US - Gender Identity and Phantom Genitalia... [2008-04-12 SFO Chronicle]

<http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/12/IN5S103FLF.DTL>

GENDER IDENTITY AND PHANTOM GENITALIA

Sandra Blakeslee

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Some people know, with absolute certainty, that they were born the wrong gender.

A girl sees that she has no phallus, yet she feels deeply, unambiguously male. A boy is equipped with a penis, yet he feels fundamentally, unarguably female.

Such discord often gets chalked up to the physical - prenatal hormone exposures, abnormal brain structures, gay genes. Or to the psychological - repressed homosexuality, absent dads, overbearing moms, parents who wanted a baby of the opposite sex.

But there is a new explanation: Some transgender men claim to possess phantom penises. From the time they were little girls, they say they had vivid sensations of a penis between their legs. Others develop such a phantom when they begin taking testosterone therapy.

Similarly, transgender women who are born male and later undergo sex reassignment surgery generally do not report having a phantom. They say that their penis was never part of their body image.

V.S. Ramachandran, a neurologist and psychologist at UC San Diego and a leading authority on phantom limb sensations, says it has long been known that some people who are born without arms have vivid phantom arms. They can swing them around, wave goodbye and make complicated gestures.

This suggests that an intact body image - the maps of the body laid down in the brain before and after birth - can develop without actual limbs. So-called mirror neurons that map the actions and intentions of others into one's own brain may help bring the phantoms to life, Ramachandran says.

But phantoms might also exist from the beginning of life. For transgender men and women, he says, the body image laid down prenatally could similarly differ from the external body anatomy.

A study describing this phenomenon appears in the January issue of the Journal of Consciousness Studies. But some are skeptical.

Simon LeVay, an expert on human sexuality, says that Ramachandran is comparing those who are extremely pleased with getting rid of their penis to others who are distressed and think about their penis all the time. "Emotions are left out," LeVay said. "I am not sure he has looked at the question of wishful thinking in detail."

Phantom limbs were first described as a medical condition after the Civil War. Amputees said then, as they do now, that they continue to experience bodily sensations as if the absent limb were still present. But without any scientific explanation, phantoms were chalked up to wishful thinking. But in the early 1990s, Ramachandran carried out experiments that demystified phantoms. They are not the stuff of human imagination. Rather they are a product of brain wiring.

When a limb is amputated, the area of the brain representing that limb is no longer activated by touch. But such areas do not become vacant lots. They get invaded by nerve fibers from adjacent brain areas that map intact body parts. When those parts - say the face or shoulder - are touched, sensations are felt in the missing limb.

Not long after this discovery, a few people wrote to Ramachandran to say that they experienced phantom penises after losing the organ in an accident or to disease. They even had phantom orgasms.

This got Ramachandran wondering whether the phantoms applied to transsexuality. To find out, he surveyed 20 male-to-female transsexual women and 29 female-to-male transsexual men.

The first finding was intriguing. Only 6 out of 20, or 30 percent, of the transsexual women who had had their penises removed reported feeling a phantom phallus. But 58 percent of "normal" men have such sensations after the surgery.

The second finding was surprising. A third to a half of "normal" women experience phantom breasts after a mastectomy, as opposed to only 3 out of the 29 transgender men. The third finding was downright astounding. Among the transsexual men, 18 out of 29, or 62 percent, said they had experienced a phantom penis long before their surgery.

In two cases, the phantom appeared shortly after the start of testosterone therapy. "If the phantom is a result of wishful thinking, why would a hormone be required to trigger it?" Ramachandran asks.

The findings imply that transsexuality should not be regarded as abnormal, Ramachandran says. No rigid barriers exist between the sexes. Rather, sexual identity exists along a biological continuum that involves an innate body plan and life experience.

"I expect a lot of criticism," Ramachandran says. "Those who study transsexuality tend to be territorial because they themselves have made so little progress. There is no literature that illuminates the underlying mechanisms, other than psychological mumbo jumbo. And then someone comes striding in and spends two weeks solving the riddle. It must be infuriating."

-

Sandra Blakeslee is a Santa Fe, N.M., science writer who specializes in brain sciences. E-mail <insight@sfchronicle.com>.

This article appeared on page G - 9 of the San Francisco Chronicle

--

© 2008 Hearst Communications Inc.

I have to admit when I first heard the story of the pregnant man I thought it was a hoax (being April 1st and all). I have slightly mixed feelings.... I'd like to think that the parents will have access to good counselling and support and that the resulting child will be able to be raised free from discrimination about his/her parents.... unfortunately I suspect that they will have to deal with a level of curiosity that is overwhelming. It'll be a rocky ride. Having 2 loving parents is more than plenty of kids get, maybe that is the most important thing.

US - Role reversal... [2008-04-14 DePaulia]

http://www.thedepaulia.com/story.asp?artid=2797&sectid=1

2008-04-14

Role reversal
The pregnancy of a transgendered man has blurred gender lines and called family dynamics into question for some

by Jacob Schumaker
Editor In Chief

For those who know someone expecting a newborn, it’s usually a time for congratulations and baby showers and crazy cravings. For Thomas Beatie, 34, and wife Nancy, this happily married couple’s pregnancy has a twist.

The media has been buzzing over the story of this Oregon couple who are preparing for their child together. While this normally would not draw attention, for this couple, the tables have turned. Instead of Nancy carrying their baby, the father, Thomas, is the one preparing to give birth to their first child. Now, many are wondering how this is possible.

Thomas underwent a female to male gender reassignment surgery and told the Advocate that since sterilization is not a requirement for the reassignment surgery, he chose to have chest reconstruction and testosterone therapy while keeping his reproductive rights. He told reporters that the desire to have a child is not something only a mother experiences. Instead, Thomas said, it’s a human desire.

According to CBS News, the pregnancy wasn’t supposed to garner the attention it has; however, since Thomas is showing now, people have started to notice.

When wife Nancy was faced with severe health problems nearly 20 years ago, she was forced to have a hysterectomy, leaving her unable to have a child. So after stabilizing their lives, the couple decided it was time to have children.

Thomas stopped his bimonthly testosterone injections and after four months, his body was able to regulate itself. Without any fertility drugs or other tactics to aid with the pregnancy, Thomas found himself pregnant after home insemination.

Thomas plans to give birth to their child vaginally and without an epidural sometime at the beginning of July. The due date is July 3, and they are expecting a healthy baby girl.

While some initially thought this story was an April Fool’s joke because he wouldn’t do interviews until April 1, Thomas found himself on "Oprah" and other high profile news shows openly talking about his pregnancy. On the "Oprah" show, he said, "Different is normal, and love makes a family. And that’s all that matters."

But I can’t help but wonder if having love in the family is all that will matter for the Beatie’s unborn child. While the couple said the pregnancy is a miracle, sterilization was not needed during Thomas’s reassignment surgery, which left the option of pregnancy open.

However, as the media jumped on this story, what will it mean when the Beaties increase from a family of two to a family of three? We all know that America has made movements towards accepting the LGBT community, but we are far from embracing any major shifts concerning acceptance.

While Thomas passes as a male, inside, he is still female. As a result, the totality of this situation doesn’t seem ideal. Having been part of several classes that have examined the transgendered community, my understanding has been that whether a male or female desires to undergo the gender reassignment surgery, they are seeking the completeness of the opposite gender—a desire to be the person they feel they are on the inside. Transgendered individuals seek to pass in society, and therefore, this situation calls into question the way a transgendered person wants to be viewed. I don’t think it is appropriate for Thomas to continue claiming that he is in fact a man when he has acknowledged his ability to have the baby and plans to have a vaginal birth.

Of course many are criticizing the Beaties, but others are embracing this situation. FTM International is an organization that is in 18 countries and has been assisting the female-to-male community for 22 years. According to the Advocate, the president of the organization, Rabbi Levi Alter said, "We support stable, loving families as the best environment to raise children and support reproductive rights as human rights. Everyone has the right to be fully included, fully equal, fully visible, and fully empowered."

Surely Alter is right in believing that everyone has the right to be included, and while this is not the first case of a female-to-male transgendered person having a child, it is the first to gain this much attention. Lewis Turner, vice president of the U.K. trans group Press for Change and a female-to-male transgender, said that studies have shown that children of transgendered parents don’t face any problems because of their parents, according to the Advocate.

However, I think the bigger issue that people are trying to deal with is the fact that Thomas decided to have reassignment surgery because he always felt he was a male. Now, he is pregnant, which is a female role. As a result, we are left with a female who has simply had a chest reduction and is trying to claim that this pregnancy is a miracle when in fact, the only unique aspect of this situation is that Thomas appears to be a male on the outside, but is female on the inside, which is a direct contradiction to the main reason people seek gender reassignment surgery.

-

Jacob Schumaker is a senior communication student. His opinions are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of The DePaulia.

--

© 2001-2008 DePaul University

US - Eaton Corp. helped M2F gender variant IT specialist Audrey Hopkins (f.k.a. Dave Hopkins) blend back into the workplace... [2008-04-14 Crain's Detroit Business]

http://crainsdetroit.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080414/SUB/804140308/1068

Diversity

April 14, 2008
   
Eaton Corp. helped transgender employee

By Maureen McDonald

Audrey Hopkins, 47, became the first transgender individual hired into Eaton Corp.'s 100-member information-technology group in October 2005.

Her name and capabilities were already known to her boss and many staff members who had worked with her in her former identity as Dave Hopkins, a 20-year consultant and troubleshooter for advanced computer manufacturing systems.

Today Hopkins, senior IT specialist, reports finding mostly receptive managers and employees in auto plants across America where her skills in software design and business systems are sought after.

Equal access to employment is a policy supported in spirit and statements, according to Jim Parks, an Eaton spokesperson who affirmed a company policy of empathy and cooperation for race, creed, gender and gender identity in the workplace so long as behavior doesn't intrude on productivity.

“My boss needed my skill set,” Hopkins said. She disclosed her status in a gender reassignment process, begun in 2004. “He looked me right in the eye and said he wouldn't disclose my public identity or jeopardize my right to earn a living.”

Eaton Corp. had $12.4 billion in 2006 sales. Its headquarters is in Cleveland, and its Detroit area offices are in Southfield and Ann Arbor.

Together Hopkins and her boss wrote down the names of all the individuals she worked with as a male. The boss had conversations with these employees, insisting upon empathy and cooperation. (Hopkins asked that her boss's name be left out of this story.)

“The company doesn't pry into people's personal matters. They have respect for certain circumstances as long as it doesn't interfere with productivity,” Hopkins said.

She made adjustments too. She used unisex restrooms to avoid any controversy as she worked through several surgeries to alter her appearance and gender. She is one of an estimated 50,000 to 70,000 transgender individuals in America today.

Sean Kosofsky, director of policy for the Triangle Foundation in Detroit, said at least 300 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender organizations have come out in support of HR 2015, the Employment Nondiscrimination Act that would include gender expression and identity in its job protection provisions. The measure should come up for a vote by Congress in fall.

Meanwhile, Hopkins has coped with the everyday pressures of being the pioneer in a brave new workplace. At first, she lunched alone as groups of men sat in one direction and groups of women in another. As a former high school football player and rabid University of Michigan sports fan, she longed for the camaraderie of Monday water cooler talk. Slowly, she made new friends and blended back in. “I'm at the top of my game professionally,” Hopkins said with a smile.

Natalie Brundred, an executive coach for Business Edge International in Bloomfield Hills, offers advice to workplace pioneers such as Hopkins. “My job is not to pay attention to how I'm the same or different. My job is to pay attention to what I'm building, what I'm creating for myself and my company,” she said. “When you focus on that, everything takes care of itself.”

--

© 2008 Crain Communications Inc.

US - Three black people talk about life from a gender variant perspective... [2008-04-14 Seattle Times]

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/jerrylarge/2004347040_jdl14.html

Monday, April 14, 2008

How we see each other

By Jerry Large
Seattle Times staff columnist

Seems like everyone belongs to a group with a cause.

And whether they recognize it or not, many causes share a common desire to be accepted.If they'd start by accepting each other, we might get somewhere.

I thought about that Thursday, when I had the chance to hear three people talk about life from a transgender perspective. The three transgender, black people were on a panel put on by the Central District Forum for Arts and Ideas.

What they had to say was more interesting than their physical details.

The panel was the forum's second discussion of gender identity in the African-American community.

One of the panelists, Dean Jackson, a Seattle native who does organizing work on gender issues in communities of color, said he once thought changing genders was something only white people did.

He learned otherwise, and has made his own transition from woman to man. Along the way, he discovered that "it wasn't so much that my body didn't fit." It was more that he didn't fit into a binary system of gender classification.

Why should people have to choose blue or red, when they might feel purple or violet?

Another panelist, Vanessa Grandberry, said the physical change dominated her early experience.

At the end of the day, "I was so tired from posing, making sure my hands were held the right way. ... "

She wouldn't go out without proper makeup and a wig, but that changed.

Now, "if someone says 'sir,' I go with that." she said. "However you see me has nothing to do with how I see myself."

But it's how others see transgender people that can hurt. Grandberry's own mother rejected her when she came out.

The quest for transgender acceptance transcends individual encounters. And it's about more than gender. It's about whether we all can recognize that there is more than one way of being an OK person. That gender, race, class, weight, etc., shouldn't be all we see of anyone.

The third panelist, Imani Henry, an activist from New York, said, "I identify as a social-justice activist who happens to be a trans person."

Progressive movements are full of people who are gay, lesbian or transgender, he said. His message: Working toward a more just society should trump anyone's particular identity.

That's not always easy.

Grandberry said that if she goes to a mostly white support group in Seattle, "It's all right for me to talk about my trans issues, but don't bring up race."

There are challenges with other black people, who sometimes practice the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy.

Americans are hooked on either-or's: black or white, right or wrong. But approaching each person as an individual requires more thinking than most people want to do.

Of course, none of us wants to be the one being pigeonholed.

Seems like a good reason to argue less and cooperate more.

We'd all benefit from nurturing a culture in which we put more latitude — and less judgment — into how we see each other.

-

Jerry Large's column appears Monday and Thursday. Reach him at 206-464-3346 or jlarge@seattletimes.com.

--

© 2008 The Seattle Times Company