by Beth Isbell ©2009</center>
You've probably already seen in the news that daughter of Sonny & Cher, Chastity Bono announced today that she is planning to undergo a sex change from female to male is now Chaz. Here's the Huffington-Post story, with links to other related media outlet stories:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/1 ... 14441.html
As you know, I've been there, done that, in the other direction. My facebook friends & I have been having quite a discussion about the whole situation which I think you might also find quite interesting & informative, so I decided to create this article to share the highlights.
One of my friends asked, going from female to male will she need an "organ" donor? Another asked what all was involved in the process? And another asked, so what makes them male, the hormones?
First, NO, there is no "organ" donor, if she decides to have reconstructive surgery to build a penis, it entails skin grafts & muscle reconstruction around a flexible plastic prosthetic or tube, (& I'm not actually sure what all else), but actually most female to males opt not to have their downstairs done at all. Typically, a female transitioning to a male will have a breast reduction and a hysterectomy and start taking testosterone. While surgeons can construct a penis, my understanding from most FTM's I've met and literature I've read is that most of the time it's sort of a Frankenstein type result, but they're getting better at it ... so most female to males opt to go without & use a penile prosthetic when in the men's room or having intercourse.
And you'd be surprised ... once they start taking testosterone their voice drops & they grow lots of hair everywhere & in most cases, you'd never really know unless you were in bed with them ... estrogen works in reverse, but it does not affect voice. I guarantee you that in 2-4 years after she starts taking male hormones you won't be able to recognize her by voice or appearance & of course, taking testosterone does heavily affect your brain - especially anger, mood & in lots of other ways typically associated with "male" sociological behavior.
Male to female reconstruction involves skin grafts & inversion of the penis to create a vagina & construction of a clitoris from the nerve endings and construction of labia. The surgeons who regularly perform this type of surgery have become so good at it that in most cases, it's extremely difficult to tell the difference between a natural born vagina & a surgically constructed one. (One of my doctors' brought all of his female nurses, who were curious, in to look at mine after my surgery, and they unanimously remarked that they were shocked that they could not tell the difference between mine and theirs or their friends').
Taking estrogen will cause your breasts to grow, your hair to thin, and other changes to your body - less muscle tissue & more fat retention which starts to proportion itself as in a natural female's body. And it definitely affects your brain causing mood swings and development of mental thought processes and behaviors typically associated with "female" sociological behavior. Unlike testosterone, however, it does not affect your voice; so, male-to-female's have to be taught to speak like a woman, with varying degrees of success. Some MTF's eventually learn to even sing like a woman with a significantly higher range than their former male self. These changes are easier when the transition begins in childhood or teens while the body is still growing & developing.
I realize that a lot of folks think that having surgery & taking hormones does not change your sex, & some will never accept that it does, but it does legally and the reality is that the hormones have a much more drastic effect than you may think on one's brain, muscles, fat retention, & even the way you think. It actually really does end up changing your sexuality & ultimately your sex. If you don't believe it, try it!
I do think the younger the process starts the much more complete the transformation. For the kids that start at ages 5-10, or earlier, you & even they may eventually never realize they were the other sex at birth. The change can be very dramatic for those who transition in their teens too. This is because their bones, muscles, brains, & bodies are still growing and in the developmental stage. I think with adults who transition say between ages 30-50, your brain & body developed as the other sex, which makes things harder to reverse physically, and it's hard to unlearn brain experiences you've had as the other sex. Thus, the hormonal changes may never change you 99-100% like is possible with those who transition as children, but I think you'd still be surprised at the amazing affect & difference switching hormones does actually have on one's mind & body & the way you see the world!
My friends also pointed out that a lot of women may never see Chaz or any other FTM's as a real man, and that guys, in particular, almost never view MTF's as real or desirable women. The reality is that a lot of times, most people can't tell and would not know unless told or in bed with the person, and even then (particularly with some transitioned females) still wouldn't know. For example, one of my female friends relayed this story:
.I dated a female to male transexual once..while living in Dallas... He was very kind, and generous, loving, affectionate, physically appeared as a man, but from the waist down was still female....we didnt last long, but remained close friends for awhile afterwards and then eventually went our separate ways.... I have to say that I very much enjoyed the experience...you learn alot
So I followed up and asked her, "if anyone had met the ftm man you dated on the street, would they have known that he had previously been a woman?" And this was her answer:
I've sat in a room full of guys that used to be girls, and unless they told you, you would have never known - most had beards or mustaches, lots of arm or leg hair, & spoke deeper than I ever did as a guy. I think the same will be true of Chastity, now Chaz, in a few years if he keeps on. While I think it's generally easier to spot a male to female, due to voice or facial bone structure, etc., I've also met quite a few post-transition females that you guys would have definitely been all over in a bar & would never know.My answer would have to be NO. He had a mustache and goatee. the scars from the double mastectomy were very small, had a nice chest. .. BUT he did have WIDE hips, HE had a daughter when HE was a SHE. Other than that...you couldnt tell...very deep voice. I met him as a him....so I never looked at HIM as a HER...I always just seen the person that he was...the outside gender didnt really matter that much to me...it was the person he was that I really liked.
When I lost my female virginity not so long ago - he didn't realize or know I had been a guy ... (I would have told him but he was moving so fast) ... not until after he checked out my myspace did he realize & even then he still wanted to keep dating & still be friends.
Did you realize that 1 out of every 2,500 or so persons is born with genitalia of both sexes? That's right BOTH! - to varying degrees. Called intersex or Klinefelter's syndrome. Supermodel Gisele Bundchen is a rather famous example & what guy on this planet would not do her? There's a story that snopes.com has investigated but can't confirm or deny that actress Jamie Lee Curtis was also born intersexed - and a lot of guys have lusted & still lust over her. It's interesting that society is so interested, even demands, that we be one or the other sex, when it's a medically proven fact that some children are born with with genitalia of both! This societal desire is due much more to a combination of repression of sex in culture, by religious and personal teaching, gender role training and expectations, and media or other imagery promoting sexual desire than it has to do with actual medical fact. Eventually our legal system must, and hopefully the majority of the public will, recognize this medical fact and eliminate sex-class based distinctions and differences in the law and elsewhere in other aspects of society's rules, norms & expectations where appropriate and safe to do so.
A growing segment of, if not consensus among, medical & scientific experts in the field that now believe that a lot of transgender situations may be the result of this type of genetic and physical sexual development with characteristics of both sexes in the brain without going so far as to actually affect the genitalia as it does in people who are born intersexed. Scientific studies have found actual neuron & brain development differences in transsexual males when compared to heterosexual males, believed to be caused by an increased exposure of the brain to estrogen during fetal development.
In fact, the scientific and medical evidence is vastly more solid and established that the transgender condition is probably the result of a combination of genetic and hormonal brain development differences, than in the case of gay or lesbian sexual orientation. Transsexuals widely vary in sexual orientation, before and after surgery, and one is not related to the other. After transitional surgery, an MTF may be straight (liking males), bi or lesbian, and an FTM may be straight (liking females), bi or gay - although society's classification of their sexual orientation may change depending on the situation before and after, and any member of society's willingness to accept the change. In our view, our bodies change, but our mind and sexual orientation don't.Researchers discovered that male to female transsexuals were more likely to have a longer version of a gene which is known to modify the action of the sex hormone testosterone. "We think that these genetic differences might reduce testosterone action and under masculinise the brain during foetal development." said researcher Lauren Hare.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 111005.htm and for example, see also, http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Prai ... 3/2034.pdf
I can tell you that I now understand why women think the way they do much better being in and among and one of them, but I still remember how guys think & react having lived through and with all of that. It's an interesting and useful position to be in from a sociological & psychological standpoint.
I'm pretty open about all of it in large part because I still want to be a singer-songwriter* & still sing mostly like a guy (& not sure my singing voice will ever change, but I can sound like a woman when just talking), but I've met lots of folks who couldn't tell upon meeting me. Very honestly, I really don't think about having sex very much anymore - (not like when I was a guy when it was almost a daily obsession) - guess that's the hormones and also maybe acceptance of my reality, whatever the case, it's just nice not to be hung up on it!
Peace,
Beth
* if you're curious to hear what I sound like or to sample some songs:
http://www.studioeight.tv/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=16212
