Transgender People are seen as a Fad.

[Vini]

I'm starting this topic to find out if any other Girls have noticed this or know about this because I'm trying to wrap my brain around it as I go out into the world each day as a Trans ? I first heard the word Fad when a Medical Professional at Pride asked me if I thought Transgender kids were a Fad in the schools.  As if I was a Sociology expert who would know.  I was shocked at the time and I gave a pretty week response.  But it has been in the back or my mind as I've gone through my transition for the last year and a half.  Why was I treated like I had leprosy when I was in the hospital for four days with Hyponatremia from Spironolactone.  Why have my children deserted me.  Why am I met with skepticism as I meet people in public,  which is simplest way I can describe my experiences.  And then recently I brought the subject up and was told by a MHP and other Trans Sisters that they thought being a Transgender Person is now a Fad.  And again I was shocked and didn't give a response at the time.  I haven't been thinking very fast since I started Spiro.  It makes me feel like an airhead lemming sheep.  It dismisses the fact that I wanted to be a girl since my youth.  Like I'm the group FNG.  Then searching online I found articles for and against the topic  with discussions about "social contagion" and even books on amazon.  Now when I go to my upcoming important medical appointments  I will be wondering about each person I meet.

 

 

[VickySGV]

A Ten Thousand + year old fad I suppose, since many other cultures that old recognized more than just two genders of people back then. Judaism in some of its earliest commentaries on the Jewish Law recognized 8 genders, Asian cultures recognized 6 genders at about the same time.  Native American / First Nations people before the colonization of the North American continent knew of Two Spirit (and other titles for that phenomena) people.  The people outside the main two had their places in the societies that recorded their existence in ways that tell us they had some acceptance and acknowledgment as OK people.  In the 1930's the Hitlerian government of Germany destroyed the library of Magnus Hirschfeld who was one of the most noted scientists of his time who studied Human Sexuality in the footsteps of Sigmund Freud and others who had written about cross gender identities from earlier times, the library contained numerous books on people who came to be known as Transgender and Transsexual.  The burning of that library was in the same line as the burning of the ancient Alexandrian Library which set things way way way back from where we could be. I have not even skimmed the top layer on what and how historic we actually are here, so yeah, it is recent,(SARCASM).  Fifty five years since Dr. Harry Benjamin published The Transsexual Phenomenon,  that the words Transgender and Transsexual have become the terms applied to the entire diversity of gender identity and expression, very recent fad it seems. NOT.

What is recent is our ability to communicate with each other by way of media such as these forums.  The same sadly for those who fear and mistrust us, they can now share that ignorance as if it were current evidence based science of which it is the opposite.  Online groups give the ability to see that "I have others who feel as I do".  WOW, "yes that describes me accurately"!  Even so, our numbers are still very small, less than 2% of the population.  For a good read on the subject, I like the book recently published by Brynn Tannehill, Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Trans*  *But Were Afraid To Ask, which goes into some of the RECENT FAD pseudo science ideas and makes them fall apart pretty badly.

[KathyLauren]

It is a consequence of a particular brand of activism that promotes being transgender as a choice.  It goes along with the anti-gatekeeping activism that is common in a lot of places.  It says that anyone can be trans if they say they are.  I think it is harmful to us all.  The general public shudders with horror when they hear this, with good reason, and they think that is what being trans is all about.

 

All of us need to work at getting the word out that it is not a choice.  We are trans because we were born that way.  The public has absolutely no idea that this is the case, and tend not to believe it because of all the propaganda (from both the pro-trans and anti-trans camps) that says it is a choice.

 

The idea that being trans is something you are born with, that you cannot become trans nor can you ever cease to be trans is simply not in the public's consciousness at all.

[Dillon]

I remember there was a book that was popular a couple years ago claiming this about trans kids, that they were just identifying as trans because it was popular. The idea that any child would go against peer pressure and endure bullying because they have "chosen" a trans identity is ridiculous. But people who want to wish us out of existence are willing to think this. 

[Vini]

Thank you *VickySGV  *KathyLauren and  *DiIIon for all the great talking points and support.  I can see that I need to get my act together, take some notes for future study and reference, to get ready to educate some educated people.  "But did you know that..."   Today after the atmospheric river passed, I put on my makeup, my parka and my leggings and hiked to the store so glad to be myself the way I feel,  no matter what anybody thinks or says.  I can't thank you all enough for shields and armor against their slings and arrows.

[VickySGV]

5 hours ago, Dillon said:

I remember there was a book that was popular a couple years ago claiming this about trans kids, that they were just identifying as trans because it was popular.

 

It was a non-peer reviewed "study" that interviewed the non-accepting parents, recruited from a group of other non accepting parents.  This resulted in the ROGD (Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria) claim that has since been debunked, but is still pointed to as a "Scientific Study" by those who have not followed up with the facts that I mentioned above of the ability of the GD children being at long last able to talk to others with the same lives.

[Jamey-Heather]

5 hours ago, Dillon said:

I remember there was a book that was popular a couple years ago claiming this about trans kids, that they were just identifying as trans because it was popular. The idea that any child would go against peer pressure and endure bullying because they have "chosen" a trans identity is ridiculous. But people who want to wish us out of existence are willing to think this. 

I teach High School, and this idea (that children are choosing) is, indeed, absurd.....

[Vini]

Thank you  @VickySGV and @Jamey-Heather  Are they confusing Goths with Trans ? Or is Goth even a thing anymore?    I see mostly kids in sweats and pajamas here in Tacoma now : )  And some hairstyles like the buzzed on the sides plus all different colors with piercings probably has Straights going off the deep end world is coming to end, cats with dogs hysteria.  But I'm not being critical, I almost got expelled for hair over my ears in the 60s.  Then after Woodstock we were Freaks, even in my parents house.

But I've noticed good news and bad news:  Polls say most Americans are against anyone's rights being taken away including  LGBTQ+ or Reproductive.  Bad news is the Republican Legislatures are with us  until 2031 due to redistricting even if Dems woke up and started  voting.  Don't ask me to explain Gerrymandering : ) it boggles my mind.  And after 2 years of Spiro my brain is pretty fuzzy.  If any article is more than two phone swipes, my concentration goes out the window... I don't even want to pick up a book.  One of the best things about retirement was reading tomes like GOT.  I'm really looking forward to getting off Spiro soon.  I've heard that recovery is pretty swift ? Thank you so much.  

[Marcie Jensen]

23 hours ago, Dillon said:

I remember there was a book that was popular a couple years ago claiming this about trans kids, that they were just identifying as trans because it was popular. The idea that any child would go against peer pressure and endure bullying because they have "chosen" a trans identity is ridiculous. But people who want to wish us out of existence are willing to think this. 

Well put, Dillon. While I freely admit that I'm no expert on teens and fads, I've got to say, you've hit the nail on the head here. Most teen age fads seem to be about "belonging" and "being cool" rather than being different and/or seeking out abuse and being bullied. While sometimes the ads that manifest themselves are destructive (eating Tide Pods comes to mind), mostly they're just plain silly. Being trans doesn't fall into that particular category. Sometimes I'm just amazed at the way some people think.

[Charlize]

I can only say that if i had the same information that today's children have i might have suffered a great deal less in the accepting of my gender.

On 4/11/2023 at 10:56 AM, VickySGV said:

What is recent is our ability to communicate with each other by way of media such as these forums.  The same sadly for those who fear and mistrust us, they can now share that ignorance as if it were current evidence based science of which it is the opposite.  Online groups give the ability to see that "I have others who feel as I do".  WOW, "yes that describes me accurately"! 

As Vicky notes present communication allows the knowledge that we are not alone.

 

Hugs,

 

Charlize

[Vini]

Yes, I wish I would have thought of DiIIon's point.  Why would I want to go through what I've been through to follow a Transgender Fad ?  I'm going to my first Surgical Consult soon and I keep having flashbacks to the last two years of Transition :  When  MHPs  asked me if I got erections from wearing women's clothes and if I saw things or heard things that other people don't.  When I was in the Emergency Clinic and the Doctor called me "guys like you".  When an RN couldn't understand why I was taking hormones.  Then for four days the other RNs would not look me in the eye.  When my PCP got angry with me when I asked for surgery referral, that I could be a crazy person who wants to cut his  dick off.  When my son in law doesn't want me around his children.  When my daughter had a baby girl and none of the family would tell me about her.  When I don't get any communication during holidays and birthday from my kids.  When a Trans Sister tells me I'm too old for vaginaplasty  and I will get beat up if I wear a skirt to Safeway.   When a motor scooter club tells me I should join another club that has a 'kitten' referenced name that is on Facebook which I don't do.   When a cheap jewelry store tells me I should shop somewhere else.  When I don't know when a drive by dude is going to stop me when I'm walking to the store and wants "to have fun with you girl".

Like this morning a young man in his used suv blocked my way  until I started to cross to the other side of the street to get away from him. Or when I'm going to get another catcall  like one that yelled " I'll use a condom if you want me to ". Or my favorite in busy  downtown Seattle when I was running to the bus " Come on girl, heel toe, heel toe ! "      Why would I want to follow a fad that a whole Republican Organization wants to "Eradicate" ?

[Dillon]

@ViniI am sorry and angry (but sadly not surprised) that those things were done to you. 

[Vini]

  Thank you @DiIIon.  I'm sure we can all come up with a lists of positive and negative experiences in out transitions.  But some can be learning experiences .  Like when my classmate said I had nice legs when I played a girls part in the play, Or a young lady said I sing like a girl.  Or a 4th grade girl on the train said she didn't know if i was a man or a lady. You're right when you are a child they can be devastating at the time,  but later they fall into place like pieces of your puzzle.  And the light goes off, oh ya, no wonder.  And then it all seems worth it like this morning when the Bus Driver said yes Ma'am and later an older Veteran tried to flirt with me at the Hospital.  Or when I watch one of my Heroes like Elliot Page.  Thank you for reaching out.

[Lydia_R]

This is an interesting thread that I have some thoughts on.

 

Choices and fads.  There are certainly choices in this transgender experience.  Choosing to medically transition and choosing to come out are huge scary choices.  Choosing to live in the closet is a choice too.  When I look back at my childhood photos, I certainly look gay.  I do not know what others see in these photos.  There was virtually no femininity around me growing up and these days I wonder what it would have been like had things been different.  I certainly identify with being transgender and not gay.

 

I'm not a gender therapist.  I respect what they do.  I like the idea that people have the freedom to do whatever they want with their bodies.  I think we all have a responsibility to society to contribute to industrialism.  You can do a mind altering drug once and experience that.  This transgenderism is vastly different from that.  Who am I to say that someone cannot experience this?  I think it's great that we are sharing our stories here.  Reading the posts here helped me make my decisions and I'm sure it will help others.  It took me a long time to find this information.  We are a product of our generations.  I grew up in the arcades.

 

Anyway.  This meme always reminds me of the movie Pleasantville.  Have a wonderful day TGP peeps!

[Lydia_R]

I don't know.  Maybe this is something you can try on.  At least in the short term.  I noticed quite a lot of change in the first few months of HRT.  If you grow small breasts, you have them medically reduced.  If you grow a beard, you can have it removed.

 

As a community, are we afraid of "imposters?"  Are we inclusive?  Everyone has their own life to live; even young people.  There is more information about transitioning out there than ever before.  We are not going back.  Everyone makes mistakes.  No one cares more about your life than you do.  Who am I to say people should or should not do this?  I can only share my experience of it.  I'm doing it and have my perspective as someone who is doing it.  So far, almost everything has been positive for me.  YMMV.

 

Hugs,

Lydia

[Lydia_R]

I feel bad about how I talked about gay people in this previous post.  I was traumatized several times by gay men while I lived on the streets and that took a long time to get over.  I now know some lovely gay people both online and in real life.