Mahoranma discussion thread

[Epsilon]

Epsilon wrote:

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Valles wrote:

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As a question from a layman to a relative expert, what's your opinion on the idea that the degree of 'investment' a person has in their
physical sex might be a sliding scale rather than an absolute? That is, that some transsexuals are more bothered by their pre-operation state than others,
and that still others might not ever recognize the issue because it was mild enough to blend in with other sources of disquiet?

I can't speak with expertise but from my talks with such people its pretty much universal. Imagine having a cut on your thumb that never
quite healed right, so that everytime you touch somethign with that thumb you feel a sudden disquiting sensation. Not quite pain (because you get used to it
eventually) but you remain constantly aware of it, all the time. Now imagine that over your entire body. Every waking minute. For the rest of your life.




The degree to which surgery helps has a lot to do with how successful the surgery is. MTF transgender surgery is a lot more advanced and complete than FTM
(which is pathetically inadequate) and can have a number of unfortunate side effects in both cases (such as loss of sensitivity and so on). Not to mention
constant hormone treatments, which can have adverse effects on behaviour.




You've heard of 'roid rage, right? The tendancy of people on steroids to go nuts and start killing people (frex, Chris Benoit) for no good reason?
Well replacement hormones are basically steroids. It's especially common in FTM transgenders who self-meidcate with testosterone for them to experience
uncontrolled aggression and psychotic breaks (tragically the stigma against transgenderism is high enough even in the US that this is not uncommon).




So really, to answer somoene's question form the other thread: Can gender dysmorphia cause aggression to the point of being able to threaten to kill 10
year olds? The answer is yes, though not directly. If Ranma, for instance, was artifically stimulating testosterone production.with her ki, it coudl very
well explain her behaviour (in a medical sense).




But like I said, I highly doubt this is where the author is coming form. i think he has ranma acting this way to the Lulz.




CAVEAT: Gender dysmoprhia is actually a rather extreme case, and is relatively rare. There is a whole spectrum of gender identity which occurs outside of it,
ranging from transvestitism to pure cisgendered (ie, heteronormative) bhaviour and into even stranger places. People with actual gender dysmorphia suffer
pretty much universal symptoms because it is a physical difference in the construction of the person's brain. Those with gender identities that merely
exist outside the norm do not have such issues. As always sexuality and gender identity is a complex beast and making any definitive statements about it as a
whole is hard. However the sceince behind gender dysmorphia is well-documented.




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Epsilon