Sex-change patients overwhelmingly happy with results
Image by Getty Images via Daylife
Over the weekend we learned that Chastity Bono, the daughter of Sonny and Cher, was undergoing gender reassignment surgery. That reassignment is already complete so far as pronouns go. Here’s spokesman Howard Bragman:
“Chaz, after many years of consideration, has made the courageous decision to honor his true identity.”
Bragman continued,
“He is proud of his decision and grateful for the support and respect that has already been shown by his loved ones.”
No comment as yet from Cher, who has had her own fair share of bodywork.
Switching gender, however, is not as easy as getting a facelift, as Brain Blogger’s T.A. McNamee, MD explains:
Medically, it’s complicated as well. Before even embarking on the anatomically-altering regimen, a great deal of thearpy is recommended, as well as a “test run” living as the desired gender. Following that, hormones are begun. The regimen for a woman becoming a man is relatively straightforward: testosterone shots once every twelve weeks. Such a regimen produces increased facial hair, body mass index, a deeper voice, and enlargement of the clitoris, sometimes to the degree that intercourse is possible without surgery.
As to a couple of the many surgical components of the female to male transformation:
The skin around the clitoris is removed so that the clitoris can extend from the pubic region and appear as a penis. The resulting penis is smaller than the average size of an adult male penis and its use in sexual intercourse is limited. Some people also have the uerethra lengthened, wich makes it possible to urinate while standing…
YouTube has numerous videos made by people who have undergone gender reassignment. Here’s one multi-part series that gives you a personal sense of what goes into making this decision.
Lastly, Brain Blogger notes that just 1 to 2% of those who undergo the surgical switch regret it later.
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Something you’re considering David?
B,
Hey, you never know.
Actually, no. Pretty secure with my gender status.
And I never doubted it for a moment!
In response to another comment. See in context »David,
I applaud anyone for having the courage to become whom he or she feels they are. Not everyone has the means. One of my favorite performances by an actress of all time was Karen Black as Joanne, an Oscar deserving performance for Best Actress if ever there was one for Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean. All eyes may have been on Cher to see if she really could act, but Karen Black stole every single scene she was in (and there weren’t very many that she wasn’t in) and chewed up the scenery as they say. It’s my favorite Robert Altman film. It’s one of my top five performances male or female.
Her character goes from male to female. It has a line in it that I will leave out for now…as I am not positive. I’ll just have to watch one of my favorite movies all over again. Not a bad deal.
Your embedded source material shows a very high level of happiness post-surgery. (My words; not theirs.) I think that kind of says it all. Imagine living a lie that you didn’t create, knowing there was something you could do about it and doing it. I wish Chaz all the best and I hope he will be happy.
Sandy
Interesting.
Makes me think of a couple of stories This American Life did on testosterone. One of them was about someone who underwent a sex-change, and how the shots of hormone affected them. Super interesting. Perhaps the most thought-provoking was how that person’s role in society, and how people saw them changed.
Runner’s World had a great article a few years back on the transition of a male-to-female runner. Interesting read.
http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-243-297–8030-0,00.html
In response to another comment. See in context »