Human Enhancement Web Project

Philosophical Issues:

Many issues arise concerning individuals that identify themselves as transgender. Although acceptance of these people by society has gotten a little better, there are still many who see them as “unnatural.” Humans are usually fearful of the unfamiliar and this leads to an uncomfortable situation for both sides of this issue.

People that experience feelings of discontent with their sexual identity need to find ways to channel them. With situations like this not being the norm in our society, it easy for people to shy away from them or even condemn the individuals involved. Some may feel that the process of changing from one sex to the other goes against human nature. It is a basic argument that humans were created as either male or female and should not attempt to change God’s creation. This seems like a valid reason to shun transgenders and is in fact why many people do so. The underlying issue though is the happiness of the individual. Part of our nature is to want to be happy. Humans should be able to do what they want with their own bodies that represents what they see to be beautiful.

Recently, more and more transgender figures have been represented in the media. The most recent and far-reaching example is Katelynn from MTV’s The Real World. Being on The Real World allowed her to tell her story and maybe change the opinions of many young (and older) people about transgenders. Viewers were able to see her struggles and appreciate her as another human being.

Even though the idea of completely reassigning one’s sex seems foreign and wrong to some people, it should not be that way. People should be able to adjust their bodies in order to feel comfortable in their own skin. As with many other human enhancement technologies, the importance lies in whether or not the individual participating is content with themselves. Everyone has a different idea of what is beautiful. We need to remember that we are all human no matter how different we may be from each other.