Here’s How We View Sex
Even reputable news organizations botch articles on gender and sex. In 2015, in the health section of The Washington Post, Lenny Bernstein investigates transgender people and their surgical options. In his article “Here’s How Sex Reassignment Surgery Works,” he provides estimates of the number of transgender people in the United States, including a widely cited number of 700,000 transgender people. Later, he summarizes the effects of hormones that cause the development of more feminine appearances and shifts his focus to surgery. Finally, Bernstein concludes with a conversation on mental health.
However, this article is flawed. Bernstein uses offensive vocabulary, fetishizes transgender people, and provides misleading information. As critical readers, we must address these mistakes in order to have productive and factual conversations on sex and gender in class.
Respecting Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Individuals
Bernstein’s piece is riddled with objectionable language. He misgenders Caitlyn Jenner and uses her birth name. He refers to other transgender people with incorrect pronouns. Bernstein undermines the legitimacy of transgender individuals, claiming that Jenner had an “apparent transition” and that trans men are “women wishing to live as men.” After a person comes out, it is offensive to ignore requests to change names and pronouns. Also, a person may be transgender, regardless of a medical transition, which should be described as gender affirming therapy. Our discussions must be grounded in appropriate language.
Educating the Public About Transgender and Gender Nonconforming People
Bernstein’s word choice reveals that he is fetishizing trans people, not educating them. In his piece, he highlights biological sex differences, particularly through surgical options for transgender women:
“In male to female surgery, the testicles and most of the penis are removed and the urethra is cut shorter. Some of the skin is used to fashion a largely functional vagina. A ‘neoclitoris’ that allows sensation can be created from parts of the penis. Men retain their prostates.”
Bernstein acknowledges that transgender people are often othered and exoticized, and there are questions that should not be asked. Still, under the banner of education, he creates a neat FAQ for the curious, non-trans consumer to read. If this article were intended to help trans people, its language would have been more respectful and surgical methods more comprehensive. Instead, Bernstein focuses on genitals of transgender women, who are more often sexualized than transgender men, and includes commentary, such as “sounds expensive,” as opposed to facts. He therefore feeds into the mystique of transgender and gender nonconforming people.
Accurately Representing Gender and Sexuality
The article provides misleading information, specifically on surgery and mental health. Bernstein’s evidence for surgery is scant and anecdotal, and he makes a larger case against it. Here, his information exclusively comes from an article by Dr. Paul McHugh, who is extremely controversial, even believing people are not born gay. Bernstein and Dr. McHugh cite a single study that mental health outcomes are worse after gender affirming surgery, although the authors themselves warn against this conclusion, saying:
“No inferences can be drawn as to the effectiveness of sex reassignment as a treatment for transsexualism.”
In our discussions and writings, we must evaluate authors and accurately represent and critique their research. This analysis includes recognizing how Bernstein and Dr. McHugh’s position contradicts a larger body of evidence that medical transitioning works. Not all transgender and gender nonconforming people want or need surgery, but it can be extremely important for the mental health of those who do.
Source:
Bernstein, L. (2016, February 9). Here’s How Sex Reassignment Surgery Works. Washington Post.
