Video Details Male-To-Female Gender Reassignment Surgery

This article was originally published on December 13, 2015.

It's been a year of major boosts in visibility for the transgender community — from comprehensive profiles in major news outlets, such as the recent tale of Kricket Nimmons in The New York Times, to Jeffrey Tambor's Emmy-winning character in Transparent and the Pentagon's decision to lift the ban on transgendered soldiers serving openly in the military. And yes, Caitlyn.

When it comes to sex reassignment surgery (SRS), however — when a trans individual transitions, should that be their wish — most of us are fuzzy on the details. How do they actually do it? Unless you're a very skilled surgeon or working on a team at a hospital that does sex reassignment surgery, you probably won't ever get to actually see what that looks like. Until today. The European Society of Urology uploaded a detailed video illustrating the complicated surgery, and it's fascinating. The animation — which might make the squeamish among us a little uncomfortable — shows a surgeon's hand slicing open the scrotum and removing the testicles. The hand then removes the tip of the penis (which will be used to create a clitoris); the shaft and the scrotum are then used to create the labia and vaginal canal. It's a very impressive endeavor — one that should give the woman everything she needs for a healthy sex life. Watch the video and remember that science is awesome. In fact, experts say they should be able to give male-to-female trans people the abilty to have a child within five years.