Article: Compromise Led to Passage of NY Birth Cert Law

[Carolyn Marie]

http://www.advocate.com/politics/transgender/2015/03/05/burden-proof-who-does-government-consider-transgender

This is an interesting article. It shows how compromise worked to gain passage of an important piece of legislation to benefit trans folk. Restroom issues are a separate matter, of course. But sometimes, not going with the "all or nothing" approach does have a good result.

The measure still requires that any of a number of licensed professionals — psychologists, clinical social workers, physician’s assistants, nurse practitioners, et cetera — vouch for the discontinuity people feel between their assigned sex and gender identity. Minter, who is a transgender man, said, “A more progressive policy would be one that recognizes that transgender people can self-determine and should not require external validation before their identities are respected.”

Perhaps such requirements would reduce fears for folks concerned about access to "women's spaces." For many of the more hysterical politicos out there, I fear not. But it's an approach worth trying, IMO.

Carolyn Marie

[Guest DesiB]

“The passage of this bill is astounding,” said Kate Bornstein, the trans activist and author. “It says to the world that our gender assignment doesn’t depend on our genitals.”

Still, as Bornstein said, “Without the new law’s dependence on outies and innies, there’s no real reason to have an option of only two genders, right?”

We are still assigned as either male or female, at birth, based exclusively on our genitals. (There is a movement to have this assignment delayed and I think that would be a great area for some compromise.) But gender dysphoria has a home address at the genitalia.

Apologies to anti-binaryists, but genitalia only come in two basic types or a combination thereof. I don't ever want to be thought of as anything else! I've dealt with this personally by medical professionals who acted like they had no idea how to treat me, as if I were some alien creature! I told them to please just give me the same medical treatment they've already learned in medical school because I've never had any parts that were beyond what they've learned about in any of their other male and female patients!

So for those who have finally done everything medically possible to remove the source of their dysphoria, what is the effect of having the public so hyper aware now that, just because many have gained legal acceptance as female or male, it doesn't mean they still don't have mismatched genitalia underneath their clothes. Yes, that has to matter! Can you imagine (or maybe you don't have to imagine) living decades of your life with 'wrong' genitalia, finally getting it surgically corrected, then still having people constantly check you out with extra scrutiny on a regular basis because they are suspicious of you having the 'wrong' genitalia!!! This is a benefit to trans folk? Clearly all trans folk do not have the same aspirations in life.