Face to face with new ideals of feminine beauty

http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/independent-woman/issues/face-to-face-with-new-ideals-of-feminine-beauty-1818110.html
7/12/09

Transsexuals (people who have the wrong body for their gender) have always been with us. Transsexualism occurs in all mammalian species and is caused by a hormonal alteration in the developing fetus. So it's a physical problem which can be corrected by physical means. And not a "mere" mental disorder without a biological basis.

In the ancient world transsexuals were both accepted and respected, but somewhere along the way this view was replaced by the idea that "natural" was a physical manifestation of God's will. The bodies we were born with were the way that our bodies were meant to be.

"The bodies we were born with were the way that our bodies were meant to be."

If that were true you would see a lot more physical defects like cleft palate or lip. No one questins surgery to change these defects, why question mine?

The author wasn't arguing for that position. It was cited as the former belief about gender that is now becoming obsolete.