Tg Research

[Guest Tammy Maher]

HEY EVERYONE!!!!

Yeah long time no talk. My life has been crazy busy. But let me fast forward the year since we last spoke and get to nice juicy parts of why I'm making this topic.

I've finally been able to put the concept of being transgender isn't something that can be induced into my parents' thick skulls (I might write a book on that, takes years upon years to accomplish though). So with that they have told me (under 1 condition) that if I start anything physical (voice training, HRT, public dressing etc) they will not cut funding for college. Ok here's the condition... I have to go see a counselor on campus (because counseling services is free with tuition) who will objectively determine whether or not my "feeling trans" is being caused by one of my other diagnosed disabilities (Autism or XYY) which could be causing a chemical imbalance in my brain. I know they are far off on this, but I'm doing it to please them. So when I got to the counselor and explained this and other things to him he looked at me, shook his head as if to wake up and pretty much said that in all his dealings with trans-identified patients that he had NEVER heard of this happening. But sense we have to play by my parents' rules for this, he and I have been exploring ways to convince him that there is no link between my disabilities and being trans.

So what I need a bit of help here with is finding articles/research (from decently reliable sources) that shows there is no statistical connection between autism or xyy that would trigger an imbalance "causing" someone to be trans. My counselor and I have figured out that my parents should be accepting of a letter from him stating his experiences with trans people, showing the research in the articles that show no correlations, and what he generally concludes as to my identifying as trans.

So yeah that kinda sums up my past 3 weeks (ok not my entire 3 weeks... just my attempts to start hrt.)

[Guest Opal]

Hi Janelle,

Welcome back (I am somewhat new here) !

Sorry I do not have something readily available for you, but maybe someone else will have some good research sources. Does your counselor have any GT contacts, maybe they would have some suggestions.

Huggs,

Opal

[Carolyn Marie]

I don't know, Janelle; I only did a cursory search, but I'll be amazed if anyone comes up with anything. There is so little in the literature about causation of transsexuality, the chances of finding a study that attempts to link it to a specific condition are remote.

The other issue is that proving a negative, i.e. demonstrating no statistical correlation between being TS and autism or another causitive agent. It's always simpler to prove a cause or link than to prove the opposite.

I'll be interested to see if anyone has a bright idea.

Carolyn Marie

[Guest Orva26]

So when I got to the counselor and explained this and other things to him he looked at me, shook his head as if to wake up and pretty much said that in all his dealings with trans-identified patients that he had NEVER heard of this happening.

Really? I find/found from my interactions on the internet that this situation is not out of the question.

I do have a suggestion though. It is part of the therapist task to establish if a person is in a reasonable state of mind, i.e. there is not an underlying or other issue that is causing the GID. Maybe instead of looking for papers about causation you should look for literature to help the consular do just that. A therapist could have published guidelines for working with patients with one of those conditions. I have heard of people with Autism transitioning but I haven't heard anything about XYY.

Best of luck to ya!

-Orva

[Guest chngnwnd]

I am an independent adult with odd medical conditions. I had this very same discussion with my parents. They were so anxious for me not to be trans, my mother kept on insisting that it must be csused by my medical condition. I just stood my ground and kept moving ahead to transition. She has long since abondoned that position - especially since I told her that the doctor researching my condition thinks that hormones will alleviate it and there is definitely no causal relationship.

It is a good idea to humor your parents by meeting their requirements - because, ironically, that should help you with transitioning. Best of luck to you.

hugs

Bobbi

[JJ]

There are scientific sources on the causes of trans gender in the scientific evidence topic

http://www.lauras-pl...showtopic=26503

My feeling, and I have come across an article or two but don't know where except it was a scientific discussion, proposing that the higher apparent incidence among transgendered is not true autism but a constellation of symptoms that closely resemble autism, caused by the social isolation and sense of inner wrongness we feel from an early age. For example many of us have issues with making eye contact because we fear people reading our secret there. We fail to interpret body language for our outward apparent gender because it is in conflict with our inner identity. Etc. The difference between what we exhibit and true autism is that once people transition and begin living as themselves they often find they become social and grow socially adept. Autism doesn't resolve, although you can learn to adjust to it. This is a new field as more and more people transition and are willing to be visible and report their experiences after transition

I believe that theory is true and we are often misdiagnosed as autistic when we are exhibiting symptoms that are actually part of GID. Your counselor may be able to find more info in her field coming at it from that direction.

Certainly in the scientific community it is now almost universally accepted that being transgendered is a medical condition present at birth which is not visible but still physical and occurs in differing degrees as well as manifesting at different ages and in different ways. Some countries have even begun officially recognizing it as the intersexed condition it really is.

Hope this helps. Much of this research is new and your counselor may not have it unless they have had reason to follow the research.

Hugs

John

[Guest Valerie]

Janelle;

A friend I have met here in Hawaii, has recently written a book, that I think may help you with this.

"Transsexuality In the Late 20th Century: What it was and what it wasn't.

Author;

Sarah Seten M.D., M.A.

This is written on the back by The Aetheom Press, 2009

This little book is not your barn burning, best selling, gender techno-hype-philosophy.

It quietly tells the story of what

changing sex meant two generations ago.

If there is some truths that endure,

the book will be helpfull to the perplexed

suffering with gender indentity disorder.

It can equip you with some usefull thinking tools

to understand your bewilderment.

Mainly for the beginning transexual/intersexual persons.

Written by a medical doctor who has been through it all - both bad and good - as one

of the trial blazer transwomen of the past century.

I will not try to explain everything about the book, but I have found it rather very informing. I have let two of my supervisors at work read it, to help them to understand what I am doing and why.

Hope this helps;

/Hugs

Valerie.