Gender reassignment surgery has always been somewhat taboo.

It is becoming more and more visible

but there are still a lot of unknowns that deserve to be uncovered. If a person is not transgender it is hard to
think about wanting to change your gender. Im sure at some point in each of our lives we all wonder what it
would be like to be the other gender but these people live with that constant struggle of wanting to be the
other gender. The process of changing genders isnt something that many people know about. It is known that
many have surgery but much more goes into a gender change than the surgery itself. A person who wishes to
change genders must be sure of themselves to be able to go through the hard steps along the way.
Transformation is emotionally and physically draining for the person transforming as well as their friends and
family.
Surgery was a given step that I knew about but I didnt realize the different options or the different
preferences of transgender men. Some men are happy with only taking hormones while others prefer to have
upper surgery, lower surgery, as well as facial reconstruction, and there are also others who prefer some
surgery but not a lot. There are also different types of surgery. Depending on how big your breasts are and the
elasticity depends on what type of surgery you are eligible for. When it comes to lower surgery a new penis
can be completely reconstructed or a small one can be made out of what is there often in order to reduce
cost. I didnt realize the wide variety of surgeries that are out there and how well they can make things look as
normal as possible.
The book hardly ever mentions the transgender issue. However, it is part of the queer community and
therefore deserves some coverage. Although its not the norm, a person feeling like they were born in the
body is very real. Luckily today many of them have options. Deciding to transform and eventually transforming
changes lives and often for the better. Transition isnt always easy for those who go through it but when those
around them understand more about what they are going through, they can offer better help.
I did a lot of research on the topic to get a good grasp about what its like to transform. Although, it is
hard to describe the whole process because so much of the transformation is emotional. I feel like I provided a
basic overview of the process so that someone thinking about transformation could make a more informed
decision or an ally could better understand those who wish to transition or have transitioned. Being informed
is the best way to get issues out on the board and allows people to make educated decisions and opinions.

Sources
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Gibson, B.(2011). Care of the Child with the Desire to Change Genders- Part II: Female-to-Male
Transition. Urologic Nursing, 31(4), 230-235.
Monstrey, Stan, Peter Ceulemans, and Piet Hoebeke. "Sex Reassignment Surgery in the Female-to-
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