It's Not as Simple as Pink or Blue

Having gender variance classified as a mental disorder and relying on that for health insurance coverage is a bit of false logic. Most insurance companies in the U.S. exclude treatments for Gender Identity Disorder, but there hormonal imbalances are covered for all kinds of conditions that are not related to GID. People who need to have medical support to manage their gender variance can and should be able to access competent medical care through health insurance, but for the most part right now a GID diagnosis must be avoided if coverage is expected. There are transgender health advocates working to address this issue systemically, both from the activist side as well as from the health care provider side. Thanks, by the way, for your generally excellent responses to the questions raised about this sorely neglected and unfortunately too long obscured topic.

To the person from Dallas TX regarding mental illness. Some researchers believe that gender identity is affected by hormones released by the mother during a specific stage of fetal development. Identity is not behavior; behavior is not illness, although it can be a manifestation of illness. Discrimination against expressions of gender identity is prohibited by law in 14 states and the District of Columbia as well as in more than 70 counties and localities.

To the person from L.A.,Ca. I am a 60 year old male who beleives myself to be a female although my physical body is that of a male.I have had some counseling for a time.It has been a very hard stuggle to just keep my sanity over all of this.I am married with four children.My wife is 56 years old and our children range in age from 25 to 36 years old.One of our daughters is married with our first grandchild being born back in April of this year.I am always thinking about wheather I should kill myself or try to keep on living.I have tried in the past to kill myself with a knife,that I kept trying to stab myself with but for some reason i kept missing.Maybe God has a different reason for me to go on living for.I just wish i knew what real answer to this question and i hope this has helped you to some degree.God bless you.

Flint,Michigan

I have been a post-op Transsexual for @ 5 years now. I personally consider myself as a female and have for most of the years of my life, eventhough I was born as a (ugh) male. Was in the military for 20 years, retired. Yes, I still get the retirement bonus. Of my family with four sisters and three brothers, I am the eldest. My family, with regret, recognize me as female with the exception of my middle two brothers, one of which is a minister. All through my life I felt that I did not belong (I was different) and this, in it's self, made me with-drawn. I had friends, but they never knew my true feelings (after I "came out" they with-drew from being a friend) neither did my family or relatives. While I was in the military everything was "closeted" and I managed to retire. Knowing the internal feelings of by inner self and not knowing on how to correct the feeling, I was seriously contemplating self-mutilation and/or suicide. After going on the internet found a location (not too far away from where I was residing) I found the inner peace that I had never felt before. This was with the Ingersoll Support Center in Seattle, at the time (1999) was one of two in the area. Since the 09/11/2001 incident, it has been easier to be heard and to be accepted. As if the bombing was a wake-up call to the society that life is short and could be disrupted... After my corrective surgery I feel more complete and the inner peace is still present. I am more of an extrovert now, have new friends and more open to other peoples feelings. Yes, I get strange looks now and then, but it does not matter any more, for I know who I am