Transgender Considerations

[Wesley]

Hello All,

I am posting a link for an article entitled, "Pushing kids into transgenderism is medical malpractice."

I neither support, nor refute the article, but am putting the link up. The author, asserts that indoctrination into transgenderism in young childhood can be more harmful than helpful.

Without a doubt, it is something that should be considered.

http://thefederalist.com/2016/09/21/pus ... lpractice/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Lacey Hadley]

As a crossdresser and not one who wants to change my gender I will say this.

The subject is not black and white, not right and wrong. Gender education in elementary school is good to the point of informing students at and through appropriate age groups. To pre sell in an active way the idea that gender is black and white (in that one should not question or feel the gender they feel if it's not matching their body) is not serving youth well. To educate youth to not be intolerant or hurtful to others who may feel a gender issue or are questioning is all that should be done in elementary school. It's none of the other students business so it's not for them to abuse and such a student who feels he/she is having a gender issue or is questioning. The education should be about tolerance.

Schools should have councilors who are trained in dealing with these issues and can accommodate the thoughts and questions youth may have on the subject and personally. The councilors should also where possible make sure parents of these youth are professionally informed and have access to info and education about the subject.

While IMO youth under the age of majority (typically 18) must be handled with utmost care about transgenderism and questioning. This can help guide students to having appropriate info and to help decide if they feel transgender and are not just going through a phase or other social issue.

Many places do not allow youth to attain HRT until age of majority. This may not be the black and white answer as if a youth does truly and through professional study feel like they are transgender it may be better to start them on HRT at a younger age.

IMO, there is little reason to start any youth before puberty on hormones. If the youth feels or questions their gender it's easy before say age 13 to allow them to dress identify and act as the gender they feel and for most since its prior to puberty they will look much like the gender they feel. This gets us back into the classroom where students are taught tolerance to a student who may be identifying with the other gender and not be so persecuted by peer pressure. Before puberty this can be handled and reversed easier if the student was only going through a phase or was unsure as they lived the role they felt.

The bigger issue is ages between 13-18. If a youth is truly transgendered, having them on HRT as they progress through puberty will help them attain a better physical look of the gender they identify with. This said I'm no doctor but hormone blockers to start to delay puberty can help early on and not create major or permanent changes.

But the profession and properly educated parents can help the youth especially between age 13-18 find if they are transgender and not some other phase or issue that cause them to question.

The article is again too black and white and I think especially during puberty gender may be too fluid. The youth must be guided to find themselves and not be pushed to one or the other side of the topic. Prior to puberty it is easier to work this through as the youth is still just a child. At age of majority it's now the business of the ADULT and we all as adults live by our choices. Again between say age 13-18 is the grey area and is where professionals and lawmakers may likely earn their pay best on this topic..

[Carol Ann]

I too am just a happy crossdresser and agree with Lacey

[DonnaT]

The article starts out on the wrong foot. There is no social indoctrination occurring, that I know of.

Indoctrination is a form of thought reform, a process of forcibly influencing someone to accept ideas and attitudes.

Teaching children what is meant by transgender, and teaching them that there is nothing wrong with being trans is a long way off from forcing them to accept transgenderism.

Of course, if schools and educators are encouraging students to experiment with gender transition, that is wrong. However, I've never heard of such an activity occurring.

As for medical professionals, they are there for support, hopefully, for gender questioning students. I reckon it can be deemed experimental to allow a child to express their gender identity, but that is one of the requirements for determining whether one transitions or not. It's not an experiment in the way the author means the the term.

OK, so the author has issues with his/her transition; this does not mean that all transitions are flawed. There are many many more successful transitions than failures.

[Lacey Hadley]

That's right Donna.

Nobody is forcing any youth to adopt a gender that they would not normally be or feel by extension their own self. It's just not happening nor could it succeed. Yes, you could by government action or edict FORCE a person to adopt the opposite gender to themselves but it will not ever be accepted by that person. It would be resented by them as long as they are forced into it.

I'll use crossdressing as a point. I choose to be a crossdresser as an existential part of WHO I AM! To deny myself of this side of my persona would be harmful to my general well being and my mind, heart and soul. I'd be miserable! To for argument, say go to a buddy or male coworker of mine who is not a crossdresser and FORCE or coax him into doing so will NOT go over in the end. Oh yeah lots of guys, 'dudes' try it or have sisters, female friends etc. put them in female clothes once or Hell maybe twice, three times especially for Halloween. They may get a kick out of it but they unlike me would not normally dress up enfemme.

Transgendered persons MTF, or FTM feel something about themselves that is not matching their outer bodies and way they are being told to act and live. Nobody can brainwash a person to become trans. It's B.S. IMO. Yes, young people are all developing their persona, minds and beings. Some may be questioning their gender and /or sexuality. Many youth experiment with sexuality and to a lesser extent their gender. They are trying to learn who they are. I guess with our age/aging we all 'bleeping' forget that too. Odds are 9/10 youth are perfectly fine at being genetic males and females. 8-9/10 youth are probably fine at being heterosexual or maybe bi-curous. 1-2/10 are accepting of their homosexuality.

You can force a person to practice gay sex, but you can't make a person be gay. They will resent it if they are not gay.

So the article is wrong that it supposes one can brainwash youth to being a trans person. Yes, one can influence the youth's desire to experiment and see if what they may feel is a reality for them. The 'influencing' must not be coerced in a negative way. A child under age 13 (before most begin puberty) can more easily test out if feelings about gender are true or just child's curiosity and a phase. If the child's feelings are re-enforced by being and dressing the other gender that with proper parenting and professional help one can aid them to move to that gender. If the child moves towards puberty and the gender issue straightens out (no pun intended) then the child will develop through puberty much like any other child.

Again IMO there is no reason to put a child under age 13 on any hormones. They can be the gender they may feel just fine without such. If they are only in a child's
curious phase they will likely in time move out from it. But the system and schools are best at such to teach other youths tolerance and enough info on a what is transgenderism and why some of their peers may feel such.

Again ages 13-18 must be the most delicately processed part of this topic. Educated pros in schools and in the medical community can aid questioning teens on this issue. I find it interesting that I have looked on YOUTUBE and many trans persons tell of their lives and issues as well as vlog on their personal trans journey. I am amazed at how often the ones between say 13-20 years old are extremely mature, eloquent and honest in their videos. I'd say most exhibit above average intelligence.

Older trans persons say over 25 years of age are all more or less developed in mind, and personality and as such exhibit typical adult intelligence and ideals. They are no issue as they are ADULTS and live by their actions in life and as adults should know better one way or the other.

So the article is too black and white and negative.

To end, I have major issues with the SJW stuff today. I myself often feel I want to punch them all in the face and I hate most of their political and social movement crap. I do not toss transgender people into this SJW stuff by them being TG because IMO again they often demonstrate a higher level of intelligence and thought.

Sorry, my added 2 cent rant.

[Wesley]

As is usual Lacey Hadley makes some excellent points. My compliments on her succinctness and discussion on just about anything! Two thumbs up Lacey!

Both she and DonnaT, feel that the author implied either indoctrination or as Lacey stated:

"So the article is wrong that it supposes one can brainwash youth to being a trans person."

I don't know that I would call what happens to be on quite that level, it is very subtle and sadly, now entwined with Political Correctness. Think of it as subtle encouragement.

An interesting article:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/ ... e16897043/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

That explores the explosion of Transgender children, (surprisingly many more boys that want to be girls than girls that want to be boys) is examined:

"Suddenly transgender kids are everywhere – in the news, on Dr. Phil and in your neighbourhood. School boards have developed detailed transgender policies. Clinics to treat transgender kids have sprung up. A condition that used to be vanishingly rare, perhaps one in 10,000 children or less, now seems common. In a random sampling of 6th- to 8th-graders in San Francisco, kids were asked if they identified as male, female or transgendered – 1.3 per cent checked off the transgendered box."

Reasons include:
"One reason is that social norms have dramatically changed. It is now fashionable to embrace your diverse child. Parents who encourage their kids to change gender “are socially rewarded as wonderful and accepting,” while parents who try to take it slow “are seen as unaccepting, lacking in affection and conservative,” she says."

Subtle encouragement, I would say. She concludes, " You get the sense that what we have is not so much a rational approach to a psychosocial issue as a radical ideological experiment."

Another article, http://thefederalist.com/2014/06/23/how ... -everyone/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Also examines the subtle social conditioning.

"Already, there is social pressure for everyone to comply with the gender theory notion that biological facts are mere ‘social constructs.’"

and:

"The transgender movement has strong totalitarian overtones that Americans (especially certain senators) don’t fully understand. How else to describe a crusade with such far-reaching consequences for First Amendment rights? The legal destruction of gender distinctions will inevitably dissolve family autonomy, thereby uprooting freedom of association. Free expression becomes “hate speech” if one doesn’t fall into line with the directives of the transgender lobby or its pronoun protocol. Freedom of religion takes a direct hit any way you look at it."

As I said, it is subtle, and has ulterior motives. The politics of the matter believed by some to be a struggle akin to the Civil rights struggles of the 50's and 60's. But honestly, does a self identified transgender using the bathroom of his choice rise to the level of Jim Crow laws?

ULTIMATELY, Going back to Lacey's comment, "So the article is wrong that it supposes one can brainwash youth to being a trans person." is correct, but when you take a pre adolescent child, who is now exposed to the issue in many ways, and continually reinforce acceptance behavior when it occurs, You are subtle programing the young developing brain to believe they are a special unique snowflake. They quickly key in that behavior presents rewards. . Over time, it is expected.

I am not saying to reject a child's behavior by any means. But there is a big difference in accepting and encouraging behaviors. Parents should let the child self discover, and recognize that in all likelihood, their behavior has a high chance to revert to acceptance of their assigned (by birth) gender.

A vexing question indeed.