John Mark Karr and Gender Reassignment Surgery...Fact or Fiction

Sunday, August 27, 2006

The story broke in the New York Daily News. John Mark Karr, living in Thailand, and, evidently obssessed with Jon Benet Ramsey, was due to have Gender Reassignment surgery. They, however, did not use that language. Rather, they appealed to sensationalist journalism by alleging that Mr. Karr was a "gender bender" and insinuated by the tone of thier article that this was just one more piece of evidence to make the case that John Mark Karr was a pervert, a sexual deviant.

It is a fact that Mr. Karr DID have facial hair removed. It is NOT a fact that he had consulted Dr. Dr. Thep Vechavisit, a surgeon at Pratunam Polyclinic, regarding GRS. There was no evidence that he had been undergoing hormone replacement therapy nor had he even begun to fulfill the requirement of living in the manner of his chosen gender presentation, i.e, as a woman and no evidence that he had intended to do so. Given these facts, it is a stretch, at best, to make the case for his intended Gender Reassignment surgery.

Stories such as this one, rife with sensationalism, are written with the intent to sell papers. Many other so called "newspapers" use the same tactics. It is, in my humble opinion, obvious that their interest in the bottom line may distort their ability to give an accurate portrayal of reality. The actual effect, however, on bona fide transgender individuals certainly does not advance our efforts to promote understanding and acceptance of who we are and what we seek in life.

For the most part, we are, other than our belief in gender diversity, just like anyone and everyone else. We come from all walks of life, all professions, and the vast majority of those seeking a fitting gender presentation that resonates with their psyches are expressly not sexual deviants nor are they pedophiles. They have no more of an identification with being a 6 year old girl than any other person would. Allegations which remain unfounded serve to further misinformation and intolerance and feed into the dogma of ignorance, fear and hatred,a syllogism that has become all to familiar to minorities of all ilks. The intent of this line of reasoning smacks of the Bailey "autogynophilia" thesis which is patently unproved, undocumented and backed by flawed scientific procedural evidence.

I respectfully request that those interested in this case do not let their imaginations run wild. Do not allow yourselves to become misguided. Keep the truth close to your hearts and strive to discover the actual facts, not those alleged "quasi-facts" which Mr. Colbert has so astutely called "truthiness". The best way to ascertain reality is to engage, in discourse, a transgender individual. Do so without preconceived mindsets and with no prior biases. Do so with the intent to educate yourselves and to broaden your horizons. You may find that the individual with whom you had opened a dialogue is more like you than you had realized.

trickster108