Open Forum: Transition - Choice or Necessity?

Some people under the transgender umbrella elect to undergo hormones and/or Sexual Re-Assignment Surgery (SRS) in order to transition into the gender that feels more appropriate for themselves.

People often say "sexual orientation is not a choice" while others maintain that it is a "lifestyle choice" and some go onto further explain that sexual feelings are not a choice but the behavior and actions are. Is the same true with sexual re-assignment surgery, are the gender identity feelings not a choice but electing to do something about it is? If we maintain that sexual behavior and gender transition are choices we face the question of whether the individual could go on living their life and it factors into the equation variables such as suicide, depression, etc. If we maintain that it is not a choice how do we deal with the fact that not all transgender people opt for any hormones and/or surgery. The transgender umbrella has pre-operative, non-operative, and post-operative trans people.

The question this week is a complicated one and as such I expect a variety of different responses to the query.

When it comes to transitioning gender, do you think this is a mere choice or a necessity for the person who is transgender?

(Oh, and in case you are wondering the picture is of Theresa Sparks who made history as the first transgender woman elected to head a major metropolitan city's police commission in the United States).