Showing papers in "International Journal of Transgenderism in 2005"
TL;DR: In this paper, a needs assessment (N = 248) conducted in Washington, DC, revealed that trans-gendered people of color are at high risk for HIV/AIDS, substance abuse, suicide and violence/crime victimization.
Abstract: SUMMARY A needs assessment (N = 248) conducted in Washington, DC, revealed that trans-gendered people of color are at high risk for HIV/AIDS, substance abuse, suicide and violence/crime victimization. Overall HIV prevalence was 25%, with 32% in natal males (MTFs, i.e., male-to-females). Four predictors for HIV positive status were identified through logistic regression-male sex at birth, a history of substance abuse, sexual assault, and unemployment. Substance abuse was found in nearly half the sample (48%) but only half of those (51%) had sought treatment for it. Thirty-eight percent reported experiencing suicidal ideation, with 63% of those attributing it to their gender issues. Of those with suicidal ideation, nearly half (49%, or 16% of the entire sample), went on to make attempt(s) to kill themselves. Forty-three percent had been victims of violence or crime, including 13% who had been sexually assaulted. Knowledge of the Standards of Care of the Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Associat...
224 citations
TL;DR: What the study found was a system that was anything but high quality in meeting the needs of transgender and transsexual individuals.
Abstract: SUMMARY The transgender community is a population group that has experienced an increase in visibility, with only a small, concomitant increase in understanding. This study reports on four focus groups, in which 34 transgendered individuals discussed their experiences and interactions with the health care system. The specific aims of the study were as follows: Identify the health needs of transgender and transsexual (TG/TS) individuals; Hear the experiences and perceptions of TG/TS individuals who are using the current health care system; Identify any barriers to obtaining services, support and/or resources; Assess the extent to which health care providers and systems are able to offer sensitive, high quality and user friendly services that meet TG/TS consumers' needs; and Identify ways that health care services can be enhanced to better meet the needs of the target population. What the study found was a system that was anything but high quality in meeting the needs of TG/TS individuals. Ignorance, insens...
182 citations
TL;DR: A needs assessment of transgender people was conducted in Chicago in 2001 to assess their HIV risks, health and social service needs, and barriers to care, particularly MTFs and people of color.
Abstract: SUMMARY A needs assessment of transgender people was conducted in Chicago in 2001 to assess their HIV risks, health and social service needs, and barriers to care. One hundred and eleven transgender individuals, 78 male-to-females (MTFs) and 33 female-to-males (FTMs), participated in the study. Fourteen percent of respondents reported being HIV-positive; they were all male-to-female and the majority was of color. Risk factors for HIV included unprotected sex and willingness to have high-risk sex in the future. Respondents experienced high levels of violence. Two-thirds of respondents had thought of attempting suicide. Respondents reported a high need for health and social services, particularly MTFs and people of color.
159 citations
TL;DR: The authors argue for the deconstruction of gender binaries to be combined with the development of a gender-pluralist, flexible, model of gender, with important implications for conceptualizing gender.
Abstract: Transgender explodes the notion that male and female are discrete categories. Transgender people change sex or inhabit third (or multiple) sex, androgynous, or fluid identities. I theorize this by developing and then critiquing poststructuralist transgender theory. A poststructuralist theory of transgender disassociates sex and gender, models both as constructed, and emphasizes the technologisation and commodification of the body. Poststructuralist accounts can, however, entail denial of bodily limitations, erase transgender people's subjective experience, and overlook social and political factors, such as the importance of gender categories as a basis for identity politics. I argue for the deconstruction of gender binaries to be combined with the development of a gender-pluralist, flexible, model of gender. This points to the replacement of bipolar models of gender with a gender spectrum, with important implications for conceptualizing gender. My analysis is based on empirical research with a ra...
99 citations
TL;DR: The results point to the need for the development and dissemination of specific training materials and resources for health-care providers serving transgendered people living with or at risk for HIV.
Abstract: SUMMARY The Transgender Training Project of the New England AIDS Education and Training Center has been providing training on transgender-related issues to health-care providers in the New England region since 1999, having trained nearly 600 providers in that time. The Transgender Training Project embarked on a study during the 2001–2002 grant year to interview providers of HIV-related care and advocacy on their knowledge and experience with working with trans-gendered people and to assess training needs to increase their effectiveness with transgendered clients. The methodology consisted of face-to-face interviews with 13 providers of HIV treatment and care who are affiliated with the New England AIDS Education and Training Center network to discuss clinical challenges in working with transgendered people. In this exploratory study, we found that providers had: Desire to treat transgendered patients respectfully but admitted discomfort and lack of tools for specific interviewing/assessments. Experience w...
86 citations
TL;DR: Remarkably few differences were found between transgender persons and women who have sex with women and men-a finding which might reflect the impact of social stigma on sexual health and have implications for the design of future HIV/STI prevention efforts.
Abstract: SUMMARY Recent studies have shown that transgender people are at high risk for HIV. Few studies, however, have directly compared the HIV risks and sexual health of transgender persons with that of other sexual minority populations. This study used baseline data of intervention studies targeting transgender persons, men who have sex with men, and women who have sex with women and men to compare their HIV risk behavior and sexual health. No significant differences were found between transgender persons and nontransgender men or women in consistent condom use or attitudes toward condom use. Transgender persons were less likely to have multiple partners and more likely to be monogamous than men who have sex with men; no differences were found between transgender persons and the women in this respect. When combining data on condom use, monogamy, and multiple partners, transgender persons did not differ from either nontransgender group in their overall risk for HIV. Transgender persons were less likely than the...
72 citations
TL;DR: Transgender people were the primary resource for the development of the needs assessment survey, and findings on barriers to care, violence, perception of public safety and comfort, suicide and health and social service needs are presented.
Abstract: SUMMARY Two Philadelphia-based HIV service organizations and a local university collaborated on a study of health and social service needs of transgender people. Transgender people were the primary resource for the development of the needs assessment survey. In this article, the survey development process, including two discussion groups and two focus groups, are described. Findings on barriers to care, violence, perception of public safety and comfort, suicide and health and social service needs are presented. Total sample size was 81, with 49 male-to-female and 32 female-to-male transgender individuals. Most (68%) were African American. About half of the respondents had thought about attempting suicide. High levels of violence were reported, especially among male-to-females. Health and social service needs included job training/work, dental care, health care, legal services, transportation, education and housing.
71 citations
TL;DR: This small sample of male-to-female transgender individuals found to have high rates of HIV infection, and high prevalence of risky behaviors, intimate partner violence, and suicidal ideation.
Abstract: SUMMARY To inform the Community Planning Group (Houston, Texas) in setting HIV-prevention priorities, risk behavior surveys were completed by 67 male-to-female (MtF) transgender persons. By self-identification, 58% were preoperative and 48% were self-described heterosexual women. We found this small sample of male-to-female transgender individuals to have high rates of HIV infection, and high prevalence of risky behaviors, intimate partner violence, and suicidal ideation. Twenty-seven percent were infected with HIV. Barriers were seldom used during oral sex and used less than half the time for anal sex with either primary or casual partners. Nearly one-third of the sample reported use of methamphetamines, amyl nitrite or LSD and 40% reported crack or cocaine use. Intimate partner violence and forced sex were reported by 50% and 25%, respectively. Suicidal ideation was reported by 16% in the last 30 days; lifetime suicidal ideation was 60%.
66 citations
TL;DR: Qualitative findings evinced the call for transgender-specific programs and advanced provider training on transgender issues such as hormone use, gender transition, HIV/ AIDS care and prevention, substance abuse, and mental health problems.
Abstract: SUMMARY This article presents findings from an investigation of health needs, service utilization, and perceived barriers to services among male-to-female (MtF) transgender persons of color in San Francisco. Focus groups (n = 48) and survey interviews (n = 332) were conducted with convenience samples recruited from the community. Participants reported a range of health and social services needed during the previous year, with African-Americans and Latinas showing particularly strong service needs. Rates of utilizing services were high for basic health care but lower for social services, substance abuse treatment, psychological counseling, and gender transition-related medical services. No significant ethnic group differences in health service utilization were found. Qualitative findings evinced the call for transgender-specific programs and advanced provider training on transgender issues such as hormone use, gender transition, HIV/ AIDS care and prevention, substance abuse, and mental health problems.
65 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors focused on the prevalence and extent of childhood trauma in the transsexual population and found that the unwanted sexual experiences in this sample were the consequence of adolescents satisfying their curiosity about the gender of the transsexual rather than for their own sexual gratification.
Abstract: Few studies have focused on the prevalence and extent of childhood trauma in the transsexual population. In our study of 42 transsexual people (34 = natal males, 8 = natal females), 55% (n = 23) reported experiencing an unwanted sexual event before the age of 18, with the average age of initial sexual contact being 13. This sexual event differs from other clinical populations in that the unwanted sexual experiences in this sample were the consequence of adolescents satisfying their curiosity about the gender of the transsexual rather than for their own sexual gratification. Consequently, the sequalae of the unwanted sexual touches in our sample did not lead to sexualised behaviours described in the sexual abuse literature of clinical samples. Our sample also reported being: verbally abused (77%), insulted (81%), embarrassed in front of others (55%), made to feel guilty by their parents (58%) before their fifteenth birthday.
44 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the influence of gender construction among a group of male-to-female (MTF) transgenders living in the San Juan metropolitan area in Puerto Rico was identified.
Abstract: SUMMARY Social discourses regarding gender are responsible for molding people's cognitions, perceptions, behaviors, and interactions with others. Approaching and understanding gender socialization is an important strategy that must be included in the development of HIV/AIDS prevention intervention efforts targeting male-to-female (MTF) transgender people. This paper represents an effort to identify the influence of gender construction among a group of MTF transgenders in Puerto Rico. Using combined methodology, authors examined results from a questionnaire and in-depth interviews with a convenience sample of MTF transgenders living in the San Juan metropolitan area. Quantitative analysis demonstrated that this sample is composed of young, unemployed, and undereducated population. Many participated in the sex industry. Participants reported need for basic health and social services and alienation from social networks. Qualitative analysis confirmed their traditional social construction of the “feminine.” T...
TL;DR: Five main themes were evident from the findings: male partners of MtF persons are of all ages, races, sexual orientations, and socioeconomic backgrounds, and high-risk sex occurs between MtF Persons and their male sexual partners, despite a high level of concern about HIV.
Abstract: SUMMARY Male-to-female transgendered persons (MtF) in San Francisco have very high HIV prevalence and incidence. To explore possible sources for these high rates of HIV infection, a rapid needs assessment was conducted using two methods: (1) an interviewer-administered, mostly closed-ended survey with the male partners of MtF persons, and (2) focus groups with MtF persons. Five main themes were evident from the findings: (1) male partners of MtF persons are of all ages, races, sexual orientations, and socioeconomic backgrounds; (2) high-risk sex occurs between MtF persons and their male sexual partners, despite a high level of concern about HIV among both the male and MtF study participants; (3) drug use appears to play a role in unsafe sex between MtF and their male partners; (4) male partners of MtF persons may represent a possible bridge for HIV transmission among different populations, given that they reported sex with male and female partners, as well as transgendered partners; and (5) men engaging i...
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TL;DR: Laub and Gandy as discussed by the authors argued that the majority confuse sex and gender and fail to appreciate that what they are seeking is a gender change and not a sexual change. And they argued that people should be treated according to which one they happen to be suffering from.
Abstract: SUMMARY This article was first published in D. R. Laub and P. Gandy, (eds), Proceedings of the Second Interdisciplinary Symposium on Gender Dysphoria Syndrome, Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, California, 1973, pp. 20–24. Prince argues that previous contributors to the symposium in using such terms as “gender conversion surgery” and “anatomic and genetic gender” were failing to grasp the distinction between sex and gender. Genital anatomy is about sex; gender role is about a lifestyle. Out of 100 people applying for a surgery perhaps only 10 percent should have it. The majority confuse sex and gender and fail to appreciate that what they are seeking is a gender change and not a sexual change. Prince likes the word “dysphoria” but argues for distinguishing sexual dysphoria from gender dysphoria. They are different and people should be treated according to which one they happen to be suffering from.
TL;DR: The development of the legal regulations concerning transsexuals in Turkey can be analysed in three phases and the current legal situation in Turkey with respect to transsexuals is presented.
Abstract: The development of the legal regulations concerning transsexuals in Turkey can be analysed in three phases. The first phase was prior to 1988 when there were no legal parameters at all. The second phase started in 1988 when certain changes made in the Turkish Civil Code (TCC) for the first time gave people who had already undergone sex reassignment surgery (SRS) the possibility to enter this change into the birth register. The third phase commenced in 2002 when the new Turkish Civil Code came into force.1 Art.40 of the Code now regulates the pre-conditions for a surgery and the procedure for getting a court authorisation in order to be operated as well as the procedure for entering the sex change into the birth register after the operation. Following remarks aim at briefly explaining these historical developments in Turkish law and presenting the current legal situation in Turkey with respect to transsexuals. The deficiencies in the existing regulation and possible ways of surmounting these will ...
TL;DR: Vaginoplasty using pedicled penile skin with a urethral flap with good cosmetic and functional results could be a very good alternative to other methods of vaginoplasty.
Abstract: Objectives: Vaginoplasty presents the main problem in male to female surgery There are many operative techniques that can be used, but none is ideal We present our one stage vaginoplasty in male to female sex reassignment surgery Patients and Methods: The principle of our technique is based on penile disassembly and usage of all penile entities for vaginoplasty except corpora cavernosa We developed our disassembly technique on a very large number of severe hypospadias reconstruction and adrenogenital “conversions” Penile skin flaps and urethral work are used in each of these Our new vagina consists of two parts: a long vascularized urethral flap and a pedicled island tube skin flap created from the penile skin The urethral flap is embedded into the skin tube The tube, consisting of skin and urethral flap, is inverted, thus forming the new vagina The new vagina is inserted into the previously prepared perineal cavity between the urethra, bladder, and rectum The new vagina is fixed to th
TL;DR: In this paper, an analysis was performed of data from an Adjective Checklist (ACL) study of identity and gender-trait stereotype in Thai MtF transgenders, which employed the participants (rather than the ACL traits) as the unit of analysis.
Abstract: An analysis was performed of data from an Adjective Checklist (ACL) study of identity and gender-trait stereotype in Thai MtF transgenders (Winter and Udomsak, 2002a, 2002b). Contrary to previous analyses, the current analysis employed the participants (rather than the ACL traits) as the unit of analysis. For each participant a calculation was made of the extent to which traits endorsed for actual self were also those endorsed as stereotypically male (masculine) or stereotypically female (feminine) traits. In this way gender-in-self scores (indices of masculinity, femininity, and non-differentiation) in actual self-concept (MASC, FASC, and NASC respectively) were calculated. A similar matching procedure involving ideal self led to the calculation of indices for masculinity, femininity, and non-differentiation in ideal self-concept (MISC, FISC, and NISC respectively). A cluster analysis was then performed, using these six gender-in-self scores in order to identify any groups within our sample. Par...
TL;DR: An overview of the life and work of the transgendering pioneer Virginia Prince is given in this article. But this is not a comprehensive overview of all of her major publications.
Abstract: SUMMARY This article gives an overview of the life and work of Virginia Prince. It provides a synopsis of her major publications, situates her work in the context of its time and assesses her contribution as a major pioneer of transgendering.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors consider maleness and femaleness, and masculinity and femininity in human beings in terms of three dimens, i.e., maleness, femalness, and feminity.
Abstract: This article was first published in Transvestia, vol. XVI, no. 95, 1978, pp. 81–92. Prince considers maleness and femaleness, and masculinity and femininity in human beings in terms of three dimens...
TL;DR: Arguing that the “discovery” of transsexualism and the possibility of sex reassignment surgery had further complicated the picture, Diana Prince distinguishes the homosexual and the transsexual from what she calls the ”true transvestite.
Abstract: SUMMARY This article was first published in The American Journal of Psychotherapy, vol. 11, 1957, pp. 80–85. Prince distinguishes three types of male who may share “the desire to wear feminine attire.” She argues that although Havelock Ellis and Magnus Hirschfeld had distinguished transvestism from homosexuality almost 50 years earlier there was still a tendency to confuse the two. Arguing that the “discovery” of transsexualism and the possibility of sex reassignment surgery had further complicated the picture, she distinguishes the homosexual and the transsexual from what she calls the “true transvestite.” True transvestites are exclusively heterosexual. They value their male organs, enjoy using them and do not want them removed.
TL;DR: Prince as mentioned in this paper argued that true transvestite is a "FemmePersonator" who "personates" that is, makes a real person out of and brings to life his feminine self.
Abstract: SUMMARY This article by Virginia Prince, writing as Virginia Bruce, was first published in The Journal of Sex Research, vol. 3, no. 2, 1967, pp. 129–139. Prince distinguishes sex from gender. Sex is the biological division we share with other animals. Gender-the division of masculine and feminine-is a human invention. Socialisation entails children being pushed into one or other gender direction and the suppression of characteristics of the “opposite” gender. Transvestism is the expression in males of suppressed femininity. The “true transvestite” is a “FemmePersonator” who “personates,” that is, makes a real person out of and brings to life his feminine self. Questionnaire data is used to reject ideas that true transvestism is a sexual deviation, and true transvestites are psychiatrically disturbed.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that the central issues were to do with gender (the psycho-social) and not sex (anatomy and physiology) leading her to the view that it is perfectly possible for a male to be a woman without having sex surgery.
Abstract: SUMMARY This article was first published in Archives of Sexual Behavior, vol. 7, no. 4, 1978, pp. 263–272. Prince admits to being attracted by the idea of sex reassignment for herself at the time of the publicity given to the case of Christine Jorgensen. However, the development of her philosophy that the central issues were to do with gender (the psycho-social) and not sex (anatomy and physiology) leads her to the view that it is perfectly possible for a male to be a woman without having sex surgery. She speaks out forcefully against sex reassignment, arguing that it is not appropriate for nine out of ten of those requesting it and writes of “so-called” or pseudo transsexuals. Susceptible transvestites are seduced by the publicity given to the topic into thinking it is the solution to their problems.