Project one: rhetorical analysis of "Surgical Treatment of Gender Dysphoria in Adults and Adolescents: Recent Developments, Effectiveness, and Challenges"

 

The article "Surgical Treatment of Gender Dysphoria in Adults and Adolescents: Recent Developments, Effectiveness, and Challenges" by Luk Gijs and Anne Brewaeys debates the current treatments for Gender Dysphoria (a discontent between a persons physical gender and the gender they identify with).

The authors aim to evaluate all the treatments used on those with gender dysphoria. The treatments are tested by following those who underwent the treatment a year after the process. The two main treatments covered in the article are sex reassignment (sex change) and psychotherapy. There are flaws in both treatments.

The problem the authors face is determining the effectiveness of the two treatments. Psychotherapy is a treatment chosen by therapists and doctors who generally believe that gender dysphoria does not exist and that it is a mental disorder. It is usually debated that sex reassignment is impossible and by performing it we are supporting a mental disorder. Those who support sex reassignment generally see gender dysphoria as a physical disorder that can be "cured" by sex reassignment.

The main finding of the article is that sex reassignment is beneficial and appropriate treatment for those who have extreme gender dysphoria and psychotherapy is beneficial for those with mild dysphoria. This decision will lower the number of people dissatisfied with their lives after their chosen treatment.

The authors of the article did not yet gather enough evidence to debate the psychotherapy and sex reassignment treatments of adolescents with gender dysphoria. This topic will have to be debated when more cases occur.

This article caused me to create more questions like:
1) How does sex reassignment effect prepubescent children?
2)Does cross dressing suppress the desire for sex reassignment?
3) Is there a heightened suicide rate in those who have had sex reassignment?