REFLECTIONS ON THE DECISION-MAKING POWER OF THE TRANS PERSON ABOUT PERFORMING GENDER AFFIRMATION SURGERY

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.35919/rbsh.v34.1049

Keywords:

Social Construction of Gender, Sexuality, Sex Reassignment Surgery, Quality of Lif

Abstract

 It is a reflection on the biomedical discourses that describe the experiences or regulate gender-affirming surgery (CAG). For this, we worked with the theoretical and methodological assumptions of Foucault's discourse analysis. Documentary analysis of scientific articles, manuals and health standards was used as a research technique. It became evident that the biomedical discourse treats the trans experience as something that hegemonically needs surgical “repair” to improve the quality of life. There is no doubt about the medical and social importance of the surgical alternative for those who desire it, however, the question here is how to "sell" the idea of the transexualizing process as an idea of resolving the phenomenon of transsexuality. In some speeches, the idea is omitted that the expectation of improving gender incongruity after CAG can be a frustrating process. The evaluations after CAG have not yet brought homogeneous evidence of significant improvements in aspects related to quality of life. In addition, individuals not considered by the gatekeeper to be "truly" trans are excluded from this process. Discourses were found that reinforce the idea of hegemonic gender when determining that the “normal” person is one who has coherence between sex, gender and sexuality. Therefore, there is a mismatch between advances in nomenclatures and biomedical discourse that still reinforces the pathologization of transsexuality when it bases binary normative ideals.

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Author Biographies

Taciana Silveira Passos, Universidade Tiradentes

Doutorado. Pós-graduação em Saúde e Ambiente, Universidade Tiradentes, Aracaju, SE, Brasil. 

Marcos Antonio Almeida-Santos, Universidade Tiradentes

Doctor of Health Sciences. Full Professor of the Postgraduate Course in Health and Environment (Health and Environment), Tiradentes University, Aracaju, Brazil; and Tiradentes Institute, University of Massachusetts, Boston, United States of America.

Nuria Cordero-Ramos, Universidade Pablo de Olavide

Doutorado. Departamento de Trabajo Social y Servicios Sociales, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Sevilla, España. 

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Published

2023-08-31

How to Cite

Passos, T. S., Almeida-Santos, M. A., & Cordero-Ramos, N. (2023). REFLECTIONS ON THE DECISION-MAKING POWER OF THE TRANS PERSON ABOUT PERFORMING GENDER AFFIRMATION SURGERY. Revista Brasileira De Sexualidade Humana, 34, 1049 . https://doi.org/10.35919/rbsh.v34.1049

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Section

Opinativos e de Revisão