Chapter 5

Lecture Notes

Transsexuality is when gender identity and sexual anatomy are not congruent. It may occur with heterosexual, homosexual, and bisexual orientations. Some cultures accept incongruence and create an alternative third sex. Transsexuals believe they have been given the body of the wrong sex and want to change sex, not their personality. This revolves around issues of gender identity and distinctly is different from homosexuality. Following surgery transsexuals may or may not change their sexual orientation, whether it is toward members of the same, the other, or both sexes. Sexual reassignment surgery is an alternative for transsexuals. It is sought to bring genitals in line with their gender identity and to diminish serious suffering they experience. Male to female operations outnumber female to male operations by five to one ratio. Images from McGraw Hill Image Library