I’m not even trans, but having a sustained international campaign to hurt people I care about definitely makes me that much more anxious anyway. Honestly 86% is surprisingly low to me.
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Those poor babies… those fucking ghouls attacking them…
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I definitely feel emotional distress even though my country is not currently engaged in targeting trans people. If the fascists elsewhere succeed, I know it won’t be long before I am in danger here too. The anti-trans movement is international, and I fear for my safety if the Liberals get kicked out and the Conservatives take power.
The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms doesn’t explicitly cover gender identity, though the Canadian Human Rights Act does. That was added in 2017, which is basically yesterday and I can see the fascists removing that as soon as they have the ability to do so. Nowhere is truly safe for people like me, and that knowledge frightens the fuck out of me.
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This is why I hate the “They should move somewhere else” argument that I hear too many privileged people make. Aside from the fact that trans people should have the same right to live wherever they want that cis people enjoy the anti-trans movement is international, and if one place isn’t safe then nowhere is truly safe. And no one should have to live with that kind of uncertainty.
That’s also why it’s so important for those of us in the US who are fighting for trans rights to make sure it stops here.
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My dad (caveat: 86 and still reading the daily fail) showed me the article.
His argument: ‘16 is too young to think for yourself, they shouldn’t be allowed to vote’.
My argument: ‘You think 16 is too young to vote, but politics and sexuality are apples and oranges. By 16, you are either attracted to the opposite sex or you are not. You are either in the right body or you are not. Self-determination as regards to orientation happens a lot earlier than any complicated political views, surely?’
If I missed something, put me right.
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I knew something wasn’t right by the time I realized gender was a thing. Probably 4 or 5. Most trans folks I talk to had similar experiences, with the vast majority realizing by the time puberty started at the latest. Many didn’t have the language or the examples to know what they were until later, but they knew something wasn’t right.
I also realized in my early teens that even though I looked ‘straight’, the way I was attracted to women wasn’t at all like the guys I knew. The number of times I joked ‘I wish I was a lesbian’ in high school… turns out I was one all along.
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That is a touching story and I’m so glad it worked out for you.
Puberty and politics should never be mixed.
UK political intolerance is basically trying to blame children/teens for being themselves.
I am disgusted by it.
I have had at least one good friend transition (though later in life) and what they went through was brutal (socially and politically, rather than physically).
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Agree with your response wholeheartedly. I think there is nothing to “put right” other than to add a few exclamation points after.
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This is one big reason why the book banning is so dangerous. For trans people and queer people, it’s not just about representation, which, don’t get me wrong is absolutely critical, It’s about finding the language to express who they are. My kid is really little and at her school there’s a big emphasis on naming your feelings. Because when you can give something a name then you can define it, you can figure out what it’s limits are, what it means. And then you can figure out what you want to do about it. Part of the reason the people who want to ban the books are banning them is because it empowers kids to know who they are. That terrifies these people
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This is so, so correct. If they can keep kids form learning that what they feel is not “sick,” but is normal and has a name, they can force this thing that terrifies them so back into the closet. They suck.
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Well that’s something I don’t know what…
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Yep. And many think that it’s somehow a choice, so by hiding the options available, their kid will stay cis. Spoiler: they won’t. They never were cis.
I spent years with an untreatable depression that was actually my dysphoria, I just didn’t realize that was what it was until after I came out, then it was ‘ohhhh, that wasn’t depression, it was dysphoria’. For years I denied I was trans because I didn’t have dysphoria, but I did all along (not that you need dysphoria to be trans or anything, because you don’t) But not having an accurate description available in my teens when I really started struggling with it, I just didn’t know. I could have saved decades of misery if it wasn’t hidden from me.
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And
How can people do that to their kids? If my kid was miserable I’d want to find out why and help her fix it. Or at least make it less if fixing wasn’t possible. I see parents do this with so many things, not just gender or sexuality. Why even have kids?!
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My parents were very open minded and wanted me to succeed. Between being depressed from dysphoria and being smart but suffering from undiagnosed ADHD (inattentive type, so not typical male hyperactive expression), they just assumed I was sad and lazy.
They did try to get me help, but the professionals I saw never explored gender identity at all, so I was given drugs that didn’t work and told to cheer up. All the while I was accumulating trauma and came to truly believe I was just a lazy, sad person, and I’m still working to sort out the issues all that caused.
My mom passed before I came out, and I will forever regret not getting to show her who I truly am. I know she’d be proud of me for figuring it out, and I’d love to hear what she saw in be back when I was a kid that might be clues I forgot. There’s so many things looking back that were signs that I didn’t recognize at the time.
Relevant bit starts around 20:30, for those looking for the trans content.
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Saw this with my youngest. I think they knew we would be fine with it, but were afraid of what the rest of the world would think. Not that coming out fixed everything, but it is much better than it was. and as transitioning progresses, they seem to be doing better. (Most days, anyway. There are certainly those days. And probably always will be.)
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Transitioning saved my life, for sure. I am a lot happier now than I’ve ever been at any point in my life, at least that I can remember, but it’s still hard and sucks sometimes. It would be a lot easier if society was more accepting, but even if society was perfect, sometimes dysphoria just kicks in and you’ve gotta ride it out.
I am so glad your kid has such supportive parents and was able to come out. It’s nice that kids can be themselves much more easily these days.
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I’m sad that Ashley felt the need to drop this suit (and I really hope it was not the result of pressure the state was putting on her)… It absolutely sucks that we make getting real justice so difficult… I have not seen her in years, but I hope she is healing from all the trauma the state put her through…
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