I was reading the AOL news and saw this article on a 9 year old British boy who returned to school this fall as a girl. One of the things I found interesting was that the article referred to "Gender Identity Disorder". I realize that this is considered a psychological disorder according to the ICD 9. However, is it really psychological? Perhaps it's a physical disorder (if it's a disorder at all). After all, who is to say that the issue is the physical shell into which a particular psyche or soul has been born. The concept of Gender Identity Disorder assumes the physical body is correct and there's something wrong with the mind. What if it's like being born with any other physical defect and the body does not conform to the mind or soul of the individual?
I was also shocked by some of the responses. One basically said that the parents should be put in jail for allowing this. Really? So the parent is working with his/her child to rectify a mistake, whether it is physical or psychological and allow the child to live a life that is more happy and comfortable. If that's the case, then I guess a hundred years ago (and, of course, further back) parents of left handed children should have been jailed for allowing their child to be who they were.
I'm happy for people whose bodies and minds/souls match. And they are the majority, apparently. However, for those whose physical form and mind or soul are out of sync, why should they suffer? Especially when they can be treated and live in the gender that suits them and that this has been occurring since there were human beings.
Look at the history of transgender and a person will realize that people who do not fit their bodies have been around forever. Asian and Native American cultures have accepted this for centuries if not millenia. Why is it such an issue here?
Perhaps people should ponder any ways in which they differ from the norm and think about how their lives would be if they were treated as pariahs because of that fact. Whether it's height or weight or IQ, etc. everyone has differences. That's what makes life interesting.
Here is a link to the article for however long it is still available: http://www.aolhealth.com/health/9-year-old-gender-transition?icid=main|aimzones|dl3|link4|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aolhealth.com%2Fhealth%2F9-year-old-gender-transition
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