FAQs - Transgender Persons

1. Who are transgender people?

Transgender people are those of us whose gender identity differs from conventional gendered expectations for our sex assigned at birth. Gender identity is one’s internal sense of being male, female or perhaps something else. Gender identity is commonly communicated to others by one’s gender expression (clothes, hair style, mannerisms, etc.) , legal name and gender, etc. Transgender people have been part of every culture and society in recorded human history. Medical researchers now believe that being transgender is rooted in complex biological factors that are fixed at birth. However, societal intolerance often makes being transgender a painful, personal dilemma. Note that being transgender is not contingent on having had gender-affirmative procedures such as hormone therapy or surgery.

2. What is gender dysphoria?

Gender dysphoria is a psychological term used to describe the feelings of pain, anguish, and anxiety that arise from the mismatch between a trans person’s assigned sex and gender identity, as well as familial, peer and societal pressures to conform to gender norms.

3. What are gender-affirming procedures?

These are procedures that help an individual affirm their gender identity, including social (wearing clothes perceived to be closer to gender of choice, attempting to “live as the gender”, medical (surgery, hormone, laser), and legal (changing their name and gender on paper) procedures.

4. What is Gender-affirming surgery (formerly Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS)?

Surgery of external sex characteristics that help an individual affirm their gender identity, or ‘look how they feel on the inside’.

It is recommended to use this term instead of sex reassignment surgery (SRS), which was used in the past.

It is important to note that not all trans people want to modify their bodies, and that many who do cannot afford the costs of SRS or transgender hormonal therapy

5. What are the Standards of Care?

The Standards of Care are a set of clinical psychological guidelines formulated and periodically updated by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH, formerly known as the Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association, or HBIGDA) a professional organization devoted to the understanding and treatment of gender incongruence. Check out SOC Version 7 here.