text: I consider it a health condition, which has my sympathy. I can't imagine what it would be like to wish more than anything to be born the opposite sex. That has to be difficult, even though it's not in itself life threatening like cancer or a disability like blindness. This is only my speculation, but I think people generally would have a more sympathetic view of issues facing trans people if the public discourse was from a health standpoint rather than a sharply political one.