cross dresser or transsexual ?

[jenni361]

its very important to evaluate a person correctly . cross dressers who are not true transsexuals should not be referred for surgery but unfortunately some therapists doing the evaluations are becoming careless and are not doing careful and complete in depth psych evaluations . some are just getting lazy and careless and it is their job to take the time to really get inside the persons head , there are seriously mentally ill people in this world and therapists need to be actually weeding those people out instead of just being careless and assuming that every person who walks through their door must be a transsexual if they happen to be wearing a dress and think that becoming a woman will solve all their problems . a therapist must carefully evaluate each person because there are people who do have mental problems and are confused about what they want . not all cross dressers are transsexual and ONLY transsexuals should be allowed to have SRS . cross dressers who are not true trans will regret it . if you are a straight man (attracted sexually to women) who just enjoys dressing up and looking pretty (cross dresser not transsexual) you will most likely deeply regret SRS as many cross dressers who have been carelessly misdiagnosed as transsexual are very traumatized (as any straight male would be) after having HIS manhood removed !!!

[Casaluna]

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[Christine]

I'd say it's extremely difficult for someone who's "confused" to actually get as far as SRS, given the hurdles faced by genuine and determined patients. The number of times the person is assessed, the requirement for extended Real Life Experience (with proof) and so on would filter out those who weren't confident it's what they wanted. I dare say a few slip through the net, but overall I'd say the current set up risks damaging far more patients than those who make an error of judgement.

Just for the record, my assessment has included my GP, a consultant psychiatrist, a "gatekeeper" who's another consultant psychiatrist specialised in the field, three specialist consultant psychiatrists/psychologists at the GIC itself, with further input from another psychotherapist. So far it's taken 3.5 years from seeing my GP to get to this point and SRS is at least 18 months away even though I finally have approval. It's been pretty tough going and would certainly be more than long enough for the vast majority to seriously consider what it is they're doing.

[JustMe]

Hi Jenni,

I don't know what point you are actually trying to make either to be honest - please don't think we are ganging up on you, we aren't .

Caitlin and Christine have made some very very good points here. I would like to add another.

Once on Hormone Treatment, a cross dresser is unlikely to find the experience very pleasurable or positive. The body fat redistribution may be okay, so might the development of breasts but when the libido falls away (which it does) and erection capability diminishes (highly likely) - then for someone who is likely to still want the sexual needs/capability that a man has, this can be traumatic. For a person to get anywhere near surgery, they have to have been on HRT for at least 12 months. A lot happens in that time. A person who is a fantascist will soon know if they are making a mistake - so will the psychological assessors.

[jenni361]

ive been fascinated for some time about these reports from some men who mistakingly think that they are trans and end up regretting their decision to have SRS . not all therapists (by therapists im referring to psychiatrists obviously) in all countries do what they are supposed to be doing . this happens in cosmetic surgery as well sometimes some people who are clearly addicted to cosmetic surgery or who are addicted to drugs for example receive what they are seeking because some doctors just don't care about them and just care about the money. some countries are becoming very relaxed when it comes to referring for SRS. in the U.S. I do think that there are too many unnecessary hoops that one must jump through and here it could be relaxed a little bit but that's just my opinion I just feel bad for the poor guys who don't get the mental heath care that they need and pay good money for and yes in some places you can get SRS very easily indeed even bypassing HRT in some cases. what I am simply saying is that psychiatrists need to be competent and do their jobs as well as doctors and when they don't take care and do what they are supposed to do then they should be held accountable so that it does not continue . that's all im saying ...