Chaz Bono: I love being a man - Page 5

Brookie · November 2nd, 2009, 09:06 PM

So - is the girlfriend straight?

Chilly Willy · November 3rd, 2009, 07:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deadsexy

I think it was testosterone injections that give you manly features not necessarily the surgery..... I don't understand sex changes, if our gender is in our brains can't you be more imaginative on how to live your truth without butchering your body. LIVE YOUR TRUTH

Who said that? Testicles produce the male hormones.

bychance · November 3rd, 2009, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chilly Willy

Who said that? Testicles produce the male hormones.

People who are transgendered. They feel as if their sex organs do not dictate who they are inside (male/female).

I'm not sure if I understand that.

Chilly Willy · November 3rd, 2009, 10:24 AM

Most transgendered peeps have ambiguous sex organs, at least on the inside, me thinks.

Rianam · November 3rd, 2009, 11:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brookie

So - is the girlfriend straight?

I always thought her to be a lesbian, but she must be straight. It makes sense as to why they're still together after the change.

Laurent · November 3rd, 2009, 01:54 PM

Maybe the girlfriend is bi and doesn't care either way?

Lolita · November 4th, 2009, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lolita

An ex boyfriend of mine is a urological surgeon who at one time specialised in transgender and he said that once they have the operation to complete the change their lives get worse.

If society treats them like freaks before the operation then it is 100 times worse post op. They think that by having their gender re-aligned that it is the end of their journey. Sadly that is not the case and 97% of transgender patients regret having the operation.

I sincerely hope in Chaz's case he find true lasting happiness but somehow I doubt it.

It is true - most transgender people live a rather underground lifestyle where they all sort of stick together as it is very difficult for them to get jobs, rent flats etc etc etc.

Once they have the operation they think that society will then accept them as their new gender but it doesnt unfortunately. In a lot of cases the stigma is worse as before the operation they were just considered transvestites.

In the UK it cost the NHS (National Health Service) £385,000 and thats before they have the operation. That includes hormone treatment, cosmetic reconstructive surgery (ie breasts, adams apple removal etc) and physcological therapy. To have the operation my ex boyfriend was paid £15,000 by the NHS to do a transgender operation and £25,000 if it was done private.

In the UK there is a 3 year waiting list for this type of operation. It would take him 14 hours to turn a man into woman. It was very intricate work and he and his team would have to stop every few hours to rest their hands. In the case of turning a woman into a man he would have to build a prosthetic penis.

Post op they do find it very difficult as most of their lives they have been preparing for the operation as they see this as the beginning of a new life free from being socially ostracised but sadly more often than not it is not the case.

Chilly Willy · November 4th, 2009, 12:17 PM

That's an interesting take on it, thanks for sharing.

I read Middlesex a while back and it was very enlightening. I realized that I didn't know jackshit about the subject until then. It's so complex.

t13nif · November 4th, 2009, 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lolita

It is true - most transgender people live a rather underground lifestyle where they all sort of stick together as it is very difficult for them to get jobs, rent flats etc etc etc.

Once they have the operation they think that society will then accept them as their new gender but it doesnt unfortunately. In a lot of cases the stigma is worse as before the operation they were just considered transvestites.

In the UK it cost the NHS (National Health Service) £385,000 and thats before they have the operation. That includes hormone treatment, cosmetic reconstructive surgery (ie breasts, adams apple removal etc) and physcological therapy. To have the operation my ex boyfriend was paid £15,000 by the NHS to do a transgender operation and £25,000 if it was done private.

In the UK there is a 3 year waiting list for this type of operation. It would take him 14 hours to turn a man into woman. It was very intricate work and he and his team would have to stop every few hours to rest their hands. In the case of turning a woman into a man he would have to build a prosthetic penis.

Post op they do find it very difficult as most of their lives they have been preparing for the operation as they see this as the beginning of a new life free from being socially ostracised but sadly more often than not it is not the case.

Very good points. I remember seeing a documentary about some transgendered people having the operations. One (can't remember if it was female to male--i think it was) regretted the operation afterwards. However, he had also gotten mixed up with some religious freaks so he was getting the message that he should have been happy in the body God gave him. The others in the doc were ecstatic.

Our health plan covers the transition, but one of the requirements is that the people have to live at least 2 years publicly as the gender they are transitioning to (as well as counselling etc). I've actually known quite a few male to female transgenders and in the gay community they are unanimously accepted (which is the community they tended to gravitate towards anyway). There have also been several high profile cases here, such as when a police chief became a woman!

Trixie · November 4th, 2009, 02:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laurent

Maybe the girlfriend is bi and doesn't care either way?

Maybe. But really what difference does it make? I've read of men who became females and still stayed with their wives. I'm sure not everyone could handle that, but before and after, they're still the person you fell in love with.

Laurent · November 4th, 2009, 02:59 PM

^ It makes no difference at all, really. Just speculating to avoid work.

Trixie · November 4th, 2009, 03:45 PM

Oh, yours was the best answer!

Dorahacky · November 4th, 2009, 05:12 PM

It's splitting hairs to speculate on the girlfriend's orientation, IMO. Is it really important to be able to put a label on her feelings? She and Chaz are comfortable with the parameters of their relationship, and that's what matters - not what their relationship is compared to anyone else's, or what pigeonhole anyone else thinks they should fit into.

DeChayz · November 4th, 2009, 10:56 PM

I'm just happy no one's used the pronoun "it" so far.

Rianam · November 5th, 2009, 07:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dorahacky

It's splitting hairs to speculate on the girlfriend's orientation, IMO. Is it really important to be able to put a label on her feelings? She and Chaz are comfortable with the parameters of their relationship, and that's what matters - not what their relationship is compared to anyone else's, or what pigeonhole anyone else thinks they should fit into.

Not trying to "pigeonhole" - just curious. As a lesbian, I'd have an extremely difficult time remaining in a sexual relationship with my partner, if she became a man. Even if she remained anatomically female. The relationship, as it exists now, would end. It's not "important...to label" but it's interesting.