Ignorance and hostility a fatal combination

Ignorance and hostility a fatal combination

Although often incorrectly labeled waria -- an acronym from
wanita (woman) and pria (man) -- transsexuals are not necessarily
homosexuals.

Nor are they transvestites who are men with a phobia for
cross-dressing. For true transsexuals the need to become totally
male or female can be a life-and-death matter -- literally. Some
researchers claim only 50 per cent survive beyond age 30; social
oppression, personal shame and never-ending bigotry frequently
lead to suicide.

Gender and sex are separate, though often confused. In
transsexuals, the area of the brain that determines gender
identity is in conflict with the reality of different sex organs.

Transsexuality is also known as gender dysphoria -- mental
trauma regarding gender. It can be experienced by people who are
born either male or female.

It is believed to be caused by hormone mix-ups that may be
linked to the mother suffering stress at a critical time during
pregnancy, though the evidence is unclear. About one in 30,000
babies is born transsexual. The phenomenon also occurs in
animals.

The condition should arouse compassion and understanding. In
other cultures transsexuals are often revered and considered to
have special mystical powers.

In the Indonesia of the 1960s positive attitudes toward the
handicapped were rare. It was to take another 40 years before the
nation had a near-blind man as head of state. Last century, the
different were persecuted, even by the church.

During the early days of the New Order regime there were no
open bookshops full of modern texts on sexuality, no Internet to
browse, no "Dear Doctor Love" newspaper columns. Sex in its many
manifestations was a taboo topic, particularly in regional towns.

Although Indonesian society is now more open, in many
communities people like Lina may still be subject to hostile
stares and whispered comments -- actions that can seriously
damage the emotionally frail.

-- Duncan Graham