Growing up as a (closeted at the time) gay kid in the suburbs, the Harry Potter books transported me to another world, one where I didn’t have to feel alone, where as Rowling said of her own books “by page or by screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home”. So many of my LGBTQ+ friends (Trans included) felt so seen by these…
Growing up as a (closeted at the time) gay kid in the suburbs, the Harry Potter books transported me to another world, one where I didn’t have to feel alone, where as Rowling said of her own books “by page or by screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home”. So many of my LGBTQ+ friends (Trans included) felt so seen by these books growing up - there was something about Potter that really resonated with the idea of being the outsider, etc. Rowling has done so much good for the world, especially for so many children with her various charities like Lumos (she is the first UK Billionaire to lose Billionaire status from donating so much to charity) and now that everyone is boycotting her, do they even realize so much of her money actually goes to supporting incredible causes? Very excited to check out this podcast, and still a huge Potter fan to this day, as it saved my life as a kid, and countless others
The human condition is a complex mix and sorting out the various emotions through experience is an excellent teaching device. Everyone on earth has voluntarily joined this school and will graduate eventually. There is no urgency and you have all the time in the world to understand what Jesus was teaching 2,000 years ago. Good luck and may the force be with you!
Never read any of her books, Justin. But Rowling has to be doing something uniquely right; she has somehow in the past twenty years or so been vilified by both the sanctimonious progressive Left and the sanctimonious Christian Right (no offense to Christians here, please..or trans either, for that matter). Now who the hell else has done that? She is proof that both extremes can have a common enemy.
Their common enemy seems to be Truth. Something that has become exceedingly uncommon, but it's something that both Bari Weiss and JK Rowling seem to have deeply in common.
First Megan you should read a book titled “Educated” by Tara Westover. Then I hope you can contact her and talk to her. You’ll know what to do next.
Second, these podcasts are so important! Megan, you have done an absolutely incredible job with these episodes. There is so much information, legitimate information here.
Third, I read all of the Harry Potter books and saw all the movies, with (or without) my three children. I’m 68. Personally, I thought of them as fantasy fiction as an adult. However I can see how my children saw much much more. JK Rowling is clearly genius as far as these books go. She makes so many good points, which I agree with. The state of gender issues in America is completely out of control. Children are being harmed, families have been ripped apart and we need to speak up about it, for the children.
Finally, I and many many others have been wondering how all the gender issues have mainstreamed. Well, I was totally unaware of the happenings on tumblr! Imagine hundreds of thousands of women on line talking about their feelings, anonymously. Ugh. And I am a woman and would never ever do that.
Great job, clearly you and Jo Rowling were meant to get together.
Justin-- People tend to be ignorant. Recently, when there was a backlash against showing Gone With The Wind in colleges because it might "trigger" people-- and then everyone turned against the deceased Margaret Mitchell-- I read that she was good friends with Benjamin May who was president of the all male- all Black Morehouse college and had donated lots of money to the college. So many people are being cancelled or blacklisted because of people who know very little beyond a Woke mentality. I worry that we are becoming a country where the Woke police are watching us in case we make a 'wrong move.'
I am with you. I'm older so didn't grow up with Harry Potter but always identified with stories like it where a variety of people with different interests come together for a common goal. I think that's why I was drawn to Star Wars--it wasn't just one hero saving the world, it was a team of people working together. I'm currently enjoying the Hogwarts game a lot with my niece and find it wild that such an innocent game provokes such outrage among so many people.
As a gay man, I'm noticing that almost all events now are slowly becoming "all trans, all the time." I, too, know transgender people including a transman who really does pass as a man. The goal of most trans people I know is to simply blend in. I sometimes think "is this muscular hairy guy REALLY someone they want to make use the women's restroom?" Also, the trans people I know did not make the decision lightly. They did it as adults and after MUCH therapy and thought. Sure, wear whatever clothes you want but no one should get irreversible gender surgery until they're at least in their 20s.
Just passing on the theme here: I was a very heterosexual, yet lonely and misunderstood kid when I was young. It was The Lord of the Rings for me. Oh, and Conan the Barbarian. I blame my unrealistic expectations of women's bodies on the popular Conan art. :)
I think most reasonable people are fine with adults making adult decisions on how they want to live their lives. If I met someone like Chaz Bono or Caitlin Jenner on the street, I would have no idea about their birth gender, nor would I care. If someone wants to truly be thought of and treated as the opposite sex, why make a big deal out of it by declaring yourself as "trans", it kind of defeats the purpose.
What I have a problem with is first, the increasing numbers of rapid onset gender dysphoria in teenage girls, and the rapidity with which they are pushed into transformation.
I also have a problem with this "non-binary" they/them stuff. Pick what you want to be and be it. I truly think some of this is a form of rebellion like the beatniks, hippies and punks in previous generations, not true "transgenderism".
It also seems that many of these people are attracted to the opposite sex, but instead of accepting themselves as being homosexual, they convince themselves they are the opposite sex.
I implore you to research what genuine experts have to say about "rapid onset gender dysphoria". The term originated from a few religious websites for parents of trans kids who were seeking support. It's called that because the parents think it happens "so suddenly", when really their children only said something after they had given it a lot of thought. From a parental perspective it seems rapid, but from the perspective of the trans person it is not. That is misinformation based on a bunk "study" whose sample size came directly from those few websites I mentioned, and only asked the parents of trans kids about it. No trans people were involved.
I don't blame you at all for believing things you've seen online, because misinformation definitely can present itself as accurate, but I do ask that you please seek out the personal, lived experience of trans people. You can also research biological sex and see that it is extremely diverse in humans, bimodal not binary, and that gender is actually tied to sex, but sex is not simply XX or XY, and it isn't even only based on our sex chromosomes, which is why gender also has variations. I recommend sciencebasedmedicine . org. They have a great article titled The Science of Biological Sex that is all backed by peer-reviewed, scientific research. It's really worth looking into!
ROGD is a phrase coined by Lisa Littman after doing research on the phenomenon. And sex is binary, not bimodal. Gender, a social construct based on sex-driven stereotypes, may indeed be bimodal.
Lisa Littman's research was conducted on three anti trans websites called 4thWaveNow, Transgender Trend, and Youth TransCritical Professionals. The research polled parents of children who had come out as transgender. Not a single trans person was included in the research and I don't know about you, but I certainly know more about my identity than anybody else. Not to mention I have read her research paper and it really conflates gender dysphoria and being transgender. Not all trans people experience gender dysphoria. She also misrepresented research done by a trans person to fit her narrative. I maintain that children need all of their mental health needs to be treated before being able to accurately assess their gender identity. I also don't think it's necessary to immediately put a label on someone who is questioning their gender. I know there are people who believed they were trans and then realized they weren't, and those people are valid and important in this discussion. I know that generally happens to someone when they have other mental health needs that are going ignored.
And sex is bimodal which you will see if you check the resource I provided. A quick way to indicate sex is not binary is the fact that there are variations in sex chromosomes and all people are not simply XY or XX. Some of these variations include X, XXY, XYY, and XXXY. Sexual dimorphism is also not simply determined by sex chromosomes. There are other relevant genetic factors involved such as hormone levels. I really recommend this resource. https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/the-science-of-biological-sex/
There are lots of different types of personalities but there are only two sexes and therefore only two genders. Your science is bought and paid for by the medical industrial complex in the same way the cigarette industry funded research that claimed no relation between smoking and lung cancer. Big pharma, big hospital organizations, big universities all expect a huge ROI on their manipulation of young people. These organizations don’t want people to get better, they want patients, aka cash flow, for a person’s entire life. They are making big money on young peoples normal struggles of growing up. Shame on you to the hottest place in Hell.
You're changing your story already. You initially said "The term originated from a few religious websites for parents of trans kids who were seeking support." But when called on it, you go in a different direction. So knowing that, it's hard for me to want to engage in good faith debate if you're going to move the goalposts.
It's curious that you say "not all trans people experience gender dysphoria". By definition somebody who is transgender, using the current definition of transgender, must experience dysphoria or else they wouldn't think they were the opposite gender (i.e., sex). If I'm not experiencing some sort of unease with being male (or female) then there's nothing that would prompt me to claim I'm female (or male). If you meant something else then please be more clear.
I have checked out those sources. My starting point was that I wanted this to be normal and science-based and explainable. Unfortunately what I've found is that the vast majority of transgender folks have one or more comorbidities that are ignored in the rush to satisfy the discomfort they are feeling. You should consider reading Helen Joyce's book "Trans: When Ideology Meets Reality", although based on your comment above you would likely claim she is conflating, ignoring, wrong, etc. But it gives a very good explanation of how the entire science is based on individuals, who themselves suffered from mental issues, pushed an idea that has now, in the last 10 or so years, become a trend much like anorexia, cutting, recovered memories, and other things that are either viewed correctly (as mental illnesses that cause damage to the person) or have been debunked (recovered memories).
Your examples of sex not being binary are akin to saying that because some people are born without a leg therefore there is a class of humans who are three-limbed. Intersex conditions are abnormalities that do not create a third (or fourth, or fifth) sex anymore than other birth defects create a new class of human. In fact, one of the examples you mention is Klinefelter Syndrome, and the parents of those kids are not stoked how their kids' condition is being used by TRAs to further an agenda based on emotions and feelings.
Modern neurological research has shown that the human brain doesn't mature until one's mid/late 20s. A couple of the last faculties to develop are decision-making and resistance to peer pressure. You can throw all the "scientific studies" you like at this issue, but the fact remains that you are allowing someone lacking adult reason to make decisions that will irreversibly and profoundly change their lives.
Parents, for all you disparage them, possess that adult reasoning and have the best interests of their children at heart. Not so much for researchers and medical professionals, who have a variety of competing motives (growing their practice, access to grant money, etc.).
As far as "lived experience" is concerned, there's another phrase for that...anecdotal evidence.
So I have to ask you both.... if scientists who have studied gender aren't good enough, and the experiences of people who are trans aren't good enough, then whose perspective on this is good enough? Is it only people who confirm what you already believe? Does someone else's anecdotal evidence contradicting your own make yours any less true for you? And based on what you've said about brains not being developed... Does that mean people under the age of 25 can't be trusted to make any life decisions, or that children can't be given any choice or responsibility? That they know nothing about their emotions or identity because their brains aren't fully developed? Does that mean people under 25 who commit crimes can't be held accountable because they don't have full adult brains so they didn't know better? It just doesn't make sense to me. Can people only know their gender and sexuality when they're 25 or older? I am genuinely asking these questions, not to be answered for me, but for you to consider the human experience and what you know about your own life, inner workings, and loved ones. There are a lot of people who hold biases and beliefs about trans people, just like the ones you are expressing here, until they love someone who is trans.
Trans adults do exist, which means trans children do exist. Are there people who think they are trans, and even begin the process of transitioning, and then realize they aren't? Absolutely. Generally that happens because other mental health needs went ignored. And those people and their experiences are valid the same way people who transition and live the rest of their life as trans are valid. If you believe being trans is a mental illness then of course that's all you'll see no matter what information you see to the contrary. It can all be explained away by our personal biases. That's why I asked you to seek out trans experiences. Not for concrete scientific evidence, but so you can see how meaningful and significant it is for a trans person to be able to express themselves authentically. It's important to look into people's eyes and connect with them as a human being. Socializing online the way we do robs us of genuine connection and it can make us forget there's a real person on the other end whose life is probably not that different from our own. How can you pass an accurate judgement on a person whose experience you know nothing about?
In my opinion, people shouldn't be forced to fit into any box when it comes to self expression, as long as they are being safe and considerate of those around them. If I had a child who expressed interest in transitioning I would bring them to a therapist and allow them to explore gender expression in age appropriate ways, none of which would be permanently life altering. No surgeries, no hormones, just living life in a way that is safe and happy. I would make sure all of their mental health needs were fully addressed and considered instead of rushing to quick fixes and instant gratification. I would like to think any other reasonable person would do the same. And believe me, I have very little trust in governments and medical systems. I know very few people that do. I am aware that money rules the world and when people see an opportunity to capitalize, they will. So the same way I believe there are medical professionals that push pills, injections, and surgeries on cis people without considering their best interests, there are doctors who do the same with trans people. I'm not naive to that reality. So it's important to find medical professionals who have our best interests at heart, and they do exist, but it isn't always easy to find them. Unfortunately this is the system we have to rely on and it can be a minefield.
My desire for all of humanity is an improved quality of life, and because I know many trans people whose lives have greatly improved upon transitioning, I know that is a valid path for someone to take. Everyone deserves the opportunity to safely explore who they are, and the younger someone is when they choose to do that, the sooner they will become a confident and self-actualized person. And we need more people in this world who are secure in who they are, because the world would be a much better place if we were all happier people.
There are plenty of scientific studies documenting people regretting transitions. Science isn’t a sword that cuts down all arguments. As a parent id be terrified of being responsible for that mistake. I’m not saying you’re wrong, but there is more nuance and wiggle room to the science you are using as a shield to avoid discussing the opposing opinion.
All of this makes sense. I cannot understand how a trans child feels, so I am always open to learning more about that perspective. I do think a lot about the various identities, choices, and "truths" I cycled through myself as a child and adolescent, and I know that if I'd made some of those things permanent and irreversible, it would have been catastrophic. I grapple with questions like, "if gender is fluid/ spectrum (and I believe it is), then why do we have to permanently alter it to feel ok about our selves?" I understand this is all very personal, but it seems like the physical development of specific body parts has taken over the deeper work of finding and making peace with the essence of self instead of how we appear and present to the world. I don't want to diminish those who have felt suicidal due to their wish to transition - I haven't ever had to suffer in that way. But while I've never abhorred my body for being female, I certainly have felt hatred for my own body - it's shape and size, etc. I've looked in the mirror and thought, "that can't be me. that's not who I am." It has taken a lot of inner work and self-acceptance to make peace with the body I was born in. So that gets me stuck sometimes.
One of the problems with relying on "experts who have studied gender" is that far too many of them are physicians whose livelihood comes entirely from medicalizing kids with gender issues.
And I have provided my stance on those physicians as well. Find ones who have your best interests at heart. The simple fact is that trans people exist, and we all know that. Pretending that they weren't trans until they became adults is harmful to every young trans person. And pretending every person who decides to research gender is only in it for the money is some anti-trans rhetoric if I have ever heard it. Gender-affirming care is necessary for trans people. The more research done, the more evidence provided, the easier it will be for trans people to access that care.
There's actually more agreement between us than you think. Working with and guiding trans kids (of which there are very few) until they reach the age of majority should be standard. Yes, that means no hormones and no surgeries. The decisions one makes when young (college, career, significant other) are all reversible. This one isn't, and that's the difference.
Would you therefore agree that trans-women, having gone through puberty as males, have no business in organized women's sports? Would you therefore agree that until appropriate surgery is performed, trans-women should stay out of women's bathrooms and other sex-segregated areas? You see, trans people are not just asking for tolerance. They're asking half the population to give up the right to privacy, to fair competition. Why do trans folks feel they have a right to trample on other people's rights? As Jefferson said, 'your right to swing your arm stops at the tip of my nose'.
That's my point is that all of us are more in agreement than we initially realize. There's so much fire in the media, so many posts and articles telling us that everyone else hates us for what we think or how we live. There are so many hyperbolic "news" stories convincing us children are getting surgery and taking hormones when, in reality, the parents of most trans kids do exactly what you and I agree is the best course of action. Because that is medically and scientifically considered the best course of action. And in my opinion, if a child discovered they were trans at say... 6. At 10. Even at 13, and then lived the rest of their life until 16 or 18 socially transitioned aside from maybe taking hormone blockers, (the effects of which are reversible despite what misinformation and reactionary media may have you believe) then who am I to tell them they can't start taking hormones once they've reached whatever age they need to be to make that decision? Who am I to say "you are old enough to choose to go fight and die in a war but not responsible or self aware enough to know your gender identity". It's not like they lived the past however many years that way as a prank or experiment or something. The trans people I know knew they were trans when they were teenagers or younger, but they weren't able to transition because it wasn't safe or acceptable for them to do so. So instead they lived many years with depression, anxiety, dysphoria, and everything that comes with that like self harm, addiction, suicidal attempts, hypersexuality, and many other unhealthy coping mechanisms. Letting kids explore their identity is important because the effects of NOT allowing them to do they can absolutely be irreversible. And I don't know about the children in your life, but the children in my life know a lot about themselves. They know when they are hurt, they know when they are happy, they know what things they like and those they don't. My nephew has been called Ricky his whole life, but last year he told us he wants us to call him Rick. My brothers oldest, born a daughter, has told us recently he wants us to call him Sal. Well he told me years ago, but the rest of my family only found out over the last year or so. He's not taking hormones or blockers. He hasn't asked to get surgery. He just wants us to call him Sal and use he/him pronouns.
Trans people don't want to take your rights. They don't want to take your safe spaces. They want to be included in safe spaces. They want to have equal rights. But society is designed to make us think everyone who lives differently than us is directly attacking our personal freedoms. When we argue amongst ourselves we are divided, and that gives us less power so those in power can keep the power they have. We are convinced our enemies are our peers, when really we all have a common enemy. The people with money and power who will do and say anything to keep it.
I've believed for a long time that to make sports trans inclusive, leagues should be separated by skill and not by gender. There are plenty of cis women athletes who are fast and strong just like cis men who are involved in the same sport. So for me it's like okay you run track? What's your mile time? Okay that's the mile time range for this group of people too, so you will compete with them. Not to mention, there are plenty of trans people who are perfectly comfortable with their bodies and hormones the way they are, and those people are just as valid as trans people who desire surgical and hormonal transition. Not all trans people experience dysphoria and those people shouldn't be forced to change their bodies to conform to a societal expectation of their gender. Also, even if someone went through puberty before transitioning, if they take hormones their bodies change. Trans women who went through puberty and take hormones actually lose muscle mass, so I don't have a problem with trans people playing sports. But again, I think for fair and interesting competition sports should be separated by skill because that would be inclusive of trans people who don't want to alter their hormonal makeup. I don't love the idea of men in my safe spaces so the idea of gender neutral locker rooms or bathrooms do not make me feel safe. I don't mind trans people being in my spaces. They are not the people who make me feel unsafe. I know trans people are the gender they say they are and I'm not afraid of trans women using my bathroom or locker room because I believe them when they tell me they are trans. But if my space is opened up to men that's where I will be uncomfortable. Even that sucks though because I know, trust, and love many men who I am happy to share my safe spaces with and I don't want to paint all men as predatory or criminal because that behavior has everything to do with misogyny and nothing to do with masculinity. But unfortunately a lot of people are misogynistic so that's an entirely different beast to dismantle. Though to be honest, that belief people have that all men are inherently unsafe is actually massively fueling these issues with transphobia. People view trans women as men so they're afraid of them. That is unkind and unfair to trans women AND men. Ultimately, I would prefer more privacy in general. More single use bathrooms and changing spaces.
At the end of the day, making society trans inclusive would require a lot of infrastructure to change. I don't have an issue with that, because as it stands our current infrastructure hurts more than just trans people. But I promise you, most trans people want to feel safe and included in the exact same way we do. My desire to feel safe and included isn't infringing on anyone else's rights, and neither is theirs. And the same way I don't want to paint all men with the same brush, it isn't fair to paint all trans people with the same brush. Being afraid of trans people in our safe spaces is fueled entirely by misinformation about trans people, and not because trans people are unsafe to be around.
While the effects of puberty blockers are usually reversible, the effects of cross-sex hormones are often not. That's according to the Mayo Clinic. Are you suggesting that the Mayo Clinic is some reactionary organization?
As far as trans-women losing muscle mass, the effect is small and is nowhere near making up for the advantages gained in male puberty. Male puberty also results in denser bones and higher lung capacity than in females, neither of which are reversed. That's according to a review of research in the field done by the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. Another reactionary organization, I guess. Based on that research, World Rugby (the international governing body for the sport) barred trans-women from women's rugby, citing issues of both safety and fairness. I have a daughter who played rugby in college and I'm glad she didn't have to deal with trans-women. Its a rough sport as it is.
Seems to me that you're the one who only looks at research when it confirms your pre-determined biases.
But children aren't taking cross-sex hormones. They're taking puberty blockers, if they are even taking those. And I told you my stance on gender identity and sports which is what I stand by because, especially when considering what you have said here, it is the only way to make sports safe and fair for all athletes.
Where's your basis for "children aren't taking cross-sex hormones"? Children (human beings under the age for 18) are ABSOLUTELY taking cross-sex hormones. There are YouTube videos and TikToks galore showing the kids who are doing it. And kids ARE taking puberty blockers, which are only meant for precocious puberty but are now being prescribed off-label, but doctors are using them to stunt *normal* puberty as a result of the ideology-driven narrative.
You know what? Thanks, I will be happy to look at what other sources and “experts” have to say-I did that with CRT and it didn’t change my opinion one bit, but I learned some things.
Here’s a caveat though:
So called experts told the medical professionals over 30 years ago to treat pain with opioids aggressively and to believe every pain patient.This is why we now have an opioid crisis.
And hearing about the lives of these people is fine, I don’t doubt they have tremendous struggles, but so do anorexics who sincerely believe they are overweight but we don’t treat them with bariatric surgery and weight loss medication.
If you're going to look at other experts and sources have to say about CRT and transgender dysphoria, please don't leap to unresearched conclusions about the opioid crisis. I am an older physician, so I have lived through the swing of the pendulum from "don't give opioids to people in pain because they'll get addicted or overdose" (1970s) to "believe pain pts, give opiods judiciously, monitor for addiction" (1980s) to "Purdue says oxycontin isn't addictive, so we can prescribe it freely" (1990s) to "oh no! opioid crisis! don't give opioids to people in pain because they'll get addicted or overdose" (2000s-2010s-now—swing back to 1970s).
The opioid crisis is multifactorial: socioeconomic factors (collapse of industrial economy), attitudes on the part of doctors, and most importantly, capitalism run amok (Purdue pushing oxycontin for venal reasons, followed by contamination of street drugs with fentanyl). The War on Drugs has been especially pernicious, causing a great deal of damage.
*Everything* is multifactorial. We should all be able to research these tooics widely and deeply, and withhold hasty judgments. Stay open-minded, please.
Another reason for the opiate crisis is that people were simply cut off with no tapering, so they went into serious withdrawals. After surgery some years ago, I was on Percocet for about a month but the doctor weaned me off during the last two weeks.
I don't think the concern is so much about the muscular hairy trans man being forced to use the woman's restroom as it the muscular hairy trans woman being allowed to use the woman's restroom.
Do you find your LGBTQ+ friends are angry with Rowling or felt betrayed by her comments? I’m genuinely interested how broad this backlash is or if we just tend the “nutpick” the worst of them?
Nutpicking is what the MSM typically does when covering anything involving conservatives. It's basically what they did with the Jan 6th debacle. But everything - they look around and find the one nut they can use and try to pretend they're all like that. That's precisely what Michelle Goldberg did in that podcast a couple days ago where she talked about being the only journalist among them that actually attended the truckers strike in Ottawa. She managed to pick the one nut who was there for "mushrooms" and wrote about him. FB and Twitter and email lists everywhere were full of commentary by non-nut truckers and their friends and family at that strike. MSM won't ever hear interviews with any of them.
Back in the day, meaning the first seven decades of the twentieth century, the word "queer" was a slur, something straight people would yell on the street as they threw rocks at us or punched us in the face. We gays and lesbians used the word occasionally -- ironically -- with quotation marks around it, to signify that we knew what the world thought of us, but oh well, what are you gonna do?
When the alphabet people adopted it as part of their lexicon, it made no dent in my thinking. Its original connotation held and it still does. Now, queer carries with it the erasure of lesbians and gays in a new way, by denying our sex. Trans activists appropriated gay narratives to legitimate themselves, although gay and trans have very little in common. Back in the day, gay conversion therapy meant something pernicious and terrible for gay men. It included hard core religious bullying, behavior modification, and electro-shock treatments. But trans conversion therapy means nothing more than asking probing questions and listening to the answers. Taking nothing for granted. Considering, thinking, feeling, assessing. You know, therapy.
I feel very sorry for confused teens who go to a gender therapist today expecting to discuss their feelings and the origins of their dysphoria, but instead leave after one visit with a prescription for puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones. Only one question asked: do you think you're trans?
A very good friend of mine was an artist at Black Mountain College in North Carolina, he was one a number of gay men there in the late 50s, & he was not out at the time, or at least, wasn't when he first got there. I remember him telling me how strange he thought the new word "gay" was, like people thought they were ebullient or dancing all the time, plus he never wanted to seem swishy. I can hear him telling the story. He was a hoot.
I've been following two young women who are detransitioning & being vocal about the treatment they got as minors who went for help & got exactly what you describe, & how they were best case ghosted, worst case violently bullied, by the trans community when they expressed regret. Your gender is affirmed but only if it's the gender the trans community deems is right for you, apparently. You've probably heard of Chloe Cole. The other is Prisha Mosley. Prisha is new to youtube. She's really eloquent. The diagnosed mental disorders she had before surgery, which should have prevented those surgeries, are now being used by the gender specialists as the reason for her regret. This is actually true for both of them. They are young women who both want children & no longer have breasts. The whole thing is ghastly, nightmarish.
Yes, I'm familiar with Ms. Cole and Ms. Mosley. Both are very brave, articulate and intelligent. Both have gone from being victims to being activists in order to save the lives of others.
Their stories break my heart. What was done to them in the name of "helping" would be a bad joke if the results weren't so catastrophic. Prisha's story is particularly sad because she doesn't seem to have the support of her family that Chloe has. But she's become more confident with every video. She puts herself in harms way, risking her own physical safety to tell the truth in state legislatures around the country. For example, in Tennessee: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exiNdzYf7AU
Chloe also testifies before state legislative bodies. I'm hoping that her personal lawsuit will be the first of many to bankrupt the medical groups that prey on the bodies of children.
Yes I hope so too. I was dismayed to hear it's kaiser she's suing, which is like suing a tobacco company. Kaiser also puts a 250k cap on what you can be awarded in the event you win, but this likely isn't about damages as much as damage. I hope it opens a floodgate of suits & that these butchers are all bankrupted.
Kevin, that is a question that needs more attention. I don't understand why the LGB tolerate the Ts attaching themselves to their agenda. I have heard some gays complain about it.
Before there was general legal protection for gay men and lesbian women in workplace and marriage, I never liked the people who would show up at an advocacy event for legal protection for same-sex relations, and declared "but I like women, too! Include us! Change your group's name"
Can you imagine if, for example, at an advocacy group for bicycle commuters' people would come and scream: "But I walk too! Change your name to the 'Park Slope Bicycle and Pedestrian Commuter's advocacy group!'"
(And in my 60 years as a gay man, I've never actually known a bisexual, in terms of a friend or even casual acquaintance who dated both men and women.)
I think originally nobody had a problem welcoming the tiny, tiny number of actual transgender women into "gay spaces." They were very marginalized and would find sympathetic company. Trans women in gay bars 30 and 40 years ago were welcome and treated politely. I never saw any trans men.
Today, "trans" is something very different. I see it as homophobic. Today, they're telling women who would possibly have been happy lesbians 20+ year ago that they're actually men and need surgery and drugs. And "sissy" boys who prefer to play with the girls aren't allowed to be sissies, they're given puberty blockers. Parents prefer it this way. They'd rather have a kid with a medical condition that needs drugs than, frankly, a little c*cks*cker for a son. To me, it's very anti-gay.
Another reason is most of the issues the LG community fought for have been solved. There's gay marriage, and little workplace discrimination. Instead of folding up their tents, the existing advocacy groups needed something to do, so they branch out.
As a religious Jewish gay man, I find that I can't participate in any "gay" organization today. They've *all* embraced intersectionality, which means that Jews are evil colonizing oppressors. I'm not welcome.
I knew a few people who called themselves bi back in the day. It never stuck as a lifestyle; ie was a stepping stone from which to return to being straight after experimenting, or going on to being gay after making an announcement they felt wouldn't shock anyone, including themselves.
Some Indeed! There's a huge #waronlesbians faction & there was an uproar some years ago about that with regard to the Pride parade in Edinburgh. The perspective of one #lesbianvisibility person is documented here, & it ain't pretty. No terfs on our turf, etc. etc. Lots of lesbians apparently too frightened to attend the parade.
I think this is key to the "terf" attacks: "a specific misogyny towards homosexual women who dare to define and defend their sexuality without men telling us what it should be"
"Queer." I've heard it also means "Questioning," but it seems kind of dangerous to have one abbreviation letter mean two different things. It occurs to me that this is exactly the kind of thing they are fighting against! Who knows to what nefarious purpose Q might be put by the unscrupulous, & how much psychological damage could result from being mislettered.
I am talking about people who identify as “queer”. They are all communists.
I dare say there isn’t a single non-psychopath who identifies as “queer” and yet we are somehow lumping these people in with gays and lesbians.
In reality I think the moniker LGBTQ+ is homophobic. The T and the Q are almost always just psychotic perverts so it’s kinda horrendous to lump them in with lesbians and gays.
“Oh yeah it is weird sex. It’s all the same thing. Let’s group them together.”
I can't speak for everyone but queer is often the preferred option for people who don't feel like any other labels are quite right, hence the 'other' option, and it's been that way for a long time. As an example, I've known a number of women who were mostly straight, but sometimes attracted to women. Straight doesn't quite fit, bisexual doesn't quite fit, so queer works for some people. Not all perverts, often not even involved in activism, just outside the standard checkboxes.
If you're referring to adults who are "queer" activists, I don't know if they're ALL communists and/or psychopaths. it seems like a bit of a generalization, especially the psychopath part, but you could be right. They do have a leftist worldview founded in critical theory, which is Marxist, or Maoist, or a variation of one of those.
But if you're referring to pre-teens, teenagers, and young adults, who have been indoctrinated in gender theory and call themselves queer because they think it's cutting edge, then no, I don't think they're communists or psychopaths. They're children -- followers -- who have no idea who they are or how the world works. And many of them won't have a fully-developed prefrontal cortex for years. It's impossible to know how they're going to turn out. It helps me to remember that desistance and detransition are definitely a possibility.
I have known the gay community in one form or another since 1970 in the military. Those of us who knew felt no need to address the issue. They did their job and since much was in a war zone, I and my friends preferred skill and capability over the none issue of who you wanted to sleep with. Knew married guys going with Transgender and still not my business.
Just wish everyone would just leave each other alone. You are not special because you fall into the alphabet group. I am not special because I like women. Just live your own life. Yes it at times requires walking on, but we just aren’t allowed to eliminate the idiots.
"Live your own life" (and MYOB) was doable and conflict free with the LGB rights movement. LGB rights didn't cost anyone else their rights. LGB rights didn't ask human society to redefine everything or for preferential treatment within it. Trans identified people, however, are demanding (and getting) permission to live lives of sexual impersonation that society cannot accommodate without taking away the rights of others. There are serious conflicts.
You nailed one of the most important issues which is the balancing of different peoples rights. 50 percent of the population are female. That's a lot of people. Now compare that to the percentage of (trans women) which is very low even adding the new numbers which may actually be the temporary product of the social contagion effect. The balancing analysis in this instance weighs heavily in favor of the massively larger group of women affected compared to the extremely small number of trans women. But rationality and reasonableness are not the guiding principles of the Left where narcissism reigns.
You are correct there. Peevishly appropriating the word "marriage" instead of being content with "civil union" was disrespectful overreach. "Marriage" is a sacrament to some citizens. It should have been left alone. Suing the baker was (and still is with the new suit against him) mean spirited bullying. Ironically intolerant and unnecessary. Some people are not content with just winning. They want scorched earth.
Exactly. In the US, my rights and freedoms extend only so far as they do not infringe on someone else'. Trans absolutely challenges our concept of privacy, which is not explicitly constitutionally protected but nevertheless is assumed. I am shocked that all mothers are not horrified at the idea that their school-age daughters would have their locker rooms invaded by biological males that are attracted to biological females.
Well the grown female UPenn swimmers were upset that, as one unnamed person said, William Thomas was running around the locker room with his towel & everything else flapping, & apparently it was obvious that he was "attracted to women."
Trans men are having their breasts removed. I'm not seeing many stories about trans women rushing to cut off their dicks. IMO, that would make a very compelling case for having committed to their new gender identity. Like, if an adult takes it to this point I got nothing to say about it. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsurg.2021.639430/full
Yes I've actually had the thought that it should be required for male inmates who want to be housed in women's prisons.
The distribution of trans kids by sex used to be more even . Now it's overwhelmingly girls wanting to be boys. More erasure of women. The loss of rowdy sporty misbehaving tomboys who are being told by supposed feminists that they have a condition that needs to be cured. The whole thing is sick-making.
Absolutely 100% aligns with my sentiments and 70+ years of experiences. Being black, Polish, Norwegian, male, Jewish, red neck, straight, gay, disabled, athletic, etc., etc. doesn't make you special. Just be kind to others (golden rule) and lead a productive responsible life.
Why are the extremes on the right and the left so damned violent.
It sends the message, "Believe my way or I will hurt/kill you."
That is the message of the 1939 NAZIs and the 1919 Communists. Regardless of their ideologies they are both the same totalitarian assholes. Assholes we should not just be avoiding but condemning.
Where are our politicians on this. Hiding under their beds most likely. We need to vigorously enforce the constitutional right to peaceful, that's right peaceful, demonstration. We need mandatory long prison sentences for violent wackos. This will send a subtle message to those inclined to violent demonstrations.
If you want violence, do it in your backyard, burn down your house. Turn over your cars. That's right, get all of this hatred out of your mean, tiny, little minds by destroying your own property, not that of others.
There are always a small % of folks in any group that are wacko. Hence extremists. But, ouch, sometimes those wackos take over and steer the boat. Antifa - check. Pro Hamas supporters - check.
Hear-hear! Protest to your heart's content, people, make your case to the public, I'm fine with that and will protect your right to do so. You start looting, burning, and killing innocents, though, and I will ask the state to stop you in ways you might not appreciate.
Yes I lived in the SF Bay Area in the 80s through 90s & knew transgender people & every single one wanted more than anything to be "invisible." Few were 100% successful but that was always the goal. And I am not talking about drag queens or gender fuckers or any of the other varieties, whose goal was/is to be as obvious as possible. The people I knew who wanted to live as the other sex wanted more than anything to pass. To never ever have anyone bring it up. How the times have changed.
Same experience here. I’m from New Orleans which as long as I can remember was a gay friendly city. I know a trans woman who also happened to be a physician. In the 90s, not even a fully grown adult doctor, who certainly understood what he was doing, could get the surgery without years of therapy from several different psychiatrists. She also had to “live as a woman” for several years prior. She told me she had to have recommendation letters from the doctors who treated her before she could even have the surgery in Taiwan. Apparently they were more experienced in Taiwan, but she still ended up with a terrible post surgery infection which caused a much longer and harder recovery. How anyone could allow a minor to undertake this is just beyond the pale. Anyway, my friend definitely wanted to blend in as a woman and just BE. No agenda, definitely no thinking she was somehow special. It upended her life in many ways..
This was back in the good old days of so-called "gatekeeping" in which adults who struggled with dysphoria were evaluated and helped by doctors who worked from the precautionary principle. Only those were green-lighted for transition who were assessed, through a careful and lengthy process, as likely to benefit despite the risks. Moving to "self ID" has caused so much harm in so many ways.
There is a push today to normalize sexual deviance to start the education in children as young as kindergartens, and to re-educate the population. I haven’t figured out why this is happening but it’s not going to stop, especially when it’s supported by current administration.
I think just about everyone but the Westboro Church folks would agree with that. But loud elements of the LGBTQ crowd seem intent on making their sexual preferences everyones business--parades, drag queen shows in libraries, access to women's bathrooms and locker rooms, advocating for instruction about their issues in early grade-school, etc. I wish they'd just give it a rest.
FWIW, I think much of this came out of the desire to correct pretty much most of the historical cultural trends that was pretty homophobic and where "queer" (the term, I guess now for "LGBTQ") people experienced variations of intense bullying, persecution, as well as the implied requirement to remain closeted.
So a movement began to introduce "tolerance" into social learning, to ostensibly mitigate the standard bullying against non-conforming LGBTQ identifying children (and adults) in schools and work places. Which seems to be veering into an "over correction" with the questionable introduction of "drag" into children's spaces, and the (I still haven't really seen any sort of measurable evidence beyond anecdotal evidence as to the degree as to which this is occurring) supposed introduction of "queer theory" and "gender ideology" in schools and workplaces.
And now it seems there is going to be a correction against the over-correction, what we should hope is that the correction itself isn't also an over-correction and reverts much of the (good) progress that LGBTQ people have made in our society in the last very recent decades. Balance betweeen toleration and the ability to be "visibly queer" without fear of being bullied and harmed, with a balance towards appropriate boundaries particularly within children's spaces and educational spaces.
Yah, but I mean I think you could glean whether "queer" meant "strange/unlikely/etc" as an experience or emotion (in "older fashion" speech) versus when it was being used as a homophobic slur based on the context where it was used. The recent movement to "re-legitimize" the prior usage of "queer" as a slur to now a valid segment of the spectrum of anything deviant from straight gender binary expression that doesn't fit into the existing "LGBT" buckets is pretty new though.
“Look at me! Look how different I am. But you must treat me like everybody else. As an equal. Except you have to refer to me using misnomers, allow me access to any bathroom I want, and comply with any demands I request. See how different I am? But don't treat me differently. Unless I ask you to.”
True. I was on point with “comply with any demands I request”, but I must have seen a squirrel or something during the last sentence. Buggered the whole thing up.
Reminds me of a Camille Paglia essay wherein she opined that a lot of gayness requires transgression of social norms. And when social norms adjust to accept them then they have to transgress further and further in order to have the thrill of transgression still.
Kind of like how when you silence and censor those on the fringe, you end up with a new "fringe" to silence and censor. Not a sustainable model for a free society.
I agree K Lodge. They want the attention. It serves their agenda. And when it backfires with violence as they of course know it will, it gives their cause media coverage they desire.
Growing up as a (closeted at the time) gay kid in the suburbs, the Harry Potter books transported me to another world, one where I didn’t have to feel alone, where as Rowling said of her own books “by page or by screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home”. So many of my LGBTQ+ friends (Trans included) felt so seen by these books growing up - there was something about Potter that really resonated with the idea of being the outsider, etc. Rowling has done so much good for the world, especially for so many children with her various charities like Lumos (she is the first UK Billionaire to lose Billionaire status from donating so much to charity) and now that everyone is boycotting her, do they even realize so much of her money actually goes to supporting incredible causes? Very excited to check out this podcast, and still a huge Potter fan to this day, as it saved my life as a kid, and countless others
The human condition is a complex mix and sorting out the various emotions through experience is an excellent teaching device. Everyone on earth has voluntarily joined this school and will graduate eventually. There is no urgency and you have all the time in the world to understand what Jesus was teaching 2,000 years ago. Good luck and may the force be with you!
Never read any of her books, Justin. But Rowling has to be doing something uniquely right; she has somehow in the past twenty years or so been vilified by both the sanctimonious progressive Left and the sanctimonious Christian Right (no offense to Christians here, please..or trans either, for that matter). Now who the hell else has done that? She is proof that both extremes can have a common enemy.
I think she should run for office..
Their common enemy seems to be Truth. Something that has become exceedingly uncommon, but it's something that both Bari Weiss and JK Rowling seem to have deeply in common.
Ha! I would put Susan Wise Bauer in this category too. And maybe RFK Jr.
Good point.
Very true... and funny.
First Megan you should read a book titled “Educated” by Tara Westover. Then I hope you can contact her and talk to her. You’ll know what to do next.
Second, these podcasts are so important! Megan, you have done an absolutely incredible job with these episodes. There is so much information, legitimate information here.
Third, I read all of the Harry Potter books and saw all the movies, with (or without) my three children. I’m 68. Personally, I thought of them as fantasy fiction as an adult. However I can see how my children saw much much more. JK Rowling is clearly genius as far as these books go. She makes so many good points, which I agree with. The state of gender issues in America is completely out of control. Children are being harmed, families have been ripped apart and we need to speak up about it, for the children.
Finally, I and many many others have been wondering how all the gender issues have mainstreamed. Well, I was totally unaware of the happenings on tumblr! Imagine hundreds of thousands of women on line talking about their feelings, anonymously. Ugh. And I am a woman and would never ever do that.
Great job, clearly you and Jo Rowling were meant to get together.
Look forward to hearing more.
Totally agree!
Justin-- People tend to be ignorant. Recently, when there was a backlash against showing Gone With The Wind in colleges because it might "trigger" people-- and then everyone turned against the deceased Margaret Mitchell-- I read that she was good friends with Benjamin May who was president of the all male- all Black Morehouse college and had donated lots of money to the college. So many people are being cancelled or blacklisted because of people who know very little beyond a Woke mentality. I worry that we are becoming a country where the Woke police are watching us in case we make a 'wrong move.'
Cry.
I am with you. I'm older so didn't grow up with Harry Potter but always identified with stories like it where a variety of people with different interests come together for a common goal. I think that's why I was drawn to Star Wars--it wasn't just one hero saving the world, it was a team of people working together. I'm currently enjoying the Hogwarts game a lot with my niece and find it wild that such an innocent game provokes such outrage among so many people.
As a gay man, I'm noticing that almost all events now are slowly becoming "all trans, all the time." I, too, know transgender people including a transman who really does pass as a man. The goal of most trans people I know is to simply blend in. I sometimes think "is this muscular hairy guy REALLY someone they want to make use the women's restroom?" Also, the trans people I know did not make the decision lightly. They did it as adults and after MUCH therapy and thought. Sure, wear whatever clothes you want but no one should get irreversible gender surgery until they're at least in their 20s.
Just passing on the theme here: I was a very heterosexual, yet lonely and misunderstood kid when I was young. It was The Lord of the Rings for me. Oh, and Conan the Barbarian. I blame my unrealistic expectations of women's bodies on the popular Conan art. :)
I think most reasonable people are fine with adults making adult decisions on how they want to live their lives. If I met someone like Chaz Bono or Caitlin Jenner on the street, I would have no idea about their birth gender, nor would I care. If someone wants to truly be thought of and treated as the opposite sex, why make a big deal out of it by declaring yourself as "trans", it kind of defeats the purpose.
What I have a problem with is first, the increasing numbers of rapid onset gender dysphoria in teenage girls, and the rapidity with which they are pushed into transformation.
I also have a problem with this "non-binary" they/them stuff. Pick what you want to be and be it. I truly think some of this is a form of rebellion like the beatniks, hippies and punks in previous generations, not true "transgenderism".
It also seems that many of these people are attracted to the opposite sex, but instead of accepting themselves as being homosexual, they convince themselves they are the opposite sex.
PSW, right there with you on the non-binary crap. At least trans makes some sense, man to women or visa versa. You can’t be “nothing”.
I implore you to research what genuine experts have to say about "rapid onset gender dysphoria". The term originated from a few religious websites for parents of trans kids who were seeking support. It's called that because the parents think it happens "so suddenly", when really their children only said something after they had given it a lot of thought. From a parental perspective it seems rapid, but from the perspective of the trans person it is not. That is misinformation based on a bunk "study" whose sample size came directly from those few websites I mentioned, and only asked the parents of trans kids about it. No trans people were involved.
I don't blame you at all for believing things you've seen online, because misinformation definitely can present itself as accurate, but I do ask that you please seek out the personal, lived experience of trans people. You can also research biological sex and see that it is extremely diverse in humans, bimodal not binary, and that gender is actually tied to sex, but sex is not simply XX or XY, and it isn't even only based on our sex chromosomes, which is why gender also has variations. I recommend sciencebasedmedicine . org. They have a great article titled The Science of Biological Sex that is all backed by peer-reviewed, scientific research. It's really worth looking into!
ROGD is a phrase coined by Lisa Littman after doing research on the phenomenon. And sex is binary, not bimodal. Gender, a social construct based on sex-driven stereotypes, may indeed be bimodal.
Lisa Littman's research was conducted on three anti trans websites called 4thWaveNow, Transgender Trend, and Youth TransCritical Professionals. The research polled parents of children who had come out as transgender. Not a single trans person was included in the research and I don't know about you, but I certainly know more about my identity than anybody else. Not to mention I have read her research paper and it really conflates gender dysphoria and being transgender. Not all trans people experience gender dysphoria. She also misrepresented research done by a trans person to fit her narrative. I maintain that children need all of their mental health needs to be treated before being able to accurately assess their gender identity. I also don't think it's necessary to immediately put a label on someone who is questioning their gender. I know there are people who believed they were trans and then realized they weren't, and those people are valid and important in this discussion. I know that generally happens to someone when they have other mental health needs that are going ignored.
And sex is bimodal which you will see if you check the resource I provided. A quick way to indicate sex is not binary is the fact that there are variations in sex chromosomes and all people are not simply XY or XX. Some of these variations include X, XXY, XYY, and XXXY. Sexual dimorphism is also not simply determined by sex chromosomes. There are other relevant genetic factors involved such as hormone levels. I really recommend this resource. https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/the-science-of-biological-sex/
There are lots of different types of personalities but there are only two sexes and therefore only two genders. Your science is bought and paid for by the medical industrial complex in the same way the cigarette industry funded research that claimed no relation between smoking and lung cancer. Big pharma, big hospital organizations, big universities all expect a huge ROI on their manipulation of young people. These organizations don’t want people to get better, they want patients, aka cash flow, for a person’s entire life. They are making big money on young peoples normal struggles of growing up. Shame on you to the hottest place in Hell.
You're changing your story already. You initially said "The term originated from a few religious websites for parents of trans kids who were seeking support." But when called on it, you go in a different direction. So knowing that, it's hard for me to want to engage in good faith debate if you're going to move the goalposts.
It's curious that you say "not all trans people experience gender dysphoria". By definition somebody who is transgender, using the current definition of transgender, must experience dysphoria or else they wouldn't think they were the opposite gender (i.e., sex). If I'm not experiencing some sort of unease with being male (or female) then there's nothing that would prompt me to claim I'm female (or male). If you meant something else then please be more clear.
I have checked out those sources. My starting point was that I wanted this to be normal and science-based and explainable. Unfortunately what I've found is that the vast majority of transgender folks have one or more comorbidities that are ignored in the rush to satisfy the discomfort they are feeling. You should consider reading Helen Joyce's book "Trans: When Ideology Meets Reality", although based on your comment above you would likely claim she is conflating, ignoring, wrong, etc. But it gives a very good explanation of how the entire science is based on individuals, who themselves suffered from mental issues, pushed an idea that has now, in the last 10 or so years, become a trend much like anorexia, cutting, recovered memories, and other things that are either viewed correctly (as mental illnesses that cause damage to the person) or have been debunked (recovered memories).
Your examples of sex not being binary are akin to saying that because some people are born without a leg therefore there is a class of humans who are three-limbed. Intersex conditions are abnormalities that do not create a third (or fourth, or fifth) sex anymore than other birth defects create a new class of human. In fact, one of the examples you mention is Klinefelter Syndrome, and the parents of those kids are not stoked how their kids' condition is being used by TRAs to further an agenda based on emotions and feelings.
Modern neurological research has shown that the human brain doesn't mature until one's mid/late 20s. A couple of the last faculties to develop are decision-making and resistance to peer pressure. You can throw all the "scientific studies" you like at this issue, but the fact remains that you are allowing someone lacking adult reason to make decisions that will irreversibly and profoundly change their lives.
Parents, for all you disparage them, possess that adult reasoning and have the best interests of their children at heart. Not so much for researchers and medical professionals, who have a variety of competing motives (growing their practice, access to grant money, etc.).
As far as "lived experience" is concerned, there's another phrase for that...anecdotal evidence.
So I have to ask you both.... if scientists who have studied gender aren't good enough, and the experiences of people who are trans aren't good enough, then whose perspective on this is good enough? Is it only people who confirm what you already believe? Does someone else's anecdotal evidence contradicting your own make yours any less true for you? And based on what you've said about brains not being developed... Does that mean people under the age of 25 can't be trusted to make any life decisions, or that children can't be given any choice or responsibility? That they know nothing about their emotions or identity because their brains aren't fully developed? Does that mean people under 25 who commit crimes can't be held accountable because they don't have full adult brains so they didn't know better? It just doesn't make sense to me. Can people only know their gender and sexuality when they're 25 or older? I am genuinely asking these questions, not to be answered for me, but for you to consider the human experience and what you know about your own life, inner workings, and loved ones. There are a lot of people who hold biases and beliefs about trans people, just like the ones you are expressing here, until they love someone who is trans.
Trans adults do exist, which means trans children do exist. Are there people who think they are trans, and even begin the process of transitioning, and then realize they aren't? Absolutely. Generally that happens because other mental health needs went ignored. And those people and their experiences are valid the same way people who transition and live the rest of their life as trans are valid. If you believe being trans is a mental illness then of course that's all you'll see no matter what information you see to the contrary. It can all be explained away by our personal biases. That's why I asked you to seek out trans experiences. Not for concrete scientific evidence, but so you can see how meaningful and significant it is for a trans person to be able to express themselves authentically. It's important to look into people's eyes and connect with them as a human being. Socializing online the way we do robs us of genuine connection and it can make us forget there's a real person on the other end whose life is probably not that different from our own. How can you pass an accurate judgement on a person whose experience you know nothing about?
In my opinion, people shouldn't be forced to fit into any box when it comes to self expression, as long as they are being safe and considerate of those around them. If I had a child who expressed interest in transitioning I would bring them to a therapist and allow them to explore gender expression in age appropriate ways, none of which would be permanently life altering. No surgeries, no hormones, just living life in a way that is safe and happy. I would make sure all of their mental health needs were fully addressed and considered instead of rushing to quick fixes and instant gratification. I would like to think any other reasonable person would do the same. And believe me, I have very little trust in governments and medical systems. I know very few people that do. I am aware that money rules the world and when people see an opportunity to capitalize, they will. So the same way I believe there are medical professionals that push pills, injections, and surgeries on cis people without considering their best interests, there are doctors who do the same with trans people. I'm not naive to that reality. So it's important to find medical professionals who have our best interests at heart, and they do exist, but it isn't always easy to find them. Unfortunately this is the system we have to rely on and it can be a minefield.
My desire for all of humanity is an improved quality of life, and because I know many trans people whose lives have greatly improved upon transitioning, I know that is a valid path for someone to take. Everyone deserves the opportunity to safely explore who they are, and the younger someone is when they choose to do that, the sooner they will become a confident and self-actualized person. And we need more people in this world who are secure in who they are, because the world would be a much better place if we were all happier people.
There are plenty of scientific studies documenting people regretting transitions. Science isn’t a sword that cuts down all arguments. As a parent id be terrified of being responsible for that mistake. I’m not saying you’re wrong, but there is more nuance and wiggle room to the science you are using as a shield to avoid discussing the opposing opinion.
All of this makes sense. I cannot understand how a trans child feels, so I am always open to learning more about that perspective. I do think a lot about the various identities, choices, and "truths" I cycled through myself as a child and adolescent, and I know that if I'd made some of those things permanent and irreversible, it would have been catastrophic. I grapple with questions like, "if gender is fluid/ spectrum (and I believe it is), then why do we have to permanently alter it to feel ok about our selves?" I understand this is all very personal, but it seems like the physical development of specific body parts has taken over the deeper work of finding and making peace with the essence of self instead of how we appear and present to the world. I don't want to diminish those who have felt suicidal due to their wish to transition - I haven't ever had to suffer in that way. But while I've never abhorred my body for being female, I certainly have felt hatred for my own body - it's shape and size, etc. I've looked in the mirror and thought, "that can't be me. that's not who I am." It has taken a lot of inner work and self-acceptance to make peace with the body I was born in. So that gets me stuck sometimes.
One of the problems with relying on "experts who have studied gender" is that far too many of them are physicians whose livelihood comes entirely from medicalizing kids with gender issues.
And I have provided my stance on those physicians as well. Find ones who have your best interests at heart. The simple fact is that trans people exist, and we all know that. Pretending that they weren't trans until they became adults is harmful to every young trans person. And pretending every person who decides to research gender is only in it for the money is some anti-trans rhetoric if I have ever heard it. Gender-affirming care is necessary for trans people. The more research done, the more evidence provided, the easier it will be for trans people to access that care.
Bingo.
There's actually more agreement between us than you think. Working with and guiding trans kids (of which there are very few) until they reach the age of majority should be standard. Yes, that means no hormones and no surgeries. The decisions one makes when young (college, career, significant other) are all reversible. This one isn't, and that's the difference.
Would you therefore agree that trans-women, having gone through puberty as males, have no business in organized women's sports? Would you therefore agree that until appropriate surgery is performed, trans-women should stay out of women's bathrooms and other sex-segregated areas? You see, trans people are not just asking for tolerance. They're asking half the population to give up the right to privacy, to fair competition. Why do trans folks feel they have a right to trample on other people's rights? As Jefferson said, 'your right to swing your arm stops at the tip of my nose'.
That's my point is that all of us are more in agreement than we initially realize. There's so much fire in the media, so many posts and articles telling us that everyone else hates us for what we think or how we live. There are so many hyperbolic "news" stories convincing us children are getting surgery and taking hormones when, in reality, the parents of most trans kids do exactly what you and I agree is the best course of action. Because that is medically and scientifically considered the best course of action. And in my opinion, if a child discovered they were trans at say... 6. At 10. Even at 13, and then lived the rest of their life until 16 or 18 socially transitioned aside from maybe taking hormone blockers, (the effects of which are reversible despite what misinformation and reactionary media may have you believe) then who am I to tell them they can't start taking hormones once they've reached whatever age they need to be to make that decision? Who am I to say "you are old enough to choose to go fight and die in a war but not responsible or self aware enough to know your gender identity". It's not like they lived the past however many years that way as a prank or experiment or something. The trans people I know knew they were trans when they were teenagers or younger, but they weren't able to transition because it wasn't safe or acceptable for them to do so. So instead they lived many years with depression, anxiety, dysphoria, and everything that comes with that like self harm, addiction, suicidal attempts, hypersexuality, and many other unhealthy coping mechanisms. Letting kids explore their identity is important because the effects of NOT allowing them to do they can absolutely be irreversible. And I don't know about the children in your life, but the children in my life know a lot about themselves. They know when they are hurt, they know when they are happy, they know what things they like and those they don't. My nephew has been called Ricky his whole life, but last year he told us he wants us to call him Rick. My brothers oldest, born a daughter, has told us recently he wants us to call him Sal. Well he told me years ago, but the rest of my family only found out over the last year or so. He's not taking hormones or blockers. He hasn't asked to get surgery. He just wants us to call him Sal and use he/him pronouns.
Trans people don't want to take your rights. They don't want to take your safe spaces. They want to be included in safe spaces. They want to have equal rights. But society is designed to make us think everyone who lives differently than us is directly attacking our personal freedoms. When we argue amongst ourselves we are divided, and that gives us less power so those in power can keep the power they have. We are convinced our enemies are our peers, when really we all have a common enemy. The people with money and power who will do and say anything to keep it.
I've believed for a long time that to make sports trans inclusive, leagues should be separated by skill and not by gender. There are plenty of cis women athletes who are fast and strong just like cis men who are involved in the same sport. So for me it's like okay you run track? What's your mile time? Okay that's the mile time range for this group of people too, so you will compete with them. Not to mention, there are plenty of trans people who are perfectly comfortable with their bodies and hormones the way they are, and those people are just as valid as trans people who desire surgical and hormonal transition. Not all trans people experience dysphoria and those people shouldn't be forced to change their bodies to conform to a societal expectation of their gender. Also, even if someone went through puberty before transitioning, if they take hormones their bodies change. Trans women who went through puberty and take hormones actually lose muscle mass, so I don't have a problem with trans people playing sports. But again, I think for fair and interesting competition sports should be separated by skill because that would be inclusive of trans people who don't want to alter their hormonal makeup. I don't love the idea of men in my safe spaces so the idea of gender neutral locker rooms or bathrooms do not make me feel safe. I don't mind trans people being in my spaces. They are not the people who make me feel unsafe. I know trans people are the gender they say they are and I'm not afraid of trans women using my bathroom or locker room because I believe them when they tell me they are trans. But if my space is opened up to men that's where I will be uncomfortable. Even that sucks though because I know, trust, and love many men who I am happy to share my safe spaces with and I don't want to paint all men as predatory or criminal because that behavior has everything to do with misogyny and nothing to do with masculinity. But unfortunately a lot of people are misogynistic so that's an entirely different beast to dismantle. Though to be honest, that belief people have that all men are inherently unsafe is actually massively fueling these issues with transphobia. People view trans women as men so they're afraid of them. That is unkind and unfair to trans women AND men. Ultimately, I would prefer more privacy in general. More single use bathrooms and changing spaces.
At the end of the day, making society trans inclusive would require a lot of infrastructure to change. I don't have an issue with that, because as it stands our current infrastructure hurts more than just trans people. But I promise you, most trans people want to feel safe and included in the exact same way we do. My desire to feel safe and included isn't infringing on anyone else's rights, and neither is theirs. And the same way I don't want to paint all men with the same brush, it isn't fair to paint all trans people with the same brush. Being afraid of trans people in our safe spaces is fueled entirely by misinformation about trans people, and not because trans people are unsafe to be around.
My glob, I hope you’re copying and pasting all of this.
While the effects of puberty blockers are usually reversible, the effects of cross-sex hormones are often not. That's according to the Mayo Clinic. Are you suggesting that the Mayo Clinic is some reactionary organization?
As far as trans-women losing muscle mass, the effect is small and is nowhere near making up for the advantages gained in male puberty. Male puberty also results in denser bones and higher lung capacity than in females, neither of which are reversed. That's according to a review of research in the field done by the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. Another reactionary organization, I guess. Based on that research, World Rugby (the international governing body for the sport) barred trans-women from women's rugby, citing issues of both safety and fairness. I have a daughter who played rugby in college and I'm glad she didn't have to deal with trans-women. Its a rough sport as it is.
Seems to me that you're the one who only looks at research when it confirms your pre-determined biases.
But children aren't taking cross-sex hormones. They're taking puberty blockers, if they are even taking those. And I told you my stance on gender identity and sports which is what I stand by because, especially when considering what you have said here, it is the only way to make sports safe and fair for all athletes.
Where's your basis for "children aren't taking cross-sex hormones"? Children (human beings under the age for 18) are ABSOLUTELY taking cross-sex hormones. There are YouTube videos and TikToks galore showing the kids who are doing it. And kids ARE taking puberty blockers, which are only meant for precocious puberty but are now being prescribed off-label, but doctors are using them to stunt *normal* puberty as a result of the ideology-driven narrative.
You know what? Thanks, I will be happy to look at what other sources and “experts” have to say-I did that with CRT and it didn’t change my opinion one bit, but I learned some things.
Here’s a caveat though:
So called experts told the medical professionals over 30 years ago to treat pain with opioids aggressively and to believe every pain patient.This is why we now have an opioid crisis.
And hearing about the lives of these people is fine, I don’t doubt they have tremendous struggles, but so do anorexics who sincerely believe they are overweight but we don’t treat them with bariatric surgery and weight loss medication.
If you're going to look at other experts and sources have to say about CRT and transgender dysphoria, please don't leap to unresearched conclusions about the opioid crisis. I am an older physician, so I have lived through the swing of the pendulum from "don't give opioids to people in pain because they'll get addicted or overdose" (1970s) to "believe pain pts, give opiods judiciously, monitor for addiction" (1980s) to "Purdue says oxycontin isn't addictive, so we can prescribe it freely" (1990s) to "oh no! opioid crisis! don't give opioids to people in pain because they'll get addicted or overdose" (2000s-2010s-now—swing back to 1970s).
The opioid crisis is multifactorial: socioeconomic factors (collapse of industrial economy), attitudes on the part of doctors, and most importantly, capitalism run amok (Purdue pushing oxycontin for venal reasons, followed by contamination of street drugs with fentanyl). The War on Drugs has been especially pernicious, causing a great deal of damage.
*Everything* is multifactorial. We should all be able to research these tooics widely and deeply, and withhold hasty judgments. Stay open-minded, please.
Another reason for the opiate crisis is that people were simply cut off with no tapering, so they went into serious withdrawals. After surgery some years ago, I was on Percocet for about a month but the doctor weaned me off during the last two weeks.
One extreme to the other…
Earnest recommendation: read "Gender Queer" for one personal perspective on non-binary.
I don't think the concern is so much about the muscular hairy trans man being forced to use the woman's restroom as it the muscular hairy trans woman being allowed to use the woman's restroom.
Comment of the week!
Do you find your LGBTQ+ friends are angry with Rowling or felt betrayed by her comments? I’m genuinely interested how broad this backlash is or if we just tend the “nutpick” the worst of them?
"nutpick". What an apt expression. Thank you for that. I'm going to use it.
Nutpicking is what the MSM typically does when covering anything involving conservatives. It's basically what they did with the Jan 6th debacle. But everything - they look around and find the one nut they can use and try to pretend they're all like that. That's precisely what Michelle Goldberg did in that podcast a couple days ago where she talked about being the only journalist among them that actually attended the truckers strike in Ottawa. She managed to pick the one nut who was there for "mushrooms" and wrote about him. FB and Twitter and email lists everywhere were full of commentary by non-nut truckers and their friends and family at that strike. MSM won't ever hear interviews with any of them.
The “ worst of them” is the loudest. Then...they have a lot of support
Amen
“So many of my LGBTQ+ friends (Trans included) felt so seen by these books growing up “
———————————————-
Do you think it is good to lump all of these people together? What does the Q mean?
Yeah. What does the Q mean?
Back in the day, meaning the first seven decades of the twentieth century, the word "queer" was a slur, something straight people would yell on the street as they threw rocks at us or punched us in the face. We gays and lesbians used the word occasionally -- ironically -- with quotation marks around it, to signify that we knew what the world thought of us, but oh well, what are you gonna do?
When the alphabet people adopted it as part of their lexicon, it made no dent in my thinking. Its original connotation held and it still does. Now, queer carries with it the erasure of lesbians and gays in a new way, by denying our sex. Trans activists appropriated gay narratives to legitimate themselves, although gay and trans have very little in common. Back in the day, gay conversion therapy meant something pernicious and terrible for gay men. It included hard core religious bullying, behavior modification, and electro-shock treatments. But trans conversion therapy means nothing more than asking probing questions and listening to the answers. Taking nothing for granted. Considering, thinking, feeling, assessing. You know, therapy.
I feel very sorry for confused teens who go to a gender therapist today expecting to discuss their feelings and the origins of their dysphoria, but instead leave after one visit with a prescription for puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones. Only one question asked: do you think you're trans?
I don't know what the Q means. Ask them.
A very good friend of mine was an artist at Black Mountain College in North Carolina, he was one a number of gay men there in the late 50s, & he was not out at the time, or at least, wasn't when he first got there. I remember him telling me how strange he thought the new word "gay" was, like people thought they were ebullient or dancing all the time, plus he never wanted to seem swishy. I can hear him telling the story. He was a hoot.
I've been following two young women who are detransitioning & being vocal about the treatment they got as minors who went for help & got exactly what you describe, & how they were best case ghosted, worst case violently bullied, by the trans community when they expressed regret. Your gender is affirmed but only if it's the gender the trans community deems is right for you, apparently. You've probably heard of Chloe Cole. The other is Prisha Mosley. Prisha is new to youtube. She's really eloquent. The diagnosed mental disorders she had before surgery, which should have prevented those surgeries, are now being used by the gender specialists as the reason for her regret. This is actually true for both of them. They are young women who both want children & no longer have breasts. The whole thing is ghastly, nightmarish.
Yes, I'm familiar with Ms. Cole and Ms. Mosley. Both are very brave, articulate and intelligent. Both have gone from being victims to being activists in order to save the lives of others.
Their stories break my heart. What was done to them in the name of "helping" would be a bad joke if the results weren't so catastrophic. Prisha's story is particularly sad because she doesn't seem to have the support of her family that Chloe has. But she's become more confident with every video. She puts herself in harms way, risking her own physical safety to tell the truth in state legislatures around the country. For example, in Tennessee: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exiNdzYf7AU
Chloe also testifies before state legislative bodies. I'm hoping that her personal lawsuit will be the first of many to bankrupt the medical groups that prey on the bodies of children.
Yes I hope so too. I was dismayed to hear it's kaiser she's suing, which is like suing a tobacco company. Kaiser also puts a 250k cap on what you can be awarded in the event you win, but this likely isn't about damages as much as damage. I hope it opens a floodgate of suits & that these butchers are all bankrupted.
I think it means "queer" but have no idea how that might be different from "gay". Or care.
Oh gay is way too binary!
(Am I here right now?)
Kevin, that is a question that needs more attention. I don't understand why the LGB tolerate the Ts attaching themselves to their agenda. I have heard some gays complain about it.
Quite honestly, I don't even like the B's!
Before there was general legal protection for gay men and lesbian women in workplace and marriage, I never liked the people who would show up at an advocacy event for legal protection for same-sex relations, and declared "but I like women, too! Include us! Change your group's name"
Can you imagine if, for example, at an advocacy group for bicycle commuters' people would come and scream: "But I walk too! Change your name to the 'Park Slope Bicycle and Pedestrian Commuter's advocacy group!'"
(And in my 60 years as a gay man, I've never actually known a bisexual, in terms of a friend or even casual acquaintance who dated both men and women.)
My gay friends say there is no such thing as a bi-sexual man. They’re just gay who occasionally enjoy sex with a woman
Can you speak to why the LGB community is including Ts as part of their agenda?
I think originally nobody had a problem welcoming the tiny, tiny number of actual transgender women into "gay spaces." They were very marginalized and would find sympathetic company. Trans women in gay bars 30 and 40 years ago were welcome and treated politely. I never saw any trans men.
Today, "trans" is something very different. I see it as homophobic. Today, they're telling women who would possibly have been happy lesbians 20+ year ago that they're actually men and need surgery and drugs. And "sissy" boys who prefer to play with the girls aren't allowed to be sissies, they're given puberty blockers. Parents prefer it this way. They'd rather have a kid with a medical condition that needs drugs than, frankly, a little c*cks*cker for a son. To me, it's very anti-gay.
Another reason is most of the issues the LG community fought for have been solved. There's gay marriage, and little workplace discrimination. Instead of folding up their tents, the existing advocacy groups needed something to do, so they branch out.
As a religious Jewish gay man, I find that I can't participate in any "gay" organization today. They've *all* embraced intersectionality, which means that Jews are evil colonizing oppressors. I'm not welcome.
I knew a few people who called themselves bi back in the day. It never stuck as a lifestyle; ie was a stepping stone from which to return to being straight after experimenting, or going on to being gay after making an announcement they felt wouldn't shock anyone, including themselves.
Some Indeed! There's a huge #waronlesbians faction & there was an uproar some years ago about that with regard to the Pride parade in Edinburgh. The perspective of one #lesbianvisibility person is documented here, & it ain't pretty. No terfs on our turf, etc. etc. Lots of lesbians apparently too frightened to attend the parade.
https://forwomen.scot/22/06/2019/pride-edinburgh/
I think this is key to the "terf" attacks: "a specific misogyny towards homosexual women who dare to define and defend their sexuality without men telling us what it should be"
Thanks for the link Fifi. So much hatred! So much misogyny.
I had no idea.
"Queer." I've heard it also means "Questioning," but it seems kind of dangerous to have one abbreviation letter mean two different things. It occurs to me that this is exactly the kind of thing they are fighting against! Who knows to what nefarious purpose Q might be put by the unscrupulous, & how much psychological damage could result from being mislettered.
Yeah it means queer but I’m asking what queer means. If you really drill down it just means communist.
That's an orthogonal property. I've known a number of "queers" over the years who were not at all communists. Some were quite conservative.
I am talking about people who identify as “queer”. They are all communists.
I dare say there isn’t a single non-psychopath who identifies as “queer” and yet we are somehow lumping these people in with gays and lesbians.
In reality I think the moniker LGBTQ+ is homophobic. The T and the Q are almost always just psychotic perverts so it’s kinda horrendous to lump them in with lesbians and gays.
“Oh yeah it is weird sex. It’s all the same thing. Let’s group them together.”
I don’t know. Maybe I’m wrong.
I can't speak for everyone but queer is often the preferred option for people who don't feel like any other labels are quite right, hence the 'other' option, and it's been that way for a long time. As an example, I've known a number of women who were mostly straight, but sometimes attracted to women. Straight doesn't quite fit, bisexual doesn't quite fit, so queer works for some people. Not all perverts, often not even involved in activism, just outside the standard checkboxes.
If you're referring to adults who are "queer" activists, I don't know if they're ALL communists and/or psychopaths. it seems like a bit of a generalization, especially the psychopath part, but you could be right. They do have a leftist worldview founded in critical theory, which is Marxist, or Maoist, or a variation of one of those.
But if you're referring to pre-teens, teenagers, and young adults, who have been indoctrinated in gender theory and call themselves queer because they think it's cutting edge, then no, I don't think they're communists or psychopaths. They're children -- followers -- who have no idea who they are or how the world works. And many of them won't have a fully-developed prefrontal cortex for years. It's impossible to know how they're going to turn out. It helps me to remember that desistance and detransition are definitely a possibility.
It means "not you." I think logically that means "other," won't they be surprised to find _that_ out. That they are othering themselves.
I have known the gay community in one form or another since 1970 in the military. Those of us who knew felt no need to address the issue. They did their job and since much was in a war zone, I and my friends preferred skill and capability over the none issue of who you wanted to sleep with. Knew married guys going with Transgender and still not my business.
Just wish everyone would just leave each other alone. You are not special because you fall into the alphabet group. I am not special because I like women. Just live your own life. Yes it at times requires walking on, but we just aren’t allowed to eliminate the idiots.
"Live your own life" (and MYOB) was doable and conflict free with the LGB rights movement. LGB rights didn't cost anyone else their rights. LGB rights didn't ask human society to redefine everything or for preferential treatment within it. Trans identified people, however, are demanding (and getting) permission to live lives of sexual impersonation that society cannot accommodate without taking away the rights of others. There are serious conflicts.
You nailed one of the most important issues which is the balancing of different peoples rights. 50 percent of the population are female. That's a lot of people. Now compare that to the percentage of (trans women) which is very low even adding the new numbers which may actually be the temporary product of the social contagion effect. The balancing analysis in this instance weighs heavily in favor of the massively larger group of women affected compared to the extremely small number of trans women. But rationality and reasonableness are not the guiding principles of the Left where narcissism reigns.
Thank you for that perspective.
Actually LGB did ask for marriage to be redefined and to impose that on bakers, florists, photographers, etc.
You are correct there. Peevishly appropriating the word "marriage" instead of being content with "civil union" was disrespectful overreach. "Marriage" is a sacrament to some citizens. It should have been left alone. Suing the baker was (and still is with the new suit against him) mean spirited bullying. Ironically intolerant and unnecessary. Some people are not content with just winning. They want scorched earth.
Exactly. In the US, my rights and freedoms extend only so far as they do not infringe on someone else'. Trans absolutely challenges our concept of privacy, which is not explicitly constitutionally protected but nevertheless is assumed. I am shocked that all mothers are not horrified at the idea that their school-age daughters would have their locker rooms invaded by biological males that are attracted to biological females.
Well the grown female UPenn swimmers were upset that, as one unnamed person said, William Thomas was running around the locker room with his towel & everything else flapping, & apparently it was obvious that he was "attracted to women."
No getting around some things, is there?
Trans men are having their breasts removed. I'm not seeing many stories about trans women rushing to cut off their dicks. IMO, that would make a very compelling case for having committed to their new gender identity. Like, if an adult takes it to this point I got nothing to say about it. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsurg.2021.639430/full
Yes I've actually had the thought that it should be required for male inmates who want to be housed in women's prisons.
The distribution of trans kids by sex used to be more even . Now it's overwhelmingly girls wanting to be boys. More erasure of women. The loss of rowdy sporty misbehaving tomboys who are being told by supposed feminists that they have a condition that needs to be cured. The whole thing is sick-making.
but only because we are not standing up to them. It is time to fight back.
Absolutely 100% aligns with my sentiments and 70+ years of experiences. Being black, Polish, Norwegian, male, Jewish, red neck, straight, gay, disabled, athletic, etc., etc. doesn't make you special. Just be kind to others (golden rule) and lead a productive responsible life.
The math is not that difficult, unless you go to Harvard.
Why are the extremes on the right and the left so damned violent.
It sends the message, "Believe my way or I will hurt/kill you."
That is the message of the 1939 NAZIs and the 1919 Communists. Regardless of their ideologies they are both the same totalitarian assholes. Assholes we should not just be avoiding but condemning.
Where are our politicians on this. Hiding under their beds most likely. We need to vigorously enforce the constitutional right to peaceful, that's right peaceful, demonstration. We need mandatory long prison sentences for violent wackos. This will send a subtle message to those inclined to violent demonstrations.
If you want violence, do it in your backyard, burn down your house. Turn over your cars. That's right, get all of this hatred out of your mean, tiny, little minds by destroying your own property, not that of others.
There are always a small % of folks in any group that are wacko. Hence extremists. But, ouch, sometimes those wackos take over and steer the boat. Antifa - check. Pro Hamas supporters - check.
Hear-hear! Protest to your heart's content, people, make your case to the public, I'm fine with that and will protect your right to do so. You start looting, burning, and killing innocents, though, and I will ask the state to stop you in ways you might not appreciate.
No, it must be shoved down your throat until you are silenced. 🤐
Yes I lived in the SF Bay Area in the 80s through 90s & knew transgender people & every single one wanted more than anything to be "invisible." Few were 100% successful but that was always the goal. And I am not talking about drag queens or gender fuckers or any of the other varieties, whose goal was/is to be as obvious as possible. The people I knew who wanted to live as the other sex wanted more than anything to pass. To never ever have anyone bring it up. How the times have changed.
Same experience here. I’m from New Orleans which as long as I can remember was a gay friendly city. I know a trans woman who also happened to be a physician. In the 90s, not even a fully grown adult doctor, who certainly understood what he was doing, could get the surgery without years of therapy from several different psychiatrists. She also had to “live as a woman” for several years prior. She told me she had to have recommendation letters from the doctors who treated her before she could even have the surgery in Taiwan. Apparently they were more experienced in Taiwan, but she still ended up with a terrible post surgery infection which caused a much longer and harder recovery. How anyone could allow a minor to undertake this is just beyond the pale. Anyway, my friend definitely wanted to blend in as a woman and just BE. No agenda, definitely no thinking she was somehow special. It upended her life in many ways..
This was back in the good old days of so-called "gatekeeping" in which adults who struggled with dysphoria were evaluated and helped by doctors who worked from the precautionary principle. Only those were green-lighted for transition who were assessed, through a careful and lengthy process, as likely to benefit despite the risks. Moving to "self ID" has caused so much harm in so many ways.
There is a push today to normalize sexual deviance to start the education in children as young as kindergartens, and to re-educate the population. I haven’t figured out why this is happening but it’s not going to stop, especially when it’s supported by current administration.
Your use of “re-educate” is as fitting as it is terrifying. That is precisely what is happening.
Do you mean brainwashing?
Thank you for the correction. Me calling brainwashing “re-educating” is as deceptive as somebody saying… (insert clever comment here).
I'm too tired to think.
To start understanding you need to go to Youtube & watch the documentary "The Children of Table 34." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtElwdfCUTc
About the Alfred Kinsey experiments. Not for the faint of heart.
After you watch that, watch What you didn't know about Alfred Kinsey & Hugh Hefner https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stufhfZGCAw
Sprinkle in some postmodernism & there you have the vile stew.
Haunting stuff.
So true. With whom you sleep and what you do is both none of my business and beyond boring.
I think just about everyone but the Westboro Church folks would agree with that. But loud elements of the LGBTQ crowd seem intent on making their sexual preferences everyones business--parades, drag queen shows in libraries, access to women's bathrooms and locker rooms, advocating for instruction about their issues in early grade-school, etc. I wish they'd just give it a rest.
FWIW, I think much of this came out of the desire to correct pretty much most of the historical cultural trends that was pretty homophobic and where "queer" (the term, I guess now for "LGBTQ") people experienced variations of intense bullying, persecution, as well as the implied requirement to remain closeted.
So a movement began to introduce "tolerance" into social learning, to ostensibly mitigate the standard bullying against non-conforming LGBTQ identifying children (and adults) in schools and work places. Which seems to be veering into an "over correction" with the questionable introduction of "drag" into children's spaces, and the (I still haven't really seen any sort of measurable evidence beyond anecdotal evidence as to the degree as to which this is occurring) supposed introduction of "queer theory" and "gender ideology" in schools and workplaces.
And now it seems there is going to be a correction against the over-correction, what we should hope is that the correction itself isn't also an over-correction and reverts much of the (good) progress that LGBTQ people have made in our society in the last very recent decades. Balance betweeen toleration and the ability to be "visibly queer" without fear of being bullied and harmed, with a balance towards appropriate boundaries particularly within children's spaces and educational spaces.
I can still remember when someone might say something like, "I had a queer feeling," and almost no one would think of homosexuality.
Yah, but I mean I think you could glean whether "queer" meant "strange/unlikely/etc" as an experience or emotion (in "older fashion" speech) versus when it was being used as a homophobic slur based on the context where it was used. The recent movement to "re-legitimize" the prior usage of "queer" as a slur to now a valid segment of the spectrum of anything deviant from straight gender binary expression that doesn't fit into the existing "LGBT" buckets is pretty new though.
I see your point. Mine was about a time when the former meaning was not old fashioned but the common one.
“Look at me! Look how different I am. But you must treat me like everybody else. As an equal. Except you have to refer to me using misnomers, allow me access to any bathroom I want, and comply with any demands I request. See how different I am? But don't treat me differently. Unless I ask you to.”
Unless I absolutely demand you to and if you don’t comply I will have you fired and shunned.
I can't believe I forget to mention their coercive tactics. I'm disappointed in myself.
*shakes head*
Sums it up quite neatly, though I'd say it isn't much of an "ask" (re: that last line). More of a tell. Or a command.
True. I was on point with “comply with any demands I request”, but I must have seen a squirrel or something during the last sentence. Buggered the whole thing up.
😆
Well said. Very well said and you said it in just one paragraph.
Reminds me of a Camille Paglia essay wherein she opined that a lot of gayness requires transgression of social norms. And when social norms adjust to accept them then they have to transgress further and further in order to have the thrill of transgression still.
Kind of like how when you silence and censor those on the fringe, you end up with a new "fringe" to silence and censor. Not a sustainable model for a free society.
Her essays seem even more on point today than when I read them in the 90s. Time to re-visit
I agree K Lodge. They want the attention. It serves their agenda. And when it backfires with violence as they of course know it will, it gives their cause media coverage they desire.
Glad to see that you’re confusing the woke mobs by sitting facts and common sense. Well said.
I doubt the woke mobs read any of these comments or his substack.
"confusing the woke mobs by sitting facts and common sense"
I'm not woke but am thoroughly confused nevertheless: perhaps it's the spelling, citing facts?