Lawsuit asks state to pay for inmate's sex-change operation- What do you think?

[EnderD_503]

Originally Posted by softness

What next?? What if a prisoner says they have Body Dysmorphism Disorder (BDD) and wants to have plastic surgery because they cant go on living in the body they hate. Do we allow this? Do we allow them to get inplants and injections and so on? BDD is just as pervasive of a disorder as GID. People with BDD have cut off parts of their bodies, to rid themselves of their perceived flaws. They have starved themselves to death. They have committed suicide. In prison, I doubt we would entertain surgery as an option. Mental health counseling, yes. But not surgery.

Sorry, but this post really fucking shocked me. Are you really comparing dysphoria to BDD? It's not an apt comparison at all, unless you believe that transfolks suffer from a delusion created by chemical imbalance (meaning, you believe they really aren't the identity they claim to be) when they suffer from dysphoria, or are suffering from an illusion about their bodies when they suffer from dysphoria or wish to alter their bodies. I see that as extremely transphobic and reminiscent of the arguments right-wing christians and anti-trans feminists use against us, when they start blabbering on about "mutilating healthy 'female' bodies" and how we shouldn't be permitted legally to undergo SRS and HRT.

BDD, unlike dysphoria, can be "treated" or "cured" through counseling and psychiatric medication. It is not necessary to change the body part in order to take away the sensation that something should not be there/should be there, and appears to be caused by chemical imbalance in the brain.

With dysphoria in transguys or transwomen, it is not something that disappears or is reduced through counseling or psychiatric medication, as it is not related to a chemical imbalance, but, instead, research suggests the actual sexual makeup of the brain is congruent with that of the sex the individual identifies with.

Mental health counseling does very, very little for dysphoria, and even the trans-friendly medical community is beginning to understand this (hence, the changes in protocol as far as starting HRT and getting SRS; as in, you no longer need a letter to do it).

[starryeyes]

She murdered someone....over some fucking clothes. No, I don't think her life should be made any easier. Do I agree that she should be raped and harassed?? No. But, she is there for a reason. Sorry sista... No support from me. The prison should have separate areas for sensitive cases, maybe.