The catch-22

I was reading a column by Amber Crowder about the catch-22 women in transistion face. And while I could have just as easily added my comments about the essay and the other comments, I decided to post my own column, because I find a lot of the younger women in transistion have and see it correctly.

Why they see it better is open to discussion, but I think it's simply they don't have the history of the transgender community to deal with. They can make their own clean, fresh start with their own perspective. And in many cases, like Amber and her column, they get it right. And that's why the community should be letting them be in leadership roles in the community than many of the pundits and curmudgeons who have been there for decades.

And what does she have right, beside that essay?

Easy, and it's what some of those adding comments miss. It's not about "classic" or "traditional" transsexual, it's about being and women in transistion want to be complete women. And that's means sex/gender reassignment surgery (SRS or GRS depends on your country). As much as those transgender women who don't have or don't want surgery make the case it's not necessary "to be a woman", it's about being a whole woman, complete with the body.

Every post-transistion, or legally recognized, woman will tell you that before their SRS they felt it wasn't about the surgery, and having a vagina, and that after the surgery, they will tell you, "It's all about the surgery." It's that simple. Nothing overwhelming or earth shaking, just their wholeness of being.

And it's not about what type of (trans)woman you are or what others think, it's about the full recognition in the law, since all states minus two, require it to amend birth certificates and change the rest of your documents, and it's about recognition with women. You have nothing to hide, ok maybe your history a little, but afterward you can just be and live in the world as a woman.

All of the pre-SRS or non-SRS transwomen can argue all they want about being, they don't and won't know the truth and reality of being the whole woman with mind and body. It's not an agrument against their living and being, that's ok if it fits their lifestyle. But it's not what the argument is about. It's about personal acceptance and recognition.

Amber is right about the the catch-22 of healthcare costs. While only a few insurance plans cover transistion costs and a few government and company plans cover the costs, most women in transistion have exclusions in their healthcare coverage if they have any healthcare plan. And that's the catch-22.

While the medical community defines Gender Identity Disorder a condition, down from a disorder, they don't require medical intervention let alone require the health insurance plans to cover treatment. It's all treatable with medical care, namely therapy, hormones, and surgeries, and the patient becomes whole. And only this year has the medical community changed its view to "recommend" coverage.

That's the real tragedy. A curable condition which isn't covered and isn't affordable by 90% of the patients with it. What other condition would we call that insane? What about their oath about first do no harm? What don't they understand denying coverage is the harm, and denying coverage is the cause of many suicides and deaths among those in transistion.

And the cure is easy. Remove the exclusions and add acceptance and inclusion. It's not rocket science and it's cheap. That's helping people. And Amber has it right.