When a sub group feels they are not getting all they can out of U.S. law, they start to look for alternative ways to get a result while staying within the law. One of these groups has found a technicality in U.S. law — a loophole that may sound unreasonable. More precisely, a loophole allowing same-sex marriage.This group of people are transgender individuals. Transgender people who go through the process of legally changing their sex can marry as their reassigned sex. This hole in the system may seem like the answer to many lesbian, gay, bisexual, trangender, queer problems, but in reality it’s the opposite. Not all of the LGBTQ community would even consider a sex change just to marry.Usually, lesbians, gays and bisexuals don’t want to change their sex. Lesbians are women who like women — the whole point is that there’s no man in the picture. Neither partner in any of these relationships would be comfortable with changing their sex.It’s necessary to note is that sex and gender are completely different.Sex has to do with the genitalia with which the person was born — where as gender cannotes identification as male,  female or something in the middle. A transgender person feels their gender is different from sex. Psychologists call this condition “Gender Identity Disorder.” A person with GID may take years to figure out how they identify and how they want to transition. A physical transition isn’t a choice made lightly and many transgender individuals will take years to figure out if transitioning is right for them.These people are often mislabeled as cross-dressers or transvestites — they were even put into the same category as “lizard people” the last time the topic was broached in this paper. But cross dressers, transvestites and “lizard people” do not have GID.Further, a sex change is not the right answer to marriage because of its difficulty.The legal process to change sex often involves psychological therapy, hormone therapy and various forms of procedures to alter appearance. A male to female transsexual (MTF) will usually go through hormone therapy, electrolysis, top surgery and sometimes bottom surgery. A female to male transsexual (FTM) will usually go through hormone therapy, a mastectomy, a hysterectomy and sometimes bottom surgery.These procedures can cost between $40,000 and $120,000.A transsexual individual usually spends at least one year “passing” or living as the desired sex full time. During this period the person must make all social changes — coming out as transgender to friends and family, coming out at work or switching jobs starting as their new gender, asking others to use the “correct” pronoun and legally changing one’s name. They then need letters from doctors that confirm performed procedures to change their sex — and then a judge has to approve it. Only Idaho, Ohio and Tennessee refuse to permit an individual from changing sex.Several states will not allow a post-op transgender to marry as their reassigned sex including Texas and New York.When the person’s sex is legally changed, they can get a legal marriage provided their state permits it.Even though the rights and benefits of legal marriage are great, they are not worth the physical, psychological, social, sexual and emotional torment that an individual must experience to get there. A sex change only proves worthy for those who truly have GID and find that benefits outweight the heavy consequences.Isabel Blum is a 20-year-old communication disorders junior.—-Contact Isabel Blum at [email protected]