Sweden Proposes to make sterilization mandatory for trans people
Because as trans people, we do not actually own our bodies. They must be strictly policed in all ways.
Yes, many men and women have their ovaries and testes removed voluntarily. To me, this idea doesn’t send the message “We want to accommodate your transition.” It sends the message “We want to make sure you have no chance of procreating once you start the medical aspects of transition.” Because of course, no trans person has ever wanted to have children before, am I right?
What the hell?? I thought Sweden was supposed to be all groovy and leftist. D: And what’s with the article putting transgendered “man” in quotes like that? Excuse me while my brain explodes a little. D: D: D:
LindenTea
August 5, 2008 at 8:40 am
Damnit, I was trying to link past that stupid article. I didn’t catch it in the Swedish article too.
Well, it’s fucking stupid that “man” is in quotes. :(
Lisa Harney
August 5, 2008 at 8:47 am
WHAT.
Trin
August 5, 2008 at 8:47 am
Bloody hell. Anyone know how pervasive this is, worldwide? I’m sure I’ve read things about mandatory sterilisation before you can change your legal sex here.
queenemily
August 5, 2008 at 9:06 am
What the hell, Sweden? I thought you were cool. >:[
This couldn’t possibly be a reaction to Thomas Beatie’s pregnancy, could it?
Zula
August 5, 2008 at 10:23 am
There are places in the US that require sterilization as well, I believe. Not having reproductive capacity any more is a qualifier for being considered “transitioned”.
God.
Any of the rest of us have a fear reaction to children? I find I have such an ingrained flinch at this point, always ready for someone to flip out that I’m anywhere near a kid, that I practically hide sometimes–and I love children, and want to be a parent someday!–I’m so on edge about it. One of the first things I was told when I came out was that interacting with me would be inherently damaging to a child, and as such, I could never have a family. It’s hard to shrug off those messages.
It’s this stuff that perpetuates that.
little light
August 5, 2008 at 10:24 am
heaven forbid we have another thomas beattie! it would upset the cis people too much.
z
August 5, 2008 at 1:57 pm
The Olympics are another organization that demands full transition including sterilization before you can participate in the games. At least that’s what I rember.
Natasha Yar-Routh
August 5, 2008 at 5:12 pm
It is certainly the case that trans women in the US have to be sterilized to be legally considered female.
And yeah, Natasha – and it has to be at least two years since transition.
Lisa Harney
August 5, 2008 at 5:17 pm
One reason why a lot of trans* guys didn’t like Beatie was that he made it obvious that they could get their documents changed with “just” top-surgery. In many states, if you have your surgeon word the letter correctly, you can change your docs with just top surgery. So, a lot of trans* guys can get their docs changed without sterilization; unlike most trans* women. (not fair, I know)
No one should be required to be sterilized to be safe and respected.
What’s next? Forcibly throwing out any saved sperm or embryos? Taking away all our kids? (wait, that’s already happening, just not systematically)
drakyn
August 5, 2008 at 5:41 pm
It’s unclear from the article (unclear to me anyway) if the sterilization is only required before SRS or if it’s a requirement for transwomen to be legally considered female in Sweden. If it’s the former, I don’t like it, but can kinda understand since the government is probably paying for SRS, and it could be a way to keep health care costs down, since for some transwomen, castration is sufficient or even preferred. If it’s the latter, if transwomen have to get the castration to change legal gender in Sweden, well then that’s truly horrible. Does anyone know?
vivian
August 5, 2008 at 7:33 pm
At first I thought it was the latter, but now I’m not sure.
Lisa Harney
August 5, 2008 at 7:37 pm
[...] Less-cuss-y analysis: Ami Angelwings and Questioning Transphobia. [...]
Fuck You Awards « Ideologically Impure
August 6, 2008 at 3:33 am
I think the bottom line here is that the government has no business legislating this kind of health care decision. There’s no reason for them to make a particular procedure “mandatory” instead of, you know, letting the doctor and patient come to a mutual understanding and agreement on what is best for the patient’s health and well-being?
The details are a little confusing but it does sound like they’re aiming to eliminate reproductive capacity in anyone who’s officially changing gender — whether that means starting a medical transition through Sweden’s health care system, or legally changing gender, is unclear. It’s definitely not the only country to do that — in Japan, you can’t legally change gender unless you have no children already, and can certify that you are unable to reproduce (i.e. gonads removed) and therefore won’t have any children. It’s very blatant in that case, and clearly to keep the “family order” from being messed up by having children who officially have two moms or dads. Plus a hint of good old eugenics, of course.
If this has something to do with SRS, which it doesn’t sound like it does, then it makes even less sense. SRS usually involves oopherectomy or orchiectomy anyway, except in rare cases. And if this is just about legislating health — well it’s still stupid for the reasons mentioned above (should be left up to doctors+patients) but there is some evidence that it may not be health for trans people to keep their factory-equipped gonads over years of exogenous hormones being prevalent in our bodies. (Cancer risks, etc.)
Technically you could have a vaginoplasty without an orchiectomy, there’s at least one trans woman out there who’s done this. Any fertilization involving her would have to involve surgery though, since I believe her testes were placed inside her abdominal cavity. Also, the requirement for vaginoplasty or similar is at the federal level, but you probably knew that. And it can be circumvented (shhh)
Holly
August 6, 2008 at 1:28 pm
I knew about the circumventing, and I was perhaps throwing a bit of a wide net there when I said sterilization was required.
And yes:
Lisa Harney
August 6, 2008 at 3:13 pm
[...] Make sure those dirty “trans” people are sterilized otherwise they’ll create a bunch of Swedish freaks! [Questioning Transphobia] [...]
Friday night is Rage Night: You Are Not The Droid We Want edition « Uppity Brown Woman
August 8, 2008 at 6:59 pm
[...] 2. the politics of visibility in Beatie’s pregnancy–that visibility of trans people would equal acceptance–has massively backfired in a rights sense. Visibility, in that kind of soft news HRC we’re-just-like-lovely-cis-het-people-cos-hey-marriage-and-kids, has not been a good move in this case, because the workings of institutions just ever-so-slightly change to screw trans people hard without anything resembling a backlash. W.A is far from the only place to do this, recall the Sweden proposal for mandatory sterilisation. [...]
Gender Recognition and Sterilisation « Questioning Transphobia
November 24, 2008 at 9:54 pm