Would you see a transgendered doctor?

[VSL]

Well, I would not go to a transgender doctor. I do not believe that the gender we are given at birth is a mistake.

Since it is my own money that will be going to this doctor (or even MY insurance money), I would not choose for my money to go to this person to fund their change. I'm sorry, but it goes against my beliefs. I am funny about where I spend my money. I don't care how good a doctor he/she was before the change, it would just make me too uncomfortable to continue going to them. But that is my choice, and I'm sorry if others think that is not a good enough reason.

Just wondering.. what if you lived in a place like the UK where we have an NHS system (we pay through taxes) - would you want to change then? Because, either way, you'd be paying them.

Not arguing, it's entirely everyone's choice to do what they want, but just curious about this point.

 

[JerseyJanice]

You can't have it both ways!! I mean, how do you get to decide which procedures are okay? if a baby is born with congenital heart failure--I mean..that some pretty major and invasive surgery you're looking at right there. And, for what it's worth, I don't consider my ****** the most major component of my entire existence. Do you?

If you don't see how being a woman or a man is probably the single most essential part of what makes you, then I just don't know what to say.

As a woman, I can tell you that being a woman is a whole lot more than what's in the underwear. It's a huge part of who I am--my hormones, the ability to bear children, the way I think and feel about the world. Men and women are not the same animal, and it has a lot more to it than the privates one is born with.

Furthermore, to compare a sex change operation with not treating congenital heart failure or any other illness is ridiculous. Nobody is going to die from not having a sex change operation--in fact, the reverse is probably true. There is no such thing is 100% safe surgery.

IOW, not treating a condition that will lead to death is hardly comparable to trying to change what nature made you--that is, a man or a woman.

I don't think for one second that a sex change operation is purely "cosmetic." It's way beyond that. It's fooling with Nature, and that is not the kind of thinking I want involved in my medical care.

 

[chobie]

If you don't see how being a woman or a man is probably the single most essential part of what makes you, then I just don't know what to say.

As a woman, I can tell you that being a woman is a whole lot more than what's in the underwear. It's a huge part of who I am--my hormones, the ability to bear children, the way I think and feel about the world. Men and women are not the same animal, and it has a lot more to it than the privates one is born with.

Furthermore, to compare a sex change operation with not treating congenital heart failure or any other illness is ridiculous. Nobody is going to die from not having a sex change operation--in fact, the reverse is probably true. There is no such thing is 100% safe surgery.

IOW, not treating a condition that will lead to death is hardly comparable to trying to change what nature made you--that is, a man or a woman.

I don't think for one second that a sex change operation is purely "cosmetic." It's way beyond that. It's fooling with Nature, and that is not the kind of thinking I want involved in my medical care.

There are thousands of babies born each year that are neither male or female. How do they exist if they are missing the essential part of what makes you?

 

[Robindianne]

Everyone should go to the dr of their choice and should switch whenever and for whatever reasons they want, even if the reasons are seen by some as insignificant. I could never go to a male OB/GYN so that would be my reason for not having gone to the transgendered one initially. No offense to men, it's just that women know what the procedures feel like cause they have to have them (but I did have one woman Gyn I quit going to because she was too rough).

Also, I have a transgendered friend. When she was a man, she was one of the few men I felt totally comfortable around, like she was one of the gals, although I didn't know why. Now that she's a woman (I believe she always was on the inside) on the outside, it's all just fine. BTW, she believes and I agree that she did what God would have wanted. She is Christian and goes to church every Sunday, among her other virtues. Not that that raises her standing imho but there are some who profess to be Christian who then judge others for what they believe to be unChristian. Imho only God knows and can judge, not me.

But, if I felt uncomfortable about her surgery, I would feel entitled to my feelings as well. We are all entitled to our feelings. Feelings aren't bad or wrong. It's what we do about them that counts.

 

[Robindianne]

Agreeing w/chobie. BTW there's a book out called Middlesex that's on the topic of both genders I think. Anyone read it? The agony my friend went through from about age 3 on, knowing she wasn't a boy but being forced to act like one nearly killed her many many times. According to her, it has nothing to do with cosmetics; it has to do with yearning to look like what you know you are.

 

[mickeyfan2]

I have only known one person who would fall into this catagory. I knew him from elementary school. He was born male and did date women. He said all of his fantasies were with males and he was a female. He started the process to change - counseling, hormones, dressing as a women, living as a women, etc. He grew his hair long and breasts. He was living as a female for years and was ready to complete the process. Then I hear he got married to a women, stopped the hormones and cut his hair. So this man was confused IMHO. He claims they have a wonderful sex life and are happy. I am glad that he is happy, but this particular case leaves me with questions about transgenders. I know that this case is just one person, but this one person does show me that some are confused.

 

[Robindianne]

Hmmm. According to my transgendered friend, there are more reasons to live what you appear, in her case male until her surgery, that to act on your belief you are the other gender. She lost so much by having her gender reassignment surgery. People she loved. She also said (she was male married to her female best friend for like 25 years) she just kept hoping she was wrong and that it'd be ok if she just tried harder/longer to act like the man she looked like. Not saying your friend is "acting" male cause it's easy, or that he's acting at all. Just telling about my friend's experience. All her children (adult grown) hate her now; her best friend/wife (they were in the process of the divorce as my friend was coming to accept her "herness" taking the female hormones) determined since her husband was a woman and "didn't want her" that she wasn't loveable so she had cosmetic surgery to be more "feminine" herself. She died as a result of that surgery. It's just so tragic and I know in my soul and from observation that my friend would never have wished to "change" genders, and certainly never wanted to hurt anyone. She just wants to be who she knows she always was.

It makes me so glad (even with my imperfect, heck, cellulite, wrinkles, etc, etc, etc, body) I am who I am and never had to grow up not being who I am inside.

 

[Mercy]

Just wondering.. what if you lived in a place like the UK where we have an NHS system (we pay through taxes) - would you want to change then? Because, either way, you'd be paying them.

Not arguing, it's entirely everyone's choice to do what they want, but just curious about this point.

Yes, I would change. Like I said in my original post, even if the doctor was getting paid by MY insurance, and not directly by me, they are still getting paid from someone because they are treating ME.... if that makes sense. And besides, I would just not feel comfortable going to someone like that anyway.

There was some discussion of transgenders having to live like the opposite sex for like a year or something. Ok, that would creep me out even more. My son worked in the local grocery store. Occasionally, this VERY manly man would come in to shop, dressed in full drag. Now I don't know if the man was contemplating a sex change or what, but I don't think I could take anyone seriously dressed like that, nevermind giving me medical advice. And even as far as we've come medically and scientifically, transgenders are very easy to pick out, and so I would still feel uncomfortable.

 

[Robindianne]

My friends doctor just had a sex change to make him into a woman.

Would you keep seeing her?

What if she were an ob-gyn?

Yep, cause she'd have had her own gyn by now and she'd know how to be gentle (in theory). But I wouldn't have gone before her reassignment surgery.

 

[chell]

If I liked them before that sure wouldn't bother me. But the fact that he was a he means that I wouldn't have been seeing him in the first place.

 

[JoeEpcotRocks]

How do you know it's nonsense? Because you haven't experienced it? The only people who are qualified to tell us whether "female soul in a male body" is nonsense or not are those that have felt this way.

So they "feel" that they have a "female soul" in their male body.

How do they know that their soul is female??

Do they:
Always ask for directions when lost?
Always put the toilet seat down?
Never belch?
(I'm sure there's more. We need a list.)

 

[JennyMominRI]

So they "feel" that they have a "female soul" in their male body.

How do they know that their soul is female??

Do they:
Always ask for directions when lost?
Always put the toilet seat down?
Never belch?
(I'm sure there's more. We need a list.)

I can see you think it's funny. Most transgenered people experience years and years of mental anguish,starting in very early childhood..Have you ever looked at suicide and scuicide attemps statistics for the transgendered?

 

[chell]

I can see you think it's funny. Most transgenered people experience years and years of mental anguish,starting in very early childhood..Have you ever looked at suicide and scuicide attemps statistics for the transgendered?

That is SO sad. Wish more people would make them feel comfortable and accepted.

Seems like one of the major points that I learned from the Bible is that WE are not to judge others.

 

[auntie]

Nope..gives me the willies. Okay..not very mature..or politically correct..but would make me feel uncomfortable. One month Dr. Allan..next month Dr. Ellen... nahh...willlies for sure. Have had both male and female dr.'s...don't prefer one over the other..just one or the other.

 

[AnaheimGirl]

How do they know that their soul is female??

Who cares?

If they say they know they are female in every respect but plumbing, who are we to doubt that? Like I said, you and I have never been in that position, so it's hard for us to imagine, but why on earth would anyone think they know more about someone else than that other person him/herself?

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

That is SO sad. Wish more people would make them feel comfortable and accepted.

Seems like one of the major points that I learned from the Bible is that WE are not to judge others.

I truly do not wish to take the thread off the tracks here, but your last sentence contains some shaky biblical interpretation. "Not judging" does not mean "anything goes". It does not mean we swallow every bit of pablum that comes our way.

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

If they say they know they are female in every respect but plumbing, who are we to doubt that? Like I said, you and I have never been in that position, so it's hard for us to imagine, but why on earth would anyone think they know more about someone else than that other person him/herself?

So this means that if I feel like I am actually a dolphin I can have my legs surgically fashioned into flippers? And I should expect everyone to take me at face value and not think I'm silly or confused?

 

[FreshTressa]

As the OP...I should prolly give my opinion.

I think it would creep me out, but I would probably keep seeing them because I know it is wrong to feel that way and hope that I get over it. I'd always be thinking about it whenever I saw them.

It is funny, it would not bug me to find out they USED to be a man, but to know them through the transition would be odd to me.

My ob/gyn is gay...not that it matters, but it has never bothered me at all.

I also have an acquaintance that went through a sex change. They did such a good job that when I saw them at a social gathering, I went up an introduced myself, not realizing she used to be my guy friend! She is much happier now and I am happier for her.

I think it is fine though for people not to see her anymore if it bothers them. I don't judge them any more than I judge the doc. We all have our tolerance levels.

 

[Cindyluwho]

First off I have to admit that I've only reay the OPs post and not all of the others. I noticed right away that you're from the Seattle area and I'm assuming you're talking about our local OB? But that was years ago he turned into a she, 7 or 8 years ago at least. Or is it happening again to another OB/Gyn here in the area? Our friends were just weeks from their due date when they got the letter saying their OB would start wearing women's clothes, etc as part of the transformation. It really didn't bother them at all and the husband of the couple is very, very conservative. The loved the Dr. and respected the Dr. so what's the big deal? Wouldn't be a big deal to me and it hasn't really hurt the guys/gals practice much from what I understand. Folks here in town loved the Dr before so no reason to run screaming after the change

 

[FreshTressa]

So this means that if I feel like I am actually a dolphin I can have my legs surgically fashioned into flippers? And I should expect everyone to take me at face value and not think I'm silly or confused?

When I say I don't judge...I guess that is not correct. I do judge...I find things odd.

If you were to have flippers, I would find you odd. I would judge, and probably not be friends with you.

BUT..I would not hate you or try to stop you from enjoying your flippers, as long as your flippers didn't poke me in the eye.