Cover; Half Title; Title; Copyright; Contents; Introduction; 1 Transsexualism: what's new?; 2 From the intersexed to transsexuals; 3 The psychoanalyst and the transsexual; 4 Treatment; 5 How the transsexual's mind works; 6 Masculinity and femininity; 7 The development of gender identity; 8 A testing time for us; Conclusion; References; Index
Summary
The word 'transsexualism' was coined in 1953 and although transsexuals and intersexed people had existed for much longer, surgery to reassign one's sex is a relatively recent phenomenon. Transsexuals feel that the opposite sex to their biological one is their true identity - their true body and self. The idea of 'hormonal and surgical sex reassignment' appeals to them; it would biologically put right what they already know to be right and true in their minds. The author discusses the problems of 'reassigning' one's sex and argues that surgery cannot fix the situation. Transsexualism as a result of interaction with environment in infancy is seen as more shameful option compared to something biological happening to the body while in utero. If this condition is seen as something merely biological, it doesn't mark the person in question as psychologically ill or unbalanced. This introductory text helps in looking at this difficult, even taboo, issue from various angles. It acknowledges the difficulty of the subject and warns the readers against judgements being made without being informed of all the sides of the story
