Transgender Men and Women: Health Risks of an Isolated Group Elena Marquina - Saludify
go to original April 19, 2013

16:9 introduces you to Gender Identity Disorder (GID). Meet Kim Petras - who got a sex change at 16 - and other kids as young as 5-years-old wanting to be the opposite gender. Meanwhile, one man regrets the decision he made years ago. Mary Garofalo reports. (16x9onglobal)

Minorities’ path to good health is ridden with obstacles, but for some patients receiving the care they need is especially difficult since most physicians don’t know how to treat them. With low awareness and limited acceptance, transgender men and women face serious health problems rooted in the health system’s lack of knowledge and sensitivity toward their issues, further complicated by society’s discrimination.

Gender identity disorder is a conflict between a person’s physical gender and the gender he or she identifies with, as defined by MedlinePlus. So even though the person’s body has male or female sexual organs, their inner sense tells them they are really the opposite sex. This may happen in childhood, with kids that feel they are different. More common among adolescents and adults, years of struggle over this persistent conflict may cause emotional distress and depression, leading to risky behaviors and sometimes even suicide.

Read the rest at Saludify

We invite you to add your charity or supporting organizations' news stories and coming events to PVAngels so we can share them with the world. Do it now!