What do women look like after gender reassignment? Male to female gender reassignment surgery

One of the wonders modern surgery- an intervention that can turn a woman into a man. This is a complex operation that requires difficult preparation. Problems are possible after it. But this the only way to give a normal life to a person who cannot bear to be in his own body.

Read in this article

A bit of history about gender reassignment surgery

The first intervention on a transsexual was carried out in Denmark in 1931. But until the mid-60s, these operations remained unique. Everything has changed since the second half of the last century. The first specialized clinics where transsexuals were helped arose in France. In 1978, the International Association of Surgeons Specializing in Sex Reassignment Surgery was established in the United States. In the USSR, for the first time such an intervention was carried out before 1991.

Indications for sex reassignment surgery in women

Surgical "transformation" from a woman to a man is much more difficult to do than to fashion a lady out of a gentleman. Therefore, clear indications are needed for the operation. The main one is the transsexuality of the patient, confirmed by experts. Lesbian preferences in sex are not grounds for plastic surgery.

Medical indications for gender reassignment

Before sex reassignment surgery, medical indications are required:

• a confirmed diagnosis of transsexualism by a sexologist;
• exclusion of similar forms of gender identification, including homosexual orientation, transvestism (inpatient diagnosis is desirable);
• consultation with a psychiatrist to determine mental disorders(they are a contraindication for operations).

After primary examination and establishing a diagnosis, examination and observation by a psychiatrist is recommended in order to study:

• features of development, the time when ideas about changing sex appeared (for this, at the request of the patient, relatives are attracted);
• motives for the operation;
• awareness of health risks, problems in contacts with the environment, family (it is especially important to take into account the psychological trauma of the child when changing the sex of the parent).

An andrologist and / or endocrinologist conducts an examination hormonal background. To assess the condition of the female genital organs, a consultation with a gynecologist is needed. On the basis of all these data, a medical consultation (sexologist, psychologist, psychiatrist) is appointed, at which a conclusion is made on whether a person is really a transsexual and a sex change can help him.

If the answer is positive, a certificate for the registry office is issued. On its basis, changes are made to the passport data - they change the name, surname and gender. After a year of probation and taking male hormones, an operation is prescribed. Before it, a re-examination and confirmation of the intention to change sex is necessary.

Contraindications for surgery in transgender women

The operation is not possible if there is:

• doubts of specialists and the patient himself in transsexuality;
• mental disorders;
• alcoholism;
• serious illnesses internal organs and systems.

Obstacles can be too young or old age.

What happens if you change the sex from a woman to a man

If there was a complete sex change from a woman to a man, then as a result the following will be deleted:

• adipose tissue from the mammary glands, so that they become flat, the size of the nipple decreases;
• ovaries with fallopian tubes and uterus;
• vagina, or it is closed surgically;
• excess fat on the buttocks, abdomen to give the figure a masculine outline.

To recreate the genital organs, an operation is performed to form the penis from the tissues of the body or the clitoris, the scrotum from the labia. It is also possible to introduce silicone into the chin, calf muscles, biceps. The volume of operations depends on the wishes and financial capabilities of the patient. All the time before and after the intervention, you need to take male sex hormones, since without them a complete transformation is impossible.

Stages of preparation for sex change in women

Plastic surgery is carried out in a few surgical interventions, as it involves serious changes in the functions of the body. Therefore, the preliminary stage is also multi-stage.

Physical training

Before allowing a patient to have a sex change operation on a male, it is necessary:

• At least a year to be observed by a sexologist. He must reveal the impossibility of a woman to exist in a body given by nature, that is, the need for intervention.
• So many visits to a psychiatrist. The specialist must confirm the patient's ability to make decisions, that is, the absence of pathologies.
• Get a thorough examination. In addition to the tests that are required for any operation, hysteroscopy and salpingoscopy are needed. They must confirm the absence of genital tumors.
• Long-term use of hormones. To make the new body aesthetically and functionally more in line with the male, they take drugs.

Moral preparation of a woman

Before the operation, it is important to psychologically tune in to future changes. You need to live like a man for at least a year to confirm the correctness of your feelings and decision to change sex. If such an existence turns out to be more natural and comfortable than in a female form, moral training can be considered successfully completed.

Is it worth it to immediately radically delete everything

It is no secret that during surgery, the patient is removed from the female genital organs and the male ones are reconstructed. But there are options here. If you save the uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, there will be no external signs of their presence. That is, the patient will take on the appearance of a man. But later, by stopping the use of hormonal drugs, it is really possible to restore the functions of female organs.

And you can conceive, endure, give birth to your own child. Similar cases are known.

Whose organ is sewn to women when changing sex

When changing sex, women are sewn on a genital organ, which is created from their own tissues.. There are two options for the operation:

• Formation of the penis from the clitoris and the labia minora surrounding it. It is carried out after the growth of the organ while taking testosterone.
• Creation of a penis from muscle tissue back, forearms, thighs. As a result, it will be similar to a man's in size, an erection is possible. If it is not enough, then an additional prosthesis is inserted.

Scheme of the operation for changing sex from male to female

Schematically, the operation process when changing gender from male to female can be divided into stages:

1. Removal of glandular, excess fatty tissue of the mammary glands, the formation of a small nipple.
2. Creation of the penis from the clitoris, muscle tissue and a new urination hole.
3. Removal of the uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes.
4. Stitching or complete excision of the vagina.
5. Changing the shape of the body, face, correction of the shape of the penis.
6. Penile prosthesis to maintain the desired erection.

Each of them includes preparation (blood tests, urine tests, consultation with an andrologist, surgeon), the surgical intervention itself and the recovery period. It is important to note that in each case, the doctor can choose an individual sequence of stages, as well as methods for performing the operation. The duration of rehabilitation depends on the correction option and general condition patient's health.

Preparations for sex change from woman to man

To change gender and transformation from woman to man appoint drugs based on testosterone. Most often, these are injectable forms. long-acting- Sustanon and Omnadren. They will have the desired effect in about 4-6 months:

• the body begins to change, its proportions;
• the clitoris is enlarged;
• coarse hair appears on the face, along the white line of the abdomen, on the legs;
• the volume of the mammary glands decreases;
• menstruation gradually becomes less in volume and frequency, then disappear;
• muscle strength increases.

It is important that the level female hormones was not overestimated, as this would interfere with the work of testosterone. Therefore, you should visit an endocrinologist and take tests for estradiol, progesterone, prolactin and testosterone before starting replacement therapy. You may also need to take drugs with antiestrogen effect or lowering prolactin levels.

How do sex reassignment for women, the course of the operation

Sex reassignment surgery, if you want to become a man, takes place in several stages:

• , change ;
• get rid of the uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes;
• suturing or removing the vagina;
• some time after the above manipulations, the penis is reconstructed.

To appearance more consistent with gender, some patients need facial plastic surgery,.

During the cycle of gender reassignment operations, the following steps are performed in stages:

1. mammoplasty,
2. surgical castration,
3. plastic penis,
4. creating a urethra for urination,
5. body shape correction.

Masculinizing mammoplasty

The methods of surgery vary depending on the size of the bust, although all are performed under general anesthesia. If the breast is small, the incision is made around the areola. Through peripheral access get rid of the bust of medium size.

If necessary, remove the breast big size making a vertical cut. But in all cases, they get rid of fatty and glandular components, excess skin. Sometimes there is a need to move the nipple and areola, to reduce them.

How is mammoplasty performed?

Provides excision of adipose tissue and glandular. If the breast is initially small, or when taking hormones, its significant reduction is achieved, then the incision passes around the nipple. With a large gland, access passes under the breast or along its front surface.

The operation can be one-stage, but large mammary glands are more often removed in two stages with an interval of 3-4 months. This is due to the fact that after the main correction of the shape to give aesthetic appearance you need to remove excess skin and reduce the diameter of the nipple.

Ovariectomy with hysterosalpingectomy, or female castration

If the patient does not plan to give birth in the future, it is necessary to remove the uterus, ovaries and
fallopian tubes. Ovariectomy is performed laparoscopic method or using abdominal surgery.Each of them requires general anesthesia.

If at the same time it is supposed to remove the uterus or hysterosalpingectomy, an incision is made above the pubic plexus.

The postoperative period, which lasts up to 7-10 days, ends with the removal of sutures. But behind him at least 1 month is coming rehabilitation.

How is surgical castration done?

This stage includes:

• removal of ovaries, fallopian tubes;
• isolation and dissection of the uterus.

With partial extraction of only the ovaries, the operation is less traumatic, since it can be performed through a laparoscope. The incisions for the insertion of the device will be small (2-3 cm), the recovery is fast - about 1 week.

If a complete removal of all internal genital organs is prescribed, then the surgical access often passes through the vagina, since the anterior abdominal wall may be needed for further penis plastic surgery. But an incision is also possible in the suprapubic zone. The duration of the operation is about 2.5-4 hours. The rehabilitation period after complete castration takes 8-12 weeks.

The need to remove the uterus and ovaries is dictated by the risks of replacement hormone therapy. Lifelong use of male hormones increases the risk of tumors in these organs. Doctors often recommend this stage after penile plastic surgery, that is, at the final stage of sex reassignment, in order to have complete confidence in the patient's intentions.

Watch this video about surgical interventions when changing sex:

Vaginectomy, or masculinizing vaginoplasty

Another stage in the transformation of a woman into a man is the correction or removal of the vagina. The organ can be removed along with the uterus during a hysterosalpingectomy. In other cases, a less traumatic masculinizing vaginoplasty is performed. During the operation, the anterior and back wall organ.

Features of vaginal removal

If the selected method complete removal female organs, then the vagina can be cut off along with them. This is the most difficult option to recover. Complete healing occurs within 3-4 months, there is a high risk postoperative complications. Therefore, more often the surgeon recommends suturing the walls of the vagina after the stage of removal of the ovaries, tubes and uterus. The operation is less traumatic, recovery will take about 3-4 weeks.

Phalloplasty or metoidioplasty

After the disposal or cessation of the functioning of the female genital organs, the reconstruction of the male ones follows. This is possible in 2 ways:

• phalloplasty– 3-stage penis creation using a prosthesis and live tissue grafting from the thigh, abdomen or forearm. First, the urethra is formed, then the penis, the head with the scrotum and artificial testicles.

• Metoidioplasty- Reconstruction of the penis only from its own tissues. It is carried out on the condition that, as a result of taking hormones, the clitoris has increased by 6 cm or more. The urethra is formed from the vaginal mucosa, and the size of the penis as a result of the operation will be approximately 5 cm. The scrotum is created from the labia majora with the introduction of a prosthesis. This is a less traumatic operation, besides, it makes the penis very sensitive.

But a full-fledged sexual intercourse with conducting it into the vagina is not always possible.

More about creating a penis

It can take place in two stages. The first is called metoidioplasty and the clitoris and surrounding labia minora are sufficient for it. This method makes it possible to get a penis from 6 to 8 cm, but only if it is already close to these sizes against the background of the use of male hormones. As a result, the penis will be quite sensitive, but its erection is usually weak.

Silicone implantation

In order for the patient's appearance to be masculine, sometimes correction of different parts of the body and face with the help of endoprostheses is required. More often they are installed in the area of ​​​​the testicles, chin or calves. First provide access to the tissues through incisions in the appropriate area. Then, a pocket for the implant is formed in the corrected area. After installation, a suture is applied, a drain is placed, which is removed after a day.

Liposuction

To finally acquire the appearance of a man can be prevented by excess fat and the features of its distribution. Liposuction will help get rid of effeminacy. It is done wherever there is too much. The fat is removed through the incisions into which the cannula is inserted using a vacuum. A lipid-thinning solution is preliminarily injected.

Lifelong Hormone Therapy

Taking medications is not limited to the preparatory period. The patient will have to take hormones all his life to maintain external masculinity, deep voice. After all, the organs that produce these substances necessary for life cannot be recreated. Preparations must contain testosterone and other androgens.

Watch on the video the opinion of the sexologist Yuri Prokopenko about the beginning of the formation of transsexualism and the consequences of the decision to change sex:

Rehabilitation and recovery in women who have changed sex

The recovery period after such an intervention consists of several important points:

• taking antibiotics, painkillers and hormonal drugs;
• exclusion of physical activity;
• seam care;
• quitting smoking and alcohol;
• full nutrition without frills;
• condition monitoring by a specialist;
• refusal to have sex until the intimate area is completely healed.

How long the recovery will take depends on individual features patient, the amount of changes made.

Possible complications in women after sex change

Problems due to interference may arise:

• General surgical. These are infections, seromas, hematomas, poor tissue healing, rejection of implants. Bleeding, insensitivity of some parts of the body, negative consequences of anesthesia are possible.
• Psychological. It happens that the patient is uncomfortable being a man. And he wants to get his body back.

Long-term effects of gender reassignment surgery

Sex reassignment with the help of an operation, even with the complete success of its implementation, has long-term consequences – the need to mainly hide the truth, because of the hormone, interruptions in the cardiovascular system, liver damage, diabetes mellitus can occur.

Psychological ones are most often caused by the fact that a person believes that all problems with gender identity and role in society will disappear. In reality, this is not always the case. All the time of the transformation, one has to deal with the negative attitude of others, rejection due to homophobic sentiments, psychological trauma in the family. Therefore, purely biological changes, caused by hormones unusual for the body, are superimposed on psychological discomfort.

Since this is a conscious decision that had to be fought for a long time, patients prefer to deal with depression and dreary mood on their own. There is alcoholism, abuse of psychotropic drugs. At the same time, most still feel relief if the diagnosis was made correctly, and the operation was the only way out.

For side effects long-term use testosterone include:

• an increase in the level of estradiol during an overdose or uncontrolled administration, an excess of testosterone is converted into them;
• heart and vascular diseases - a lack of female hormones increases the risk of atherosclerosis, hypertension, myocardial infarction, stroke, especially with obesity, smoking, hereditary predisposition;
• damage to the liver, which processes hormones;
• hemoglobin growth, blood clotting, increased blood clots and blockage of blood vessels;
• increase in blood glucose, the development of diabetes mellitus with a tendency to carbohydrate metabolism, cases of illness in the family;
• headaches.

Therefore, the entire period of hormone replacement therapy is important to be under the supervision of a doctor.

Can a woman become a man after sex reassignment surgery?

As a result of sex reassignment surgery, a woman becomes a man only after outward signs . This means she will:

• flat mammary glands;
• removed internal genital organs (ovaries, uterus, tubes);
• no vagina (sutured or completely removed);
• formed penis, urethra ( urethra), analogue of the scrotum with testicles.

The operation will not allow you to make changes to:

• chromosome set, all genetic material will be female;
• hormonal background - testosterone will be independently produced by the adrenal glands in scanty quantities, which requires lifelong use of male hormones;
• psychology and behavior - a period of adaptation to a new body is necessary, socialization (change of contacts with the environment), development of new behavioral reactions, for which psychological assistance is recommended.

What else a woman needs to know after she has become a man

Before surgery, a patient who wants to change sex should know:

• about possible difficulties with the execution of new documents;
• about the likely hostility of others who learn about the operation, the difficulties of communicating with loved ones;
On the left is an ex-girlfriend

Frequent questions of future men

When changing sex to male, the uterus is removed, but what is it replaced with?

When the sexual characteristics change from female to male, the uterus is removed, it is not replaced by anything. This operation is carried out on the basis of the wishes of the patient, but with an unambiguous decision, it is also recommended medical reasons. Since you will need to constantly drink in the future male hormones, then the risk of neoplasms in the female genital organs increases.

Before the operation, it is important to fully decide on the choice, since the loss of this organ will be irretrievable.

What are the members of men in women's zones?

To replace the male penis in female areas, apply:

• Clitoris and labia minora after hormonal therapy (metoidioplasty operation). The penis will look like a man's, you can urinate standing up, its erection will allow penetration, but full-fledged sexual contact is difficult.
• Muscle and skin tissues from the posterolateral surface of the chest, forearms, thighs, lateral zones of the abdomen (phalloplasty) - with its help, it is possible to achieve sufficient hardness of the penis, but most often only after installing an implant (mechanical pump).

How is a penis sewn on?

During a sex change operation on a male, a penis is sewn, formed from its tissues in this way:

• the isolated musculoskeletal flap from the arm, abdomen, thigh or back is connected into a tube;
• the surgeon, using a microscope, connects arteries, venous vessels and nerve fibers;
• after complete healing or at the same time, the urethra is formed.

Is a prostate transplant possible with a sex change?

Transplantation of the prostate gland during a sex change is not performed. This surgery is not used in men or women who have undergone hormone therapy or penile reconstruction. This is due to the fact that the work of the gland is regulated by several organs: the pituitary gland, adrenal glands, testicles. The relationship between them is formed in the period prenatal development. Therefore, the transplanted organ does not function.

So far, such interventions are not technically feasible. As a result, when changing sex, an artificially formed penis cannot independently achieve the same erection as a natural one, and secrete sperm.

Is it possible to change sex at 40?

Sex change from female to male is possible even after 40 years, but it is very important to consider that with true transsexualism this desire arises in adolescence.

At a more mature age, a hasty decision caused by life situations is possible. A person goes through a crisis of forty and often feels that he is not living his own life. At the same time, the transition to another social category seems good option problem solution.

The dangers that lie in wait when changing sex after 40 years:

• rethinking, the desire to return everything back;
• difficulties in adapting to the family, backlash children, up to suicidal decisions;
Daughter of singer Cher Chastity, who became Chase

In order to eliminate most of negative consequences, a long preparatory period before the operation is recommended - at least 3-4 years. All this time should be devoted to examination and work with a psychologist, a sexologist.

When changing sex, is sex very different from the sensations and functions of the genital organs of an ordinary man?

According to those who have completely changed their sex to a man, the sensations and functions of the genital organs allow you to have a sexual life with women. In terms of differences from an ordinary man, it is difficult to draw a conclusion, since there is no data on comparing these two options by the same person. Most recognize that they derive maximum satisfaction from adjusting their psychological state.

Nevertheless, there are cases when a person, having gone all the way heavy operations and recovery, regrets his decision.

Learn more about thigh liposuction.

Famous women after gender reassignment surgery

Over the decades of the existence of sex corrective interventions, many famous people have done them:

• daughter of singer Cher Chastity, who became Chase;
• German athlete Yvonne Buschbaum, now called Ballian;
• Dorothy Tipton, known as pianist Billy Tipton;
• nee Tracey Lagondino, who became Thomas Beaty - the first pregnant man.

Watch the video about the most famous people who decided to change sex:

The operation to change the female gender to the opposite is a long and difficult path. But for some, it may be the only one. And if so, then a new life must be approached responsibly, weighing the pros and cons, doing everything necessary for success.

a woman who began her transgender transition at age 25.

“My first time, even before I started the transformation, was unexpected and exciting, if not exactly pleasant. My first sexual partner was a stranger I met on my way to the library. He was older, and I thought that he would enlighten me in this matter, but he was clearly inexperienced himself. I remember he used hand sanitizer as a lubricant - ouch!

I hid my male parts the whole way as best I could because I wanted him to dominate. It got pretty awkward, but we managed to smooth it out when we hugged each other on the couch and watched the movie. The next time we took into account our mistakes, and the second time was already normal.

After the sex change, I was scared to have sex for the first time. On the doctor's recommendation, I tried to develop my new vagina, and it was very painful. I've been delaying the start of a new one sexual life for as long as I could, but my then-boyfriend was patient.

When we finally tried it, the experience was just what I expected. It hurt me, but I was able to feel like a woman, which I considered myself to be. I didn't feel the shame that made me hide my "extra organs" because they were gone. I felt like I've always had a vagina and never had to go through gender reassignment surgery. I was comfortable, I felt whole and really felt that I am me, as much as possible.

Popular

2. Sidney Chase, 24

a woman who began her transition at age 21.

“My first girlfriend and I decided to sleep when I was 15 and I was an inexperienced guy. She took control of everything, and I just lay there. She attracted me, but I was not satisfied with the role that was assigned to me. (...) I was expected to behave very masculine, but this is not mine. In general, if you remember my intimate life before the beginning of the sex change, it was like having sex on skis: theoretically possible, but terribly inconvenient.

By starting hormone therapy, I found my balance of yin and yang, and my intimate life completely changed. My whole body glows, rings, not like before. I have never had such a reaction to sex before. Now I have become receptive and relaxed in bed.

3. Oliver, 32 years old,

a man who began his transition at age 31.

“The loss of innocence for the first time went like a blur, mainly because I was completely drunk. One thing was clear: I hated my body, and it took me a cistern of liquor and complete darkness to do it. Although I felt like a lesbian because I was attracted to women, I was drawn to homophobic behavior in order to impress or convince others (or maybe myself?) that I was just a regular cisgender * girl.

“I was drawn to homophobic behavior to impress or convince others (or maybe myself?) that I was an ordinary girl.”

That's why it occurred to me to lose my virginity with some guy whom we met at a student party. I only remember that he was much older, not even one of our fellow practitioners, and had a decent sized cock. I just had to wait impatiently for it to be over. As soon as it started, it became clear to me that this was a big mistake, but, fortunately, everything ended quickly.

In Russia, hundreds of thousands of people feel out of their body. But the happiness of having a sex change operation smiles at very few. American photographer Liz Sarfati, back in the 90s, captured how Russian men become women.
There is nothing ordinary in the desire to change sex - about 0.3% of the population (regardless of country and era) are born with a sense of belonging to the other sex. In the age of scientific and technological progress, the transformation of a man into a woman and a woman into men has become commonplace. The first gender reassignment operation took place in 1953 in Denmark, in the USSR (in Riga) - in 1970. Since then, hundreds of thousands of such operations have been performed around the world.
A few years ago, the British urological journal BJU International conducted a survey of more than 200 people who had changed their gender from male to female. They all underwent surgical removal of the penis, repositioning of the urethra, and shaping of the labia. In addition, 93% had a clitoris created from the head of the penis, and the vagina was formed in 91% of operations. The age of the interviewed patients averaged 43 years (from 19 to 76 years), most of them had changed sex 3 years before the study. In 91%, an artificial clitoris was formed, in 89% - a vagina. The study found that: 23% of transsexuals have a regular sexual life, 61% are satisfied with the depth of the vagina; 98% have a sensitive clitoris, 48% are able to experience an orgasm, 14% have excessive clitoral sensitivity, but no one wanted to remove this organ.

In the leftist Latin American countries - Venezuela, Brazil, Cuba - sex change surgery is completely free. And the example of these countries shows how many people are ready to undergo this procedure. So, in Brazil, about 300 thousand people (220 thousand men and 80 thousand women) are on the waiting list for an operation. This is 0.2-0.3% of the population.
Based on this proportion, in Russia there should also be 300-400 thousand people who feel they are not in their body. But annually we have only 1300-1600 such operations. Formally, the sex change procedure is free, but in practice it costs about 10 thousand dollars, and after the operation you need to undergo a long hormonal course, and it can cost up to 30 thousand dollars for 5-6 years (although in the West such operations are even more expensive - up to 100 thousand dollars).
Those Russians who are lucky enough to be reborn usually prefer not to advertise their change - in a patriarchal society, this is useless. But a few of them are trying to declare themselves in full voice, reminding the Russians that such people cannot be ignored.
So, a few months ago, Alexandra Selyaninova, a resident of the Perm Territory, tried to register as a presidential candidate. Previously, Alexandra Selyaninova was Alexander Selyaninov, who served in the army, graduated from vocational school with a sixth-class mine combine driver diploma, worked in a mine, and then entered the criminal investigation department, where he served for 16 years. Selyaninov was married twice, but he always felt that he belonged to the other sex. In the end, having learned from a newspaper article that sex reassignment operations were being performed in Moscow, he changed sex and received a new birth certificate.

(The face of a Russian transsexual politician - Alexander Selyaninov)

Selyaninova in 2006 and 2010 tried to run for the post of head of Berezniki, but her attempts were unsuccessful. It is interesting that a transgender candidate for the presidency of the Russian Federation was nominated by the Perm Regional Committee in the person of the communist Alexei Bessonov (he was previously known for challenging former head FSB Patrushev). But, alas, at the stage of collecting signatures, Selyaninova was voted out by local bureaucrats.
But not everyone is as lucky as the former Perm policeman. Poverty does not allow hundreds of thousands of Russians to change their gender. And then the unfulfilled desire to change sex leads to tragedy.
A few years ago, a terrible incident occurred - a 39-year-old village mechanic performed a sex change operation on himself with his own hands.
After school, Igor graduated from college with a degree in bulldozer. He was an unusual guy from the very beginning: he didn’t drink, didn’t smoke, didn’t use foul language. Igor served in the army in Chechnya, was a prisoner of the local national democrats.
When no one was at home, Igor put on bought dresses, painted his lips and nails. His mother accidentally caught him doing this. Frightened:
- Son, what are you?
Igor tried to explain that he wanted to be a woman, that since childhood he had never felt like a man. And that there are already ways to change gender.
- You need to marry urgently! - the mother did not want to hear the son. - Marry, and all the whim will pass.
Mother urgently began to look after the bride. And then Igor finally decided: not to marry - to become a woman. I bought a scalpel, lidocaine and chose a day when no one was at home. In the living room, Igor put an armchair in front of the dressing table so that he could see everything, spread an oilcloth, made an injection and, when he stopped feeling pain, resolutely slashed himself on the reproductive organ.
Igor finished in an hour. He put the cut off in a bag, and then he threw it in the trash.
“My mother and I came home from work,” says brother Vyacheslav. - I see - my brother can hardly walk. He doesn't say what's wrong with him. I called an ambulance ... And in the hospital I found out that I now have a sister.
“We just had to stop the bleeding and remove the urethra,” says Novosibirsk urologist Igor Onischuk. - And when we asked whether to determine him in the men's or women's ward, he said that he would lie in the corridor.
In the hospital, Igor underwent ultrasound three times: the doctors could not believe that he had a female organ in his stomach - an underdeveloped uterus.
Now Igor calls himself Ira. Irina has small breasts, a female voice. Having become a woman, he grew by 4 cm. Through the court, he achieved a change of documents.
“Then my mother, brother and I moved so that I could start a new life. I would like to get married, - Irina worries. - But for a full plastic surgery I have no money. But I believe that everything can still work out. Doctors confirm that I can have children. After all, in addition to the uterus, I even have one female ovary. I would be a good mother and wife. I can do everything. Cooking, sewing, she built the house herself.
+++
Back in the 1990s, American photographer Liz Sarfati made a photo report of how Russian men change sex in a Moscow clinic, and then in a new body they go to their small homeland (in the Novosibirsk region):1

Sex change is a serious operation, shown not to everyone. With age, problems with gender identity tend to go away, but a certain percentage of people in adulthood continue to feel uncomfortable in their own body.

It all starts from childhood. The boy wears dresses and the girl plays football and wears trousers. For the shell to reflect inner essence transgender, they take this risky step - gender reassignment. Average age decided on the operation - 35 years.

Don't confuse transsexualism with homosexuality. Homosexuals feel normal in their body and, as a rule, do not want to change sex.

How is gender reassignment done?

Sex reassignment always begins with getting a psychiatrist's opinion that the person is indeed transgender. It is necessary to be examined, assess the state of health. Such a long preparation is needed for the reason that nothing can be done if a person suddenly regrets it after the operation.

If sex change is really the only way, and this will be established by the medical commission, the person is prescribed hormonal preparations. In women, menstruation immediately disappears, hair growth increases, and men acquire the features of women. The civilian sex has to be changed before the operation. This, of course, is rather humiliating; some look at the “applicants” with pity, and some openly despises.

It's always harder to make a woman a man, percent successful operations in this case below. It is very difficult to replace female genitalia with male ones. Nevertheless, many who need an operation find mental balance only after it has been carried out.

In Israel, the waiting period for a decision has already been reduced to 9 months. Many countries are moving towards transsexuals. The Permission Commission consists of several people: plastic surgeon, psychiatrist, endocrinologist, gynecologist (or urologist - for men). The operation lasts 7-9 hours. To create a vagina, doctors use part of the penis. From the skin of the scrotum create the labia. As a result, men have no external differences - even gynecologists take them for a woman. Of course, if the operation is successful.

After surgery, a liquid diet and plenty of sleep are indicated. The release takes place within 10 days. If the operation is done in a good clinic, the risk of bleeding and infection is minimal.

Sex-change operation

Some people feel very uncomfortable in their body. Such people are called transsexuals. Transsexualism is behavioral disorder. But thanks modern medicine These people have a chance to change their lives. Sex change is a long and laborious process. And such patients require an ethical and careful approach. A lot of money is required for a sex change, permission from the authorities and a passage, it seems, through all the circles of hell, because those who want to change their sex are waiting not only for several painful operations, but also for a long paperwork. Life expectancy after the operation is reduced, until the end of days, a person who has gone through this drinks hormones, which strikes at the internal organs.

Thailand is the leader in the number of such operations. Thailand has the lowest cost of gender reassignment surgery. Officially, there are 15,000 transsexuals in the country.

Why do people decide to do this? Because gender defines personality. Before the operation, a person has to go through several stages of preparation. For a year, a person takes hormones and lives like a member of the opposite sex. Permission is granted only if the person early age feels a sexual inconsistency that causes him suffering. At the same time, the “candidate” should not have other deviations in the psyche.

If the operation is successful, the person receives new documents. Family support is essential for adaptation.

Any operation is a risk of bleeding and infection, death from anesthesia. You need to weigh all the risks before you decide on this, because there will be no turning back.

Hormone therapy for sex change

Hormone therapy for transsexual women includes estrogens and antiandrogens. In some cases, progestogens are also prescribed. Basically, estrogens are taken in the form of tablets or a special patch containing them is glued to the skin. Suitable tablets for hormone replacement therapy: Diane 35, Logest. The dosage of these drugs is individual. Do not change the dose or stop taking.

Hormone therapy is started 9 months before surgery and stopped one month before.

The appointment of hormone therapy begins with a blood test to determine the initial amount of hormones. Examinations are carried out every 2 months. This frequency is minimal, if necessary, the analysis should be taken more often.

Of great importance for MtF transsexuals is a decrease in testosterone close to the lower limit of normal in women.

After and after 6 months after the start of therapy with female sex hormones, hemoglobin tests are taken, lipid profile and liver enzymes.

After the operation, once a year, you need to check the level of hemoglobin and free testosterone (for men who have changed their sex to women).

Change male to female

Sex change from male to female is common. The surgeon is faced with the task of forming a vagina from the tissues of the scrotum. In addition, they do breast augmentation and give the face a more feminine look by changing the cheekbones and chin, rhinoplasty.

Before the operation, the patient passage is a long (about 3 years) period of preparation. It includes psychological adaptation to a new gender role and the use of hormones. The absence of a confirmed diagnosis of transsexuality, homosexuality and childhood (up to adulthood) are contraindications to changing the male to female gender.

After the operation, the patient stays in the hospital for 5-6 days.

The external genitalia are formed either by grafting the skin of the penis and scrotum, or using tissue sigmoid colon.

Why are there so many cases of gender reassignment from male to female? AT last years women are becoming more and more powerful, while men are turning from fearsome lions into cats. But it's not only that. Scientists have proven that the causes of transsexuality should be sought even in the period of intrauterine development. Sometimes a woman has hormonal disbalance. This is what causes the “change of consciousness”.

Even after a person goes through these many sufferings, sometimes the problems do not end. For many representatives of the strong half of humanity, it is difficult to cope with the condemnation that society constantly expresses to them in connection with a sex change. Relatives and friends may simply be shocked.

The success of the operation depends on age and health. After the operation, the patient is under the supervision of a surgeon.

Medicine, over the years of practicing such interventions, has developed special methods for managing transgender patients. The problem is that gender can be mental, genital and physical. The purpose of the operation is to eliminate the contradiction between the biological and mental sex.

Hormone therapy before surgery suppresses secondary signs"original" sex - the one that the patient wants to change. Replacement hormone therapy is prescribed for life.

How is the vagina recreated? There are several methods:

1. Penal inversion method. The vagina is modeled from the skin of the penis in 5 hours. The method is the simplest and widely used. After surgery at least side effects and fast recovery working capacity. The method is indicated if the length of the penis is more than 12 cm.
2. Method with skin grafting of the penis and scrotum. A lengthy operation allows you to create a vagina and labia normal size. The operation is long - about 7 hours. The skin of the forearm may be used if there is insufficient material. The method is practiced with a small size of the penis.
3. The most complex method is modeling using a fragment of the sigmoid colon. After this operation, there is no danger of tightening the vagina. But nausea and subsequent complications of the bowel may be noted.

Change from female to male

Reassignment from female to male involves the removal of the mammary glands, the enlargement of the uterus and fallopian tubes, and the creation of a penis. The procedure for changing sex from both male to female and from female to male always takes place in several lengthy stages. The presence of transsexuality is confirmed by a psychiatrist. Then long time the patient takes hormones. And only after that a series of operations is done.

First, the mammary glands are removed, then the ovaries and fallopian tubes, then the testicles and penis are formed. Rehabilitation after breast removal lasts about 3 weeks.

The operation of removal of the ovaries and fallopian tubes is performed laparoscopically or by abdominal means. Rehabilitation after it takes about a week.

A penis about 8 cm long can be formed surgically. Phalloplasty is very complicated operation. For transplantation, skin is taken from the thighs or abdomen.

Sex change in children

There is a growing number of teenagers who are being helped by doctors to change their gender. In such people, the structure of the brain is always closer to the other sex. Some children try to get rid of secondary sexual characteristics, mutilate themselves, are ridiculed. Therefore, from puberty until the age of 18, such adolescents take drugs to stop sexual development, and then, as adults, undergo sex reassignment surgery.

If the newborn's genitals are deformed, you must immediately choose the gender for him and operate. Usually hermaphrodites are turned into women. But, of course, such children become infertile in the future.

Forced sex change

History knows cases of forced sex change. Similar experiments were carried out in Nazi concentration camps. Josef Mengele is a doctor who used thousands of Auschwitz prisoners to conduct mocking experiments, cut off parts of the liver from children, infected people with typhus and performed forced sex change operations.

Unfortunately, such savagery in some countries is still flourishing. Due to the peculiarities of culture in India, it is better for the family when a boy is born. Therefore, some parents find doctors committing a crime - changing the sex of a child who was not born with signs of both sexes.

Sex reassignment clinics

Sex change is carried out in Moscow, St. Petersburg. In Moscow, the service is provided by the SM Clinic. Surgeons with many years of experience work here. The clinic has a modern operating room with high-tech equipment, and staying in the hospital will be comfortable for the patient. SM-clinic is a universal family clinic with a department plastic surgery. In the clinic, before the operation, you can undergo body diagnostics using MRI, CT, endoscopy, you can go through everything necessary tests. People from all over the CIS operate here.

Also in Moscow, sex change is done in medical center"Medstyle effect". It is located in a picturesque corner of the city. In the center, doctors give everyone a very attentive reception and help to solve the most delicate problems. Sex reassignment surgery is carried out by candidates and doctors of sciences.

In St. Petersburg, sex change is done by the Rami clinic. This is a multidisciplinary clinic. Here, about 79% of patients are satisfied with the work of the surgeon as a result. Doctors will not undertake the operation if you do not have a certificate from a psychiatrist in your hands that you are a transgender. Also, for a year and a half before the operation, you must drink hormones. It is impossible to go back after sex reassignment surgery, weigh your decision.

Such operations are also carried out City Hospital No. 9 of the city of St. Petersburg. Qualified surgeons work in the Department of Aesthetic and Plastic Surgery. Before the operation, you will need to register with a psychiatrist for a period of 1 year and obtain a certificate stating that the person has a diagnosis of transsexualism. First, the genitals are reconstructed, then both men and women need mammoplasty. If a woman wants to change her gender to a male, her uterus, fallopian tubes are removed, the vagina is closed, the scrotum, penis and testicles are created, subcutaneous fat is removed from the thighs using liposuction.

The operation is carried out upon reaching middle age- 21 years old. You will have to undergo a comprehensive psychiatric and physical examination and 1 year of hormone therapy (sometimes more).

Sex change in Thailand

The leader in gender reassignment surgery is Thailand. Thai surgeons in this area have a very great experience. In Thailand, sex reassignment surgery will cost three times less than in the US, and the quality will hardly suffer. In Thailand, gender reassignment surgery is performed on persons over 18 years of age. More often men want to change sex than women.

The patient spends a month in Thailand after the operation for rehabilitation.

Sex reassignment is successfully carried out by the doctors of the Bangkok Hospital Pattaya clinic.

The starting price of sex reassignment surgery in Thailand is $5,000. AT recent decades medical tourism in Thailand has become very popular. Here people combine leisure with useful activities.

Plastic surgeons in Thailand are professionals in their field. The low price is due to high competition. Many surgeons lecture at US universities. The hospitals have excellent service, clean rooms. The climate of Thailand speeds up recovery after the operation: it is warm here, the sea is nearby.

Sex change in Russia

Sex change in Russia is not carried out for everyone. First you need to be registered with a psychiatrist for up to 3 years. At the end of this period, the medical commission must issue him a certificate stating that he is indeed a transsexual. Only after that you can start hormone therapy and preparation for surgery. This takes about a year.

If a woman wants to become a man, she needs to undergo several operations: remove the breast, close the vagina, lengthen the clitoris, remove the ovaries, fallopian tubes and uterus, create a scrotum, testicles and penis. As a result, there are at least three stages.

In Russia, a patient under 21 years of age is not subject to gender reassignment. Elderly people, people with alcoholism and children are not subject to gender reassignment.

The sex change mindset is found in homosexuals and schizophrenic patients. Therefore, only one of the 4 requests is granted.

Sex change in Belarus

Sex change in Belarus is free for its citizens, and for foreigners the price is $3,000. To change sex, you need to see a psychiatrist for a long time, and then go through a commission of 15 people: it includes doctors and lawyers. Approximately 50% of applicants receive permission to change sex. In Minsk, sex change operations are performed by Ukrainians and Russians.

Sex change in Ukraine

Sex change in Ukraine is possible for persons over 18 years of age who do not have children and families after a psychiatric examination and undergoing hormone therapy. A person must have a job and housing, not abuse alcohol.

The number of people wishing to change their gender is growing. However, in no country in the world do they change the sex of everyone. Doctors first find out why a person needs it. In the presence of schizophrenia and other mental disorders, the operation is denied. A psychiatrist, a surgeon, a gynecologist, an endocrinologist, and a lawyer participate in the commission that decides whether or not to have an operation.

How much does a sex change cost?

Sex reassignment is carried out in many countries of the world and, of course, it depends on how much this operation will cost you. Operations are carried out in Iran, Thailand, Europe, Russia. In Russia, the operation will cost about 600,000 rubles. It is necessary to carry out several stages of reconstruction. 600,000 rubles is only an operation on the genitals. In Germany, the price can reach 30,000 Euros. You should also consider the rather high cost of mandatory hormone therapy.

Free sex change

In Russia, women who want to become a man get phalloplasty for free. For men who turn into women, the vagina is formed free of charge. Only hospital stay, hormonal therapy, mammoplasty are paid. For foreign citizens sex change is paid. The cost of the operation is 600,000 rubles or so.

The same applies to the Republic of Belarus. Also, sex change operations are performed free of charge for citizens of Brazil. True, in this country, the period of observation by psychiatrists is very long - 3 years. Since 2000, 300 gender reassignment surgeries have been performed. The authorities believe that if transsexualism is a violation of sexual identity, the only possible treatment for which is often a sex change operation, then not giving citizens the right to change sex for free is ignoring the Constitution. In these countries medical service free for residents.

At the expense of the state, gender reassignment operations are carried out on native Israelis. As of 2014, 27 citizens are waiting for permission to perform a sex change operation.

The decision is yours - maybe, if you think carefully, you will understand that there are many other ways out of the situation, not only a sex change.

sex after sex change

Sex change, if it is carried out normally, has little effect on the quality of sex, it is close to normal. However, it still happens that such an experience ends in disappointment.

A transsexual girl is not a man. Gender identity always depends not on the genitals, but on the brain. Transgender women are not homosexuals. They are women in every sense of the word, born in a male body. We all fall in love not only with the body, but also with the soul. You can consider that nature mistakenly imprisoned the transsexual in the body of the opposite sex, and with the operation he only corrected this mistake, finding the way to harmony with himself and the world.

Problems can arise when the desires of partners do not match. Transsexual women's sexuality differs from men's in the same way as women's.

If a woman turns into a man, then the base of the penis is formed from the remnants of the genital organs and during the next operation a prosthesis is attached to it, or the penis is formed from its own tissues. The "grown" penis has only a slightly reduced sensitivity.

Orgasm after sex change

Sex change makes orgasm possible. This can happen immediately or after some time, sometimes several years. Most patients are satisfied with the results they can achieve.

Gender reassignment is a serious change, many people who go for it build illusions about their new body, hover in the clouds, do not understand what they will face after the operation. If you have such a desire, be prepared for hatred, aggression, rejection of others, even relatives and friends. Get ready for a job change. All necessary tests surveys will take one and a half to two years. It will cost you a tidy sum, about a thousand dollars. Hormone therapy begins 9 months before surgery and is prescribed for life. The operation costs $7,000-20,000, but some countries have made it free for their citizens. After the operation, you will have to change your passport, diploma, medical insurance, great amount bureaucratic procedures. It's still about a year old.

If you experience sexual satisfaction from wearing lingerie, this is fetishism, not transsexualism. You don't need to change gender in this case.

Your libido and even direction will change sexual attraction after operation. As a result of taking hormones, your kidneys and heart will fail faster. Hormones in such quantities in any scenario harm the body, even if you have good health. Hormones are poison. They cannot be poison only when they are produced. naturally. There is no need to get away from problems in life with the help of a sex change, because psychologists and psychiatrists will definitely notice this when they give you a “verdict” - whether or not to have an operation. And no problem can be solved by changing gender. If you are a man and want to become a woman, then we will answer you that you will never become a woman in the full sense because of infertility. The entire transformation takes 2-5 years. Sometimes a lot of facial surgery is needed because hormones can't make you a woman, they can only make you look like a woman. Relatives and friends always react negatively to this, that is, by solving one problem, you can acquire many others. psychological problems in addition. And again you will beat the thresholds of the offices of psychologists and psychotherapists.

The material is intended for persons over 18 years of age.

He is 25 years old, he has never been a woman and has always tried to prove it formally. Some people are used to gender stereotypes, others are in favor of erasing boundaries, and still others have to struggle with their exclusivity and strive for an unattainable norm. It is difficult to fit into society, but it is possible, despite the lack of a legislative procedure. The Internet creates a false impression that transgender people are perverts, porn actors, poseurs and generally allow themselves a lot, but this is not always the case: we simply do not see embedded people.

Russian legislation says practically nothing about gender reassignment, but suggests doing it this way: first, do the operation, then change the documents. On the one hand, this is true: first, the real state of affairs changes, then the formal one. So that there are no scammers who change their minds about going to the surgeon with a new passport, it is necessary to oblige people to change their sex surgically, if they are so sure of their desire. On the other hand, changing a passport only after the operation forces a person to go under the knife and operate on fragile organs. The change of documents does not follow the change of sex, but the change of sex is forced to obey the need for a change of documents. The person looks like a man and is a man, but has a female passport. To settle the contradiction, it is not enough for him to simply change the document - he must definitely cut out his genitals.

Nikita, like many other transgender people, does not want to have a lower operation. He did not find a similar legislative practice in Russia and created his own precedent.

The Village talked to him about what defines a man as a man.

About self awareness

From childhood, I was annoyed by the address to me in the feminine gender. All philology infuriated me: verbs, pronouns, possessives, adjectives. Even at an unconscious age, I flatly refused to wear dresses. It probably looked normal: there are girls who love pants and cars, then they grow up into women who prefer sports rather than beauty salons. I was interested in boys and wanted to be equal to them. That is, I was equal: we jumped around the garages, I was even the leader in our games. But from the very beginning, something was wrong: I did not perceive myself as a girl.

Everyone wanted to see me in a skirt, and I tried to match it. I began to wear dresses to classmates for joy, they kept saying that it suits me. Once I had a serious experience of self-acceptance. I had almost no women's clothing, more and more shirts and pants. I took something from my mother, dressed like a woman and went for a walk. Summer, I'm wearing a top with a vulgar neckline and a frivolous skirt, has not yet passed severe sore throat and no voice. I am walking along the Moscow railway station, towards me - a homeless-looking man. And in his eyes you can clearly see: “I want!” I am away from him - he is towards me, I step aside - he is there too. And here I am mine in a hoarse voice I tell him: "Man, back off." It was funny to me that I have a female appearance, and at that moment I felt everything: this is not me.

I had enough with skirts for a while, went back to my grinders and jeans.

In high school, a dramatic story happened to me, a love triangle. Two friends fell in love with me, and I fell in love with one of them. It was so hard because she couldn't confess. Now I can speak openly, but then - no, of course. Long before hormone therapy, I had only guesses about myself. Once we had a comic conversation with that friend who was in love with me: they say, somewhere in distant Thailand they are doing operations, you can become a man, and we will be happy together. Yes, it's great, of course, but they make freaks out of people. For a long time I thought with horror about such operations, I did not see good examples.

This is Nikita

Once I tried on myself what it's like to be a man. A friend invited her on a trip to the reserve, where a group of people study animals, count footprints in the snow and keep a record of the population. We talked before that, arrived, and she introduced me: “This is Nikita.” I thought: "Okay, let it be Nikita." Then there was no way back, but only in one company. When your name is different - this is a departure into the looking glass, and I wanted to return there. They called me that because that's how it should be. For the first time a new name appeared in December, then in January I was introduced to Nikita in another company. I thought hard and already in March I decided on hormone therapy.

About hormones

The Internet told me everything: how such people live in America, how they get out of this situation. I can't imagine how earlier people they themselves came to such decisions when there was no information - no way, probably. I looked at the forums, asked people what and where they buy, they told me about pharmacies in Moscow. I needed an omnadren. I marked several points on the map, literally in the first one, somewhere near the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I bought five packs - a reserve for a year. I didn't wait medical evidence the fact that I am transgender, began to inject hormones illegally. I was 20 years old.

Hormone therapy begins to act from the second day. First, the sensitivity of the genital organs changes. The ovaries stop working, the breasts deflate, the clitoris enlarges. The first three months are wildly painful, because the change is very uneven. I don't know how to describe it biologically - as if foreskin grows later than the clitoris enlarges. My mother breeds Maine Coons, they have the same thing: kittens first grow hind legs, and the front ones remain small, and in childhood they look like rabbits. A strange comparison of the genitals with kittens, of course, but biology is generally a tricky thing.

While you inject hormones, the female body does not work, if you stop - will return to his place.
Male reproductive system "disposable": irreversible castration occurs after hormone therapy

Changing voice takes about six months. Fat is gradually redistributed - it leaves the hips and chest. Instead of a female tummy, a male belly can grow, but there will never be cellulite. The shape of the face changes, hair begins to grow. While you inject hormones female body does not work, if you stop, it will return to its place. The male reproductive system is “disposable”: after hormone therapy, irreversible castration occurs. The testicles have shrunk, and goodbye. This seems to confirm that men for evolution, and women for stability, will adapt to any changes. Unlike the fragile male reproductive system, the female is very mobile. For me, this is lifelong therapy.

Now I'm in a rollback, I don't inject hormones and I'm not best form. Sometimes I look at myself in the mirror and think: "You're crazy, it's bad." I could not afford to buy the drug - they threw me at work, and the prices also skyrocketed because of the dollar. Previously, five ampoules cost 500 rubles and, they say, the state bought out 80% of their value. Now one ampoule costs 800 rubles. To function properly, I need at least two pieces a month. The body requires high doses, it quickly processes testosterone, and levels can drop. Yes, I didn’t have any money at all due to a setup with a job at a construction site, even for two ampoules a month. The contractor took payment from the customer and did not transfer it to us. I was left without a salary and framed my team, did not pay the guys. Full bottom, after that I sat for a month and looked at the ceiling, ashamed and bad. Self-esteem dropped below zero. Now I started to work, today I made the first injection, soon everything will return to normal.

It is curious that before the rollback, I thought that PMS was a female whim. I didn’t have this, and now I suddenly began to feel every month. Exactly a week it seems to me that everything is bad, people are terrible, life is at zero. I look at myself from the outside and think: hey, man, isn't that day just approaching? Well, yes, I tell myself, life is shit, you have depression, but it's just because of the hormones. How do women tolerate this?

About commission

Some people make a certificate quickly, in six months. I, like a good man, chose long way and did everything right. We don't have rules though. The laws do not prohibit gender reassignment and do not describe how to do it legally. We are outside the law. There are many sources of information, but they are unreliable. Before the age of 21, it seems that you cannot get a certificate stating that you are transgender. I was 19, and I decided to register in advance - I need to be observed by a psychiatrist for two years. I went to a commission in St. Petersburg, for some reason I decided that it was better there. It was possible to do this in Lyakhovo, Nizhny Novgorod, but I did not know that at the time.

When I arrived at the commission, I already looked like a man. I was the only one - people of indeterminate sex were sitting around. I have a negative attitude towards such undercooked creatures, they confuse me. A glamorous guy was sitting next to me, throwing such hot looks at me - he was curious why I look so good here.

Before the commission there was a test with funny questions - draw a non-existent animal, choose a color. You pass it, then six months later they invite you to a commission. If you don't have schizophrenia, then it's a quick procedure. A couple of days later they gave me a confirmation. I was confirmed that I was transgender, and from that moment I could legally buy hormones, have surgery and change documents.

About changing documents

I look like a man, my name is Nikita, but there is another person in my passport. When I presented it, they told me: “Are you kidding me or what?” I had to show a mole on my neck, to tell that this happens. I tried not to use my passport. This is a big hemorrhoid: not to go by train, not to get a job. Traveled only on buses between cities. Some places require at least a photocopy of your passport. My girlfriend photoshops well and we made a fake copy. She took a picture of me as if I was 14 years old, wrote that I was Nikita. And it rolled. Generally speaking, I could do everything with my passport, it depended only on my desire to explain the situation.

First you cut your body, then you get documents about it. I was forced to go under the knife

The change of documents looks like this: you come to the registry office, talk about the need for a sex change, present a certificate from a doctor. They say either "okay" or "go to court". Documents are changed on the basis of a court decision. I can’t say that we have a terrible government and bureaucracy, if you want, you can do all this quickly. The only problem is that in the registry office you need to present a certificate of the operation performed. First you cut your body, then you get documents about it. In America, the opposite is true: first a passport, then an operation. I was forced to go under the knife.

I thought about the operation. I didn’t want to cut myself in Russia for little money, but I was not ready for big and high-quality money in another country. I thought and thought and decided: why not become a rebel? Yes, we are denied a passport change without surgery. But if suddenly you cannot withstand anesthesia or there are some contraindications, are you closed the way to normal life? Forcing people to do surgery is an infringement of human rights. I searched and found the TransPravo organization.

We did not know about cases of gender reassignment in Russia without surgery, but such examples were found in the UK and somewhere else. I wanted to change sex only on the basis of hormone therapy. For a long time it was not possible to find a specialist in hormones who would understand not only the thyroid gland and have necessary knowledge about transgender. I found a competent trans-friendly woman in Moscow, I had to go to her several times for one piece of paper. I explained it this way: I'm already a man and I'm not going anywhere, help me confirm this so as not to create problems for me or the state. She reacted with understanding and issued a certificate of the following content:

“Patient so-and-so has a diagnosis of F64, is on hormonal therapy, as a result of which a hormonal sex change occurred. These changes are irreversible on their own, it is recommended to change the passport gender from female to male. The recommendation is based on the order of the Ministry of Health No. 311, according to which “the generally accepted radical measure with transsexualism is the psychosocial adaptation of the patient in the field he is aware of”. Such adaptation involves a change in hormonal and PASSPORT sex.”

So she singled out in capital letters: “passport”.

The registry office did not approve the form, we rewrote it twice, then I successfully filed a lawsuit. I was advised to write on the application that the lack of an approved form is not grounds for refusal, that there were precedents for changing documents without surgery in other countries, that I now live as if with a fake passport, and that forced surgery is a violation of human rights. I was lucky, the judge was adequate and promised not to spoil my life. If in another city someone wants to change documents without surgery - now he can use my precedent. With the decision of the court, I, satisfied, went to the registry office. At the registry office, they first issued me a birth certificate, I changed my name and took my mother's maiden name. Then he changed his name in the passport to a man's, and then changed it again and changed his patronymic. I have not known my biological father since I was three years old and I have given the name of the person who raised me - the love of my mother's life. I think it's fair. Then I had to change all the other documents - SNILS, TIN, there were no problems with this, people with stacks of papers do not care. It is more difficult to change the certificate - firstly, you need to wait for the general flow until July, and secondly, you need to explain to the principal of the school, they say, remember such a girl - there was no such girl.

I felt like a revolutionary: the first person in Russia to change gender without surgery. The other day it turned out that not the first, not everything is so bad, there were more precedents. But those people attracted lawyers, sued for a long time. Everything went smoothly for me.

About military ID

When I changed my passport, I needed a military ID. Bad story. I went to the military enlistment office, the doctor looked at me through glasses and said: “Well, you should probably make yourself an artificial scrotum ...” I wanted to answer him that the scrotum does not define me as a person, but he would seem to have sent me to a fool for such. I am not fit for service due to my eyesight, but my category should be determined by the psychological "disease" F64. I would not want a trace of this to remain in my documents, I do not want to shake a piece of paper every time that I changed my biological sex. I want to end this story and forget about everything. Now I understand what can be done. It is said that transgender next year can be crossed off the list of psychological diseases. I don't want to be branded as a psycho.

About the absence of a miracle

Many people think that there is one magical moment when you change your gender. But it's not the same as dyeing your hair blue. Firstly, you cannot become a man: I have always been a man, and I needed a biological sex correction. Moreover, the correction is not in the full sense, without an artificial scrotum. Secondly, it turned out that this is a longer process of adapting oneself and society in relation to oneself. At first you get hung up on your body, then you think that you drank a magic potion and everything will be fine, but this does not happen.

You can't instantly become a man. When you have tried and you are beginning to be regarded as a man, other problems appear: you yourself cease to perceive yourself as a man. It turns out that you don't have very much that the average guy has. I need a normal job. I know what it's like to earn 70-80 thousand a month or 300 rubles a day, and now I want to make good money. It is sad that with all my desire they will not take me into the army. If I could rewind everything and be born normal, I might go into the Navy. I want to function in society as a man - to assert myself. It's not about conforming to stereotypes, the patterns of a rude, brutal and rough man are not for me. This is complex issue which means courage. It is not only external, but also social.

About someone else's perception

There are three groups of people: adequate, compassionate and inadequate. This is a normal human perception: when they show you on TV strange people, you think - here they are psychos, in vain they cripple themselves. I really think there should be fewer people like me. You can’t call it wrong, it’s just there, like children with cerebral palsy - and I want there to be fewer of them and us. Transgender people are sometimes killed, there is even a day of remembrance. They often face cruelty up to physical violence. Although I have not met completely inadequate, more compassionate. An article was once written about me, it turned out to be mediocre, but with great sympathy. I realized that ordinary people this topic cannot be covered. For everyone, it seems that this is a choice: he wanted and changed. But this is not a choice, it was so right away. I didn't change gender, I've always been a man. You can't say "when he was a woman", such people have never been women. My mother was impressed by one film, after which she accepted me. Probably this the only case when everything was shown beautifully and truthfully in the cinema. Of course, it was not without tear squeezers. The standard plot: an Islamic girl is not understood by her relatives, it is hard for her, she suffers and does not understand herself, there is conservatism around. Mom was imbued, called me in tears and said: “Forgive me, please, I finally realized your problems.”

I often see m2f, that is, women from a male body. They are often hypertrophied feminine. Society seems to have exaggerated ideas about female sexuality. Maybe I'm just judging by what I've seen on YouTube. Some want to live for show, while others, on the contrary, hide.

Now I have a problem in communicating with men. I really don't like it when men act unmanly. For example, I had a colleague, a typical closet from the area. We took care of the animals - an easy job that didn't require too many paperwork. At the end of the day, you need to take out a bucket of dirty water. When I came to my shift, the bucket remained in place: my colleague did nothing. Perhaps I have a perverted idea of ​​a man, but it seems to me that he should have shown responsibility. I do not slander anyone and do not shift my duties. This person is perceived as a man by outward signs - I am outraged by such a discrepancy.

Hemingway has a novel in which the main character gets his dick shot off. He first worries about this, and then he realizes that masculinity is different. So was I: I was born with this problem, I brought myself into line with my gender, I create ideas for myself about what is masculine, and strive for it.

About activism

I'm comfortable with my gender, I don't want to blur boundaries. Now the post-gender theory is relevant - I do not share it. In my opinion, it is foolish to deny that there are women and men. Perhaps I look like a gay - so what, at a construction site I carry bags in a very unpretentious manner, spit and pour shit on lazy people. I'm straight, but don't have a straight parade. I don't want to stand out. I am not an activist, I see no motivation for this. I don't understand who needs it. It seems to be desirable, but it is not clear why. Let the activists do what they like, they will help someone. In general, I am one of those people who ran around with spray cans and stencils during the time of Bolotnaya and wrote: "Putin is a thief." Yes, I could have been sued a long time ago: illicit trafficking in anabolics, forgery of documents, extremism. I called people to the rally, it was important to me. Didn't participate this year though.

I don't want to stand out.
I am not an activist, I see no motivation for this

I have a guy at work who has "Maria" written on his badge. In my opinion, he is in a tie, and he is uncomfortable when colleagues refer to him by female name. I always want to go up to him and say: “Boy, I have the same problem, maybe I can help you?” This has nothing to do with parades and the struggle for their rights. I have knowledge and can give advice. If someone is outside the law and outside the traditions, we need to help him fit in. Here I get it.

Photo: Cover, 1 - Ilya Bolshakov, 2 - personal archive of the hero