Traditionally, individuals who are classed or who identify themselves as "transgender" or "transsexual" are said to possess a desire to become the opposite sex. However, many such individuals reject this categorization, insisting that they are in some meaningful sense a member of the opposite sex already. While acknowledging that this is not true by any genetic or anatomical definition, transgender individuals insist that such physical markers as sex chromosomes, or the possession of male or female reproductive organs and/or sexual characteristics, have nothing to do with whether a person truly is male or female; that it is a matter of personal identity or self-perception and thus not subject to biological reality. To this end, transgender individuals will frequently insist that they were "born in the wrong body" and that they are simply changing their outward appearance to reflect this inner truth. | Traditionally, individuals who are classed or who identify themselves as "transgender" or "transsexual" are said to possess a desire to become the opposite sex. However, many such individuals reject this categorization, insisting that they are in some meaningful sense a member of the opposite sex already. While acknowledging that this is not true by any genetic or anatomical definition, transgender individuals insist that such physical markers as sex chromosomes, or the possession of male or female reproductive organs and/or sexual characteristics, have nothing to do with whether a person truly is male or female; that it is a matter of personal identity or self-perception and thus not subject to biological reality. To this end, transgender individuals will frequently insist that they were "born in the wrong body" and that they are simply changing their outward appearance to reflect this inner truth. |