Digital Transgender Archive

Spotlight: "Paradise Lost”: A Different Perspective on Gender Realignment Surgery

Renaissance News is a publication that discusses issues pertaining to the trans community, generally focusing on the lifestyle of crossdressers, including both personal articles as well as details of relevant events and news stories. This particular issue looks specifically at those who identify as transsexual. Like other Renaissance News publications, it combines the personal with the political.  For example, it contains both a motivational piece encouraging transsexuals to be confident in their chosen gender as well as a question-and-answer article with Ari Kane regarding a sexology conference. This demonstrates different aspects of topics that are important to transsexual agency.

The article that most fascinated me was “Paradise Lost,” penned by a writer named Tony. He describes his painful decision not to continue with his hormone treatment and his subsequent foregoing of surgery. He explains both the physical difficulties of surgery and the pressure to fully “pass” as a member of the opposite gender following the procedures, citing these as reasons to cease treatment. This article is important to examine because it provides a unique perspective on the isolation of transgender people. The author, Tony, decides that he does not want to commit himself to a life of loneliness, as he believes that he will always be something “other.” This speaks to the societal pressure to fit into one box or another and must be kept in mind when considering why or why not trans people choose to receive surgery. As a whole, these publications provide a multifaceted resource for those in the trans community.