The Latest Fad in TG Land

I suspect it started with Chloe Prince. Part of that story is the claim that Prince has Klinefelter syndrome. Now, Klinefelter syndrome occurs when a male is born with a XXY chromosomes instead of the normal XY. Now having XXY occurs about once in every male 500 births, but only half of those actually develop Klinefelter syndrome.

Klinefelter syndrome may have any of the following symptoms:

• Developmental delay
  
• Undescended testicles (cryptorchidism)
  
• Pea-sized testicles
  
• Hypospadias
  
• Tall stature
  
• Knock-knees (genu valgum)
  
• High arches (pes cavus)
  
• Protruding lips
  
• Projecting jaw (prognathism)
  
• Very widely-spaced eyes (hypertelorism)
  
• If he is Caucasian or Black, epicanthal skin folds on his upper eyelids at the inner corner, giving him an oriental look
  
• Poor coordination
  
• Fused bones inhis forearms that make it difficult for him to rotate his arms (radioulnar synostosis)
  
• Quiet, tractable personality with occasional tantrums and aggression
  
• Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
  
• Learning disability (especially dyslexia, reading difficulty, and data retrieval problems)
  
• Mental retardation (IQ drops 15 points for each additional X chromosome)
  
• Poor expressive and receptive language skills
  
• Poor short term memory
  
• Osteoporosis (bone thinning)
  
• Lack of sporting ability
  
• High-pitched voice
  
• Sparse beard and body hair
  
• Gynecomastia (enlarged breasts)
  
• Feminine fat distribution
  
• Taurodontism (enlarged molar teeth)
  
• Breast cancer or germ cell tumors from elevated estradiol
  
• Inability to deal with stress
  
• Psychological problems, like anxiety, neurosis, depression, or psychosis

Now, Klinefelter syndrome is sometimes classified as an "intersex" condition, but unlike most, it is not caused by hormonal imbalances in utero. Now, there is a lot of controversy about referring to intersex conditions as "Disorders of Sexual Development," but in a sense that would be a more accurate term. Klinefelter syndrome does not, for example, actually result in one having any significant intersex characteristics with regards to the genitalia. In fact, the only actual symptom that would be considered intersex would be the hypospadia, which does not always occur, and which is considered the mildest of intersex conditions.

I mention all of this because in a recent post at Pam's House Blend, lead gender fascist "Autumn" Sandeen claims to have decided that he might have Klinefelter syndrome. Worse, he wants to use this to gain some boost in his credibility:

To say it doesn't weigh on me though would be an understatement. Let's face it: Even though there is mounting evidence that transsexual people's brains are literally cross-gendered or bi-gendered, there is a perception among many that transsexual people have a "bad" mental health disorder, whereas the apparently cross-gender identities of intersexuals are allowed for.

The problem for Mr. Sandeen is that Klinefelter syndrome is not that kind of intersex condition. Notice that in the list above, taken from a web site that provides information for the parents of children who might have the condition, that there is NO mention of cross-gender identity. That is because, with a few rare exceptions, those with Klinefelter Syndrome are not transsexual. Of course, now that Chloe Prince has claimed Klinefelter as an excuse to transition, it may become a popular condition to try to claim.

Mr. Sandeen then goes on to claim, quite erroneously, the following,

Well. Then I go from someone many will see as a parody of a woman to someone who has a verifiable medical condition that "explains" what at first blush appeared to be my transsexuality. Nothing will have actually changed, except for how others perceive me.

No, Mr. Sandeen will continue to be a parody of a woman. Having Klinefelter syndrome will not change that, but it might give him seom special cachet in the imaginary hierarchy of the trangender world. Being sort of, kind of intersex will, presumably, making him even higher than a transsexual in their imaginations.

He continues on:

For me, the consequences of found to be intersexual instead of being found to be transsexual would mean there are many more who would accept me as female than accept me as female now. And, being painfully honest with myself, I would want that; it would change everything -- and nothing -- both at the same time.

Again, this is simply not the case. At best, Mr. Sandeen would still be an autogynephile. More likely, he will still be simply a transgender who has become carried away. His comments make it ever more clear that surgery is not a good choice for him.

I experience having my gender questioned all the time. For those of us trans women who have throughout our lives have never been fully allowed to doubt that we were male, the criteria that folk like Germaine Greer apply to us seems equally bizarre. We know we think like women, and we have psychologists and psychiatrists out there daring to distinguish our thought processes as female.

What Mr. Sandeen does not grasp is that the question is not whether or not he imagines himself to think like a woman, but whether or not women agree that he thinks like a woman. What some refer to as "vibing as a woman." He clearly does not. For example, as pointed out in a previous post, he admits to preferring to stand to pee. Mr. Sandeen imagines he can just claim womanhood, and it becomes his by some inherent right.

So, is it any wonder that when I examine the feelings in the deepest recesses of my soul, I find I deeply hope that my recent genetic test comes back "Klinefelter's Syndrome"; I have a certain amount of internalized transphobia. Everything and nothing, it appears, rides on how my genetic test comes back; whether or not I'm perceived as a ghastly parody by Ms. Greer and her ilk appears to ride on how my genetic test comes back.

No, Mr. Sandeen's latest fantasy is just that, a fantasy, nothing more. Even if he is able to claim that he is XXY, he will still be a man. It will change nothing, period. He will still be transgender. He will still have a male brain. He will still be making a mistake if he actually pursues surgery. He has not advanced to "transsexual," and he cannot really climb up his imaginary ladder to "intersex."

No, when Mr. Sandeen realizes that he is never going to accepted by those who are HBS, classic transsexuals, or women, and when he accepts this fact, he will be a lot happier.

The Sad Story of Chloe and Rene

On Tuesday, I decided to check out the latest story on ABC’s Prime Time: Family Secrets. The episode, "‘He’ Becomes ‘She’: Husband’s Transformation Into a Woman" is about Chloe Prince, a transgender person who has had what she refers to as "gender reassignment surgery." Now, I generally avoid most such "documentaries." They usually just make me regret the time wasted watching.

I have to admit, I found this one a surprisingly interesting story. Granted, parts of it sounded a bit contrived....the intersex stuff especially. But overall, it was, interesting.

In may ways, it was a typical transgender biography. For many years, Chloe was a run of the mill crossdresser. Lots of clothes, but transition was more fantasy than serious desire. Chloe had been in a relationship that ended. Chloe met Rene, fell in love, and they got married. Before they married, Chole revealed her, uh, hobby to Rene, who married her anyway. They have two sons. Now, this is where the story gets kind of weird. Chloe claims that, after having blood work related to an allergy to be stings, she was informed that she has "47 XXY 'Mosaic' Klinefelter's syndrome." (Actually, the proper term is Klinefelter syndrome, as Dr. Harry Klinefelter neither had the condition, nor did he own it. He just discovered it. But such mistakes are common.) Kilinefelter Syndrome occurs when a male is born with a karotype of XXY instead of the normal XY. It is considered a form of intersex, though it should be noted that most with Klinefelter have no gender identity issues. Chloe, however, uses the claim of having Klinefelter Syndrome as the excuse for the decision to transition.

Now, the vast majority, though not 100%, of those with Klinefelter Syndrome are sterile. Chloe claims that because of being "mosaic" this is not the case. Mosaic would mean that not all cells are XXY, but that some are XY. This however, makes the story even more bizarre, as this variant of Klinefelter Syndrom is extremely rare. There are only 10 cases recorded in medical literature.

It is not unusual for those who are transgender to claim some form of intersex in order to gain some added degree of credibility. That is not to say that all such claims are false. In fact, a lot of HBS women have some history of documented intersex issues. This should not surprise anyone, as the same sort of hormonal issues that are believed to cause HBS also cause intersex conditions. But, as I said, Klinefelter Syndrome is not normally linked to gender identity issues.

As to Renée, I honestly felt sorry for her. I'll be blunt. I would like to see her kick Chloe to the curb, and take her for all she is worth in divorce court. I mean really, it is obvious that the poor woman was not involved in her husband's choices. Chloe cleaned out the 501(K) and took off for Thailand, leaving her behind to worry about what to expect. I seriously doubt she is at all happy with Chloe being "Mommy."

It is obvious, Renée is at Chloe's mercy. She is scared to be on her on, and Chloe takes advantage of that. Simply put, she is "codependent." I try to avoid using that term, as it has become trivialized by its abuse as a form of psychobabble, but in this case it is entirely appropriate.

Yes, Chloe got her money's worth out of her FFS, but really, I honestly did not feel she vibed as a woman. I mean, the line about not being able to decide if she wanted to be a girl, or be with a girl...I bet that one made Michael Bailey's heart go pitter-patter. The whole thing was a farce. I find it funny that the only reason some transgender types hated it is because it emphasized surgery. Well, I'm sorry, but that is how the real world works. No, surgery doesn't make you a woman. I think Chloe illustrates that very well. But not wanting surgery indicates that you don't really want to be a woman in my opinion. I don't buy into the deconstructionist view. Chloe is another exception that proves the rule.

Beyond that, I felt that Chloe is a poster child for the transgender view. And a good example of why I don't accept that identity. Really, if someone has problems with the fact that Chloe had surgery, they are missing the point. Granted, the day may come when this person's world crashes in on them. But right now, the real problem is the damage Chloe has left in her wake. She has likely ruined the lives of three people, and worse, she continues to victimize them.