On Transsexualism and Transgenderism: An Essay on Meaning

An Historical Perspective of the Transgendered State of Being

Part of the role of priests, preistesses and other habituÈs of the sacred places in paganism were various functions performed sexually. Sexuality was regarded as a way to communicate with the deities through intimate connection with their earthly representatives. These attitudes and practices, as well as certain matriarchal leanings of late paganism (CA 1500 BCE), were remaining from the primarily matriarchal societies extant in the European continent (CA. 25,000 BCE through CA. 1500 BCE) prior to invasions by nomadic and warlike patriarchal societies after CA 3000 BCE. (This paradigm shift in culture from a peaceful matriarchal society to the violent patriarchal societies is most distinctly marked archeologically by the shift from communal gravesites sans weaponry and rich grave goods to the "royal" type found more commonly during the assimilation era after 3000 BCE characterized by rich grave goods, much weaponry, single male occupants with the additional presence of sacrificed slave class individuals.)

With the installation of patriarchal society and their sky-gods gradually replacing the earth- centered religions of the matriarchal societies, there came the beginning of the demise of the earlier respected, free and elevated place of women within society as a whole, being replaced with roles of dependence, isolation and subservience. This was well established by the time of the classic Greek cultures of the 5th and 6th centuries BCE, which found women as a class completely isolated from all political, academic and economic life. Their presence in a semblance of their former power continued, however, within some cults (such as that of Aphrodite) in a traditional sacred sexual role as preistesses. Included among these were transgendered priestesses.

That these sacred roles continued (and further included transgendered women) into the Judeo- Christian era (CA. 400 BCE to the present day), is evidenced by the frequent mention and disparagement of "male temple prostitutes" (pagan temple transgendered priestesses) and the vilification of homosexuality, "prostitution" and crossdressing found throughout the old and new testaments of the Christian Bible. The viciousness of the persecution of homosexuals, which was seen to include those who were sexually active transgendered males living as women, as well as any other manifestations of non-reproductive based sexual activity on anyone's part, can now be seen as the Judeo-Christian response to the threat the pagan belief systems represented in an era when they, and not Judeo-Christianity, had predominance and power. These proscribed behaviors thus can be seen to exist as mere dissuasions to competing religious behavior of a then more powerful competing system of belief, and little more.

The extreme importance of examining the entire subject of Transgenderism while constantly maintaining cognizance of the cultural prism through which Western society has historically viewed this condition is essential to any effort to achieve any understanding of this state of being uncolored by the otherwise entirely pervasive negative cultural prejudice still abundantly present today.

Definitions of Terms Common Today

Transgender(ism-ed): An umbrella term used to describe those with any crossgender proclivities regardless of degree of manifestation physically or psychologically within an individual.

Transsexual(ism): A term used for the most strongly and obviously manifested form of Transgenderism. This is a state where mental and spiritual dissonance with the born sex is so great that individuals are compelled to live as completely as possible as their self-perceived gender as a matter of survival and good mental health. This occurs with both those born female sexed (who become female to male [F2M] transsexuals) and those born male sexed (who become male to female [M2F] transsexuals). In consonance with this need, modern transsexuals usually seek hormonal treatment to achieve secondary sexual characteristics as well as surgical modifications to align their bodies with their self-image as well as their society's image of the gender they seek to present which further encourages and enables assimilation into mainstream Western culture. Further sub-divided into categories according to Sexual Reassignment Surgery (SRS) status as pre-operative, post-operative or non-operative.

Transvestite(ism): A term pertaining to individuals who periodically crossdress/crosslive with the purpose of presenting in the gender opposite of that commonly congruent with their birth sex. This behavior can accompany a sexual need as well as emotional and psychological needs. The status of transvestism as a lesser degree of gender/sex dissonance to Transsexualism is held by this writer but is disputed by others in the transsexual community who hold that transvestites are merely examples of a particular sexual fetish involving stereotypical and erotic clothing of the opposite gender and little more.

Crossdresser: A community originated non-medicalized term for transvestite.

Bigendered: See transvestite. Further, tends to connote a person spending a larger proportion of their lives in cross-gendered roles.

Drag Queens: Classically, they are transvestic Gay men who utilize crossdressing as a satirical tool to parody women in Western culture within performance art. A Drag King is the lesbian opposite. Since this is commonly a class derived identification found in the gay/alternative cultural venue subsumed within mainstream Western society, lower economically classed transsexuals may also be found within this population.

Female Impersonator: A Drag Queen who is paid to perform, especially in mainstream venues. Often more of a "status" designation than anything more substantial, this term is also often used to disconnect the Gay imagery from a performer as well.

She-male: Term bordering on slang but also formally recognized as representing a male-birth- sexed transsexual who is non-operative and living full-time as a woman with usually extensive surgical secondary sexual characteristic augmentations such as breast, cheek and lips. Employment within the sex industry as either a prostitute or erotic film actress is sometimes considered a requirement for this designation.

Intersex(ed): Individual with non-phenotypical sex organs. May or may not be transgendered.

Gay and Lesbian(ism): Those individuals who prefer phenotypically similar sex-partners. They may present in ways not stereotypically associated with their gender thus presenting as "Bull- dykes" (masculine appearing sex/gender congruent women) or ""Mollies" (extremely effeminate gay men who are also sex/gender congruent) among many other minor variations.

Shock Drag and Gender Fuck: A purposeful display of gender dissonant symbolism such as a bearded man in a sequined dress. Considered exhibitionistic and not transgendered.

Androgyny: A state of appearance and/or behavior which is neither -and both- socially male and female.

Relationship Between Transgenderism and Sexual Orientation

To see the irrelevance of these terms in this application one may consider some examples and attempt to define the orientation's of the players: Posit a post-operative transsexual woman born male-sexed coupled with a phenotypical female. Neither possesses a penis or otherwise appears or behaves or thinks of themselves as a man. What is their sexual orientation? What if the female is not aware of the transsexual's "history"? Is she really heterosexual? Or is she a lesbian? What if the female is replaced with a phenotypical male who relates to the transsexual as the female acting, appearing and identified person she appears to be just as he would relate to a phenotypical born female? What if he is not even aware of her "history" (as he commonly is not)? Is he homosexual? Is he heterosexual?

It would be difficult to objectively demonstrate the former but much less the latter, would it not? Now consider if the transsexual is pre-operative and that genital structure is the only difference from the foregoing example? What then? Does that mean the male is now objectively homosexual? If so, then is mere plastic surgery sufficient to change one's sexual orientation? Is orientation only related to physical construction of genitalia or are there other levels of being involved? At a psychological level for instance? What about the actual sex acts performed? What if no "homosexual" acts occur between the two (i.e. the transsexual does not use her genitalia)? It quickly becomes quite obvious that situations are not as clear as supposed.

If one allows homosexuals to define themselves, one will see that they relate primarily to phenotypically sexed individuals possessing gender consonance. Thus a homosexually identified man will rarely be coupled with a M2F transsexual because he does not consider such a person to be spiritually or psychologically a "man". Our gay man will also not partner with a pre- or non-op F2M transsexual because although this person is a man spiritually and psychologically, he is not genitally; though he will likely have a beard and other phenotypical secondary sex characteristics, he is not genitally congruent and is therefore often rejected on that point. Non and pre-operated male to female transsexuals can find the same problem when dealing with some straight men.

Extending our comparison to the transvestite community, we see phenotypical males presenting as female gendered. When having sex with a man presenting as a man, the experience is one of disconsonance; images are mixed, some stereotypically female others unmistakably male and the relation on a psychological level is also one of a male and a female. The closest this relationship can be classed as according to existing terminology for sexual orientation is bisexual. However, this term is not entirely sufficient or accurate either as it is used primarily to describe a phenotypically gender/sex congruent male or female who has sex with another of the same or opposite phenotypical gender/sex congruent type. (an interesting anecdote is that drag queens rarely engage in sex while crossdressed, but instead prefer to relate as a man in appearance as well as demeanor)

With the foregoing examples noted, it is obvious why conventional designations of homo and heterosexuality lose their meaning when applied to transgendered individuals. The significance of this observation is twofold: It points out at once the inapplicability and secondly the irrelevance of the terms themselves as applied to the species in any use other than as a strict physical description of sexual activity between phenotypical examples; which is a limited usage indeed.

Manifestation of Transgendered Behavior Today

This built in societal antagonism, displayed and contained within the empowered patriarchy and existing throughout the society thus dominated, allows for no legitimate space beyond congruent male and female, relegating all others, including those physically incongruent, (the intersexed) to a space outside society: as freaks, defectives and probably willfully evil sub-humans (in the case of transgendered), held in much the same regard as two-headed cattle; in contempt, existing only in a space of "curiosity"--the circus sideshow. Such is the space that incongruent people hold within Western society, historically and widely today as well.

As a result of this lack of legitimate space within their society, transgendered individuals exist in two places within society: in the mainstream, self-repressed and existing in secret; or in whatever fringe the dominant culture allows--in ours it is commonly the gay and lesbian community.

These choices are very limiting--and the concenquences of either is often damning. The space available beyond sex work within the gay and alternative community is small and competitive, consisting mostly of work within the entertainment sector. For those who are forced to suppress their identities and live false lives the price is horrendous: suicide and deformation of personality thru self-hate and loathing is commonplace. Only for those who have the physical as well as the mental ability to become indistinguishable from the opposite phenotypical sex have a chance at a normal life. But even these people, if ever exposed as transsexuals to their partners or friend's or families or co-workers face nearly the same stigma as those whose status is physically obvious. The mere knowledge is enough.

The Solution Offered by the Dominant Culture

This "loosening" resulted in a gradual emergence of gay culture in concert with other sexually-related behaviors, such as transvestism--a term coined in this century, before the First World war. Recognized first by the emerging science of psychology, these behaviors were initially considered as deviances from normality and thus consigned to a sickness/cure paradigm. This new liberalization was expanded upon throughout the mid-century and reactions to various suppressions within the culture in the 60's enabled a emergence of gay and alternative culture into the mainstream consciousness. The watershed event in this case was the Stonewall rebellion in New York City in 1969. In reaction to the typical and brutal arbitrary suppression the gay community endured at the hands of the police, a group of gays, lesbians and transgendered persons violently rebelled, resulting in a days long riot which exploded alternative sexuality into the mainstream scene. Eventually this exposure led to elimination of homosexuality as a "disease" by the psychological field.

Specific to transsexuality, the recognition by the psychological field that a strong and very real disconsonance could exist between one's body and their internal identity as a man or a woman allowed a solution to be legitimately sought on a basis of humanity and social expediency. The philosophy was simple: accepting the Western cultural axiom that the only legitimate space was as a phenotypical male or female, the psychologists appealed to the medical profession, specifically the surgeons, to "make things right" for these transsexuals. Thus sexual reassignment surgery (SRS) was born. Gradually it became possible to successfully surgically alter a man's genitalia into a very reasonable external facsimile of a woman's. The pivotal event for this phenomenon was the Christine Jorgenson case in the 50's, a GI who was surgically reassigned in Europe as a female and returned, with much media fanfare, to the United States. After this point, the treatment of transsexualism was gradually standardized largely through the efforts of the American psychologist Harry Benjamin, who eventually set up a professional association bearing his name, which published standards of care for all professionals to follow in their treatment of transsexuals. These standards are the standards followed today. And very obviously, in a historical context, an accommodation to Western sexual space and categorization.

The standardization and legitimization within mainstream psychology coupled with other high profile transsexual cases such as Richard now Renee Richards, a [physician and tennis star, allowed the pace of reassignment to explode. Influential institutions such as Johns Hopkins opened Gender Identity Centers and began to perform SRS and governments worldwide addressed legal issues pertaining to changing "sex". Thousands of reassignments have been completed every year now since the 70's.

There was, however, a fly in the ointment. As a result of the Meyers Study of post-operative transsexuals which purportedly showed a lack of objective benefit to those surgically reassigned, Johns Hopkins ceased to sanction surgical reassignment. This caused a reintrenchment of skeptical elements of the psychological community towards the legitimacy of not only surgical sexual reassignment, but also the diagnosis and legitimacy of transsexuality period. This is evidenced most obviously by the specific exclusion of coverage of any treatment for transsexuality in most medical insurance plans. (Note: the quality and relevance of the Meyers Study is widely questioned, within and without the transgendered community. Still, the fact of its widespread objective impact remains.)

The Continued Evolution of Transgendered Phenomenon Within Western Culture

Today behavior counter to established gender/sexual norms is increasingly tolerated even if not as completely accepted by the mainstream. This has alleviated the stress on many transgendered people. Though this varies very widely between geographical/cultural regions--some being as repressive and intolerant as ever, many more places are safe for alternative expressions of identity than ever before. Corporate culture is increasingly accepting and accommodating towards sexual minorities as well, allowing more mainstreaming of those transgendered physically incongruent in their gender presentations by virtue of enabling employment and pursuit of a livelihood.

The primary threat to the continued normalization of societal attitudes to those so commonly persecuted because of their differences lies in the same segment of society that caused the stigmatization in the first place: established patriarchal religions. Although many have modified their views and doctrines to reflect the enlightened values of todays society, fundamentalism is rampant in societies throughout the world. The intolerance of these institutions is a very grave danger to any behavior not sanctioned by their literal interpretations of their ancient mythological doctrines and texts. Also, a historical basis can be established for an exacerbation of this phenomenon as the millennium approaches, this arbitrary human designated event being held in mystical significance by all major religions throughout the world, especially the largest, Christianity.

Threats from latter day fundamental mystics aside, however, an emergence of toleration and a weakening of the iron grip of an either-or sex/gender dictomy means that a renewed place for transgendered people may yet re-emerge.