Project : LEAP for Inters*x
When a baby is born it is assigned a s*x which is either male (having Male anatomy), female (having Female anatomy) or in case of ambiguous ge****ls, the baby is given a label after surgery or assigned male or female based on a few test results. The baby has no say in getting a s*x assigned at birth! Inters*x doesn’t have to do with ge****ls alone.
When the baby grows up, 2 years onwards he/she starts expressing their choices in what they like to wear, what role they play in a game, what clothes they want to put on, etc, that's how they express their gender the way they perceive themselves.
In most cases a baby labeled as male child, expresses traits of masculinity, that is also what is expected of him and a female child expresses traits of femininity. Unfortunately in Pakistan most cases of ambiguous ge****ls are misunderstood, due to lack of knowledge, are frowned upon by parents, siblings and peers, and either given up to strangers or abused at home. Ideally the inters*x child should be sent home with a s*x assigned at birth according to the results of certain tests, physical appearance and future s*xual potential, in accordance with the latest guidelines. And the parents should be told to allow free expression of gender to understand how they perceive themselves. Only some of those children have dysphoria. A dysphoric individual will be in extreme distress and depression because of the s*x assigned at birth and his/her perception of himself/herself and they will need help transitioning. So it could be one scenario that a Trans man would be a child with female anatomy but a masculinized brain or a Trans woman would be a child with a male anatomy but a feminine brain. It isn't an easy process and because of the discrimination and stigma they suffer from mental health issues.
So in short Man = Trans man & Woman = Trans woman when dealing with human rights. Health needs for transitioning people are various too. There are guidelines available on that.
Please be advised that Islam is a tolerant religion, it allows surgeries in certain cases (Al-Azhar University of Egypt has given fatwas back in 1989)
S*x assigned at birth is Not the same as Gender.
Gender is a spectrum and all of us experience life with a mix of femininity and masculinity, easily explained by the hormonal balance or imbalances in us.
Once the child reaches puberty, certain hormones kick in, and the adolescent now experiences s*xuality too. That's when s*xual orientation comes into play. Your brain tells you who you desire physically, you may not express those desires and control them at will. Puberty is not the same for all inters*x and all individuals have s*xual and reproductive health rights that should be known to all healthcare providers.
LEAP for Inters*x rejects unnecessary cosmetic procedures and conversion therapies on inters*x and transgender persons and encourages surgeons to #stopIGM , instead offer gender affirming services. Lack of knowledge is no excuse!
PMDC has set code of ethics on unbiased practice! Those codes are shared on this page too.
Curious to find out more and bust some myths? Contact us!
