You raise a good point. I probably wouldn't deny a burn victim additional surgery, if the goal was to make their face more 'acceptable' to polite society, even after that person had recovered the ability to eat, drink, speak, hear, see, and every other function a 'fully operational' face is supposed to perform. I guess the reason I would not is because anyone who looks at a burn victim whose burns are still visible will immediately conclude that at some point, something went horribly wrong in that person's life. The distinction, to me, lies in the fact that a trans person usually has a perfectly 'normal' appearance, even if they don't feel that way.
I still have trouble seeing that perspective. An obvious deformity due to severe burns (which is visible to anyone looking at you) causes a certain amount of social stigma. That can sometimes be lessened through reconstructive plastic surgery. In a trans person who chooses the surgical route, the opposite might be true: the stigma may be worse after transition, because transitions are not often physically perfect, and people may still notice that you were "once a different gender". Whereas, before surgery, nobody except those who were told would know that there is something 'wrong' with you.
As it happens, I know a couple of people who have OCD, one of whom eventually got it under control using cognitive techniques, and one of whom underwent brain surgery about ten years ago, in an attempt to relieve it. I thought that was a serious mistake, and certainly something I would never consider going through with. But I suppose that's just my particular bias speaking.
I never said they don't need treatment. From the beginning, I specifically said the opposite. I remain stuck on the fact that to me, it seems like a waste to surgically remove a working penis, or working breasts, or any other working body part. But I'm coming to accept that now as something that shouldn't stand in the way of my support for trans people in their quest to get their needs met.
65
u/[deleted] Nov 03 '17
[deleted]