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HIGH GEAR

TRANSSEXUALISM

Transsexualism is a phenomenon which occurs when a person of one anatomical gender has an opposite psychical gender. He or she would, in other words, have the body of one sex and the mind (genser identity) of the other.

The true transsexual usually realizes from a very early age that he "has the wrong body." For most, this realization comes at the age of three or four when he begins to understand that there are differences between the sexes and begins to focus on these differences. He may try to verbalize his predicament at this stage, but from reactions of others, he will generally have given that up quickly, and will sublimate his confusion by acting as a member of the gender he feels himself to be as much as possible. A female-to-male transsexual will typically be thought of as a tomboy, (although will often be accepted by boys more readily than other tomboys,) and finds little or no satisfaction in playing with other girls. (S)he will shy away from pressure to engage in masculinely oriented activity. The child may suffer teasing by peers (particularly the mal-to-female transsexual), and parental pressure, but usually is able to get away with this abnormal behavior with a minimum of psychological difficulty until puberty when his difference will become more apparent both to him and those around him. A minority of true transsexuals may not even be aware of their problem until this time.

nancy may be a factor.

June, 1975

Should further treatment be advisable, the individual begins taking compensatory hormones for his appropriate gender. The male-to-female transsexual will thus become mor feminized and will begin to develop breasts, as well as losing most erectal ability and sex drive. This is a relief to most, as their penis is a hated part of the body, and now attention is drawn Continued on Pg. 15

A Case for Polygamy

Monogamy vs. polygamy is a conflict that continues to stir debate among both homosexuals and heterosexuals. Supported by tradition and state-religious legitimacy, pairbonding has been solidified for centuries through the institution of monogamous marriage. Polygamy, on the other hand, has only emerged in small sub-cultural pockets, ie, the Mormons. Yet from many analyses, it appears that polygamy has a definitive edge over its counterpart.

In order to fully understand the issues at hand, it is Because the transsexual has such an early awareness of his We Americans have been unnerved by sex since our country's first necessary to catch a glimpse of our attitudes about sex. problem, researchers and people involved with the treatment of inception. Sex has been puritanically repressed, religiously transexuals are concluding that this is not a case of homosexignored, commercially exploited, and worst of all, secretly uality which one cannot accept and is attempting to resolve Conditioned from birth with the sugically as was once suppossed, and that the cause of the syn-mythologized for decades. notion that sex is a private, sacred act that we should be drome is more probably linked to hormonal disorders and influence in the fetal stage. Undue stress during the mother's preg-embarrassed to speak of openly, we have built a mystique The disturbing hormone, or the hormone around it which lacks empirical justification. As a result, with which the difficulty seems to arise, 1s androgen. The fesex and love have become inseparable; romance is required tus may recieve enough androgen to form male genitalia, bit it as an essential ingredient; and strict faithfulness evolves as the main course. may be blocked somehow from brain formation so that the infant develops a psychical feminine gender identity. A female-tomale transsexual will recieve androgen to the brain and thus develop a female psyche, but female genitalia. There may often be some varying degrees of physical gender confusion-a male-to-female transsexual may have underdeveloped genitalia at maturity and a generally feminized body type and appearance, and the female-to-male will have a more mascualin appearance with greater than average muscle development, body hair, and little or no menstrual emmision.

The supposition that transsexuality is caused by misgided parental direction, and that the syndrme is caused by the environment is also untrue.. There are children that may be reared and pushed to act as members of the opposite sex, but studies here indicate that these children will retain their correct gender identity at adulthood, and although they may have some problems because of their childhood, thay are highly unlikely to seek treatment as transsexuals.

Objectively, cumming is a physical act not unlike sneezing, a function of the body that has little to do with one's emotional character; yet we insist on clouding the issue by attaching conditional restrictions and rules to our sexual behavior.

Monogamy can be defined as the state wherein one acknowledges an exclusive sexual and emotional involvement with only one other person. Thus, by definition, those who engage in monogamy are denying one innate characteristic of all human beings the fact that nearly all people are potentially sexually attracted to more than one person.

A monogamist might respond to such an assertion by reluctantly agreeing; but stating that although a person is sexually drawn to others, he must compromise and clamp a lid on his feelings in order to maintain a stable relationship. Not so!

A strong relationship will endure regardless of a participants' sexual activities with others. Elements of common interests, emotional investments, shared responsibilities, and general compatability are much more essential to the durability of a relationship than sexual fidelity.

The treatment given transsexuals varies with the individual Growing up with this problem may traumitize the individual to such an extent that he may be overtly psychotic, although treatment and acceptance of the problem usually alleviates psychotic tensions. Premature surgical treament, or surgically treating a transsexual who is not prepared emotionally may cause more psychological problems. Therefore, until diagnosis can be made more reliably and techiques of dealing with this problem are refined, the process of treating the transsexual at this time is a very slow and lengthy one. It begins extensive psychological and physiological examinations, and the individual is encouraged to begin life as a member of his psych-diverse personal goals. As soon as we try to secure our ological gender as fully as possible if he hasnot done so before, If he has not, this time of adaptingnew behaviors helps him and his doctors decide whether or not continued treatment is going to be helpful in his case.

If one of the members of a duo is insecure and fearful of "losing" his partner, then. destructive jealousy can emerge and impose an additional strain on the relationship. Herein lies the second major shortcoming of monogamy: the assumption that exclusive lovers become one new unit or being. It is thought that the more a lover attempts to become one with his other, the lesser the chances for survival of that friendship. We are all individuals with separate interests and

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identity in or through someone else, we isolate ourselves from any other stimuli intellectual, emotional, or sexual, unless it is "approved" by our other half. The result? Stagnation which in time will lead to dissatisfaction and the subsequent dissolution of the relationship.

I have experimented with an open relationship close to a year. Although during this period I have not slept with more than four or five people outside of my "lover," I am content with the knowledge that I possess the freedom to pursue separate interests of my own. Living apart and following divergent sexual and social contacts, we have what I consider to be an ideal relationship. Jealousy is minimal in our interactions, and respect for one another's individualit is paramount. Generally, we spend most of our time together, not out of obligation but out of choice. We are best friends before we are lovers.

In my personal development, I have learned that one is able to love more than one person at a given time, even perhaps with equal intensity. We love the people close to us for different reasons as they each fulfill particular needs. True, most of us favor some over others, but characteristically, man is a social animal. If he is restrained from reaching out to other people, as so often is the case in monogamous commitments, he will rebell to re-establish that natural impulse anew. A polygamous philosophy may be a viable solution to salvaging an already crumbling relationship. It most surely is a legitimate, alternative life style. Above all, polygamy just may be the natural condition of mankind.