Hydrolife Magazine June/July 2017 (USA Edition)

Today, Rechsteiner says he knows that science has
discovered people can be born with XXY or XO chromosomes
instead of XX or XY chromosomes, and that some people
assigned female gender at birth have more testosterone
than others. He also feels that those with some differences
in sex development may be born with genitals that doctors
characterize as female at birth, but change around puberty.
“Our bodies are complex and dynamic,” he surmises. “Our
genital characteristics are just one component of who we
are and do not define, medically or biologically, our sex.
Additionally, all components of sex, from genitals to hormones
to chromosomes, exist on a spectrum rather than as a binary.”
This information, however, isn’t commonly accepted—or
universally known—just yet. And so the bullying and selfhatred
continues. Sometimes, the violence, stress, anxiety,
and fear experienced by LGBTQ individuals can lead to the
development of post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSDs). For
Rechsteiner, trigger points he had in relation to his gender
identity caused him to experience this first-hand.
“I’ll have a panic attack because of fear and internalized
self-hatred that looks very much like a PTSD episode,” he
says, adding that these episodes led him to realize that
transitional surgery from female to male was necessary for
him. “Other gender non-conforming people have told me
of similar attacks, where it feels like the world is about to
collapse in on them. Look at it this way: if your very identity
is constantly made invisible or stereotyped negatively, you
disassociate from integral parts of who you are. And what
that means is years and years of unpacking the hatred inside
yourself to find yourself again, and find love.”
Thankfully, though, it’s possible marijuana can help.
“ both the FDA and the US
Department of Health
and human Services
gave Sisley the green light to conduct
research on cannabis use for PTSD.”
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