What is gender reassignment?
Gender reassignment is a process by which the individual’s physical appearance and sexual characters are changed utilizing medical treatments like surgery or hormone treatment.
In medical terms, gender reassignment is the process of transforming an individual of opposite sex by undertaking a surgery or hormone treatment to obtain their physical appearance.
It is more of a personal process rather than a medical one, it depends on the transgender person whether he/she is satisfied going under surgery or not.
What is gender dysphoria?
Gender dysphoria involves a discord in the head of a person about the body they are born with, and the body they are comfortable in. It involves a friction between the assigned gender of a person and the gender of his/her want. These people often feel distressed with the problems that arise with the conflict between the way they feel, how they should behave, and the way the society thinks they should feel and behave.
This gender antipathy affects different people in various ways, it is not the case that all these people will behave in the same way or have the same likes or dislikes. Some people may want to dress differently or other want social transitioning into the declared gender’s pronouns or some may want gender confirmation surgery to have the physique and functional abilities of the gender they feel comfortable with, while the rest may feel that it’s better to stay away from surgeries and live there live in their way.
Individuals having gender dysphoria often feel comfortable to convey their real selves and may publicly want to be identified in their real gender. They might choose to wear different clothes and try out different styles and acquire another first name in accordance with their identified gender. In case of children, they may behave like or want stuff of the opposite gender, they even want to be called by a name other than their gender.
Children usually show their sentiments and manners comparing to those of gender dysphoria at the age of 4 or younger while some may not show their sentiments and manners before or after adolescence. On their first experience of puberty, they may feel themselves unable to associate with their own physique.
Gender dysphoria is not like gender nonconformity or they are not being gay/lesbian, which mentions the manners not complementing the categories of the assigned gender at birth.
Gender Reassignment Surgery?
Gender reassignment surgery (GRS) is a treatment for gender dysphoria in transgender people. It is a surgical treatment by which a person’s physical appearance and body functioning are modified. They are made to resemble the characteristics of the opposite gender, not only physically but also in functioning.
Professional medical organizations apply Standards of Care before the surgery. At least a certain period of physiological counselling is provided before starting hormone replacement therapy, to make them have real-life experience in that desired gender. Clinical practice guidelines are also put together.
These guidelines cover diagnosis, treatment, and precautionary care needs for patients, while keeping in the notice the risks associated with therapies of gender transition. There are two types of surgeries, FTM and MTM. Female to Male surgery (FTM) or Masculinization surgeries that result in analysis that is generally gendered male.
Male to Female surgery (MTF), or Feminization surgeries for female orgasm compilation that result in analysis that is generally gendered female. In short, physiological therapy is required before gender reassignment surgery. The patients need to observe life long course of feminizing or masculinizing hormone replacement therapy.
How does gender reassignment surgery work?
Health conditions of transgender persons are also considered while performing reassignment surgery. Transgender people with diabetes or asthma or HIV may have complications with future therapy and pharmacologic management. Usually, health conditions like hepatitis C, diabetes, HIV, ostomies, abnormal blood clotting and obesity is not a problem to experienced surgeons but these states do increase the analgesic risk and postoperative complications.
Surgeons may instruct the patients to lose some weight in case of obesity. Also, to quit smoking before as well as after surgery to refrain from hormonal replacement before surgery. A patient’s treatment also involves a healthcare team which the surgeon may seek in order to determine whether the patient is fit for surgery.
This surgery is restricted for children until and unless they are mature enough to give informed content on the gender they want. In short, the general requirements of this surgery are
- Verified gender dysphoria;
- Capability to decide and consent for surgery;
- Reached the maximum age for treatment in a given country;
- Controlled medical or mental health issues for surgery.
Gender reassignment discrimination?
Gender reassignment discrimination takes place when a person is treated differently than the other people because he/she is transgender. Equity Act 2010 defines such person as anyone planning, undergoing, or having undergone a gender reassignment surgery by changing their physical appearance and body functions.
The Equity Act says that is unlawful discrimination if someone is treated a certain way, due to certain reasons known as ‘protected characteristics’.
Gender reassignment is included in those protected laws under this act. Direct gender discrimination is when a person is treated less approvingly than others in the workplace and indirect differentiation is where the employer introduces policies, procedure and practices that inadvertently advantage or disadvantage a particular group of individuals based on gender reassignment, this will be unlawful unless the employer shows that it is objectively justified.
Harassment and victimization are also included in gender reassignment discrimination. The employer has to compensate the victim for stress and anxiety suffered as a result of discrimination. The compensation can take into account financial losses and injury to feelings, the amount of an award on an employee may be increased in case he acted in wrong or ill-natured manner.
