Being Trans Is Not A Choice

[Guest LizMarie]

From the article:

"A Globe and Mail opinion piece is calling out the transgender movement.

Margaret Wente said in the piece “Almost everyone is biologically born either female or male, a fact that neither surgery nor self-declared identity can change”.

She also wrote “Transgenderism is a fad that has been spread by social media and embraced by individuals (and families) as the explanation for their confusion, loneliness and dysfunction”.

An expert on the subject says this mindset is not only wrong but dangerous."

Reference: http://www.660news.com/2014/08/03/gender-identity-not-a-choice-university-of-alberta-professor/

[Carolyn Marie]

Here is Wente's opinion piece in full.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/the-march-of-transgender-rights/article19888036/

It should be noted that she is not, and makes no claim to be, any kind of expert on the subject. She is just someone with an opinion, who sought out others with the same opinion to bolster her viewpoint. I find it interesting that she references the radical feminist movement, which has been of much interest on these forums of late, as another group of "experts" on the subject.

There are a whole lot of us here who realized long ago, long before "social media" ever existed, that we were different, and that we were, in our hearts and minds, of the opposite gender. I wonder what Wente would say made us that way? Maybe it was Life Magazine, or Mad Magazine, or something else we read as six-year olds.

She is entitled to her opinion, wrong though it may be. I hope it gives her comfort, knowing we are all delusional..

Carolyn Marie

[Guest Wanda Michelle]

Wow! If this is a fad I was way ahead of it and I didn't even know. Guess we shouldn't have been reading "Mad" or "Life". Could it be that we are all trendsetters!?!

Hugs,

Wanda

[Guest]

i'm like that since my oldest memories long before internet or even before I even had a sense of what it was to follow a trend. It was quite the contrary, what took me so long is because I was against all that I knew. I thought I was crazy.

I had so much trouble trough all my life and made so much sacrifice just because I was like that...

I really don't feel like I have the choice ... or at least that's my feeling about it

[Guest Jenni_S]

She is entitled to her opinion, wrong though it may be. I hope it gives her comfort, knowing we are all delusional..

Indeed. It doesn't much matter to me; I know who I am, I know how I got here, and I'm fine with it. Besides, we all know what's going to happen. The outraged opposing viewpoint will make many frothing comments, to which those that agree with it will duly frothingly respond, flames will erupt, names will be called, furniture thrown, dogs and cats living together, and... no one's opinion will change.

Being a positive example speaks volumes more than outraged comments, in my opinion. Which is worth just as much as hers.

[Carolyn Marie]

..dogs and cats living together...

OMG! Anything but that!?#!&!

Carolyn Marie

[Guest]

Whats "MAD" or "LIFE"? <giggle>

[VickySGV]

In my case it was the original National Enquirer for the comic version, followed by Playboy with a serious version.

I am glad the writer has an opinion, but who doesn't?? Probably caused by eating too much Brocoli, the stuff gives me gas too. Just keep the dogs and cats out of my back yard!! Achoooooo!

[Charlize]

Actually i think it was Peter Pan that changed me. I so wanted to be Wendy. By the time Mad magazine cam e around i knew how crazy the world was. I was delusional enough by then to force myself into a "real" world. Only my senility has allowed me to become the Wendy i always felt i should be and i don't want to grow up again.

Hugs,

Charlize

[Guest Ky_Ki]

Honestly, despite her negative tone, and clear attempt at making propaganda for the anti-trans side, there is a lot of truth to her article and a lot of points to be made. It's honestly not that outlandish of an article. It's true that being trans, or at least being aware and supporting it is sort of becoming a fad, and that the current talk of "gender vs. sex" has become almost laughable in certain areas of the net and questioning it or pointing out the flawed logic can easily get you labeled as a bigot. And there also is a trend of families supporting kids transitioning at younger and younger ages, which while well intentioned, and be extremely beneficial for those kids who ARE actually trans, the statistics show that the majority of gender nonconforming kids don't turn out to be trans and the current push for parents to encourage their kids to transition might not be the best course of action. It's definitely a question worth raising.

[Guest MorganAlexandra]

It almost seems as if her "research" for this story was to google a random topic, click the first link, and get bored halfway through and call it a day. Shame that this was the topic. Oh well, she can have her opinion, and we have the truth.

[Guest Jenni_S]

..dogs and cats living together...

OMG! Anything but that!?#!&!

Carolyn Marie

It's mass hysteria!

[Guest KimberlyF]

Honestly, despite her negative tone, and clear attempt at making propaganda for the anti-trans side, there is a lot of truth to her article and a lot of points to be made. It's honestly not that outlandish of an article. It's true that being trans, or at least being aware and supporting it is sort of becoming a fad, and that the current talk of "gender vs. sex" has become almost laughable in certain areas of the net and questioning it or pointing out the flawed logic can easily get you labeled as a bigot. And there also is a trend of families supporting kids transitioning at younger and younger ages, which while well intentioned, and be extremely beneficial for those kids who ARE actually trans, the statistics show that the majority of gender nonconforming kids don't turn out to be trans and the current push for parents to encourage their kids to transition might not be the best course of action. It's definitely a question worth raising.

I suspect a certain backlash as people who have experienced feelings like those described in the second link, and then went on without medical intervention to live normal happy lives continue to clash with the stories of those who required transition. Neither case is a proof or disproof of the other, but statistically as you mentioned, the majority with gender non-conforming feelings didn't grow up to be TG.

[Guest Kenna Dixon]

I didn't even have television to help make me transgender.

It must have been that Saturday Evening Post magazine, with subliminal messages in the Norman Rockwell illustrations.