Advocate.com – Joanne Herman
When you know someone who’s undergone sex-reassignment surgery, the possibility of regret may feel like the proverbial elephant in the room. But what is the prevalence of regret, and why does it occur?
With the release of Dr. Ren?e Richards? latest book, No Way Ren?e: The Second Half of My Notorious Life, the topic of transsexual regret has once again come out of the closet. Her book is primarily the story of her family, career, tennis, and social life. Yet in a prerelease interview with The New York Times, the reporter quickly moved in to ask Richards if she regrets having had sex-reassignment surgery. And even though Richards said no, the reporter nonetheless titled the interview “The Lady Regrets.” Why is there such curiosity about transsexual surgery regret?
As background, transsexual people are but one part of the very diverse group under the transgender umbrella. Many transgender people actually do not undergo a gender transition. But a transsexual person, on the other hand, feels so strongly about having a gender identity at odds with his or her anatomy that he or she seeks medical intervention or physical change. Some transsexual people do not need sex-reassignment surgery (SRS) to resolve the incongruity, while others desire it but cannot afford it.