JesusA (imported) wrote: Sat Jun 01, 2013 3:46 pm The next biennial conference of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health will be held in Bangkok in February of 2014. I haven't decided whether to present yet another paper based on the eunuch community, though I have been asked to do so by the president of the organization.

Richard Wassersug and I each gave a presentation at the 2009 conference in Oslo. I organized an entire session of five presentations for the 2011 conference in Atlanta (Richard and Kristoff both gave presentations, as did Shaun Tougher on the history of eunuchs and Randall Ehrbar on one MtE individual for whom he was the counselor). Kristoff has posted his presentation, http://www.eunuch.org/forums/showthread ... Castration] (http://Body Integrity Identity Disorder and Castration,[/B]here on Eunuch Central.

Because the gap will be longer than the standard two years between regular conferences, there was an interim conference in Oakland last month at which I talked about factors that set MtE individuals apart from MtF. (The Powerpoint from Oakland is 3 Meg, and I would be happy to send a copy to anyone who wants one. Just send me an address that will accept attachments that large.)

If I am to make a 15 to 20 minute presentation in front of WPATH people from around the world – though especially to those in Thailand – what do the members here think it would be most valuable for me to say? That's not much time and the topic needs to be clearly focused.

raymar2020 (imported) wrote: Fri Jan 03, 2014 10:39 am I think there are several points to be addressed I will list them below.

1. First there is a major disparity between the treatment of men and women. A woman can easily obtain a hysterectomy , or simply having the ovaries removed, by just asking. If a male asks for similar sterilization, they are prepared to place him in a mental facility. Men should have an equal option to be castrated as women have the option to remove reproductive parts. That is not to say that you should be able to stop in at the GP's office, and walk out with your testicles removed, but with reasonable screening , and discussion it should be available.

2. As a person who was born with testicular issues, I have always found it quite amusing that while I was under 18 , virtually every doctor who saw me as a patient wanted to remove my non-functional testicles. They were quite adamant and my Father's objections were all that stopped them, since in those days both parents had to sign off on surgery for a minor child. Those very same doctors once I was 18 and could make my own choices steadfastly refused to remove them. The conditions did not change , just my legal status, which can only be related to malpractice guidelines.

With the shift away from required signatures from both parents, there needs to be reasonable informed consent, and should the parents not be able to agree, then the medical community should stand by their own recommendations for the adult child.Not to say that 15 years after turning 18 , you could choose the surgical route, but in a year or so , from turning 18. Certainly nothing magical happened to change my situation when I turned 18.

3. Growing up with unseen and undeveloped testicles, their sudden arrival when I was 16 was quite traumatic. My whole personal identity changed. I had already come to terms with my sexuality, and was quite comfortable being a "nutless" boy. Suddenly I was no longer that , and to top it off, the treatments I was subjected to made them hurt nearly constantly.

In my 20's they retreated back into the inguinal canals, and I experienced such a relief that they were no longer visible. I felt like I was back to being the "Me" that I had lost at 16. As time passed the emotional scars of their appearance, and subsequent disappearance healed. but it was not until they were actually removed the I felt truly "correct".

Whether you call that Dysphoria or whatever other handle , I know that as a true eunuch , I am the most content ever in my life. Yes, I use HRT, and can't imagine being without it, but having testicles in any form was emotionally painful for me.

There needs to be consideration for those who simply do not feel that they should be there. Its not like amputating a limb, and for most replacing the lost hormones while somewhat problematic, is doable. The "do no harm " philosophy in this case does not apply. The harm is in not acting.

4. Finally, and this is specifically looking at straight males, many women once past menopause lose virtually all interest in sex, while their husbands still are quite interested. I have seen many posts from men who are seeking castration , to slow or totally stop their own sex drive, rather than being resigned to a life of masturbation , or cheating on their spouse. Since this group tends to be older, frankly lowering the T level could be a good preventative for prostate cancer.

In no case should castration be an on demand service. There should be requirements for counselling, and making sure that the potential eunuch is fully aware of all the side effects, and the down side of castration. Once those criteria have been met, and the individual has shown to be otherwise mentally stable, there is no good reason to withhold the procedure.

As a subset of the binary sexual system, eunuchs have long been demonized by the medical community, and their place in history creates a level of fear among the general population. Proper education , and a reasonable evaluation process could make life much less painful for a surprisingly large number of men.

tugon (imported) wrote: Fri Jan 03, 2014 10:56 am I have been lucky that none of my doctors have ever tried to make me take HRT. I know this has not always been the case for some folks. I had difficulty becoming a eunuch and took a risk and I would hope that the medical community would understand that some of us want no replacement T. I have no interest in returning to my previous self and while they might perceive me as lacking life has never been fuller.