Sex change
 

So I know a girl who is actually getting a sex change. She looks very much like a man anyways, and she said she's felt all her life like she should have been a man...so now she's going to become one, and change her name as well.

Personally I don't understand ever wanting to change your gender. It's weird to me...plus knowing someone who is actually getting one? Weeeeird.

However, if it will truly make her happier...than I can't see anything wrong with it. Still, to me it just seems so weird.

Thoughts, anyone?

Do you understand why you prefer men to women? I doubt anybody really does...and that's how these people feel. They were born in the wrong body for them.

-GP, who is resisting digging up the SHIM thread

There is actually a psychiatric disorder called Gender Identity Disorder (it's in the DSM under "sexual and gender identity disorders). The patients actually identify themselves as the opposite gender and feel very uncomfortable in their own gender's role. In children it manifests by make believe play in which they play as if they were another gender and they have definite preferences for playmates of the opposite sex. It's interesting stuff. There are lots of causes for it, most of it revolving around past sexual abuse or parental neglect/overinvolvement. This holds true for a lot of psych disorders.

I have three male childhood friends who went through surgery to change their gender. In high school, they took estrogen and other pills to help them develop more female characteristics.

Like Kath said, you can't understand why they'd do something like that, but you also can't explain why you prefer men and why YOU act like a girl. None of us can really explain why we act and think the way we do. We were just born that way.

My former male friends always knew from childhood that they were female. They were miserable because they were born in a man's body--and received harsh treatment from others because they couldn't fathom the idea of Gender Identity Disorder.

It's a very hard concept for me to grasp. :( But I try to be as sympathetic as possible.