14th June 2009, 11:09 AM
If anything the media themselves are perpetuating a bad understanding of those who switch genders.
I'm going to go a little further and say that while I support people's right to do this sort of thing to themselves, I'm almost positive there are cases where it isn't a healthy course of action. There could be those doing this for reasons of mental illness akin to body dismorphic disorder, becoming addicted to plastic surgery because no matter what their physical appearence they consider themself a freak. For those, plastic surgery isn't as good an answer as psychological help. Note that I'm not going to say this applies in all or even most cases, just that it's certainly one thing to be aware of. Nothing about this particular form of cosmetic surgery precludes the possibility there may be mental instability involved, at any rate. As such, when someone announces they are making such a choice, before cheering them on through sleet and snow, it may be a good idea to root out the reasons they are doing this beforehand, just as you would for any other form of cosmetic surgery someone close to you may be considering.
I'm going to go a little further and say that while I support people's right to do this sort of thing to themselves, I'm almost positive there are cases where it isn't a healthy course of action. There could be those doing this for reasons of mental illness akin to body dismorphic disorder, becoming addicted to plastic surgery because no matter what their physical appearence they consider themself a freak. For those, plastic surgery isn't as good an answer as psychological help. Note that I'm not going to say this applies in all or even most cases, just that it's certainly one thing to be aware of. Nothing about this particular form of cosmetic surgery precludes the possibility there may be mental instability involved, at any rate. As such, when someone announces they are making such a choice, before cheering them on through sleet and snow, it may be a good idea to root out the reasons they are doing this beforehand, just as you would for any other form of cosmetic surgery someone close to you may be considering.
"On two occasions, I have been asked [by members of Parliament], 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question." ~ Charles Babbage (1791-1871)