[Jecilyn]

*sigh* Too much of what I'm reading reinforces the view that Transsexualism is a mental 'disease' or defect. IMO, It's not.

In it's base form it is a physical problem...the club foot analogy is apt. The main difference is that it isn't immediately obvious at birth. Too often people either hide it out of fear or cannot express it properly until quite abit later, by which time it's far easier to label it a mental illness or such.

Empathetic or not, we can't expect to know how these people feel being seen as and expected to conform to a gender stereotype that is not themselves. We don't treat cystic fibrosis or musculer dystrophy as mental disorders.....the person's sense of self is not in question. Just because something is not immediately life-threatening or seems to not be debilitating physically, doesn't mean we get to dismiss it.

People call it elective surgery because that's how it's always been portrayed...Trying to actually have a life is not a choice. Existing through one's lifetime is not the same as actually living it. Plenty of countries worldwide understand this and try to help it's citizens dealing with this as they would any other physical problem....unfortunately so long as trans folk are ridiculed and demeaned, this attitude will continue.