On Gender and Other Re-Assignments

By chance, I found myself listening to an episode of BBC Radio 4's very good programme "Hecklers" the other evening. This programme seems to replace "The Moral Maze", about which I'm somewhat luke warm, during the off-peak summer season.

The subject of last week's programme was "Gender Re-Assignment" and a female journalist from The Guardian was advocating that this, when major surgery is increasingly involved, reflects an equally major social dysfunction around the rigid assignment of gender roles.

Some "Trans-People" who had received sex-change operations strongly disagreed with the journalist's argument, whilst others supported her contention and regretted having embarked upon surgery.

One issue which seemed to be absent from the discussion was the fact that some people welcome major surgery (which may or may not reflect wider social dysfunction), whether this is medical or cosmetic.

Speaking personally, I like to avoid any form of hospitalisation and when I was offered a hysterectomy several years ago, and having no symptoms to warrant such an operation, politely turned down the charming young doctor who made the offer.

Nevertheless, I can see a case for "gender-reassignment", whether or not this involves major surgery. I also acknowledge that there are very real social pressures around gender roles, and this may be one reason people choose to be single (even it they have children).

Now children's comprehension of gender tends to be conservative. So when I temporarily re-assigned the gender of the gentlemen's toilet at Cheltenham railway station the other day - the "Ladies" being "Out-of-Order" - one small boy looked most perplexed.

The subject of railway stations logically leads me on to the wider one of transport, where social dysfunction, amongst other reasons, encourages many people into excessive car dependence, both physical and psychological.

I'm still surprised by the simplistic way in which most people, including professional planners, perceive transport problems. Recommending major new road infrastructure comes all too easily, never mind that this will re-assign large amounts of traffic where it isn't wanted.

Much better that more of these people used the train more often. However, for people to re-assign their journeys to rail and other forms of public transport, some major surgery, and in some cases new infrastructure, will inevitably be required.

Finally, changes in social attitudes (to gender roles and transport) will be equally important.