Myth 2: Female transsexualism is a new phenomenon having no historical antecedents and being the product of media exploitation of fads regarding interest in anything sexual.

The data are compelling. Female transsexualism is, as one researcher suggested, "un mal ancien"; a disorder which has its roots in ancient civilization; is mentioned in the Bible (Deuteronomy 22:5); has cross cultural and anthropological significance; and was first noted as a possible psychological disorder in the nineteenth century. The fact that the media have exploited the sensational aspects of female transsexualism is interesting but irrelevant to its historical roots. Clearly we are not dealing with a fad but a phenomenon which is documented throughout western civilization and across many non western cultures.

Myth 3: Female transsexualism is solely a physiological disorder, related to chromosomal, genetic, and endocrinological influences. It has been widely believed that the disorder of female transsexualism can be explained entirely by an appeal to a purely physiological hypothesis. Such issues as the effect of prenatal hormones on brain development and gender behavior, cerebral pathology, EEG disturbances, chromosomal genetic hormonal factors, and recent studies on H Y antigen are explored. While there is some evidence implicating a physiological basis for some female gender disorders, the basis for believing Myth 3 arises from two sources: evidence from studies on intersexual disorders and hermaphroditism (often confused with transsexualism), and the need of female transsexuals to resolve their personal guilt by attributing the disorder to an underlying physiological cause. Moreover, the conclusions of a recent study on homosexuality which popularized the notion that homosexuality was an inborn condition have been used by transsexuals to explain their condition. Once this myth is dispelled, researchers will be able to tease out the physiological versus psychological components of a given patient's female transsexualism. (see MYTHS CONCERNING THE FEMALE TRANSSEXUAL MYTH 4&5)