical brain now holds the mind of a woman.  This also allows the female identity of my soul to be productive and at its best with no gender conflicts to be had.

Thank you for considering my opinion.

Worthy question, Nero.

Wing Walker

[Pica Pica]

Well you know what I think. I think androgyny is one of the ->-bleeped-<--ups that happened in my brain chemistry due to my traumatic birth.

[Wing Walker]

Well you know what I think. I think androgyny is one of the ->-bleeped-<--ups that happened in my brain chemistry due to my traumatic birth.

The making of a diamond may be heat and pressure and it starts out rough,  but the polished article is something to see.  Have a good weekend, Pica.

Wing Walker

[cjennyb]

Personally, I think 'transsexualism' was a condition that developed first as a plot to sow discord in the world. I think it was a plot twist in a plan by the Bavarian illuminati and the Tri-lateral Commission and the Bank of England with the backing of the British East India Company that was first distilled by Francis Dashwood and the Hellfire Club in London in the late 1700s.

The germs were loosed in the East End of that time with the thought that such psychological pain would make subjugation of enemies easier in warfare and in a plot to rule the world.

The plot went awry and those organizations never quite achieved the dominion they looked for. But, trannsexualism was turned loose on the world when the germs spread far, far away from London, borne in the fur of wharf rats on clipper ships.

And now ya know the rest of the story!

Nichole

Oh my god!  are you saying it was in the beer all the time?

[Sarah]

I added the post in the Buddhist>Spirituality section if anyone's interested.

Sara

[Pica Pica]

Well you know what I think. I think androgyny is one of the ->-bleeped-<--ups that happened in my brain chemistry due to my traumatic birth.

The making of a diamond may be heat and pressure and it starts out rough,  but the polished article is something to see.  Have a good weekend, Pica.

Wing Walker

cheers, still a stone, but I'm working on it.You to, mine is all working, but working can be fun.

[Chaunte]

Being transexual is a physiological phenomenon.

Vol 85 No. 5 of the Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism has an article showing that a)tepical genetic males and females have different neuron patterns and numbers - especially in the hypothalimus.  In their study, which they repeated, 100% of the time, MTF transexuals had a female brain.  100% of the time, FTM transexuals had a male brain.

The researchers admit that it was a limited study.  Not evryone donates their body to science3.  Nevertheless, a result of 100% does not happen often in one's scientific career!

The August 2005 Journal of Psychoneuralendocrinolgy suggests a genetic link - one that not only explains ->-bleeped-<- but also homosexuality in general.

This is one area where I will take nature over nurture.

Chaunte