Gender, Gender And Race, By Christine Overall And Cressida...

Christine Overall and Cressida Heyes are two authors who argue whether transracial surgery is legitimate under the condition of that transsexual surgery is acceptable. Their arguments are opposing to each other. Overall insists that both surgeries should be acceptable while Heyes does not agree with Overall. They both agree with that race and sex-gender are socially constructed. Thus, Overall has no problem with the concept of identity changes—for both sex-gender and race—however, Heyes argues that they are not constructed in the same way. Christine Overall is advocating the claim that transracial surgery is not problematic if transsexual surgery is acceptable. She brings possible arguments and discusses them against â€Å"rejecters of†¦show more content†¦Someone might point out that people who want to have the surgery for identity change, which can be either sex or race, are not be able to make a right decision or psychologically confused. However, Overall suggests that we have seen many people who did not have any problem in their work, relationship, and life after the surgery. If we assume that someone wants to change his or her identity due to a confusion, this case must be considered with oppression and discrimination that this person has experienced. Thus, it is not correct to say that people who want to change their identity are purely due to the mental sickness or confusion. Unlike Overall, Cressida Heyes argues that transracialism is not reasonable, while transsexualism is. Heyes brings up Overallâ €™s statement, claiming â€Å"if transsexual surgery is morally acceptable†¦ then transracial surgery should be morally acceptable† (269). Heyes admits that the argument of Overall is clear—both sex and race are socially constructed rather than inherited. Nonetheless, Heyes throws a question if they are constructed in the same way. Heyes would say no since Overall’s hypothetical approach is not meant to consider the history of two different identities. She also suggests few other differences between race and sex. Heyes brings three different points between race and sex. Firstly, she introduces â€Å"One-Drop Rule†