elcome to the Joann Prinzivalli website's Medical Page. This page is intended to provide information and links that deal with CD/TG/TS medical issues.

The first stop for anyone studying TG medical issues is The Standards of Care. Like it or not, this is what the psychiatric community uses to deal with T*people. Personally, my viewpoint on the whole "gender dysphoria/gender identity disorder" issue is that it is a political disorder, just like homosexuality was until 1973, when it was removed from the Psychiatrist's bible, the Diagnostic Service Manual (DSM). The current edition is DSM-IV. The implication that there is something psychologically "disordered" about being transgendered is a slur and a libel. That doesn't mean that transsexuals should be left in the lurch!

The next link leads to a policy statement on GID that I do endorse: ICTLEP/NCLR Joint Statement on GID. It suggests that a "civil rights" model supplant and replace the "disorder" model, when it comes to transgender rights.

I have found Dr. Ann Vitale's site to be very helpful in explaining transgender issues.

Dr. Ann Lawrence also has a Transsexual Women's Resources site that is excellent: Medical and other resources for Transsexual Women (M2F). (Note: While I am linking to Dr. Lawrence's home page, please be advised that this site contains clinical materials which may be inappropriate for viewing by young children. Parental guidance suggested. There are links on this site that go into detail on issues such as hormone replacement therapy, electrolysis, Sex reassignment Surgery (SRS) and other issues.

There is a concept called Autogynephilia that I think is pretty descriptive of how I feel about myself (as a pre-op transsexual). I found an article on the topic by Dr. Lawrence to be helpful in sorting out my thoughts. But I have discovered that the concept is very controversial, so I am providing a link to some thoughts of my own in explanation of how I see Autogynephilia as descriptive of normal behavior. To go to my essay, click here.

Some people have pointed out (thank you Stephen!), that there may be a clinical overtone to the theory that smacks of the behavior described being considered a "disordered" behavior. I do not in any way endorse the concept that autogynephilia, as I am using it, is or should be descriptive of an abnormal, disordered or diseased state of mind.

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