How prevalent is the phenomenon of transgenderism?
More common than you might expect! First, one needs to ask themselves what really does it mean to be transgender. The answer to that varies across societies, across time, and invidual interpretations. Up until the 20th century, many governments prohibited women from the wearing of male clothing — to do so was felt to assume the privileges accorded only to men. By today’s standards, we most likely would describe many of the women who made such clothing choices as transgender, just as we include “drag queens” and “drag kings” in this category today. By this definition, there are millions of individuals around the world who could be classified as “transgender.” The number of people who find themselves to have the wrong gender, and those who are intersexed, are certainly fewer. But that’s largely irrelevant, the important fact is transgender people exist and are a part of our society. This question often comes up with regards to whether or not a minority group should be accorded “special
The prevalence of transgenderism varies depending on the definition one uses. If one uses statistics from surgery or hormones, this would leave out a large segment of the transgender population who chooses not to alter their bodies. If one uses a broader definition of anyone who transgresses traditional gender norms, the number of transpeople will be drastically larger.
