By Lily Herman, Allure
This week, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) published its first-ever report on gender confirmation surgery, showing there was a 20 percent increase in gender-confirming surgeries between 2015 and 2016.
[post_ads]The ASPS kept its definition of "gender-confirming surgery" broad, including several different types of surgeries — including facial feminization and masculinization surgery and transfeminine abd transmasculine bottom surgery — instead of just one. The society also sought to emphasize that surgery is typically just one component in a trans person's journey; what's more, surgery is definitely not on every trans person's list of priorities.
[post_ads]The ASPS kept its definition of "gender-confirming surgery" broad, including several different types of surgeries — including facial feminization and masculinization surgery and transfeminine abd transmasculine bottom surgery — instead of just one. The society also sought to emphasize that surgery is typically just one component in a trans person's journey; what's more, surgery is definitely not on every trans person's list of priorities.
“There is no one-size-fits all treatment, and no one discipline can meet all the needs of an individual,” Chicago-based plastic surgeon Loren Schechter, M.D. explained in a press release from ASPS. “For example, plastic surgeons work with doctors who specialize in hormone therapy, urology and with mental health professionals who help patients through the emotional aspects of their transition.”Experts say the uptick in gender confirmation surgery likely has to do with increased trans visibility over the past several years.
"While there is still a lot of discrimination and violence and hate crimes that continue against transgender people, there are a lot of positive role models out there now and it's becoming more accepted and normalized to know someone or have a family member or friend who is trans," Randi Kaufman, Psy.D., a clinical psychologist for the Gender and Family Project at the Ackerman Institute for the Family, told USA Today. Increases in insurance coverage have also allowed more people to afford surgeries they may not have previously been able to. (That said, around one-third of transgender people live in poverty and 15 percent are unemployed, barriers that could restrict access to insurance.)
While the ASPS reported there were around 3,200 gender confirmation surgeries in 2016, the number represents a relatively small segment of the transgender community. According to statistics from 2016, roughly 1.4 million American adults identify as transgender.
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Regardless of the statistics, it's crucial not to pressure or demand that transgender people who undergo surgery explain their decision. "For transgender people, like myself, surgical options are a corrective treatment, not cosmetic," Gearah Goldstein, who underwent gender confirmation surgery, said in a press release. "The types of surgeries someone has is very personal and private, and you wouldn’t even know someone had surgery if you saw them walking down the street. It’s not about how we’re perceived by the public, but how we perceive ourselves."
More on gender and identity:
While the ASPS reported there were around 3,200 gender confirmation surgeries in 2016, the number represents a relatively small segment of the transgender community. According to statistics from 2016, roughly 1.4 million American adults identify as transgender.
[post_ads_2]
Regardless of the statistics, it's crucial not to pressure or demand that transgender people who undergo surgery explain their decision. "For transgender people, like myself, surgical options are a corrective treatment, not cosmetic," Gearah Goldstein, who underwent gender confirmation surgery, said in a press release. "The types of surgeries someone has is very personal and private, and you wouldn’t even know someone had surgery if you saw them walking down the street. It’s not about how we’re perceived by the public, but how we perceive ourselves."
More on gender and identity:
