h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Transsexuality has nothing to do with sexual orientation.

Quite right, I have known a man who became a women who always fancied women and another guy who became a woman who always fancied men. To feel you are a different sex inside has no bearing on what you fancy!

The actor Alan Cummings who would be thought of as bisexual has a different label for himself, I think it is polysexual.

Also what about androgenous people and those who feel they have no sex at all?

Asexuals

Notably, there is no article on transexuality in the project on sexual orientation. If there were such an edited entry, though, I would recommend a link to it. That's because a person considering their own orientation may have an honest curiosity about transexual people.

And yes, there are indeed asexual people. Some refer to themselves as celibate, though their choice has little to do with religion per se. And to further confuse things, many celibate people have an orientation.

Is asexuality a sexual orientation? It's not entirely clear. Hence, it was not included in this relatively basic beginner's guide. Again, I would recommend linking to an edited entry on the subject if it existed.

Here is one if anyone is interested
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/alabaster/A830413

Well, look at that. I should have known it was there, but I didn't.

If an h2g2 editor reads this, please add the link.

Are there any articles in the pipeline on intersexuality? I do not feel competent to write such an article, but if one is not currently in the works, the United Kingdom Intersex Society is at www.ukia.co.uk/ and the Intersex Sciety of North America is at www.isna.org/

I don't see anything quite along those lines at h2g2 yet. Intersexuality is briefly discussed in one unedited entry on sex and gender. It's buried under a lot of other information, though.

Sex and Gender
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/brunel/A910955

Thanks It's something that could really do with a good basic introduction that people can really grasp. Sadly, I don't think I'm the person to do the subject justice, but I'll be sure to read any articles on it that come up the pike

Hi there!

I know someone on hootoo who knows a lot about these things, but I will have to ask them how they feel about disclosing more information than they already have.

I'll get back to you on this.

Keep up the good work, bloody necessary in my (humble?) opinion!



Terri.

I really hope it will help that they will be writing about the phenomenon in general, and only need discuss their own personal experience to the extent that they want to. (Not at all would be fine.)

I too doubt I could do the subject justice. I could look up scientific/medical information. But I couldn't speak much about the social issues. And both sides should be covered, if you ask me.

Honestly, this is what h2g2 is good for. We slowly fill in gaps, and sometimes give a public call for a need. Eventually, someone will come along willing to help the community out. Now, isn't that a fine thing?

It certainly is!

I will ask them, first chance I get.



zdt

Actually, Alan Cumming refers to himself as pansexual (actually, I refer to myself that way too). Rather than the multiple meaning of "poly," "pan" is taken to mean across genderlins with fluidity. Basically, you love the person without regard to the parts.

What do you need to know, exactly?

I suppose what I'd like to see in an article on transsexuality is:

* What exactly does the term transsexuality mean? A brief description of how transsexuality differs from sexual orientation (lots of people don't "get" that there's a difference between gender identity and sexual orientation). What are the processes by which transsexual people explore their gender identity?

* What are the issues surrounding hormones and surgery? Why do some people who identify as transsexual "go all the way" and others choose not to, sowing confusion all around in a culture that thinks everyone should be one thing or the other?

* What social pressures are brought to bear on transsexual people? How do transsexual people deal with potential romantic/sexual partners and their reactions?

* What are the legal problems for transsexual people? How does the law deal with sex-changes, marriage, adoption, prison, etc.?

* Where can transsexuals go for help and support?

All that sort of thing.

There was a brilliant programme which explored the change in some people as they went through the decisions and surgery of transexuality. There were 2 lesbians, who felt they were male, one went through the process faster than the other, and they ended up splitting up, as in the end they both still fancied women.

Another bloke was going through hormone treatment, although he hadn't had a penile implant? I'm sure what the word would be yet. So his partner, said that in a way she was viewed as a lesbian, although she wasn't as her partner was male, just hadn't had all the bits sewn on yet. He said that if his partner died then he wouldn't be viewed as her partner as he was still considered a woman legally. She had 2 children, and he couldn't even get the right to adopt them.

A friend of mine who is now female, said there were changes hopefully coming in the law, although I do not know what happened with that.

Some friends of mine were changing in a swimming pool changing rooms when woman who was once male was also in there. They had a real problem with her, and viewed her as a male, and wouldn't change in front of her.

Thats the sort of thing I am interested in, the day to day living. Are the authorities getting more accepting or not. I hate the thought of someone being in jail and having to go with their birth sex as opposed to their real sex. Imagine being a male to female and stuck in a male jail, you wouldn't come out sane. I would be pleased to hear that that wouldn't be the case anymore.

Before I get into answering these, let me point out. A transsexual woman is a woman, and is not a man who decided to get a 'sex change', and vice versa. It just doesn't work like that.
Anyway:

* What exactly does the term transsexuality mean? A brief description of how transsexuality differs from sexual orientation (lots of people don't "get" that there's a difference between gender identity and sexual orientation). What are the processes by which transsexual people explore their gender identity?

- transsexual: one who changes their physical sex. trans- across
sex- physiology, anatomy...
- sexual orientation: which sex you are sexually attracted to
gender identity: what gender you feel you are. (Not too much of a complex differential)
- Transsexual people explore their gender identity in a manner any other women would. They were normal clothes, appear in a more female manner, and importantly, desire for and use of pronouns suiting their true sex.

* What are the issues surrounding hormones and surgery? Why do some people who identify as transsexual "go all the way" and others choose not to, sowing confusion all around in a culture that thinks everyone should be one thing or the other?

- For transsexual youth, parental concerns. Useful analogue: homosexuals 'coming out' to their parents before it was more socially acceptable. Constrictive medical opinion to actually get hormones/surgery, transsexuals resorting to self-diagnose (which is a very dangerous thing)
- If by "go all the way" you mean surgery, the reasons are diverse. Money is one very large thing. SRS is often prohibitively expensive. There may be other reasons. The point is, if you're living fulltime female, there's really no need to disclose your operative status unless it's absolutely necessary.
People find categories very comfortable, generally. Something that causes a paradigm shift will be uncomfortable. People tend to obey Newton's law of inertia.

* What social pressures are brought to bear on transsexual people? How do transsexual people deal with potential romantic/sexual partners and their reactions?

- Depends on their disclosure status. Some transsexual people are very open about their past, and some transsexual people "stealth", and do not disclose their past, and have every right to do so. However, someone who is "stealth" and is outed, this can be *very* devastating, and can lose a lot of friends and support &/c (but can also be a positive experience, know who your true friends are yada yada).
- I can't say much for this, but if the person one is being with is very special, one would not want to rush headlong into sex, and maybe talk things out a bit more?

* What are the legal problems for transsexual people? How does the law deal with sex-changes, marriage, adoption, prison, etc.?

- It all depends on the location. I don't know about American law because I don't live there, but I've heard in SF they are very transsexual friendly and will *pay* for SRS. However there's bound to be the usual problems: name changing, obtaining new birth certificates and identification material, employment and discrimination &/c
- Again, it all depends on the location. Here in Australia there was an important case which set a precedent was where a transsexual man ("Kevin" I believe his name was) was able to marry a woman, legally. However there is no legislation regarding homosexual relationships between a transsexual and a man/woman.

* Where can transsexuals go for help and support?

- There are numerous support groups out there, and it often just involves a search. Often the first port of call for a transsexual is their psychiatrist/psychologist who will help the transsexual through the transition process and prescribe hormones, but the psychiatrist/psychologist must be chosen carefully. Some will not be so willing to advance the young transsexual through the transition process, even though they may appear to sound like they will be willing to.

HTH

Thanks, but it's mainly information I already know - I was just laying out the kind of issues I'd like an H2G2 article on the subject of transsexuality to cover

Oh, stop me before I go any further

No! I shall egg you on!

Egg, egg, egg!