I know you're (mostly) not doctors, but . . .

DonnaL
Thu, 09 Dec 2010 23:05:29 +0000

Actually, no. It’s not 1980 anymore. Genital reconstruction surgery is now a very common term to describe the surgery. My genitals were, in fact, “abnormal” for a woman – which is what I certainly already was at the time of the surgery – and, hence, “reconstruction” is precisely what was done even under your definition.

Gender reassignment surgery is, the eyes of many, a highly outmoded term. My “gender” has always been female in the sense of identity, and had been female in terms of presentation (as well as legally) for a number of years prior to the surgery. Surgery didn’t “reassign” my gender; the idea that it could have is rather odd, in fact, and reflects a basic misapprehension of the nature of being trans. As does using terminology like “the opposite gender.” Your assumption that I was still a man when I had the surgery is quite offensive, actually.

The fact is, there is not, and never has been, any one proper term for that particular surgery. I can think of at least 5 terms that are, or have in the recent past, been commonly used: sex reassignment surgery, gender reassignment surgery, genital reassignment surgery, genital reconstruction surgery, and gender confirmation surgery. They are all common enough that they should be understood by any specifically LGBT-friendly physician (which this one is, since I was referred to her as such by an LGBT-specific health center. Not to mention that she is almost certainly part of the LGBT community herself.)

In any event, in this day and age, it’s considered rather presumptuous for non-trans people, medical professionals or otherwise, well-meaning or otherwise, to lecture trans people about what is or isn’t the “proper” terminology to be applied to them. (The same as is true of many other minority populations, frankly.) I assure you that most trans people know infinitely more about trans issues (and current terminology) than most medical personnel. So, please don’t tell me that I wasn’t using “proper” or “correct” terminology. And I didn’t use the term I did to be obscure; I always use it, and so do a lot of people.

Also, if you think I was “faulting” her for not figuring out that I have a trans history, you missed the point. I was quite flattered, obviously. So there’s no need for you to defend her.