This is really a fascinating discussion. Far from the being the group of "men who want boobs" as it was described in Beverley's parting message, I find it a group of, almost without exception, TSs with partners who recognise that they have a deep, deep need to express their femininity (or, strictly, lack of foetal masculinity), but still want to love their wives/partners in the same old way.
I'm just amazed that this wonderful herb exists. I'm not aware of any discussion amongst orthodox professionals of this alternative option, ie dealing with intense emotional distress caused by gender dysphoria by means of herbal remedies and coping with breast growth.
It seems that society is so locked into the gender dimorphism stereotype, that even transsexuals, by and large, feel that they have to conform, hence the massive medical/pharmaceutical industry that's grown up around it.
Here in the UK where we have the National Health Service, there is a government committee called (ironically) NICE that decides whether particular drugs and operations represent sufficient value for money to be made available under the scheme. (Most people cannot afford private medical insurance).
This committee is allowing people to die or develop Alzheimers earlier than necessary, because the extra time gained isn't sufficient to warrant the extra thousands of £s required to pay for the medicines.
Gender Reassignment Surgery is available. This puts it at an importance level greater than extending lives on a cost/benefit analysis.
BUT and it's a big but, Facial Feminisation Surgery is NOT available, as it is deemed "Cosmetic".
The answer is always to fit in the gender stereotype box, though not, it seems, to make the face convincing. I wonder how many people with very mannish faces have transitioned and lived in misery because of it?
I wonder what kind of followup studies have compared the experiences of these people with the lucky few who have been able to afford FFS privately?
It seems to me that there are a whole lot of options that have not been explored here. I've written before about orthodoxies. I also think momentum and intertia have a lot to do with it.
I would be interested to know how successful my proposed program would be:
1) Treat the underlying anxiety immediately with PM; don't force the patient to start dressing and living as a female before treatment; (if they want to, that's different. Of course, such an investment in expensive synthetic hormones requires a courageous act of commitment!)
2)If they are functional, with a partner, vary the dosage as required to maintain functionality periodically (although if my experiments with Maca, and Butea Superba, when it arrives, are successful, this may not be necessary)
3) If / when breast growth makes them uncomfortable presenting as a man, offer them FFS so that they could then present with confidence as females, whilst maintaining FF as required.
4) Only as a last resort, with lots of counselling with
both partners, consider GRS.
I know that if I was a young man again, I would sign up to a program like that in a flash.
Given the enormous cost of surgery to perform GRS vs FFS, and the cheapness of the herbal solution, it would, if I were less cynical, seem astonishing to me that this isn't already available.
Perhaps it's time for "change". As long as transsexuals allow society to say "there are only two boxes" there will be a large group of people who, unless they are lucky enough to discover this board, are condemned either to the misery of remaining as they are, or swept into the GRS sausage machine.
It's time for people who want to be female with fully functioning equipment to become activist, I think. Maybe when the times comes that my kids find out about me, I will try to start something.
Of course, such an activist group needs a catchy name, one that the media would immediately latch on to.
I think it is time to either think of a new name or reclaim the name "Shemale".
Wikipedia says
"Shemale (also she-male) is a term used in sex work to describe trans women with male genitalia and augmented female breasts from breast augmentation and/or use of hormones"
Note "a term used in sex work". Well I think I have also seen the term "female" and "male" used in sex work, along with "man", "woman" and "Transsexual".
Why is it such a big deal to refer to ourselves in this way? "Transgender" doesn't work, because it applies to so many different categories. "Third Gender" isn't too catchy... "3G" might work, though it could be confused with a mobile phone activist group
I think a shemale activist group demanding medical treatment to allow them to carry on with their sexual relationships with their partners would firstly mean a large saving to the NHS on extraordinarily complex and dangerous operations, and huge psychological benefits for the partners involved.
Apologies for the length of this post, but it's been bubbling around in my mind for a while now! All those poor screwed up people like me could be helped so easily...
B.
