A sex-change operation will be broadcast live on the web (through a Java applet) this afternoon (14:00, UTC -3:00). A 25 year-old man will undergo transgenitalization surgery at Hospital de Base in São José do Rio Preto (roughly 400 km north of São Paulo), Brazil. He, who calls himself Patrícia, hopes that the broadcast will help others who want to know more about the procedure. The surgical team will be led by Dr. Carlos Abib Cury (medical urologist) and Prof. Dr. Sérgio J. A. Almeida (described as doctor, psychologist, and sexologist). It will the the 50th such procedure carried out at the hospital since 1998.

The site is in Brazilian Portuguese, but Babel Fish may be capable of a passable translation (the link-text for the Java applet is "A CIRURGIA"--"the surgery"). There's a short article about it (also in Portuguese) at the website of the Folha de São Paulo.

Update: Ruby takes issue with the pronouns in this post and suggests "A 25 year-old WOMAN will undergo transgenitalization surgery at Hospital de Base in São José do Rio Preto (roughly 400 km north of São Paulo), Brazil. PATRICIA, hopes that the broadcast will help others who want to know more about the procedure."

Update 2:: Philip sez, "There is now a message that says roughly this:"

Because of the stance of the Regional Council of Medicine of Brazil, we are not transmitting today the transgenitalization surgery, as had been previously announced.

As soon as we have a new understanding with the council, we will transmit the recording of the surgery, with the participation of the team, which will be at that time available to respond by e-mail to any doubts about the subject.

Dr. Carlos Cury and team

posted by Cory Doctorow at 09:20:20 AM permalink | Other blogs' comments