Gender Identity Disorders ( Gids ) - 1403 Words

â€Å"Before I knew I was transsexual, I went through years of pain... It’s only now that I’m living as a woman that I finally feel comfortable with myself† (â€Å"Real Lives - Three Transsexuals†). This quote, from a male-to-female transsexual individual who was living as a woman while waiting to qualify for gender re-assignment surgery (GReS), shows the pain that those who struggle with gender identity disorders (GIDS) undergoi while â€Å"trapped† in the physical and social constraints of living as their original gender, as well as the relief that comes with living as a member of their â€Å"true† gender. Some may argue that use of surgery for purposes of treating gender identity disorders is morally unacceptable since trans sexuality does not belong†¦show more content†¦Many transgender reform advocates argue that trans sexuality is not a mental disorder, but a physical problem, which can be fixed by means of a combination of phy sical surgery that is designed to change the body. Whether trans sexuality is viewed as a mental disorder or whether it is viewed as simply another category of gender that should be accepted by society as appropriate, the moral tension on the issue of GRES remains strong since GReS is an invasive surgery that requires tons of medical resources that may be put to better use for something more urgent and serious. Two ideas of trans sexuality are that it is a primarily psychiatric disorder and that it is a primarily physical disorder. Gender identity disorder has been classified as a psychiatric disorder in the handbook for psychiatric disorders since 1980 (Abraham). Gender identity disorder or trans sexuality involves a strong, long identification with another gender, a long concern about the sex assigned to the individual biologically and clinically significant discomfort or impairment at work, in social situations, or other important areas of life (American Psychological Association ). Transgender surgery has its flaws, but it can completely change the individual for the better in their psychiatric aspect. Bruce Jenner, an Olympic gold medalist, now referred to as Caitlyn, was once seen as the greatest athlete in the world and