I hope I wonât regret engaging this issue on such a public forum. I am going to dive-in, though, because I have loved BoingBoing for so many years and do respect the commentators here.
I think I have something constructive to add, but only in regard to a certain segment finding themselves struggling with accepting the transgender population. The people who want legal definitions and objective criteria, and who have a sense of this general feeling about âhow much to indulgeâ other peopleâs âwhimsâ.
I think it is only a certain personality type seems to have issues with this, but certainly a sizable demographic. These issues easily lead to a caricature in their mind (or am I fooled by taking people at their word, and those giving voices to these concerns are disingenuous?)âŚâwhatâs next?â, they say, âpeople demanding they be referred to as a turnip?â
They raise slippery slope arguments (In the marriage debates, the ones who brought up comparisons with bestiality).
Maybe as much as personality type, it is âthose who donât know someone personallyâ affected by the issue. Thatâs through no fault of their own. Many of us are introverts and donât know many people period, regardless of orientation, etc.
In any case, you know who you are. And so for those of that way of thinking, and I suppose I count myself, if not among them, then very sympathetic, it is to you I address this.
Many of us realize it is not up to us to police others and to the extent possible just toss up our hands and say to each their own, âI donât careâ. Thatâd be harmless except the world does need us to take a stand, at some point, and sometimes silence inflicts its own harm. So letâs first get that out of the way. Iâm telling you to think about this as if you had a vote.
Returning to the specific issue of transgender people and their wishes, for me, the refrain I hear in my head is, âWhat would these people do a hundred years ago?â (I am a big fan of history, but also given to the Naturalistic Fallacy, which I like to think came about from growing up in the Cold War and always thinking the end of Civilization was nigh, and weâd all have to fend for ourselves in a post-apocalypse world wherein we really would be driven back to our natural state)
Most of my life, the answer to that question seemed to be, âtheyâd just have to deal with itâ.
But finally I have come to realize that such an answer is too pat. Many would, in plain fact, not been able to âdeal with itâ, but would have turned to suicide or lived lives racked with pain and self-ruin.
Some of you will find that acceptable (in fact, a disturbing amount will, and Iâd love to start a thread of discussion on that matter some day⌠all of those âthinning the herdâ types, I hope you will have a chance someday to be debated to your satisfaction on the matter).
This is the pivot in my understanding that is crucial. Would I be willing to countenance someone killing themselves over this?
How do you distinguish between what is merely a character-building challenge versus really a life-destroying crucible? Isnât that where minds like ourâs go next, ever challenging any complications to the cut-and-dried world we seekâŚ
I think it is fitting to leave that unanswered for now, but to advise taking a step outside of the box of logic we would build, and, if you feel compelled to doubt the voiced struggles, do that with more precision, and focus on the self-harm transgender people are capable of.
