The FINANCIAL — Sex change operations are not common in Georgia, so far at Kuzanov Clinic only seven operations have been done to true transsexuals, all of them women transforming in to men.
“In Georgia the sex can only be changed of true transsexuals,” said Professor Iva Kuzanov, Kuzanov Clinic.
“Transsexualism is an innate disease, when an individual is born with a defect, when their sex is defined not by external organs but rather from birth, within their body there is another sex. As Americans declare, in the brain there are two kernels which define the sex of an individual,” Kuzanov added.
The first sex change operation was done in the year 1996. “The patient arrived at the clinic, saying she had spent five years in Moscow at a clinic where she had been proved to be a true transsexual. The first part of the operation – the reduction of primary signs, was done to her and later we created a man’s organs,” Kuzanov recalled.
As Kuzanov declared, according to world statistics one in 100,000 individual is a true transsexual.
“So far there have been seven such operations done in total at the clinic, the patients mainly between the ages of 20-35. Moreover, there are 14 patients under our observation, who due to lack of finances can’t yet afford the operation,” Kuzanov said.
“It is quite difficult to diagnose a true transsexual. When an 18 year old girl has short hair cut, dresses like a boy and tells everyone she is a man, these are the first signs that she is a transsexual,” Kuzanov said.
It is necessary to differentiate between the terms Transsexual and Transvestite. “A transvestite is a man or woman who dresses and wants to look like the opposite sex, this is more a psychological issue rather than inborn,” Kuzanov said.
If an individual decides to change their sex there are several procedures to be followed. In Georgia when a patient addresses Kuzanov Clinic with the will to change their sex, the clinic sends him/her to the Ministry of Health first, where a Bio-ethics committee for the case is created.
The committee is comprised of twelve different professors and specialists, this group includes a psychotherapist, sexopathologist, sexologist, surgeon, gynaecologist as well as two clerics. They discuss the application and refer the individual to two different independent psychiatric and sexology-pathologic departments.
Over a one year period these entities observe the patient, follow them and conduct analyses, as well as provide consultations to them. The patient is in constant communication with therapists who later diagnose whether they are a true transsexual or not. If views both from independent psychiatric and sexology-pathologic departments match, the individual is given a final document which proves that they are a true transsexual. Later, he/she goes back to the Ministry which gives them the right to go ahead with the operation and at Kuzanov Clinic the sex change surgery is done.
When the transformation is from woman to man, at the first stage the primary signs are reduced – breasts, uterus and if needed one or both ovaries. After two months, a neo phallus is inserted and vagina closed.
“Neo phallus plastics is a pure micro surgery operation, which is the most perfected reconstructive plastic surgery method. At the clinic we have quite an original method, we use individuals’ fingers in the creation of a neo phallus. The advantage of this approach is that the individual’s phallus is created from his/her own body and everything is done wholly in one operation,” Kuzanov added.
The sex change operation lasts for 14 hours, as for the rehabilitation process it takes approximately half a year.
The cost of the operation varies from 15,000-20,000 GEL at Kuzanov Clinic.
“Transsexuals need protection from the Government. There is still not a law in parliament concerning their rights. There should be a law adopted which concerns the individuals who are in need of having a sex change. A legal base should be created for the purpose of defending their rights,” Kuzanov said.
“Moreover, there is no legal base of changing the ID of a transsexual. Due to this reason many depart to live in foreign countries. Out of our seven patients, three have moved to foreign countries, received passports, started a family and raised adopted children there,” Kuzanov declared.
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