Body image/Phantom Penis/Phantom Breasts

This is some very interesting information taken from Queer Corner: Please have a read. (and comment toooooooo)

Hi all,

Welcome to the 31st edition of Queer Corner

When you are reading the Queer Corner emails, remember that GLBTIQ stands for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, and Queer.

I am aware that some people may find this information confronting but I feel that it would be extremely useful in increasing our understanding of the issues that Transgender clients / community members face both before and after their sexual reassignment surgery.

Here is some interesting information from an interview on ABC Radio National Science Show re Transgender people and their experiences of body image:

· "it is curious to note that most…[men] who have carcinoma [cancer] of the penis…and they have an amputation of the penis as a life saving measure…experience a phantom penis, including phantom erections…[However] the majority of…[male-to-female Transgender people]…don't experience a phantom penis. What's amazing is that your body image, which includes your genitals, is at least in part programmed by genes and your brain is hard-wired to incorporate the genitals as part of your body image."

· "Even more amazing is the observation that women who undergoe Transgender sexual surgery who acquired an artificial penis…have experienced a phantom penis [since early childhood]…all these years of...being raised as a woman, as a girl, and even seeing that they don't have a penis does not…[change] this body image…This has, of course, great implications for understanding how your brain represents sexual behaviour and constructs body image."

· Female-to-male Transgender people have also commented that "when they were first given testosterone therapy (this is sometimes done prior to surgery) the phantom [penis] becomes much more vivid. They also said that they have phantom erections, which men do even after carcinoma…The other thing is they'll give you precise descriptions of its length, they'll say sometimes it's leaning to the left primarily, or they'll say…[the] angle between the pubic bone and the penis is such-and-such…the other thing is some of…[these women]…don’t…[experience] phantom breasts, whereas when breasts are removed for carcinoma...the majority of women experience phantom breasts."

Please note that the findings of this research may not be true of the experiences of ALL Transgender people.

If you would like to read the full interview referenced in this edition of Queer Corner, you can find it on the following website:
· www.abc.net.au/rn/scienceshow/stories/2007/1861116.htm