RANSVESTIA

because these persons are bisexual too but weighted a little heavier on one side or the other. This leaves the Os and 1s at one extreme and the 5s and 6s at the other which make up the 90-95 out of a 100 applicants and which I term pseudo-transexuals.

At first glance this might seem strange since these are the two op- posite extremes. One might presume that these two groups must have a lot in common since they both demand the same things, i.e. hor- mones and surgery. This is the short-sighted view because it doesn't get into the question of the underlying motivations. Why then should two groups that differ only in their sexual object choice, both conclude that sex changing surgery is the answer to their life's problems? The answer to that is that there is a separate and different reason and motivation for each group. One is genderal and one is sexual and it is important to ascertain which applies to whom.

Although this conclusion was arrived at on a theoretical basis long ago, it was confirmed in the results obtained on a preliminary questionaire to operated "transexuals" the results of which have been reported in TVia. The confirmation lies in the fact that the preoperative homosexual group gave much higher scores on all questions dealing with sex and low on those dealing with gender, while those in the heterosexual group gave high scores to gender type questions and much lower scores on the sex-type questions.

Since there are essentially three different types of people seeking surgery for three different motivations and three different goals it is very important to consider these goals and whether surgery is the most appropriate means of achieving them. Dr. Fisk has coined the term "Gender Dysphoria" to replace "Transexuality." I must object to any such all-inclusive terms other than the simple, descriptive statement, "people seeking sexual reassignment," because such umbrella terms obscure the fact that what appears to be a single condition, describable by one single term is, in fact, three separate conditions with one common symptom. Different conditions spring from different causes and must be treated differently. Gender Dysphoria does describe the condition of the 0 and 1 Kinsey groups but not the others. Those that come from the homosexual side - the Kinsey 5s and 6s - suffer from sexual dysphoria . . . that is, they are not happy about their sexual equipment and the limitations that it imposes on them. The remaining group, the more or less asexual types (with no appropriate

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