|
‘Is it a girl or a boy?’ is often
the first question asked when a baby is born. At birth, our
sex is decided according to our bodies – especially
our genitals. From babyhood onwards, we are expected to dress,
make friendships and express ourselves in ways that fit quite
rigidly to our birth sex. But sometimes people don’t
feel comfortable in the body they are born with. If we are
not comfortable with our birth sex – our gender, it
can cause us a great deal of stress and anxiety.
Girls and boys, men and women can have doubts
about the sex and gender they should really be. Also, people
with doubts about which gender they are can be gay, lesbian,
bisexual or heterosexual. Questioning whether you should be
living as a male or as a female is also not the same as enjoying
dressing up as a member of the opposite sex (being a transvestite).
A transvestite may feel quite comfortable in his or her body,
and might just enjoy cross-dressing.
Questions and doubts about whether you should
really be a man or a woman may be mild and may come and go
at particular times. On the other hand, these worries may
be very strong – leading to a feeling of being ‘in
the wrong body’. The medical term often used to describe
these strong doubts is ‘gender dysphoria’. Whether
you have occasional concerns or always feel uneasy about the
body and gender you were born with, these questions can be
very scary, isolating and confusing and can get in the way
of everyday life.
If
you or someone you know feels uncomfortable in the sex they
were born into, the following might be helpful:
• Remember that you are not alone –there are lots
of people who have these questions and you are not a ‘freak’
• Consider whether there is anyone in your life who
you can share these concerns with – someone who will
not judge you and may be prepared to listen and learn themselves
• Try talking to a counsellor, GP or help line
• Remember that it is possible to work these worries
out – some people do this by talking and sharing their
feelings and others use talking as a starting point for deciding
to live in their chosen gender and possibly to having a sex
change (gender reassignment)
• If you are suffering discrimination or harassment
as a result of your chosen gender, try contacting your local
Equal Opportunities Commission
• Try finding out as much as you can and making contact
with other people who have similar worries – try using
the links below as a starting point
Also
see:
Related
Links:
For
other sources of help:
|
