Bruce Jenner's recent announcement to transition has re-kindled a (not so) new national discussion on transgendered individuals and human sexuality. Some, maybe most people don't "get it." Is it a choice? Is it a psychiatric illness? Did he just wake up one morning and decide to be a woman? Let me show you the light.
It's not a choice. Think about it this way, have you ever known of an individual who was welcomed warmly, unconditionally, and without hesitation for coming out as transgendered? More often than not, when a person comes out they are shunned, they are mocked, they are cast away by family and friends, and that is if they're lucky. All too often these individuals are harmed physically, sometimes fatally. Why would anyone choose a lifestyle that would put their family, friends, career, and life in jeopardy?
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When it comes to being accepted by others, it would be so much easier if transgendered individuals just kept it to themselves and went along to go along. The fact that millions of people have come out as transgendered despite the emotional, psychological, and physical repercussions is a testament to the genuineness and sincerity of the
need to come out.
The issue of classification as a psychiatric illness is more complex. "But it's in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (fifth edition) as a mental illness!" Yes, that is true, but it's place in there it not without controversy among the psychological community. Originally known as "Gender Identity Disorder," the new diagnosis of "Gender Dysphoria" seeks to eliminate the stigma assigned to this population. One of the biggest reasons that it has remained in the DSM5 is to help transgendered people to receive the care needed through insurance reimbursement; that is to say, should an individual have Gender Dysphoria, any treatments such as hormones, surgeries, even mental health care may not be covered by insurance were it not for this classification. Now, for those of you who do not think insurances should cover this cost anyway, just think about the slippery slope of allowing insurance companies to pick and choose which illnesses and diseases to cover. What if insurance companies decided not to cover any psychiatric illnesses that could theoretically be treated without medication?

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Mental illnesses have a level of stigma attached to them, perhaps because the 75% of the country who have never experienced a mental illness cannot appreciate what it is like to be betrayed by your own brain; depression isn't sadness, you can't just think yourself happy. Anxiety is not just worry, there is no amount of logical reassurance that will make it go away. Addiction is more than willpower, it is biological. And so is Gender Dysphoria. Gender identity is formed as young as 4 years of age. We all have a memory of when we first realized we were boys or girls. Overwhelming research supports that transgendered people have these same thoughts at that same age, without any coaching, prompting, or training. It is innate.
But let's suspend that fact. What if Bruce Jenner and Chaz Bono both just woke up one morning and decided they wanted to switch genders?
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Look, I get it, Archie Bunker sang about when girls were girls and men were men, and I can appreciate the gut feeling some people have about just not understanding why a man becomes a woman, it seems unnatural. I'm here to say, so what? We live in a country where people are free to express their genders in any way they want, and transition biological sexes so that their lives are whole and complete, and it's a beautiful and amazing place. I am a fierce defender of individual rights and freedoms, and I know I have readers that are, too. So fight for these peoples' rights to live a happy life, fight for them to live without fear of being fired, excommunicated, ostracized from family and friends, fight for them to live their lives in the freedom that this country is known for. Real patriots support Bruce Jenner, because even if you don't like what he is doing, you still believe in a country of freedom of expression.