Do People Have the Right To Change Their Own Gender Identity?

Introduction

In recent years, the number of people seeking medical help to alter their gender identity

and sex has been increasing rapidly. In most cases, men and women are undergoing sex

reassignment surgery in a bid to change their sex. The phenomenon has not started yesterday, yet

some countries are yet to legalize it. The topic is interesting because countries that are yet to

legalize sex-change are still claiming to be champions of human rights and freedoms. The

governments in these countries are yet to recognize the simple fact that the right to choose one’s

gender and sex orientation is a core element of human rights.

As a Greek national, it has been a painful history because the people in Greece have been

forced to wait for years before the government can legalize sex-change laws. The government

legalized sex-change on 10th October 2017 (Glyniadaki, 2017). The key question is why

countries like Greece have taken so long to respect the right of an individual to switch gender

identity if he or she does not feel comfortable with the gender of birth. The transgender people in

the country could not vote before. The government has continuously subjected these people to

gender-based discrimination. Therefore, this paper analyzes whether people have a right to

change their gender identity without being constrained by the government and society as a

whole.

Background

The term transgender is applied when identifying persons who have crossed the gender

division point to assume the opposite identity. Experts argue that the term “trans” has origins in

Latin language where it is often used to refer to “cross” and, thus, transgender is defined as the
act of crossing gender. Most people do not understand the actual meaning of gender. Gender is a

terminology that may refer to three things namely the gender identity of an individual, his or her

gender expression, or the combination of both. Gender identity refers to the psychological aspect

where the human brain creates or allocates identity to a particular gender.

Gender expression denotes how human beings communicate about their gender. It

includes how an individual walks, dresses, talks, as well one’s body language. These are the

factors that make humans use androgynous, feminine, and masculine traits to define one’s

gender. However, Forsyth & Copes (2014) asserts that transgender people have a distinctive trait

because they express themselves in a manner conflicting with the gender that they were assigned

by the doctors and parents immediately after birth. In most cases, transgender people express

their gender in a manner that is outside the prevailing societal norms. The members of the

society may struggle to understand the behaviors of a transgender person because they may seem

weird and abnormal in their eyes.

Research indicates that most transgender people experience struggles when trying to

figure out their gender identity. It is hard to know whether one is transgender. Nonetheless, there

are several traits that could indicate the possibility of a person having a transgender identity. For

example, most transgender persons feel uncomfortable when they are identified using sex-based

identities including man, woman, boy, or girl. The use of the wrong pronouns for identification

also triggers discomfort. In serious cases, individuals tend to feel a strong misalignment between

their bodies and the innate sense of self. The physical appearance of their bodies do not reflect

whom their inner selves believe them to be.

Lastly, transgender people get a vivid idea of whom they are when sex characteristics like

facial hair, voice, and breasts begin developing (Nye, 2015). In particular, these developments
take place when they enter puberty. Currently, adolescents are the most affected by gender

identity issues because they are at the puberty stage. The transgender people feel intense distress

because they are comfortable with the development of the sex characteristics. Most of them end

up having traumatic experiences originating from the heightened degree of issues related to body

image. Medical experts use the term “gender dysphoria” to describe the discomfort caused by

body image issues.

Development of the Gender-Change Law

On 10th October 2017, Greece made history when the legislature ratified a bill that had

faced widespread condemnation from a significant number of citizens, politicians, and religious

leaders (Smith, 2017). The approved bill allows citizens over the age of fifteen to make personal

decisions regarding their preferred gender identity. Citizens can now alter their gender identity

legally with the changes affecting all official documents including the academic certificates,

birth certificates, as well as official records and registers (Smith, 2017). However, the law does

not allow the citizens to undergo sterilization. The transgender people in the country will now

have the legal foundation to affirm their desired gender as soon as they attain the age of fifteen.

In the past, Greece could only allow citizens to undergo gender change if the medical

practitioners conducted enough tests that prove the existence of gender dysphoria. The persons

identified and proven to be suffering from gender dysphoria would have their reproductive

organs removed. The opposition to gender change laws originates from the subscription to

conservative ideologies. For example, Glyniadaki (2017) accuses the Greek Orthodox Church of

circumscribing the identity of the Greek woman with the traditional roles including being a wife

and mother. These tendencies are detrimental because they strengthen the predominant gender

stereotypes that have held the Greek society back for a long time.
 The legalization of these controversial, but important, laws has seen Greece join several

European nations that have done the same in recent times. For example, Smith (2017) claims that

Norway, Denmark, Malta, and Ireland have also adopted laws that allow their citizens to alter

their gender identities without using medical intervention and psychiatric diagnosis. Denmark

legalized similar rules in 2014 while Malta and Ireland followed suit in 2015. Norway changed

its laws in 2016 to allow anyone over the age of 6 to identify using the gender identity that he or

she feels comfortable with as opposed to limiting citizens to those assigned at birth (Associated

Press, 2016). Norway and Malta are the only nations that have legalized these laws to include

children.

These countries have formulated and implemented laws legalizing gender change because

the governments and their societies are seeking to end marginalization of the persons with unique

gender affiliations. Note that the term unique is used to refer to the situation where a person’s

gender identity contrasts with the identity that was assigned to him or her at birth (Forsyth &

Copes, 2014). The advocates of gender change laws argue that there is no tradition, familial, or

religious beliefs and perceptions that require human beings to be sidelined into social and

institutional oblivion. Therefore, gender change laws are viewed as strategies for promoting

inclusion in the society.

The process of switching gender is not as easy as people may tend to think because it

involves several processes unless where no physical reassignment is required. Greece and the

other countries that have legalized gender change without requiring the medical and psychiatric

interventions have the easiest processes because switching gender only a mouse click away.

However, individuals willing to go the full length to alter their gender expressions must follow a

lengthy process. The first step involves undergoing a thorough mental health evaluation. The
psychologists, therapists, and other medical practitioners are required to conduct several tests to

conform the existence of gender dysphoria. (Trombetta, Liguori, & Bertolotto, 2015)

The specialists also create awareness about the entire procedures and the need for social

support. Some people are strong enough to handle the entire process on their own and, hence,

they may not require massive social support. Therapists refer the patients to the hormone

specialists or endocrinologists, who offer hormone therapy. Nye (2015) asserts that the

introduction of the hormones is based on the need to control the development of secondary

sexual traits like the breast size, body hair, as well as muscle mass. Men take female hormones

while the females take male hormones. Most people end their process here because hormone

therapy is enough to repress the discomfort.

The third step involves undergoing surgery, which comes into play when hormone

therapy is not enough. It is a risky undertaking because it is irreversible and costly. It involves

the recreation of the patient’s genitals to mimic those of the opposite sex. The patients have a life

after the transition. In particular, this is a time when they require a lot of social support from

friends, families, neighbors, and other members of the society. According to Hess, et al. (2014),

changing gender identity is important to the lives of the transgender persons because it empowers

them to regain self-worth, self-esteem, and other values lost due to body image issues. These

include confidence, self-acceptance, and life satisfaction.

It is possible for everyone to change gender. The process of changing gender is more

important for the people with solid intentions of undergoing transition than the medical

procedures involved. Changing gender may not necessary mean that a person must undergo

medical procedures because gender is a psychological connotation. However, some people may

want to change their gender expression to align with their gender identity. In such cases,
changing gender is only necessary when a person is suffering from gender dysphoria because it

requires medical procedures including hormone therapy and sex reassignment surgery. These

procedures are very costly.

Current Development

Aspects of the Subject

The current subject has four distinctive aspects that explain both the support and criticism

of gender change. The ethical aspect is based on the morals of the society. Critics of gender

change legislations believe that the legislators are overstepping their mandate by giving people

responsibilities that they cannot handle. Ethics is about making the best decisions for the others.

Allowing children to choose whether to retain or switch gender does not align with the above

principle. The supporters of gender change believe that they have a duty to fight for the rights of

the minority. They feel that the transgender persons are members of a minority community that is

facing vices that may be eliminated by giving them rights that promote social inclusion,

acceptance, and support.

The political aspect depends on whether one is a conservative or not. Conservative

politicians criticize the legalization of gender change laws because they equate the practice to

exposing the people to unnecessary harm. Governments have a responsibility to protect the

people from danger and, thus, critics view the legalization of these laws as exposing the masses

to unnecessary harm. For example, critics in Greece believe that these laws are unethical because

they allow fifteen-year-old children to take responsibility for life changing decisions (Smith,

2017). Liberals and democrats are supporters of these laws because they believe in expanding

human rights and freedoms.

 The social aspect depends on social constructs and norms of the society. These include

the culture, beliefs, and lifestyles. Most critics of gender change laws live in conservative

societies or they subscribe to the traditional social setting. Their societies do not allow them to

consider social norms that are outside the philosophies taught their ancestors and past

generations. However, supporters of gender change laws are revolutionaries who subscribe to

civilization and modernism. They believe that the society must keep on changing for man to

enjoy a better life. According to Padden & Humphries (1990), retrogressive cultural beliefs may

block societal development if people rise above them and support the less privileged.

On the religious front, the support or criticism for sex reassignment and gender change

depends on the interpretation of the Bible. Orthodox religious factions are critics of these laws

because they believe that God created man and woman to be like they are today. Therefore, no

one should alter their gender identity and sexual orientation because God has a perfect plan for

all humans. However, some religious factions believe that God never intended to see man

marginalized by others because social or institutional norms. Therefore, everyone has a duty to

make the world a better place for all.

Relationships with the transgender

The transition from one gender to another is a complex undertaking because it is never

easy. The financial, social, economic, religious, and cultural background does not matter. What

matters is the physical and emotional toll that the transition takes on the life of the individual

concerned. Additionally, every person who transitions from one gender to another is likely to be

overwhelmed by the harassment and discrimination that he or she will face after the undertaking.

One is likely to face intense worries about how the co-workers, friends, families, friends,
neighbors, and other members of the society will respond to the news. These worries must be

addressed by all stakeholders including the families, friends, co-workers, neighbors, and doctors.

Sidibe (2017) claims that many people struggle with depression and other body image

issues like weight privately. Therefore, the siblings, relatives, and friends ought to provide social

support to the transgender people. The main role of the society is to offer support by sitting down

and listening to people willing to share their private life. Everyone must avoid judging the

transgender person. It is unwise to ask evasive questions. Every little detail uncovered by the

transgender person should be kept confidential because these issues are private and sensitive.

Additionally, everyone interacting with transgender persons must be flexible when using names,

pronouns, and identities. Lastly, everyone has a responsibility to stand and fight for the rights of

the transgender community whenever others make irresponsible jokes or attacks.

The Doctors need to have a solid and open relationship with the transgender people.

Trombetta, et al. (2015) claims that doctors must win and maintain the trust of the transgender

person before, during, and after transition. The doctors have a responsibility to ask sensitive

questions, explain complex medical activities, and create awareness about the issues that a

person is likely to face when undergoing the gender changing process. The individual

undergoing gender change will be required to provide private and sensitive information about his

or her life to the doctors. Therefore, the doctors must honor their confidentiality oaths and keep

every little detail private.

Deeper concerns

The life a transgender after the transition from one gender to the other is full of promise

and disappointment alike. On one hand, the person may be full of life because the change allows
the transgender person to use gender expressions that boost morale, confidence, self-esteem, and

self-worth. The person can now enjoy a comfortable life because there obstacles that may have

made life a living hell are no longer persistent. The transgender can now associate with members

of the preferred gender. They can interact closely and obtain their support as they learn how to

live as members of that gender permanently (Erosheva, Kim, Emlet, & Fredriksen-Goldsen,

2015).

Life is much easier when these people find themselves in the midst of families, friends,

and societies that accept them for whom they are as opposed to forcing them to subscribe to

dominant social, cultural, political, and religious expectations. However, life is harder than one

may think. These people are forced to endure emotional and physical hardships after the change

(Davey, Bouman, Arcelus, & Meyer, 2014). The emotional part arises when the members of a

society scorn, abuse, harass, isolate, and discriminate these people due to their gender preference.

Physical hardships arise when the change process involves the use of surgical procedures,

chemicals, and other body altering mechanisms. The process is not free of pain.

A large number of people do not know that there is a big difference between changing

gender and having sex reassignment surgery. Gender changing is an undertaking where one

commits to switch the identity without necessarily affecting the physical sexuality. Gender

identity goes beyond the traditional male and female connotations. Some people prefer

identifying themselves without subscribing to the two dominant gender pronouns namely male or

female. Meanwhile, sex reassignment surgery denotes the remodeling of the sexual

characteristics of a person to mimic those of the desired or rather opposite sex (Ettner, Monstrey,

& Coleman, 2016). It involves the use of surgical procedures to alter core elements of a sex

including voice, sex genitals, and breasts.

 Surgeons work with persons of all ages when dealing with hormone therapy and other

counseling issues. However, most of them are only prepared to conduct sex reassignment surgery

on persons who have attained 18 years. The patients are required to participate in continuous

hormonal treatment procedures that may take a duration of one year. They also be required to

live an experiential real life as a woman/man for a predetermined duration to prepare them for

what is to come once they undergo transition. The surgeons also require the patients to satisfy the

requirements of several psychiatric and psychological tests to affirm their suitability for the

procedure.

These are requirements meant to ascertain that an individual is suffering from the

condition commonly known as gender dysphoria. In the advanced capitalist states, sex

reassignment surgery is a medical practices commonly happening in the private healthcare

sector. Countries like the United States have the best surgeons to perform these type of surgical

procedures. Gale (2015) posits that Thailand is becoming a hub for similar activities as clients

seek to take advantage of the highly-trained surgeons in the country. Thailand is also preferred

because the cost of the entire process is approximately one-thirds of the cost demanded by

surgeons in the United States.

Some of the best clinics in Thailand include the Bangkok’s Preecha Aesthetic Institute,

Bangkok Dusit Medical Services Pcl and the Bumrungrad Hospital Pcl (Gale, 2015). In the

United Kingdom, a large number of transgender people have been visiting the Nuffield Hospital

and Charing Cross that is located in Brighton. Whalen (2017) reports that the cost of these

services may be more than $100,000. In the U.S, most transgender people had to rely on private

insurance because Medicare could not cover their needs including sex reassignment surgery.
Nonetheless, the Obamacare Act is accredited with modifying the public healthcare insurance to

include these services (Fottrell, 2015).

Conclusion

After the legalization of gender changing in Greece has left people wondering why the

nation had to wait for many years before doing it. The main question in most people’s minds is

why would anyone assume the responsibility to tell another whom he can or cannot be.

Personally, the legalization of gender change laws is vital because it allows transgender people to

live comfortably and pursue their goals with purpose and commitment. A thorough analysis of

the research and the topic indicates that the issue of changing one’s gender is not as simple as

many people think. Nonetheless, it is a vital undertaking for people struggling to live a secret life

because they are having incomplete lives. Their lives are full of misery because they are being

forced to be whom their inner selves are sure that they are not.

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