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.
It's Not as Simple as Pink or Blue
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Fairfax, VA: Our son, who will graduate from college in June, just informed us that he has requested the school to replace his given name with his adopted name. He also described to my wife the pretty new dress he/she purchased for the ceremony. We never saw this coming.
As in your article our son is small in size and weight, but growing up never did he show any signs of preferring to live as a female. From Cub Scout to Eagle he grew up as a boy, acted as a boy, played with other boys. Intelligent, articulate, he would research things that interested him to a fault. And it is here where my wife and I believe, our son, decided that life is better as a female. Not because he feels biologically drawn, but because he enjoys the intimacy a female has with her peers. He calls himself a gay/lesbian.
He says he is not attracted to men, but just enjoys female company. Our world is shattered as we search for clues that were missed. My question is this more of a sexual orientation than transgender? Can a person be drawn into a transgender life because he is intellectually intrigued with it?
Debra Rosenberg: Though transgender isn't the same thing as being gay or lesbian, the two can present some similar signs. I'm sure it's confusing to sort out what's going on with your son. Many young people are experimenting with gender in various ways—again, that fluidity that Michael Kimmel talked about. But I hope you can find some support for you and your family. You might try contacting a group like www.transfamily.org for further information.
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Livonia, MI: Exactly how much has the definitions of gender changed since the olden days up until now?
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