Hooray! Free sex changes for all!

[Benjamin Strange]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7441448.stm

I'm all for free health care, but wow... just wow.

I'm struggling to come up with a great joke about Michael Moore taking a bunch of American with gender identity issues down to Cuba, but my brain is failing me right now.

[Insanity^2]

It just seems wrong IMHO, but if they're truly unhappy...
Thing is, if it's free they don't have to put as much thought into it... oh well

[Son of Sanford]

That is very interesting. I am not sure where I sit on the unnecessary free surgery debate. I think a good arguement can be make for the sex change operation, but what do you do when having 8 fingers becomes all the rage? Imagine the money a person could save by having a foot removed and only buying one shoe at a time.

[vene-nemesis]

I want to change my actual sex to a lot more!

[Asa Samuel]

I'm fine with it, just so long as it doesn't happen so much that it affects the reproduction rates, actually that might be a bit of a good thing.. just not too much.

[lowendmafia]

Originally Posted by vene-nemesis

I want to change my actual sex to a lot more!

Hahaha...+1 on that!

[peterbright]

Quite interesting

[DanGouge]

It's covered here as well. From what I read, it's a legitimate procedure that perhaps 5 people a year might require in Ontario (pop: ~11 million).

You might thing the people who want it are weirdos, but we used to think people with alcoholism or depression were just weak.

[Jeremy Crockett]

XX can never be XY.
XY can never be XX.

And "weird" is wearing a cable-knit sweater and fuzzy boots in Las Vegas in August.

[dlloyd]

Originally Posted by OctoberMooN

XX can never be XY.
XY can never be XX.

It isn't always that simple.

Some individuals are neither XX or XY. People with Kleinfelters syndrome have XXY. People with Turners syndrome just have a single X.

Some genetic disorders cause individuals with XY to have female body features despite being genetically male.

Some individuals are chimeric, they arise from fused embryos and parts of their bodies are genetically distinct from other parts. Some of these individuals are XX/XY mosaics and may be genetically female in all parts of their bodies apart from the reproductive organs.

[kydnav]

Originally Posted by Son of Sanford

That is very interesting. I am not sure where I sit on the unnecessary free surgery debate. I think a good arguement can be make for the sex change operation, but what do you do when having 8 fingers becomes all the rage? Imagine the money a person could save by having a foot removed and only buying one shoe at a time.

Since when are sex changes 'all the rage'?

[Asa Samuel]

Originally Posted by Insanity^2

Thing is, if it's free they don't have to put as much thought into it... oh well

Thats a very good point, at the moment in england and i think in america too you have to go through a year of life as the oposite sex before you can have the op to make sure that its what you want, but with free sex changes i dont know wether you would have too.

And rather than think "this is gonna cost alot of money, is this really what i want?" you could think "its free so i may aswell!"

I agree that sex changes should be free as i have met a couple of transgender men who had the op and are now women and one of them was doing a talk wich i was at wich explained all about personalities and about people who were transgender and she talked about how from age 9 she knew that something was wrong but back then even homosexual people were still thought as "outcasts" and the thought that a young boy would have a females mind just seemed incomprehensable to everyone.
She ended up having the op age 42 and she said it was the best thing thats happened.

The only thing i think should go on is more research into why people want it done and the conditions that make people want it done, but i think its more important to make sure that people know the consequences of becoming the oposit sex.

I listened to a radio programme that was about sex changes and the conditions and they mentioned that there were websites that tell you all the answers to questions that doctors might ask, making it easier for you to get the op done.

[Son of Sanford]

Originally Posted by kydnav

Since when are sex changes 'all the rage'?

I didn't say they were. I was clearly postulating on the possibility of a octophalagelical trend in the near future and wondering if this kind of thing would be covered under the current policies. I don't use my pinkies. If you are looking to stir up an argument please look elsewhere.

[JMX]

Originally Posted by OctoberMooN

XX can never be XY.
XY can never be XX.

And "weird" is wearing a cable-knit sweater and fuzzy boots in Las Vegas in August.

You won't get the picture if you watch everything in black and white...

[Jeremy Crockett]

Originally Posted by dlloyd

It isn't always that simple.

Some individuals are neither XX or XY. People with Kleinfelters syndrome have XXY. People with Turners syndrome just have a single X.

Some genetic disorders cause individuals with XY to have female body features despite being genetically male.

Some individuals are chimeric, they arise from fused embryos and parts of their bodies are genetically distinct from other parts. Some of these individuals are XX/XY mosaics and may be genetically female in all parts of their bodies apart from the reproductive organs.

First:

Klinefelter's affects 1/500 males and Turner's affects a minute 1/2500 females. Both statistically insignificant numbers. But that is irrelevant as an XXY and an X will never be XX or XY. Which only goes to further my original point in that a male will never be a female and vice versa.


Secondly, from the article:

"the Cuban authorities joined events to marking International Day against Homophobia."

and

Raul Castro's daughter, Mariela, has also pushed for the state to recognise same sex unions and inheritance rights.

lastly

If adopted the reforms would give Cuba the most liberal gay rights in Latin America, says the BBC's Michael Voss in Havana.

None of that sounds much like corrective surgery for genetic aberrations.

[alfredpunkjazz]

Originally Posted by OctoberMooN

Klinefelter's affects 1/500 males and Turner's affects a minute 1/2500 females. Both statistically insignificant numbers. But that is irrelevant as an XXY and an X will never be XX or XY. Which only goes to further my original point in that a male will never be a female and vice versa.

To be honest... I don't think that the number of people that do this is far away from those numbers... I mean, you don't meet a transexual guy/girl everyday...

On the other hand, is it wrong that they think about this stuff to increase the respect and freedom for the gay comunity?

I know I would do some other stuff before giving sex changes for free... But still, I don't think is that out of the question. Well, for me it is, ha ha ha ha ha ha.

[Lalabadie]

Originally Posted by OctoberMooN

Klinefelter's affects 1/500 males and Turner's affects a minute 1/2500 females. Both statistically insignificant numbers. But that is irrelevant as an XXY and an X will never be XX or XY. Which only goes to further my original point in that a male will never be a female and vice versa.

Just pointing out that one over 500, statistically, means it is very frequent.

1 million people? That's 2000 affected by Klinefelter's. That means 604 000 people across the United States.

[funkydanbass]

It does say that they will offer them to qualifying citizens, they probably won't change the actual screening process at all. The fact that it is free should be no suprise as Cubans enjoy universal health care.

[Jeremy Crockett]

Originally Posted by Lalabadie

Just pointing out that one over 500, statistically, means it is very frequent.

1 million people? That's 2000 affected by Klinefelter's. That means 604 000 people across the United States.

My understanding is that .2 % is not considered statistically significant.

In any case it is irrelevant. XX still cannot be made XY along with the converse.

[Puck]

I've honestly never understood the male/female mind thing at all, but if I could get my boobs and my ovaries taken away for free, I would so be there (although learning to pee standing up would be plain weird.) I wouldn't want to live as a man, though, because pretty dresses and petticoats are fun, even though waxing my facial hair is kinda painful.

...I should probably point out that I have the EQ of a kindergartener, so that's a factor, too.