Susan's Place Transgender Resources

Transgender & Transsexual Issues 101: Are there more trans women than trans men? Part one

http://www.examiner.com/x-12237-Transgender--Transsexual-Issues-Examiner~y2009m8d27-Transgender--Transsexual-Issues-101-Are-there-more-trans-women-than-trans-men-Part-one (http://www.examiner.com/x-12237-Transgender--Transsexual-Issues-Examiner~y2009m8d27-Transgender--Transsexual-Issues-101-Are-there-more-trans-women-than-trans-men-Part-one)
Matt Kailey
8/27/09

Frequently asked question: Why do we often see transsexual women (born male, transitioned to female) in the media and in public life, but we rarely see transsexual men (born female, transitioned to male)? Are there more trans women than trans men?

It would appear that way, but the answer is much more complex than appearances.

The American Psychological Association (APA) says, "Current estimates of the prevalence of transsexualism are about 1 in 10,000 for biological males [people identified as male at birth] and 1 in 30,000 for biological females [people identified as female at birth]." These are updated numbers, but Professor Lynn Conway has far higher estimates.

With the present social standards in place, it is far easier for a genetic female to venture into the male world than vice-versa.  Socially acceptable attire for the female even includes a menswear line.  A womenswear line is unthinkable.  For transwomen, it's all or nothing.

Due to the life changing realities of gender transition, it is easier to make a move across the gender line, but short of complete transition, than it is to announce to the world you are changing genders, undergo surgeries, do all the legal document changes and present as your identified gender.  The option is there for transmen.  It is not there for transwomen.

I realize there are the realities of surgeries and other factors but what I've stated above does have a substantial impact on the apparent difference in the numbers of transmen vs. transwomen.

Julie

Wow, very poorly written.  If you cite a statistic that says there are lot more of one than the other, why even go on to ask if why it seems like there are less of them.  There are less of them because - by your own statistics - there are fewer of them, period. 

If you want to prove they are under-represented, why not cite the Conway stat, which a much higher number, and bury the one that you don't like as much?  That confuses the hell out of me.

And the reason #2 is so convoluted that its almost impossible to fantom what she is really getting at (and I think she contradicts herself in fact in the middle of that - but I was too confused even to figure that out), or what the point of that one even was.

I wonder if (it the numbers are indeed true) it's not due to the DES drug (used in the 60s, was it?). Theoretically, that's supposed to have caused a lot of mtf cases.

A survey in the UK last year found that the prevalence of MtFs and FtMs was about even.,